Image Credit: HoyoVerse

Zhao is the free S-Rank Ice Defense Agent introduced in Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.5. Despite being a free character, she stands out with strong defensive utility, healing, team buffs, and scaling damage tied to Max HP. Her kit revolves around building Frostbite and activating Ether Veil: Wellspring, a powerful buff that boosts damage, CRIT rate, ATK, and survivability for the whole squad.

Zhao is versatile enough to slot into nearly any team composition, but she is especially strong with Attack-focused lineups like Ye Shunguang + Dialyn.

Signature W-Engine: Half-Sugar Bunny

Zhao’s best-in-slot W-Engine is undoubtedly Half-Sugar Bunny, which perfectly complements her HP-centric kit. It provides:

• Energy regen of +0.46 points per second
• 10% ATK and 10% Max HP to all squad members
• 30% CRIT DMG to all squad members for 60 seconds whenever Zhao activates or extends an Ether Veil (refreshable)

This engine boosts Zhao’s personal uptime while giving huge offensive buffs to the whole team, making her an excellent support even beyond her own damage output.

If you do not have Half-Sugar Bunny, there are still strong options:

• Tusks of Fury (S-Rank): Increases shield value and boosts team damage after interrupts or perfect dodges. Great for heavier defense builds.
• Original Transmorpher (A-Rank): Grants a solid Max HP boost and extra Impact when attacked, helping Zhao reach key HP breakpoints faster.
• Bunny Band: Provides HP and a small ATK bonus while shielded, useful if you want extra survivability and minor support buffs.

Best Drive Disc Sets

Drive Discs determine Zhao’s stat scaling and team utility. Because Zhao’s kit scales heavily with Max HP, many builds build around that trait.

🥇 Best Overall Disc Stack

4-Piece Astral Voice + 2-Piece Yunkui Tales

• Astral Voice (4-pc) gives consistent damage buffs through Quick Assists, which Zhao can trigger reliably thanks to her Ether Veil uptime.
• Yunkui Tales (2-pc) gives a flat +10% HP boost, further enhancing her HP scaling and support buffs.

Solid Alternative

4-Piece Proto Punk + 2-Piece Yunkui Tales

• Proto Punk (4-pc) increases team damage when a defensive assist or evasive assist is triggered, which aligns well with Zhao’s role in many teams.
• Yunkui Tales (2-pc) continues to boost HP for stronger buffs.

Drive Disc Stat Priorities

To get the most out of her kit, focus on the following Drive Disc main stats:

Slot 4: HP%
Slot 5: HP% or Ice Damage Bonus
Slot 6: HP% or Energy Regen

Substat priority:

1. HP%
2. HP
3. ATK%
4. Energy Regen

Zhao’s entire kit scales with Max HP, including her team buffs and Fell Judgment damage, so stacking HP% should be your priority on all discs.

Skill Priority

Zhao’s priority list focuses on abilities that maximize her buffs and healing uptime:

1. Core Skill – Enables the bulk of her defensive buffs and triggers Ether Veil often.
2. Special Attack – Strong Ice damage, healing, and buff extension.
3. Ultimate – Provides huge Ice damage and prolonged Ether Veil durations.
4. Chain Attack – Good for follow-up damage.
5. Assist
6. Dodge
7. Basic Attack

This order maximizes her contribution to the team’s performance, especially support buffs and Ether Veil uptime.

Best Team Compositions

Zhao shines with groups that can exploit her buffs and scaling. She is versatile but truly excels with Attack-oriented squads.

Premium Attack Core Team

• Ye Shunguang (Main DPS) – Physical damage powerhouse
• Dialyn (Stun Support) – Adds crowd control and break synergy
• Zhao (Defense Support) – Provides Ether Veil buffs, HP scaling, and teamwide CRIT DMG
• Recommended Bangboo: Sprout (synergizes with attack buffs and Ice teams)

This team maximizes damage potential by giving Ye Shunguang constant ATK and CRIT DMG buffs and by maintaining crowd control windows with Dialyn.

Free-to-Play Friendly Team

• Zhao
• Billy (Attack DPS)
• Anby (Stun Support)
• Bangboo: Sumoboo or Bagboo

This accessible team lets Zhao buff a steady DPS like Billy while Anby ensures control, making it great for early progression or Hollow Zero content.

Anomaly Team Concept

• Zhao
• Vivian (Anomaly DPS)
• Alice (Anomaly Support)
• Bangboo: Knightboo or Brawlerboo

Zhao’s ATK and Max HP buffs help bolster teams with Anomaly synergy, creating a well-rounded squad that thrives on sustained damage and buff uptime.

Gameplay Tips

Zhao’s strongest contributions come from effective management of Frostbite Points to quickly trigger Ether Veil: Wellspring. This grants your team long-lasting ATK, Max HP, and CRIT DMG bonuses that persist through combat.

Her kit is especially valuable off-field, where she can build Ult energy through auto-attacks and maintain buff uptime with frequent Ether Veil activations. She also provides solid healing tied to her Max HP, adding durability to fights without sacrificing support capabilities.

Summary

Zhao’s unique scaling with Max HP makes her a powerful defensive support that also boosts team damage. Her signature W-Engine Half-Sugar Bunny enhances team ATK, Max HP, and CRIT DMG while providing energy regeneration for smoother rotations. Using high HP Drive Disc sets with stars like Astral Voice or Proto Punk will maximize her support and damage. Pair Zhao with strong Attack characters like Ye Shunguang or accessible DPS like Billy for dependable team synergy.

For deeper Zenless Zone Zero build analysis, rotation breakdowns, and team synergy optimization tailored to every patch, subscribe to The Gamers Cut. Get expert builds and strategies delivered straight to your inbox so you stay competitive in New Eridu’s evolving meta.