Zenless Zone Zero: Deadly Assault Guide & Teams

Hey, Proxies! A fresh round of the "Deadly Assault" event is here, and I've got your back with a full guide and the best team setups to tackle it. Nine stars? We're grabbing them all!

From July 11 to July 25, Zenless Zone Zero is hosting the latest Deadly Assault event, and I'm here to break it down for you. This event isn't too brutal overall—you can get all the film rewards as long as you get six stars in the three levels. Whether you're a newbie just stepping into the fray or a seasoned veteran, this guide's got everything you need: Buff breakdowns, boss strategies, and team recommendations. Let's jump right in!

Deadly Assault Rules

Deadly Assault is one of Zenless Zone Zero's tougher challenge modes, running from June 13 to June 27. It refreshes every two weeks on Fridays at 04:00 (server time), alternating with the Shiyu Defense event. Here's the catch: you can't use duplicate agents or Bangboos in your lineups. The event features three stages, with a total of nine stars up for grabs. Snagging six stars is enough to claim all the Polychrome rewards, so don't stress if you can't max it out.

To give you an edge, the event offers three buff effects to choose from: Meditation, Illusory Surge and Rapid Aid. These buffs can seriously amp up your team's performance—it's all about picking the right one for your playstyle. Let's break them down next, along with strategies for each stage.

 

Buff Effects Analysis

Here's the scoop on the three buffs you'll be working with:

Meditation:

• Agent Max HP increases by 30%, Uitimate DMG increases by 40%
• After using an Uitimate, Energy and Adrenaline Generation Rate increase by 15%, Ether DMG and Ice DMG inerease by 40% for 20s.

Illusory Surge:

• Agent Ether Anomaly Buildup Rate and Physical Anomaly Buildup Rate increases by 20%, Anomaly Proficiency increases by 60.

• When an Agent hits enemies affected by Attribute Anomaly, DMG dealt increases by 25% and ignores 15% of enemy DEF.

Rapid Aid:

• The Agent's Energy generation rate increases by 25%, and the DMG dealt by Quick Assist increases by 50%.

• Each use of Quick Assist increases all squad members' ATK by 10% for 20s, stacking up to 3 times. Repeated triggers reset the duration.

 

 

Stage 1 Boss Analysis & Team Recommendations

Boss: Miasma Priest

Weaknesses: Ether     Resistance: Ice

Current Intel:

• When the Miasma Priest switches phase, their Anomaly Buildup RES increases by 10% and CRIT DMG taken increases by 30%.
• This effect can stack up to 2 times and is cleared when Miasma Shield breaks.

Strategy:

This boss is tailored for 2.0 characters such as Yixuan, who has an easier time breaking through the Miasma Shields. If you do not have her, you can use any other Ether Agent.

There are two key mechanics to watch out for:

Consecutive Yellow Attacks: During these sequences, simply spam character switches for Parry Assists. They don't consume Support Points, earn you Operation Score, and can force the enemy into a Staggered State, increasing the damage it takes.

Miasma Shield: The boss will activate a Miasma Shield, greatly reducing damage taken and becoming immune to Imbalance. Regular attacks will chip away at the shield, but Parry Assists, Perfect Dodges, Counterattacks, and Ultimate Skills are much more effective. So don't panic—red glow means dodge, yellow glow means parry, and feel free to switch to a support unit and unleash their Ultimate to break the shield faster.

Team Recommendations

The enemy gains increased Anomaly Resistance and Ice Resistance after each phase transition, effectively shutting out Anomaly comps like Miyabi teams. With its Ether Weakness, it's recommended to run a Yi Xuan Team or Zhu Yuan Team.

If you don't have Yi Xuan or Zhu Yuan, consider using a Chase Team, Ellen, or even a 11 Soldier Fire Team as alternatives.

 

High DMG Team
Yi Xuan	Pan Yinhu	Astra Yao / Pulchra	Belion
Jane Doe Team
Jane Doe	Vivian	Astra Yao	Robin
Yanagi Team
Yanagi	Vivian	Rina	Snap
Zhu Yuan Team
Zhu Yuan	Nicole	Astra Yao	Officer Cui
F2P Team
Zhu Yuan	Qingyi	Nicole	Devilboo

 

Stage 2 Boss Analysis & Team Recommendations

Boss: Corrupted Overlord - Pompey

Weaknesses: Fire Resistance: Electric

Current Intel:

• Boss enemies gain 1 stack of Battle-Hardened every 10s, increasing their DMG dealt by 20% and stacking up to 3 times.
• When inflicting Attribute Anomaly, removes 1 stack of Battle-Hardened and increases their DMG taken by 15% for 20s.

Practical Rotation (Ben-Bernice Chaos Combo Example):

• Engagement Start: Caesar Hold ATK to group enemies → Bernice applies Pyro Attribute Anomaly → Ben enters field to trigger Chaos Burst.
• Amplification Control: When Pompey gains 2-3 Corrosive Amplification stacks, immediately reapply Anomaly to maintain Vulnerability debuff uptime.
• Golden Triple Kick: After Perfect Dodge, instantly switch to Ben to inflict Stagger, then execute Chain Attack.
• Stagger Window: Unleash all Ultimate skills within the 5-second Stagger phase to maximize damage output.

Team Recommendations

For this stage's Operation Score objective: Focus on Perfect Dodge. Evelyn and Jane can engage normally.

Corrupted Overlord – Pompey exhibits extremely high attack frequency. Maintain precise rhythm – mistiming may result in combo lockdown.

No Fire attribute agents? Non-Electric teams (e.g. Ice squads) can still force through.

Best Teams
Jane Doe	Burnice	Caesar King	Bangvolver
Evelyn	Lighter	Astra Yao	Snap
Evelyn	Koleda	Lucy	Snap
Lighter	Caesar King	Lucy	Robin
Soldier 11	Caesar King	Lucy	Rocketboo
F2P Team
Piper	Burnice	Lucy	Rocketboo

Stage 3 Boss Analysis & Team Recommendations

Boss: Boss: Notorious - Dead End Butcher

Weaknesses: Ice & Ether

Current Intel:

• DMG dealt to boss enemies by Attribute Anomaly is increased by 50%.
• While Notorious - Dead End Butcher is in Ether Enhanced state, the DMG it takes is reduced by 15%, and the Daze value dealt by Agents to it is reduced by 30%.
• Triggering Disorder on Notorious - Dead End Butcher immediately forces it to exit the Ether Enhanced State.

Phase Breakdown:

Opening (0-10s): Aggressive Stagger Rush: Commit all skills immediately – no resource saving required.

Deadlock Mode (10-90s): "Blue Light" Energy Projectile: Execute Perfect Dodge or switch to Caesar to tank with Super Armor (prevents interruption).

• Ice Team:
  → Miyabi Charged Slash + Lycaon Heavy ATK for shield break
  → Maintain Anomaly uptime
  → Shave off 1 Corrosive Amplification stack via Ice Anomaly every 12s
• Ether Team:
  → Qingyi Break → Nicole Gather → Zhu Yuan Burst
  → Use Disorder chains to remove stacks

Stagger Burst Window: When Stagger bar ≤30%: Save all Ultimates. During 5s Stagger phase: Unload Chain Attack > Ultimate Skill for max DPS

Cycle: Repeat "Stack Removal → Stagger → Burst" until elimination.

Team Recommendations

Best Teams
Hoshimi Miyabi	Yanagi	Astra Yao	Agent Gulliver
Hoshimi Miyabi	Lighter	Astra Yao	Snap
Ellen	Lighter	Astra Yao	Snap
Hugo	Von Lycaon	Lighter	Robin
Yixuan	Ju Fufu	Pan Yinhu	Belion
F2F Team
Zhu Yuan	Nicole	Astra Yao	Snap

Agent Substitution Guide (Roster Limitations)
• Main DPS Replacement: No Miyabi? → Use Ellen (Ice teams) or No. 11 (Ether teams).
• Breaker Role Gap: No Lycaon? → Substitute Lighter, Koleda, or Qingyi.
• Support Alternative: Lacking Soukaku? → Select Caesar, Lucy, or Nicole.

Core Viability Rule:
Any squad containing at least one Ice/Ether DPS + one Anomaly/Breaker agent with aligned support buffs can achieve full rewards.

Conclusion

This concludes our tactical briefing! Enemies this phase exhibit predominant Ether vulnerability, with Stages 1 and 3 featuring Ether-weak targets. Additionally, Stage 2 carries Fire weakness while Stage 3 introduces supplementary Ice vulnerability. Electric and Physical attributes remain unviable in the current combat environment.

For Proxies with limited agent investment or roster depth, we recommend prioritizing a 6-star total clearance by either securing 3-star completions in two select stages or achieving 2+ stars consistently across all three engagements. Need a quick power boost to chase those full stars? Swing by LDShop for Monochrome top up discount. It’s the easiest way to beef up your roster and dominate Deadly Assault. Grab those discounts, level up!