If you haven’t yet reached the 300 standard banner pulls, you’re likely to hit this milestone during version 1.4 of Zenless Zone Zero. Once you do, you’ll be able to select one of several characters for your account. This guide aims to help you decide which character is the best choice for your team composition and playstyle by analyzing their roles, strengths, and weaknesses. I’ll also cover their performance at Mindscape levels 1 and 2 for players who already own all standard units.
Standard Unit Selector Guide
In Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ), the Standard Unit Selector is a feature that allows players to choose one specific S-Rank character from a preset pool of 6 standard units after reaching 300 standard banner pulls.
While I’ve done my best to provide an objective overview, my personal preferences and biases may come through. I highly recommend checking out additional resources to form a well-rounded opinion.
Key Advice: Horizontal investment (broadening your roster) is generally better than vertical investment (maxing out specific units) in this game. If you only lack one of the six units, it’s usually best to select that one—unless you strongly dislike it.
Lycaon
Lycaon’s teams are highly versatile, and he provides Ice Resistance Shred, significantly boosting damage for Miyabi and Ellen. He also offers a 35% stun damage multiplier, making him an excellent stunner option.
When it comes to building Lycaon, Impact is his priority—equip Impact in Slot 6 and use a 4-piece Shock Star Disco set. Fortunately, Lycaon doesn’t rely heavily on substats, making him easy to build. Like other stunners, he benefits from free-to-play craftable weapons, such as Steam Oven, which both Lycaon and Koleda can use effectively.
Playstyle & Rotations
Lycaon requires some field time for his Daze application but can also be played in a quick-swap style. This involves switching him in, performing his EX Special (and maybe a basic combo), then swapping out.
Team Recommendations
Lycaon fits perfectly in Ellen-centered teams, such as:
- Ellen, Lycaon, and Soukaku
- Ellen, Lighter, and Lycaon
He’s also fantastic in Miyabi-centered teams, including:
- Miyabi, Lycaon, and Soukaku
- Miyabi, Yanagi, and Lycaon
For Miyabi teams, consider switching his 4-piece Shock Star Disco for a 4-piece Freedom Blues set to support Anomaly buildup.
Support Recommendations: Rina is arguably the best support for boosting damage in Miyabi or Ellen teams, thanks to her damage buffs.
Final Thoughts
Lycaon is a solid investment if you already have or are planning to build a Miyabi or Ellen team and lack other stunner options. His flexibility and ease of building make him a strong addition to most accounts.
Koleda
Koleda has unfortunately been somewhat power-crept with the release of Lighter, but she remains one of the fastest stunners in the game, offering versatile team options. While her additional ability isn’t particularly strong, it allows her to function as a replacement stunner in almost any team.
However, Koleda doesn’t provide much beyond her versatility and insane Daze application. That said, there’s potential for her value to increase in the future, especially if a chain attack-based DPS character is released.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Koleda’s biggest strengths lie in her:
- EX Special and Dodge Counter, which deliver excellent Daze application.
- Ability to stay on-field, making her especially effective against aggressive enemies.
On the flip side, she can feel clunky due to long animations and struggles against mobile enemies, which may cause her attacks to miss, impacting her Daze output. This can feel frustrating at times.
Build Recommendations
Koleda is easy to build, much like Lycaon. Her ideal setup includes:
- 4-piece Shock Star Disco for maximizing Daze application.
- Prioritizing Impact stats, as substats like Crit or AP are only optional optimizations based on your team.
She also synergizes well with free-to-play craftable weapons, such as Steam Oven, making her accessible for all players.
Team Recommendations
is extremely flexible and can fit into a wide variety of teams, including:
- Mono Fire Teams – Excellent for Crit Burners or main DPS Lucy setups.
- Soldier 11 Teams – Slots well into her setups.
- Piper, Neko Mana, or Billy Teams – Provides solid stunner support.
- Corin Teams – Works well even without a focus on her additional ability.
For Soldier 11 believers, Koleda integrates seamlessly, and even Corin can utilize her effectively. However, if you have Lycaon, he’s generally the better option, and you may want to prioritize him as your stunner selection.
Final Thoughts
While Lighter may have overshadowed Koleda, she’s still a strong stunner option—especially for players who lack alternatives. If you don’t have Lycaon, Koleda is a viable choice and may become even more valuable in the future should chain attack-based teams become more prominent.
As a fun bonus, Koleda has a special interaction with Ben, which might appeal to players looking for unique team synergies.
Grace
Grace was the first S-rank anomaly unit, and unfortunately, that shows in both her performance and gameplay. While she’s certainly usable and not a bad unit, she doesn’t excel in any team or fulfill a unique role that sets her apart.
Her standout strength lies in fast Electric Anomaly application, but her repeated shocks aren’t particularly impressive. This makes her best suited for Disorder or Anomaly-focused teams.
Weapon Recommendations
Grace has some solid weapon choices:
- Premium Options:
- Electro Lip Gloss
- Fusion Compiler
- Free-to-Play Options:
- Weeping Gemini
- Rainforest Gourmet
Her F2P weapons perform surprisingly well and aren’t too far behind her premium picks, making her accessible for most players.
Artifact Recommendations
- Mono Electric Teams: A 4-piece Thunder Metal set is fantastic for maximizing Electric Anomaly damage.
- Disorder Teams: A 4-piece Freedom Blues set works better, boosting her team synergy and overall performance.
Team Recommendations
While Grace isn’t the top pick for most teams, she can perform well enough in several setups.
- Quick Shock Battery for Anomaly Teams –
- Grace works great as a shock applicator for Anton, especially when paired with a stun-focused third slot for added support.
- Disorder Teams –
- Suitable for Piper, Bernice or Jane-centered teams.
- In Bernices teams, Koleda may be preferred over Lucy, as these teams tend to prefer an on-field unit.
- For teams lacking Koleda, Jane can serve as an on-field alternative due to her consistent performance.
Final Thoughts
I can already hear Grace mains angrily typing in the comments, but let’s be honest—while Grace isn’t bad, she also isn’t fantastic. She’s a functional quick-shock battery with flexibility in anomaly setups, but she doesn’t stand out as a premium choice in the current meta.
That said, these types of games are always evolving, and Grace’s value could increase significantly if future updates introduce new mechanics or team compositions that better suit her strengths. So while she may not be the best option right now, she could potentially shine in the future.
Rina
Rina is a bit of a controversial topic. On one hand, she’s currently the only reliable non-paid source for Penetration Ratio buffs, making her the go-to choice—or rather, the only choice—for maximizing Pen Ratio in Slot 5. On the other hand, her gameplay can feel clunky and frustrating.
Now, before we go any further, take this with a grain of salt—this is my personal opinion. If you enjoy Rina’s playstyle, more power to you!
Strengths & Gameplay
Rina provides one of the strongest buffs in the game, making her a fantastic support unit in terms of raw damage amplification. However, this power comes at a cost—you need to swap her in every 5.5 seconds to refresh her buff.
This can feel stressful, especially in fast-paced teams that don’t have the luxury of frequent swaps—such as Harumasa compositions.
If you enjoy this playstyle and can manage her uptime, Rina becomes a highly versatile support and a great pick for boosting your team’s overall performance.
Build Recommendations
Rina’s flexible build options allow her to adapt to various teams.
- Mono Electric Teams
- 4-piece Thunder Metal – Ideal for Electric-focused comps.
- Anomaly Teams (with Grace or Yanagi)
- 4-piece Freedom Blues – Great for maintaining buff uptime (though not the easiest to pull off).
- Generic Buff Support
- Swing Jazz or Proto Punk – Good for general-purpose buffs across multiple team setups.
Stat Priorities:
- Slot 6: Energy Regeneration or Anomaly Mastery – Choose based on team needs.
- Slot 4: Crit or Anomaly Proficiency – Again, this depends on your specific team setup.
Final Thoughts
Due to her versatility, it’s impossible to list all the teams she fits into. However, she excels as a premium buffer, even in non-Electric teams, and is never a bad choice if you’re looking for a damage boost.
If you’re fine with her swap-heavy playstyle, Rina is a fantastic choice for your selector, offering strong support and high damage amplification. However, if you dislike frequent rotations, she might feel too demanding for your taste.
Ultimately, Rina’s value boils down to whether you’re willing to commit to her buff management for the sake of huge damage gains.
Neko Mana
It pains me to say this because I genuinely love Neko Mana, but unfortunately, she’s not in the best spot right now. Even Piper, an A-rank unit, can easily outperform her while also offering better team options and versatility.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Neko Mana has great AOE damage, but so does Jane. She’s also insanely mobile, but again—so is Jane. Her kit relies heavily on dodging and delivers a fast-paced playstyle, but Jane manages to do the same more effectively.
To be completely honest, I struggled to find anything overwhelmingly positive to highlight about Neko Mana.
Let’s be clear—Neko Mana isn’t trash. She can clear content and performs decently. If you love her design, her playstyle, or just resonate with her character, then go for it—waifu over meta is a valid choice!
However, she faces insane competition from:
- Piper
- Jane
- Coran
- Billy
These units either match or outperform her in most situations, leaving Neko Mana struggling to stand out.
Build Recommendations
On the bright side, Neko Mana’s weapon options are not bad.
- Her signature weapon, Steel Cushion, is her best-in-slot choice.
- The craftable Starlight Engine also performs decently, offering a solid free-to-play option.
Team Recommendations
Neko Mana did get a slight boost in team synergy after the release of Caesar, but here’s the catch—she’s heavily reliant on Caesar for optimal performance. Her team options are severely limited if you don’t own Caesar, making her difficult to build around compared to more flexible characters.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, I’d argue that Neko Mana is probably the weakest choice on the selector banner. Unless:
- You don’t own Billy, Coran, Piper, or Jane, OR
- You really, really love Neko,
I cannot recommend selecting Neko Mana over the other available characters. Chances are, you already own at least one of the stronger alternatives, making Neko Mana a hard sell for most players.
Soldier 11
Soldier 11 is currently the only fire attacker in the game, making her a unique option for mono-fire teams. She requires significant field time, and her combo rotation is slightly longer than most enemy attacks, which can make her vulnerable during fights. However, she compensates with strong damage output. If you prefer her straightforward playstyle or lack a fire DPS, Soldier 11 is a reasonable pick—especially since the only other fire DPS option is Burners.
Build Recommendations
Soldier 11 has solid free-to-play weapon options like the Staright Engine. Pairing her with Inferno Metal and farming sets is highly effective, particularly when combined with Puffer Electro during farming stages.
Team Recommendations
Soldier 11 fits best in mono-fire teams or Obol Squad setups, where she is currently the only viable member. She pairs well with Calydon support characters like, Ceasar or Lucy, offering synergy in damage and crit builds. Alternatively, you can include Chingy for a stun-driven strategy.
Final Thoughts
Soldier 11 is a good choice if you need a fire attacker or enjoy her playstyle. However, her effectiveness is primarily limited to mono-fire teams. Evaluate your team compositions before committing to her.
Mindscape Review
TL;DR:
- Mindscape 1: Rina is by far the best choice, followed by Neko Mana. Koleda is a theoretical pick for those looking to build up to her Mindscape 2, but Mindscape 1 on its own is not great.
- Mindscape 2: Koleda takes the top spot, followed by Soldier 11.
M1 Overview
- Koleda – Honestly, Koleda’s Mindscape 1 isn’t great. It offers little impact and doesn’t stand out compared to other options.
- Soldier 11 – Provides some quality-of-life improvements but doesn’t significantly boost damage output. It’s a minor upgrade at best.
- Neko Mana – Offers a significant damage boost, but since Neko Mana isn’t particularly strong overall, this only helps her catch up to other units rather than stand out.
- Lycaon – Slightly increases his Daze output, but the improvement is situational and not game-changing.
- Grace – Functions as a decent energy battery, but since it requires consistent on-field play, you’ll rarely get optimal use out of it.
- Rina – By far the best Mindscape 1 option. Extends her buff duration to 11 seconds, massively improving quality of life and buff strength. This makes her much more versatile and effective in gameplay.
M2 Overview
- Soldier 11: The damage increase here is somewhere between 3-15%, depending on your rotation. This is a solid boost, but it’s not the most impactful when compared to others.
- Lycaon: Lycaon’s M2 can increase his damage output by enabling him to cast his EX Special more frequently. However, this boost is heavily dependent on your team composition and build, as you can only get a maximum of one additional EX Special. This is particularly useful if the fight drags on, but it also means that if your characters are underpowered, Lycaon’s M2 becomes more valuable.
- Koleda: By far the best M2 in this comparison. Koleda’s M2 allows her to nearly insta-stun any enemy in the game every 45 seconds by refunding the EX Special cost. This makes her a game-changer, though it’s important to note that Koleda’s M2 requires a bit more investment.
Who Should You Pick?
Each character offers unique advantages, but your choice should depend on your current roster, playstyle, and team requirements. Here’s how I would personally rank the characters based on versatility and performance:
- Lycaon – Best pick for Ellen and Miyabi teams.
- Koleda – The top stun option if you lack Anby.
- Rina – Excellent premium support with potent buffs, ideal for those needing variety in support roles.
- Soldier 11 – Excels in mono-fire setups and delivers strong DPS output.
- Nekomiya – Great for players who enjoy a fast-paced, agile playstyle, especially if you don’t have Billy, Corin, Piper, or Jane.
- Grace
If you’re still unsure, Lycaon and Rina are generally safe bets for most accounts. Before making your final decision, please consider that my personal opinions may not always reflect the best option for your account. I strongly recommend reviewing the teams I showcased and assessing your account’s specific needs. Don’t just follow my suggestions blindly—build around what works best for your playstyle and roster.
