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 August 8 to August 22, 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 July 25 to August 8. 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:

Artful:

• Agent DMG increases by 20% andPhysical DMGincreases by anadditional 20%..
• After inflicting an Attribute Anomaly on an enemy, the enemy's DEF decreases by 10% for 10s. After inflicting Disorder on an enemy, the enemy's DEF further decreases by 25%, and all squad members' ATK is increased by 20% for 15s. Repeated triggers reset the duration.

Power On:

• Agent Assist Attacks, EX Special Attacks, and Ultimates deal 25% more DMG.
• When an Agent triggers Quick Assist or Chain Attack, Decibel Generation Rate increases by 30%, and attacks ignore 20% of enemy RES for 20s. Repeated triggers reset the duration.

Raging Storm

• Agent Special Attack, EX Special Attack, and Ultimate DMG increases by 30%.
• When an EX Special Attack or Aftershock hits the enemy, the Agent's CRIT DMG increases by 30% for 20s, and the enemy's DEF is reduced by 15% for 15s. Repeated triggers reset the duration.

In this Deadly Assault stage, all three buffs have good versatility.

The buff 1 benefits Physical Disorder teams the most but all Disorder setups can gain a considerable boost from it. The buff 2 benefits teams which can trigger Quick Support and rely on Ultimate skills. The buff 3 benefits Follow-up Attack teams or burst-damage teams.

 

 

 

Stage 1 Boss Analysis & Team Recommendations

Boss: Miasmic Fiend Unfathomable

Weaknesses: Physical & Ether Resistance: Fire

Current Intel:

When Miasmic Fiend is affected by Attribute Anomaly, it takes 8% bonus Anomaly DMG from Agents, stacking up to 6 times; activating Miasmic Shield clears all stacks, with each stack increasing the reduction efficiency of Miasmic Shield by 2.5%.

When Agents bait Miasmic Fiend's ground attack into detonating at least 5 Miasma Pools at once and avoid being hit by the attack and pool explosions, they will earn 1,700 Performance Points, up to a maximum of 5,000.

There is key mechanic to watch out for:

During battle, Miasmic Fiend Unfathomable will fly into the air. While it’s up there, use its Lock-on Skill to blow up the Miasma Pools on the ground. This will weaken its Miasma Shield and help you easily get the full 5,000 points.

In other phases, its attacks are pretty normal. Just block or parry when it often uses yellow-flash attacks. Disorder teams also work well against it.

Team Recommendations

Alice Disorder Team（BUFF 1）
Alice	Vivian/Jane Doe /Yanagi	Yuzuha/Astra Yao/Caesar	Miss Esme
In the second half of Version 2.1, the new limited S-Rank Anomaly character Alice is the best choice for fighting Miasmic Fiend Unfathomable. She can frequently cause Anomaly damage and works well in many team setups. Vivian is the best pick in normal cases. And Jane also works well. If you don’t have them, you can use Yanagi’s strong Disorder instead.
Jane-Vivian&Piper-Vivian Disorder Team（BUFF 1）
Jane Doe/ Piper	Vivian	Yuzuha/Astra Yao/Caesar	Red Moccus
If you didn’t pull Alice, Jane and Piper are both strong physical Anomaly DPS options for this environment. 0+1 Jane and a high-built Piper perform about the same. For sub-DPS, due to the fire resistance issue, only Vivian is recommended.
Yanagi- Vivian Disorder Team（BUFF 1）
Yanagi	Vivian	Yuzuha/Astra Yao/Caesar	Amillion
If you haven’t built any Physical DPS, you can use another Anomaly DPS with Vivian to get part of the advantage from the environment. The best choice is Yanagi and the next option is Miyabi.

 

Stage 2 Boss Analysis & Team Recommendations

Boss: Notorious Dead End Butcher

Weaknesses: Ether & Ice Resistance: None

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.
• Successfully inflicting Disorder grants 200 Performance Points, up to a maximum of 5,000.

There is a key mechanic to watch out for:

Notorious Dead End Butcher is a weak Ice & Ether boss that benefits the Disorder system. You need a team that keeps a high Disorder frequency to stop the Butcher from entering the [Ether Enhancement] state. In this stage, the Butcher’s operation score only requires triggering Disorder. So, using a team with high Disorder frequency can earn a lot of operation points.

Team Recommendations

Miyabi Disorder Team（BUFF 1）
Miyabi	Yanagi/ Vivian /Burnice	Yuzuha/Astra Yao/Caesar	Agent Gulliver
Because this boss has special operation scores requirement , Yanagi who can often trigger Disorder is very useful against it. Teams with Yanagi work well, and the best choice is the Miyabi-Yanagi Disorder team. It costs more but works very smoothly. If you don’t have Yanagi, you can also use Vivian to team up.
Miyabi Single Core Team（BUFF 1）
Miyabi	Yuzuha/Nicole/Lycaon	Astra Yao/Soukaku	Agent Gulliver
If you don’t have enough Disorder Sub-DPS options, focusing on a single main DPS is also a good choice. Recently, the Miyabi - Yuzuha - Soukaku team has been popular. If not, Miyabi - Lycaon - Soukaku or Miyabi - Nicole - Astra Yao are both very good. You can choose flexibly.
Yanagi- Vivian Disorder Team（BUFF 1）
Yanagi	Vivian	Yuzuha/Astra Yao/Caesar	Agent Gulliver
The Yanagi–Vivian Disorder team ( Vivian-centered) is also a strong pick for this chamber’s boss. Similarly teams like Jane–Vivian, but they’re usually used in the first stage, so they’re not recommended here. If you use Yanagi–Vivian in this stage, you can save Miyabi for the third stage.

 

Stage 3 Boss Analysis & Team Recommendations

Boss: Notorious Marionette

Weakness: Ether & Ice Resistance：None

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.
• Successfully inflicting Disorder grants 200 Performance Points, up to a maximum of 5,000.

There is a key mechanic to watch out for:

Weak Ice & Ether is a common weak point setup. When the boss’s clone is broken or the boss enters the imbalance phase, the boss gets the [On Thin Ice] status. This lowers the boss’s damage and increases ice and electric damage from the agent. So, this boss is best for teams that can break it quickly. Operation score does not need special attention- just break the dancer’s clone.

Team Recommendations

Hugo Double Break Team（BUFF 3）
Hugo	Lighter/Lycaon/Qingyi	Trigger/Ju Fufu	Robin
Hugo’s double shield-break team works very well against the Notorious Marionette, quickly pushing it into the Unbalanced state. Making the most of damage boost after that. It’s considered the best solution for the Notorious Marionette. Buff 3 gives Hugo the CRIT rate and CRIT DMG he lacks, and its defense reduction works well with his signature weapon.
Yi Xuan Team（BUFF2）
Yi Xuan	Pan Yinhu	Ju Fufu/Astra Yao/ Trigger	Robin
There isn’t a boss strongly favors Yi xuan, but all three stage exist Ether weakness. Since the first two bosses’ mechanics lean toward Disorder teams, Yixuan’s best role is to handle the third boss.
Ellen Ice Team（BUFF 2）
Ellen	Lighter/ Trigger /Ju Fufu	Astra Yao/ Caesar/ Soukaku	Robin
After her buffs, Ellen performs well. This phase has a double ice-weak environment, making her a strong pick. She is also very flexible in team building. If your roster is lacking, you can use Ellen handle it.

 

Conclusion

This phase of Deadly Assault is very good for the Disorder Team. The first two bosses are made for the Disorder Team. So, the users with many Anomaly characters will feel comfortable. Although the situation changes all the time, every player can find their own way to win. As long as you use the right team and play style, you can get all the rewards.

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!