Zenless Zone Zero Shiyu Defense game mode explained

Zenless Zone Zero's Shiyu Defense is one of the endgame activities that players can sink their teeth into. HoYoverse's newest title pulls no punches when it comes to allowing players to engage in combat, requiring everyone to invest in building characters, form the best synergy with teams, and be at the top of the mark.

Shiyu Defense takes a familiar route as Memory of Chaos or Spiral Abyss, some of HoYoverse's works in its past titles. This article will guide you through the basics of this game mode, alongside all available rewards, upgrade materials, limited gacha currencies, and modifiers to make things easier for players.

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Shiyu Defense guide for Zenless Zone Zero

1) How to unlock Shiyu Defense

The Shiyu Defense game mode unlocks after you complete the second Inter-Knot rank-up mission in Zenless Zone Zero.

This mission will be available after Inter-Knot level 20, where the game will ask you to launch a Story mission via the HDD system. Enemies will include a few bosses that take increased Ether and Ice damage from allies.

Scott Outpost on the map of Zenless Zone Zero (Image via HoYoverse)

After completing the rank-up mission, you will receive another that tasks you with going to "Scott Outpost." You can manually teleport there by opening the map anywhere on Sixth Street.

Challenges in the Video Store menu (Image via HoYoverse)

After following the mission objectives and completing the introductory stage, you can manually select Shiyu Defense by selecting the Video Store Menu> Challenges> Shiyu Defense> Go.

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2) All available Stages

There are two modes of Shiyu Defense, one being the Stable and the other being the Critical. As the name suggests, one will be easier than the other.

In this case, players are put in front of Stable nodes first, as they are easier with lower-level enemies, alongside less punishing enemies.

Enemies in the second stage of Stable Node in Zenless Zone Zero (Image via HoYoverse)

There are currently 10 Stable nodes with permanent rewards, enemies, and modifiers. This means that once a player completes a single stage in the Stable node and bags all the associated rewards, that stage won't be replayable for extra rewards in the future. Note that a few stages in Stable nodes will require two fully built teams with two Bangboo for each.

Stages in the Stable Node (Image via HoYoverse)

Critical nodes, on the other hand, unlock only after all 10 stages in Stable Nodes are completed. This is a more challenging take on the endgame, with each stage similar to that of the Stable nodes.

However, unlike Stable nodes, the Critical nodes are easily a primary source for Polychrome, as any associated rewards will be refreshed every two weeks.

Getting every reward from the Critical node will require the completion of all stages with the best possible results, which can be challenging given the nature of the game mode.

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3) Rewards

Rewards with rank completion in Shiyu Defense of Zenless Zone Zero (Image via HoYoverse)

Each stage grants 300 Polychromes, W-Engine Chips, Drive Disc upgrades, and Dennies in Zenless Zone Zero. Note that each stage has a rank completion requirement based on the difficulty in execution. Three ranks are available in each stage, A, B, and S, each yielding 100 Polychromes. Hence, you can earn 300 Polychromes for each stage only via a perfect completion.

For completing 10 stages, you can get 3000 Polychromes from Stable nodes. This article will be updated with the reward details of Critical Nodes.

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4) Modifiers

Example of a modifier in Shiyu Defense Stable Node of Zenless Zone Zero (Image via HoYoverse)

Modifiers are buffs that you will receive in each stage. This can range from increased Physical Anomaly buildup to Electric Anomaly buildup and even more. The modifiers of each stage can be viewed after clicking on the stage circle.

To check the enemies, click on the image of the enemy beside the level requirement number. You can also check the recommended attribute/element for the stage just below the level requirement.