Zhao Best Full Build Guide: W-Engines, Drive Discs, team comps | ZZZ 2.5

Zhao is a top-tier Ice Defense Agent in Zenless Zone Zero 2.5, excelling at team support, sustained healing, and buffing her squad while maintaining high personal damage through her Frostbite Point system and skill synergies.

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of Zhao's best builds, including recommended W-Engines and Drive Discs, priority skill upgrades, optimal stats, materials for maxing her abilities, and the most effective team compositions to maximize her healing, buffs, and damage output.

 

 

Zhao Overview

Rarity: S-Rank | Attribute: Ice | Specialty: Defense

Zhao is an S-Rank Ice Defense Agent in Zenless Zone Zero, specializing in team support and sustainability. She can heal all allies over time and provide buffs that increase ATK, CRIT Rate, and squad DMG depending on skill activations and Frostbite Points. Her abilities are highly synergistic, with skills like Final Judgment, Chain Attack, and Ultimate capable of triggering additional effects and follow-up attacks. Players should prioritize HP, CRIT Rate, and CRIT DMG, and consider pairing her with gear sets such as Yunkui Tales to maximize her healing, buffing, and damage potential.
Zhao hails from the Krampus Compliance Authority and first appeared in the Season 2 Preview, later featuring as an NPC in the 2.2 banner. In the 2.3 storyline, she actively supports operations in Waifei Peninsula, saving civilians and hinting at a deeper, mysterious objective alongside Dialyn. Outside of combat, Zhao is gentle and generous, providing meeting spaces and unlimited food for her team, showcasing her warm and caring personality.

 

Zhao Key Mechanics & Features

Sustained Healing & Team Buffs

Skills like Ice Shatter Blast and Frostbound Earth allow Zhao to continuously heal all allies by consuming a portion of her HP, while her Core Passive Best Colleague further enhances the team's survivability and damage output by providing bonuses to Max HP, ATK, DMG, and CRIT Rate.

Frostbite Points (FP) System

Attacks, Chain Attack, Ultimate, and certain Assist skills generate Frostbite Points.

When FP is full, it triggers Ether Veil: Wellspring and Quick Assist, enabling skill chains and automatic follow-ups into charged Final Judgment attacks.

Skill Synergy & Charge Mechanic

Final Judgment scales its damage with charge time. The accumulated charge can be consumed by Chain Attack or Assist skills to deal extra damage. Chain Attack and Ultimate trigger team buffs, Frostbite Point effects, and automatic Quick Assist. This improves the efficiency of skill rotations.

Defensive & Supportive Utility

The Assist skill Frost Trance Control can parry incoming attacks and inflict Daze. It also reduces Assist Point consumption under heavy attacks. Radiant Reflection performs follow-up slashes after defensive assists. It synergizes with Frostbite Points and Ether Veil to provide additional buffs.

Core Passive & Squad Enhancement

Best Colleague increases Zhao's CRIT Rate based on her Max HP and boosts overall squad damage. Cohesion provides extra team-wide DMG when specific types of characters (Attack, Anomaly, or Rupture) are present, scaling with Zhao's initial Max HP up to a maximum bonus.

 

Zhao Skill Priority

>>>>>

Core Skill	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Top)
Chain Attack	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (High)
Special Attack	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Medium)
Basic Attack	⭐⭐⭐ (Medium)
Assist	⭐⭐ (Low)
Dodge	⭐ (Low)

Start with Core Skill — Leveling the Core Skill boosts Zhao's CRIT Rate based on Max HP and generates [Frostbite Points] for quick access to her Entry Skill. It also triggers [Ether Veil: Wellspring] and squad-wide ATK boosts, making her and the whole team stronger. Every point here directly enhances her main DPS windows, survivability, and boss damage potential.

Next, level Chain Attack — Upgrading Chain Attack increases its Ice DMG, Daze potential, and [Frostbite Point] generation. It's her main AoE tool and allows smooth stance transitions while enabling Quick Assist chains, making it critical for clearing mobs and maximizing damage in burst windows.

Then invest in Special Attack —Upgrading Special Attack deals Ice DMG. By consuming her own HP, she heals allies, restoring the entire team’s status while generating [Frostbite Points].

After that, Basic Attack — Increasing Basic Attack improves all stance strings, Sword Aura, and Final Judgment damage. Since Zhao spends most of her on-field time using normal attacks, this skill directly raises her sustained DPS and the payoff from charged hits.

Assist next — This improves parry counters, allows smoother chain combos, but it is secondary to her core DPS role.

Dodge last — Leveling Dodge is perfect for counterattacks and mobility. While it is helpful for survivability and technical plays, it contributes the least to her.

 

Zhao Key Materials

To bring Zhao online as a strong support, you'll need a focused bundle of late-game upgrade materials: Hamster Cage Pass and some newly released materials in version 2.5.

When Hamster Cage Passes are limited, prioritize investing them into Core Skill → Chain Attack → Special Attack first to maximize her buffs in battles.

Hamster Cage Pass x5	Unknown Expert Challenge Material x60	Unknown Notorious Hunt Material x9

We also provide a concise material checklist, so you can secure her late-game resources early and fully unlock her stance, finisher, and boss-killing potential.

Want Zhao fully ready on day one? Stock up her materials in advance and skip the “missing drop” stress! Click now to check out her materials pre-farm guide! 

 

 

Zhao Best W-Engines

Signature W-Engine

Half-Sugar Hail

ATK: 713 HP: 30%

Equipper's Energy Regen increases by 0.46 points/sec; all squad members' ATK increases by 10%, Max HP increases by 10%, this effect is unique to the squad; when the equipper activates or extends [Ether Veil], increases the whole squad's CRIT DMG by 30% for 60 seconds, repeated triggers extend the duration.

Energy Regen– Zhao relies on her Special Attack (Ice Shatter Blast / Frostbound Earth) and Ultimate (Bunny Blade Barrage) to trigger [Frostbite Points] and activate [Ether Veil: Wellspring]. Faster energy regen allows her to use these abilities more frequently, keeping her buffs active and enabling smoother chains into Basic Attack: Final Judgment and Chain Attack combos.

Squad ATK & Max HP boost– Increasing both ATK and Max HP amplifies her raw output across normal attacks, stance finishers, and charged hits, maximizing each Sword Stance rotation.

CRIT DMG boost– Almost always active due to frequent [Ether Veil] triggers, stacking with her inherent CRIT to create fully optimized burst windows for Zhao and her team.

Alternatives W-Engine

Tusks of Fury (S-Rank)	Invincible Rider The Shield value provided by the equipper increases by 30/38/46/52/60%. When any squad membertriggers interrupt or Perfect Dodge, all squad members' DMG increases by 18/22.5/27/31.5/36% andDaze dealt increases by 12/15/18/21/24% for 20s. Passive effects of the same name do not stack.
Tremor Trigram Vessel (A-Rank)	Meridian Mapping The equipper's Ex Special Attack and Ultimate DMG increases by 25/28.7/32.5/36.2/40%. Whenever anysquad member takes DMG or recovers HP, the equipper gains 2/2.3/2.6/2.9/3.2 Energy. This effect cantrigger once every 5s.
Original Transmorpher (A-Rank)	Starlight Knight Flying Kick Increases Max HP by 8/9/10/11/12/13%. When attacked, the equipper's Impact is increased by 10/11.5/13/14.5/16% for 12s.

 

Zhao Best Drive Discs

2-Piece Drive Discs Selection

Yunkui Tales	2-Pc: HP +10% 4-Pc: When using EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or Ultimate, CRIT Rate increases by 4%, stacking up to 3 times and lasting 15s. Repeated triggers reset the duration. When having 3 stacks of this effect, Sheer DMG increases by 10%.
Yunkui Tales fits Zhao because her rotation naturally uses EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, and Ultimate frequently, allowing her to maintain full CRIT Rate stacks and reliably activate the 10% Sheer DMG boost during all major damage windows.
Proto Punk	2-Pc: Increases Shield effect by 15%. 4-Pc: When any squad member triggers a Defensive Assist or Evasive Assist, all squad members deal 15% increased DMG, lasting 10s. Passive effects of the same name do not stack.
Proto Punk works for Zhao because Defensive or Evasive Assists occur often in difficult encounters, giving the whole squad a consistent 15% DMG increase for 10s; this teamwide buff aligns well with Zhao's burst windows and amplifies her high-impact follow-ups and chain attacks.

 

 

 

Zhao Drive Discs Best Stats

Main Stats

Slot 4	HP %
Slot 5	HP % / Ice DMG
Slot 6	HP %

Sub Stats

HP%	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Top)
HP	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (High)
ATK %	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (High)

• HP% (Top Priority): Zhao's entire kit scales heavily with Max HP. Higher HP% boosts her passive CRIT Rate, strengthens her teamwide ATK and Max HP buffs, and significantly increases the bonus damage from Final Judgment. Investing in HP% directly raises both her personal DPS and her support value.
• HP (High Value): Flat HP further increases her initial Max HP, helping her reach key passive thresholds more easily. This improves her CRIT Rate conversion, her teamwide DMG bonus, and her survivability.
• ATK% (High Value): Although Zhao is HP-centric, all of her Ice damage skills—EX Special, Chain Attack, Ultimate, and Final Judgment—still scale with ATK. ATK% provides an essential boost to her base damage output and stabilizes her burst consistency.

 

Zhao Pull recommendation

For F2P (free-to-play or event resource) players, Polychrome can be steadily accumulated through official events and daily rewards, making a single pity achievable without difficulty.

Prioritize the character: If your main goal is a stable Ice squad, focus Polychrome on pulling Zhao first. Most resources and guarantees should be allocated to her.

W‑Engine can wait: If budget or resources are limited, acquiring W‑Engine can be postponed. Its overall impact is smaller than the character itself, so avoid pulling weapons before securing Zhao.

 

Zhao Best Team Comp

DPS	Sub-DPS	Support
Ye Shunguang	Dialyn	Zhao

Ye Shunguang + Dialyn + Zhao

This is a “double carry + tank” lineup. Zhao sets up Ether Veil, buffs ATK / HP / CRIT DMG and keeps everyone safe while constantly proccing Ye's Ready to Strike so she can entry straight into Sword Stance. Ye handles long single-target phases as the main Physical Honed Edge DPS. Dialyn provides consistent support and disruption, triggering Frostbite and controlling enemies to maximize Zhao and Ye's damage uptime.

DPS	Support	Support
Yidhari	Dialyn	Zhao

Yidhari + Dialyn + Zhao

This team works well because Zhao sets up Ether Veil, boosts ATK/HP/CRIT DMG, and keeps everyone safe; Yidhari deals high single-target DPS during Zhao's buffs; Dialyn provides control and Frostbite procs, enabling Zhao and Yidhari to chain their strongest attacks efficiently, creating a “double carry + tank” synergy with high sustained damage and team survivability.

DPS	Sub-DPS	Support
Miyabi	Yuzuha	Zhao

Miyabi + Yuzuha + Zhao

This team works well because Zhao provides Ether Veil, ATK/HP/CRIT DMG buffs, and protection; Miyabi serves as the main DPS, dealing consistent Ice DMG boosted by Zhao's buffs; Yuzuha supports by enhancing energy regeneration, applying control or elemental effects, and triggering extra damage opportunities, creating a balanced lineup with strong burst and sustained damage. 

 

Conclusion

In summary, Zhao shines as a hybrid support and damage dealer, with her performance scaling heavily with HP and skill rotations. By optimizing her W-Engines, Drive Discs, and pairing her with complementary DPS or support units, you can unlock her full potential, creating high-damage, survivable, and flexible team compositions.

And if you're planning to pull her, you can always stock up Monochrome through LDShop for safe, discounted Zenless Zone Zero top-ups—then just sit back and enjoy watching bosses vanish in a single stance window.