Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ) Ellen Joe guide: Best builds, W-Engines, Drive Discs, combos, and more

Should you pull for Ellen Joe in Zenless Zone Zero?

It’s undeniable that Ellen Joe is currently the best damage Agent in Zenless Zone Zero — but it’s crucial to remember the fates of limited banners at the beginning of other HoYoverse games. Power creeps are inevitable, and it’s likely Ellen will be overtaken by future characters down the line. *cough* Seele *cough*

Speculation aside, Ellen has a cool sharkgirl maid design and is a blast to freeze and melt enemies with. If you love Ellen’s design and find her playstyle fun, then pull away. Regardless of power creeps, Ellen will likely stay an excellent unit for the foreseeable future, and I certainly don’t regret using my Encrypted Master Tapes.

Ellen is available through the Mellow Waveride limited-time banner which ends on July 24, 2024.

Ellen Joe playstyle and main combos in ZZZ

Ellen Joe is currently Zenless Zone Zero’s best DPS character, but outputting her huge damage isn’t as simple as spamming her attacks. Ellen’s playstyle revolves around building Flash Freeze Charges through her Dash attacks and then spending them to deal colossal Ice Damage and build up Freeze.

Dash attack to build Flash Freeze Charge

Hold or double-press Dash to enter Ellen’s Roaming state. While in Roaming state, press Basic Attack to deal Ice Damage and gain a Flash Freeze charge.

Holding Basic Attack while Dashing will instead charge an even larger Ice attack, generating three Flash Freeze charges and Shattering the enemy if they’re Frozen. You also take 40% less damage and lower the chance of being interrupted while charging this attack.

Using Ellen’s Special attack with at least 40 Energy will also generate a Flash Freeze charge and allow you to immediately inflict a third Basic Attack — something to keep in mind for later.

The best way to build Flash Freeze before your burst combination (covered below) is to perform a Dash Attack followed by a charged Dash Attack. You should also unleash an EX Special Attack if your Energy Bar is full to avoid wasting damage.

Spend Flash Freeze with Basic Attacks

With your Flash Freeze charges stacked up, hit enemies with three Basic Attacks in a row to spend them. Each attack consumes one Flash Freeze charge, with Ellen’s third chain attack dealing colossal damage due to her multiplier.

Ellen basic and burst rotation

Use the following rotation when using Ellen against basic enemies and before stunning main enemies:

• Dash Attack to charge Flash Freeze
• Charged Dash Attack to charge Flash Freeze
• Basic Attack x3 (to spend Flash Freeze)

If your Energy Bar is full before an enemy is stunned, use your EX Special Attack followed by a Basic Attack enhanced with Flash Freeze to take advantage of the damage multiplier.

Once your primary enemy is stunned, use the following rotation:

• Chain Attack (if possible)
• EX Special Attack
• Basic Attack
• Ultimate
• EX Special Attack x2
• Basic Attack

The goal is to use Ellen’s EX Special Attack, followed by a Basic Attack augmented by both the Flash Freeze charge and the third attack damage multiplier.

Shorter burst periods require chaining EX Special Attacks, but you can stick to the EX Special Attack > Basic Attack combination for as long as possible if you wish. Ellen’s Ultimate can be used anytime and as often as possible.

Best W-Engines for Ellen Joe in ZZZ

• Deep Sea Visitor (Dissonent Sonata limited-time banner)
• The Brimstone (Standard Banner, Signal Shop)
• Starlight Engine (Standard Banner, Box Galaxy)

Ellen’s best W-Engine is her very own, the Deep Sea Visitor. Crafted around her kit, this W-Engine increases Crit rate when attacking, considerably increasing Crit when dealing Ice Damage with a Dash Attack, which is what Ellen is all about.

With a flat increase to Attack every 0.5 seconds that can stack eight times, The Brimstone is a solid W-Engine that comes in second place. With Ellen’s basic rotation consisting of Dash and Basic Attack spam, The Brimstone can increase her damage considerably during burst periods.

If you haven’t gotten your hands on either W-Engine above, the Starlight Engine is a fantastic choice for F2P (or unlucky) players. This W-Engine increases Attack for 12 seconds after performing a Dodge Counter or Quick Assist.

Best Drive Discs for Ellen Joe in ZZZ

There are six Drive Disc slots in total, making a combination of a complete four-piece set and two-piece set the most optimal.

• Puffer Electro (4-Piece) + Woodpecker Electro (2-piece)
• Polar Metal (4-piece) + Woodpecker Electro (2-piece)
• Woodpecker Electro (4-piece) + Puffer Electro (2-piece)

Puffer Electro

(2-Piece Bonus) Increases PEN Ratio by 8%
(4-Piece Bonus) Ultimate DMG increases by 20%. Launching an Ultimate increases the equipper’s ATK by 15% for 12s.

With Ellen’s Ultimate being a part of our burst combo rotation, Puffer Electro is a fantastic 4-piece set that substantially increases burst damage. The obvious downside to this Drive Disc set is that it requires the use of an Ultimate, making it less useful in short stages and only during burst periods.

Combined with Woodpecker Electro’s 2-piece bonus, Puffer Electro has the highest damage potential of any Disc Drive set for Ellen in Zenless Zone Zero.

Polar Metal

(2-Piece Bonus) Increases Ice DMG by 10%.
(4-Piece Bonus) Increases the DMG of Basic attack and Dash Attack by 20%. When any squad member inflicts Freeze or Shatter, this effect increases by an additional 20% for 12s.

With Ellen’s core kit revolving around Dash and Basic Attacks that inflict Ice damage, Polar Metal’s four-piece bonus is a no-brainer. This set pairs best with an Ice team, increasing damage when any squad member inflicts Freeze or Shatter.

Woodpecker Electro

(2-Piece Bonus) Increases CRIT Rate by 8%.
(4-Piece Bonus) Landing a critical hit on an enemy with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter, or EX Special Attack increases the equipper’s ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff rotation for different skills are calculated separately.

Woodpecker Electro’s 4-piece bonus synergizes well with Ellen’s kit and is a solid set for any situation. With a flat buff to CRIT Rate, Woodpecker Electro is the best 2-piece set to accompany any 4-piece set currently available.

Ellen Joe Stat Priority

Ellen’s stat priority is as follows: CRIT Rate + CRIT Rate DMG > Ice DMG > ATK DMG > PEN + ATK

Best team compositions for Ellen Joe in Zenless Zone Zero

Ellen Iced Out Team

• Ellen
• Lycaon
• Soukaku
• Butler or Sharkboo (Banboo)

Ellen and Lycaon are two of the best Agents in Zenless Zone Zero, with the strongest synergy in the game to date. Lycaon can consistently apply a whopping 25% Ice Resist Shred debuff and rapidly stun enemies for Ellen to unleash her burst rotation.

Soukaku increases Ellen’s Attack even further and buffs Ice Damage, all while contributing to the Ice anomaly buildup with the rest of the team. This combination is ice-cold and the strongest team in ZZZ so far.

Ellen “Electric Ice” F2P Team

• Ellen
• Anby
• Soukaku
• Penguinboo or Sharkboo (Banboo)

Ellen and Soukaku’s synergy stays strong in this F2P team, with Anby taking the role of Stunner due to being the easiest Stun Agent to obtain. This is the ideal team to use while waiting to pull Lycaon, either through your free S-Rank Agent or pure luck.

Best Bangboo for Ellen Joe in ZZZ

There’s a Bangboo out there for every team type and situation, but a particular few shine the brightest for Ellen. Remember to focus the best S-Rank Bangboo for you through Signal Search once you’ve chosen.

• Sharkboo
• Butler
• Penguinboo

Sharkboo

Sharkboo abilities

• Drylands Shark Hunt: Plants a homing trap underfoot which bites, tears, and summons torpedos at triggering enemies, dealing Ice DMG and accumulating Ice Anomaly Buildip.
• Cold Surge: When there are 2 or more Ice Attribute characters in your squad: Bangboo Chain Attack inflicts 100% more Anomaly Buildup.
• Relentless Pursuit: Summons a homing trap and leaps toward the target causing an explosion upon landing that deals Ice DMG and accumulates massive Ice Anomaly Buildup.

Sharkboo is the perfect Bangboo for Ellen in both aesthetics and function. This adorable lil’ shark aids with Ice Anomaly buildup from Ellen and her chilly companions, making it the ideal choice for the teams in this guide.

Butler

Butler abilities

• Tea Break: Creates a heartfelt afternoon snack. The snack will generate Energy for the receiving Agent once made and delivered.
• Personal Butler: When there are 2 or more Victoria Housekeeping Co. characters in your squad, Tea Break generates an additional 20% Energy.
• Afternoon Dessert: Use a frying pan and pancakes to attack enemies from afar, dealing massive Physical DMG.

Making the deadly combination of Ellen and Lycaon even more ridiculous, Butler significantly increases Energy generated. More Energy means more EX Special Attacks, which means more damage for Ellen to dish out. Quick maths!

Penguinboo

Penguinboo abilities

• Iceblade Dance: Executes a series of graceful slashes with an ice blade, dealing with Ice DMG and accumulating Ice Anomaly buildup.
• Dry Ice Field: When there are 2 or more Ice Attribute characters in your squad: Bangboo Chain Attack inflicts 60% more Anomaly Buildup.
• Frozen Hurricane: Attacks the target with a series of slashes, dealing Ice DMG and inflicting massive Ice Anomaly Buildup.

If you’ve yet to get your hands on an S-Rank Bangboo, then Penguinboo is your next-best option. It’s a Sharkboo lite, but still just as adorable.

How to farm Ellen Joe materials in ZZZ

Finally, let’s talk about upgrading and promoting Ellen Joe. The following materials are required to level Ellen to max and upgrade her Skills and Core Skills:

• Basic Offense Certification Seal x4 — Combat Simulation
• Advanced Offense Certification Seal x32 — Combat Simulation or crafted
• Pioneer’s Certification Seal x30 — Combat Simulation or crafted
• Basic Freeze Chip x5 — Combat Simulation
• Advanced Freeze Chip x15 — Combat Simulation or crafted
• Specialized Freeze Chip x50 — Combat Simulation or crafted
• Hamster Cage Pass — New Eridu City Fund reward
• Ferocious Grip x9 — Notorious Hunt weekly boss challenge
• Higher Dimensional Data – Murderous Obiturary x60 — Expert Challenge bosses
• Denny x1,700,000

Remember to spend your Charge daily on Combat Simulation for Certification Seals and Freeze Chips. For Ferocious Grip and Higher Dimensional Data, check Notorious Hunt and Expert Challenge regularly. Don’t worry if you’re not there yet; these are late-game upgrades.

To keep up with everything Zenless Zone Zero has to offer, make sure you’re keeping up with your Primer missions. Not only do these offer some great rewards down the line, but you’ll be pointed in the best direction on how to improve. Good luck out there, Proxy!