ZZZ officially Season 2 Preview: Yi Xuan debuts, veteran agents enhancement!

Chinese-style factions, idol factions; brand-new main storyline, Chinese-themed maps, and massive optimizations and upgrades! That's right - the Zenless Zone Zero 2.0 era is coming!

This time, the official team has launched a special "Dev Talk" segment, offering a first glimpse of Season 2 content. This includes (but isn't limited to) reveals about upcoming agents, regions, gameplay modes, factions, and storylines, along with adjustments, enhancements, and optimizations for existing Agents! The full session lasted a full hour! Without further delay, here's the summarized content from this "Dev Talk" for all Proxies.

1. Zenless Zone Zero New Agents and Factions

Let's start with the part all Proxies are most excited about: the long-awaited idol faction "Angels of Delusion" will soon debut. This is a special group featuring both magical girls and mecha pilots.

Notably, the Obol Squad will also welcome new members. However, the core faction of Zenless Zone Zero Season 2 is undoubtedly the Chinese-style "Yunkui Summit" faction. Characters we've briefly encountered before like Ju Fufu, along with her master-the highly anticipated Yi Xuan-are members of Yunkui Summit.

Observe the master's expression: solemn yet cold, mystical yet righteous. Witness her mid-air movements: dazzlingly cool yet refined, graceful yet chivalrous.

Furthermore, Yi Xuan isn't just Ju Fufu's master - she will also become the mentor to our Proxy siblings in Season 2's story. Later, the protagonist will join Yunkui Summit as a probationary disciple to learn 'arcane arts'. Thus, it's no exaggeration to call Yi Xuan our teacher. The developers emphasized that Season 2's narrative will intensify, shifting from Season 1's lighthearted tone to deeply explore character cores, showcasing intricate relationships and complexities.

In any case, all Season 2 characters will make their grand debut in the April 13th Season 2 teaser PV - don't miss it! Continuing from earlier, the main stage of Season 2's story is the new Chinese-style hub city: Failume Heights. The Proxy siblings will have a new home here, complete with teahouses, herbal shops, and new player-managed areas. Visually, the art team opted not for ancient Chinese aesthetics but rather a more lived-in mid-century urban style. Personally, I adore this approach - what do you think, Proxies? After all, in the game's concept, Proxies aren't just visiting but truly inhabiting this world.

Looking closely at the gameplay footage, the design of Failume Heights incorporates subtle Cantonese elements. Particularly, the Chinese homophonic pun on the teahouse poster alludes to the Cantonese pronunciation of "drinking tea". Such Chinese-style Easter eggs are likely abundant in the new hub city. This new hub is located in the post-2.0 area.

Adjacent to this region lies the highly volatile "Lemnian Hollow". The mention of an extremely active Hollow surely hints at impending chaos caused by antagonists. In Season 2, Sarah will take more significant actions, and the goals of The Exaltists will gradually surface. Most crucially, revelations about our protagonists' story and the origins of HDD will be disclosed. What exactly are the mysterious halos in our eyes? The truth behind "Fairy"? The undercurrents beneath New Eridu? These mysteries will all unfold dramatically in Zenless Zone Zero Season 2 - can't wait!

Additionally, in the new hub city Failume Heights, players' living areas, combat zones, and exploration regions will be interconnected. This eliminates the completely segregated zone design from Version 1.0, creating a more cohesive and seamless experience.

The quest system has also been revamped - instead of relying on the HDD system's checklist-style task management, it now adopts interactions closer to traditional RPGs: accepting through dialogue, followed by exploration and combat to complete objectives.

Combat zones have undergone upgrades and expansion. The Lemnian Hollow, now serving as a battlefield, was previously an aerospace city before being corrupted. Unlike previous combat stages, this aerospace city will be larger, more comprehensive, and richer in content. If I understand correctly, starting from Version 2.0, Zenless Zone Zero will transition from pure stage-based design to a hybrid of stages and sandbox-style micro-worlds.

With the evolution of living spaces, combat zones, and urban functions, the protagonist gains more activities and heightened presence! In Season 2, besides simulation management mechanics in specific areas, we'll learn "arcane arts" through Yunkui Summit training that aid Hollow exploration. During cultivation, we'll unlock new character appearances - could this mean Proxy skins? But there's more: the protagonist's combat capabilities are also under development.

2. Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.0 Legacy Content Optimizations

Next comes the highly anticipated legacy content optimization segment. The interview revealed two major updates: The development team stated that starting with Version 2.0, black screen loading instances in the new hub city Failume Heights will be significantly reduced, including instant access when returning home. For necessary loading sequences caused by legacy code from the early development phase, they'll shorten loading times and implement ceremonial animations to minimize disruption.

The second update is even more massive - the team has prioritized adjustments and enhancements for existing characters. They understand players have their favorite characters and want these legacy units to remain viable long-term. To achieve this, they'll implement mechanical refinements and balance adjustments based on post-launch performance data, ensuring improved usability. Essentially, they don't want players' beloved characters to become obsolete.

However, Game Designer "y" candidly admitted this remains an industry-wide challenge. The team is cautiously exploring innovative approaches while encouraging player feedback during testing to find the optimal balance, allowing legacy characters to stay relevant in the evolving game ecosystem.

3. Future update directions for Zenless Zone Zero

3.1 Full seamless hot-switching for PC controllers implemented

PC controller hot-switching finally coming in Version 2.0! Controller players rejoice!

3.2 Legacy and new Agents Active Simultaneously in Combat

Agents will continue to expand interactions with players through future events, leveraging their unique mechanics and characteristics to design content. Both new and legacy Agents will remain active in Zenless Zone Zero's world.

3.3 Continuous updates for Legacy Zones

The introduction of new areas doesn't mean legacy districts will stop evolving - stay tuned for updates!

3.4 Iterations on Core Combat Mechanics

The new version will further iterate on combat systems, aiming to break through Version 1.0's framework with fresh innovations. Priority will be given to redesigning the energy gauge for special skills.

3.5 Expand the Combat System to provide Field Opportunities for different Agents

The developers aim to expand the combat system, granting backline Agents more opportunities to engage.

3.6 Upgrade Boss Combat Interactions

Enhance boss combat interactions by introducing more counterplay mechanics requiring adaptive strategies.

3.7 Increase Combat Challenge while seeking Balance

Raise the game's challenge level and difficulty, but provide tailored difficulty feedback based on players' skill levels.

3.8 Redesign of Daily/Weekly Routine Content

The team plans to completely revamp daily and weekly quests, reducing grind while delivering fresh experiences.

After watching the Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.0 preview, I feel both admiration and affection for the development team. They've introspected on numerous issues and solutions, all aligning with player demands. You can sense their clear awareness of the game's pain points and determined efforts to address them.

For a live-service game, nothing matters more than determination and self-awareness. As a day-one player who's stayed active since launch, my experience keeps improving - how about yours? This concludes all content from this "Dev Talk". Believe Zenless Zone Zero 2.0 will deliver a fresh, perfected experience for Proxies! And don't miss future articles and new Zenless Zone Zero merchandises.