Summary
Zenless Zone Zerohas officially revealed the suite of buffs coming to the game’s first-ever limited character, with Ellen set to receive a plethora of helpful changes in Version 2.0. The next update to the urban action RPG is set to be one of its biggest yet, as the developer prepares to introduce the first major new district. Waifei Peninsula will not only feature more “open world”-like areas for players to explore, but also kick off the second major arc ofZenless Zone Zero’s main story. Now, one of the game’s most beloved characters is getting some big buffs.
Ellen has been one ofZenless Zone Zero’s most popular characters since the game first debuted in July 2024. The shark Thiren quickly became one of the game’s most powerful DPS characters on launch and remained a dominant unit for several updates following her release. However, recent updates to the game have largely seen her pushed out of the meta bystronger options in both her Attribute and Specialty, outpaced by characters like Miyabi and Hugo However, Ellen may now have a renewed chance to return to the spotlight.
A new update shared byZenless Zone Zerois showing off the array of different buffs coming to multiple parts of Ellen’s kit. Ellen’s Basic Attacks will see a major upgrade with two new moves, with Icy Blade dealing heavy Ice damage after different attacks and Glacial Blade Wave consuming Flash Freeze charges to dish out big damage. Ellen’s Dash Attack is also gaining a new invulnerability mechanic, while her Core Passive is adding a boost to her Crit DMG. Ellen’s Additional Ability is even getting a nice change, now triggering ifEllen has a Stun character on her team.
Ellen’s array of changes looks to significantly boost her damage output and bring her in line withZenless Zone Zero’s recent releases. The adjustment to Ellen’s Additional ability could cause major shifts in her preferred teams, potentially making her work better withnon-Ice Stun characters like Qingyiand Lighter. Her new combat tricks should also help Ellen dish out more damage in fights, making her passive Flash Freeze stacks easier to manage and more devastating when unleashed.
Ellen’s popularity inZenless Zone Zerogoes far beyond just her status as one of the premiere DPS units ofZenless Zone Zero’s early days. Ellen was one of thefirstZenless Zone Zerocharacters to receive a skin, adding her school uniform to the game as an alternate outfit for players to purchase. She also received her own focused Agent Story during the Version 1.5 update, serving as the first timeZenless Zone Zerohad added a new Agent Story for an older character. Ellen’s new buffs should look to make her an enticing option for teambuilding once again.
