Zenless Zone Zero: 10 mistakes to avoid as a beginner in Zenless Zone Zero

With Zenless Zone Zero releasing on July 4, 2024, players unversed in gacha games — as well as experienced veterans from other HoYoverse titles — may want to know what mistakes to avoid in the upcoming offering. These can range from inefficiently using stamina in the early game to overlooking side quests or challenges.

Zenless Zone Zero is an action RPG where players take on the role of a character who assists a small group of survivors that have formed a stronghold against Ethereal invaders. The protagonist and his team explore hazardous realms known as Hollows; their world is called New Eridu. This is a post-apocalyptic, futuristic world.

This article will talk about the biggest mistakes to avoid as a beginner in Zenless Zone Zero, helping you have an easier time progressing through the game.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.

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10 biggest mistakes to avoid in Zenless Zone Zero as a beginner

1) Do not ignore side quests

One of the top mistakes to avoid as a beginner is ignoring side quests (Image via HoYoverse/YouTube-REHOO)

Besides main story quests, players must remember that one of the biggest mistakes to avoid as a beginner is ignoring side quests. This is because these will grant you access to many of the game's overworld mechanics. This makes doing optional quests quite compulsory.

2) Do not overlook free stamina refresh

Lucky Dog daily scratch card that offers rewards (Image via HoYoverse/YouTube-REHOO)

There is a coffee shop in Zenless Zone Zero that can reward players with a daily stamina refresh after it's been unlocked. This will come in handy when gamers want to level up their characters and rosters.

3) Ignoring main mission requirements

Challenges required to gain additional rewards in missions (Image via HoYoverse/YouTube-REHOO)

One of the biggest mistakes to avoid as a beginner in Zenless Zone Zero would be neglecting the main mission challenges. Each main story mission will have three requirements that players need to fulfill to complete that sequence. These challenges will ask gamers to meet certain criteria or have some time limitations.

Completing all such requirements will reward players with world-level progression and premium currency, which can be used to summon new characters.

4) Do not lose stamina to overcap

Spending Stamina in Zenless Zone Zone (Image via HoYoverse/YouTube-REHOO)

Stamina is a system that players of HoYoverse games are very familiar it. It helps in farming material for character or item upgrades, and it is refreshed after a certain period of time.

In the early hours of Zenless Zone Zero, one of the mistakes to avoid as a beginner is letting Stamina overcap. Utilize it daily to maximize this system's benefits from the day you start playing the game.

5) Avoid over-leveling your characters early

Avoid over-leveling to save on resources early-game (Image via HoYoverse/YouTube-REHOO)

Over-leveling your characters is one of the biggest mistakes to avoid as a beginner in the early game, even when you have plenty of resources. This is because increasing your units' levels by a lot will deplete your resources and leave you stranded with no upgrade material when you land a new character via summons later on.

Similarly, avoiding leveling up every unit you have will also aid in saving further material for higher world levels where enemies are tougher.

6) Avoid farming Disc sets early on

Avoid disc set farming early game (Image via HoYoverse/YouTube-REHOO)

Just like every other HoYoverse title, characters can be equipped with items to empower them, and these materials can be farmed via Stamina. However, one of the biggest mistakes to avoid as a beginner in Zenless Zone Zero is farming Disc sets — which are similar to Relics in Honkai Star Rail — in the early game.

Farming character level-up materials will be more beneficial in the early game, as Disc Sets will end up being wasted, eventually.

7) Abuse the absence of switch cancels

Quick Switch and Switch cancels are useful tools during combat (Image via HoYoverse/YouTube-REHOO)

The game features a mechanic where a character who is in a long attack animation will not have their combo canceled when you switch to another unit. Furthermore, when you switch back to the character, they will finish and move on to their next combo chain without having the current animation combo interrupted.

This will allow players to deal more damage in the downtime of long character animations.

8) Find your combat preference

Wasting summons on characters you don't enjoy is one of the top mistakes to avoid (Image via HoYoverse/YouTube-REHOO)

The game will feature a wide range of characters at launch with more planned to arrive the further we get into the game's update cycle. With this in mind, one of the biggest mistakes to avoid is not having a particular combat style preference, which will lead to players summoning characters they don't end up enjoying.

This is because a player's inclination to use a particular style of characters will equate to longer playtime and satisfaction in Zenless Zone Zero where combat is a big focus.

9) Do not waste Films, especially on Stamina

Films are a premium currency you want to avoid wasting (Image via HoYoverse/YouTube-REHOO)

The Stamina system will allow players to refresh it with Film or the premium currency that is used to summon characters. Using either for this purpose will be one of the mistakes to avoid as a beginner in Zenless Zone Zero. This is because Stamina can be obtained by waiting a certain amount of time for this system to be refreshed automatically by the game.

Additionally, in the early game, players can spend their daily Stamina and gain one free refresh to this system from the Coffee Shop. Then, they should wait for the next day to grind level-up materials and save Films for upcoming characters that they want to summon.

10) Do not avoid character trials

Knowing your playstyle preference can help you choose characters accordingly (Image via HoYoverse/YouTube-REHOO)

Character trials can go overlooked when you enter a new game that has a lot to offer. These, however, can offer rewards upon completion and also allow players to get themselves familiarized with a character's playstyle. This will help gamers decide whether to include certain units in their party and whom to level up.

As such, character trials can help gamers save a lot of resources as well as reward some premium currency.