Claret is the first Agent in the game who punishes you for building her the way you have built every other Agent. Stack ATK and her damage barely moves. Stack CRIT DMG past a point and it does nothing at all. She is the debut of an entire new Specialty, and the build rules that come with it are genuinely different.
Quick answer: Claret is an S-Rank Electric Armorer whose skills all scale off DEF, not ATK. Build her around DEF, CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG in that priority. Her best W-Engine is her signature Crimson Thirst; the strongest non-signature option is the Battle Pass A-Rank Bloodmarrow Coffer, and the best free option is Catty Luck. Run 4-piece Thorned Rose with a 2-piece Electric or PEN set, main stats CRIT Rate / PEN Ratio / DEF% on Discs 4, 5 and 6, and get initial DEF to at least 1,800 to unlock the full Thorned Rose CRIT bonus. Best support is Alexandrina "Rina" Sebastiane; on day one the best available Stunners are Norma, Koleda and Trigger.
Article status: verified 9 September 2026, launch day of Version 3.2 "Their Secret Histories," against HoYoverse's official Version 3.2 press release plus two independently published same-day build breakdowns. Numbers below are from released, in-game data. Nothing here is sourced from a leak, and where something is genuinely not yet confirmed, this article says so instead of guessing.
The fast answer: Claret's best build in Zenless Zone Zero 3.2
If you just pulled her and want to get into Hollow Zero tonight, this is the whole build in one block:
| Slot | Best choice | Free / low-cost alternative |
|---|---|---|
| W-Engine | Crimson Thirst (signature) | Catty Luck |
| Drive Disc set | 4pc Thorned Rose + 2pc Woodpecker Electro or Puffer Electro (see below) | 4pc Thorned Rose + 2pc Thunder Metal |
| Disc 4 main stat | CRIT Rate | CRIT Rate |
| Disc 5 main stat | PEN Ratio | Electric DMG |
| Disc 6 main stat | DEF% | DEF% |
| Substat priority | CRIT Rate > DEF% > CRIT DMG > PEN > flat DEF | same |
| Support | Alexandrina "Rina" Sebastiane | Nicole Demara |
| Stunner | Roxy once Phase 2 opens; Norma, Koleda or Trigger before then | Koleda |
The one number worth memorising: 1,800 initial DEF. That is the second Thorned Rose breakpoint and the difference between an 8% and a 16% CRIT Rate bonus from the set.
Why does Claret scale off DEF instead of ATK?
Because that is the entire premise of her Specialty. HoYoverse's official Version 3.2 announcement introduces it directly:
"Armorer is a brand-new Agent Specialty introduced in Zenless Zone Zero, built around balancing offense and defense as its core. It features the all-new Maim and multi-CRIT mechanics."
And on Claret specifically, the same announcement is unusually explicit about how to build her:
"All of Claret's skills use DEF as their base DMG multiplier. When her CRIT Rate exceeds 100%, the excess portion triggers multi-CRIT, calculated with Laceration DMG in place of normal CRIT DMG."
Read that second sentence twice, because it is the single most misunderstood thing about her. In every other game, CRIT Rate above 100% is wasted. For Claret it is not — the overflow rolls into a second layer of critical damage called Laceration DMG. That is why CRIT Rate sits above CRIT DMG in her substat priority, which is the reverse of almost every other Agent in the roster.
Three more mechanics change how she plays:
- Gash. Claret's attacks build a resource called Gash on enemies. Filling the Gash gauge and using the right skill triggers Maim, which deals bonus damage and increases Laceration DMG.
- Sharpness replaces Energy. Armorer Agents do not use the normal Energy bar, so the usual "build Energy Regen" instinct does not apply to her.
- Counter Assist. Armorers get an assist type that contests certain enemy Control Skills and pushes them back, rather than only dodging or blocking them.
Her Core Passive, Banquet of Pale Blood, is what converts your stat sheet into that CRIT Rate ceiling: it grants 0.35% CRIT Rate for every 1% of initial CRIT DMG you have. So CRIT DMG is not dead — it is a CRIT Rate battery. But there is a hard limit on how far that chain pays off, and it is worth being blunt about it.
How much CRIT Rate does Claret actually need?
More than 100%, and less than infinity. The Laceration multiplier that the overflow feeds into is fixed at 150% and cannot be increased by any CRIT DMG bonus in the game. That means once you are past 100% CRIT Rate, each additional point converts at a flat, non-scaling rate.
The practical consequence is simple: never stop rolling CRIT Rate on her. Count what she already stacks before a single substat is considered — +30% from her own Crimson Inscription state, up to +35% from Crimson Thirst, +16% from Thorned Rose at the DEF breakpoint, plus a CRIT Rate main stat on Disc 4. That is roughly 105-110% before substats, so a well-geared Claret crosses the 100% line comfortably and every point after it is still doing work rather than being thrown away.
Crimson Inscription is the state you are trying to keep up: +30% CRIT Rate, +50% Gash Buildup Rate, increased Anti-Interrupt, for 16 seconds. It can be extended by defeating enemies and through Chain Attacks, and it pauses while she is off-field or during an Ultimate, Chain Attack, Counter Assist or Defense Assist — so the timer is more forgiving in practice than 16 seconds sounds.
What is the best W-Engine for Claret?
Crimson Thirst, her signature, is a clear first place and it is not close. Its passive, Bloodthirst, gives CRIT Rate +25/27.5/30/32.5/35% and Electric DMG +15/17.5/20/22.5/25% across refinements. On top of that, using her EX Special Attack or triggering Maim grants Electric Sharp DMG +10/11.5/13/14.5/16% for 40 seconds, and repeated triggers refresh the duration. It is a CRIT Rate stick attached to an Electric damage stick attached to a third bonus keyed to her own mechanic.
If you are not pulling it, the ranking below it:
- Bloodmarrow Coffer — the A-Rank Battle Pass W-Engine, and the only other one built for the multi-CRIT mechanic. Its passive, Moment of Unsealing, grants +0.48/0.56/0.64/0.72/0.8% DMG per 1% of CRIT Rate above 100%, capped at 24/28/32/36/40%. HoYoverse's announcement notes it becomes redeemable in future versions with the Great Builder's Certificate, so it is not a launch-day pickup outside the Battle Pass.
- Catty Luck — the best genuinely free pick. It carries a DEF% advanced stat, grants DEF +8/9/10/11/12%, and another 8–12% for 40 seconds after an EX Special Attack. Unglamorous, but DEF% is her damage stat and this is the cheapest source of it.
On the stat line itself: Crimson Thirst carries a DEF% advanced stat, with the CRIT Rate arriving through the passive rather than the stat slot. That is the right shape for her, since DEF is her damage multiplier.
What are the best Drive Discs for Claret?
4-piece Thorned Rose is the answer, and it is designed around her breakpoints:
- 2-piece: DEF +16%
- 4-piece: DMG +15%, and when initial DEF reaches 1,000, CRIT Rate +8% — rising to +16% at 1,800 initial DEF
That 1,800 threshold is the target for your whole build. It is why DEF% sits second in her substat priority despite CRIT Rate being first.
For the remaining two slots there is a real, honest disagreement between the two day-one analyses, and it is worth knowing both sides rather than being handed a false consensus:
- One case is for 2-piece Woodpecker Electro, on the grounds that its CRIT Rate is the most directly convertible stat she has.
- The other is for 2-piece Puffer Electro, on the grounds that PEN Ratio is scarcer on her gear, and endgame content in Zenless Zone Zero is boss-heavy, where defence-shredding scales harder than raw CRIT.
Both are defensible. If your Disc 5 main stat is already PEN Ratio, lean Woodpecker; if you could not roll PEN anywhere, lean Puffer. Branch & Blade Song, Soul Rock and Thunder Metal are all reasonable fallbacks while you farm.
Main stats, in order of slot:
- Disc 4: CRIT Rate
- Disc 5: PEN Ratio, then Electric DMG, then DEF
- Disc 6: DEF%
Substats: CRIT Rate > DEF% > CRIT DMG > PEN > flat DEF. Note that PEN Ratio is a Disc 5 main stat only — the substat you are rolling for is flat PEN. Skip ATK entirely — it does nothing for her.
What are the best Claret teams in ZZZ 3.2?
Her Additional Ability, Bloodline Legacy, requires you to bring a Stun Agent, another Armorer Agent, or an ally of the same Electric Attribute, so the team shape is partly decided for you.
Best support: Alexandrina "Rina" Sebastiane. She is the only Support in the game who provides both PEN Ratio and DEF%, precisely the two stats Claret converts into damage. Flag before you build around her: the DEF% buff requires her Potential unlocked. Without it she does not provide that buff at all, so an unpotentialed Rina is a much weaker pick than her reputation suggests.
Best Stunner: Roxy — with a large caveat. Roxy is an S-Rank Wind Stun Agent debuting in the second half of Version 3.2, and she provides the biggest Laceration buff of any Stunner. She is not available on day one. Until she arrives, the strongest available options are:
- Norma, who extends Crimson Inscription through Chain Attacks and is competitive rather than a placeholder.
- Koleda, whose Potential Vision buffs Laceration specifically for Armorer Agents, and who receives an enhancement in Version 3.2. That buff needs her Potential Vision unlocked, and even unlocked it is smaller than Roxy's.
- Trigger, a solid general-purpose Stun option.
For the Support slot, if you do not have Rina or her Potential, Nicole Demara is the budget answer — she is a Support, not a Stunner, and she brings DEF shred instead of Rina's PEN and DEF% buffs.
A practical day-one team that most accounts can field: Claret + Koleda + Nicole. A ceiling team once you have the pieces: Claret + Roxy + Rina.
Claret Mindscapes: which ones are worth it?
- M1 — Bloodstained Chronicle: the standard strong first copy.
- M2 — Crown of Inherited Flame: the best stopping point. If you are spending, stop here.
- M4 — Crimson Moon Wanderer: low priority. Skip unless you are going to six.
- M6 — Warm Night's Dream: exceptional, and noticeably stronger when paired with Norma.
What is not confirmed yet
Three things are still genuinely unknown as of 9 September 2026, and every page claiming otherwise is guessing:
- Her ascension and skill materials. The Armorer Certification Seal material, the Expert Challenge drop and the Notorious Hunt material had not been officially named at launch. This article will not invent them.
- The exact Phase 2 date. HoYoverse confirmed Roxy is in the second half; the calendar date for that phase is third-party consensus, not first-party confirmation.
- A Version 3.2 launch redemption code. Only one promo code was issued around the 3.2 Special Program and it expired on 30 August 2026. If a new code drops, it will appear on our Zenless Zone Zero codes page, which is refreshed every patch.
While you are here: Version 3.2 also brings a cumulative login of 10 Encrypted Master Tapes and 10 Boopons, a 14-day check-in granting a selectable Angels of Delusion outfit, an Armorer-exclusive VR Training stage, and a Perfect Assist rework — a golden flash now cues a Defensive Assist and a red flash cues an Evasive Assist. Reruns are Nangong Yu in the first half and Promeia in the second, each with their Exclusive W-Engine.
For where Claret sits against the rest of the roster, see our ZZZ tier list for September 2026, and for the full banner order and rerun schedule, see the ZZZ 3.2 banner breakdown.
Frequently asked questions
Does Claret use ATK at all? No. Every one of her skills uses DEF as the base damage multiplier, so ATK substats and ATK% main stats are wasted slots on her. This is confirmed directly in HoYoverse's Version 3.2 announcement.
Is CRIT Rate above 100% wasted on Claret? No, and this is what makes her unusual. The excess above 100% triggers multi-CRIT, which is calculated using Laceration DMG instead of normal CRIT DMG. Overflow keeps producing value up to roughly 200% CRIT Rate.
Can I raise Laceration DMG with CRIT DMG bonuses? No. The Laceration multiplier is fixed at 150% and no CRIT DMG source in the game increases it. CRIT DMG is still useful on her, but only indirectly — her Core Passive converts 1% initial CRIT DMG into 0.35% CRIT Rate.
Is Crimson Thirst worth pulling? If you intend to play Claret as a main damage dealer, yes. It is the only W-Engine that gives her CRIT Rate, Electric DMG and a bonus tied to her own Maim trigger at the same time. If you skip it, Bloodmarrow Coffer from the Battle Pass is the closest substitute and Catty Luck is the best free option.
What is the DEF breakpoint for Thorned Rose? The 4-piece bonus gives +8% CRIT Rate at 1,000 initial DEF and +16% at 1,800 initial DEF. The 1,800 figure is the one to build toward.
Do Armorer Agents use Energy? No. Armorers use Sharpness in place of Energy, so Energy Regen stats and Energy-focused supports do not function the same way for Claret.
Who should I run with Claret on day one? Claret with Koleda and Nicole is the most widely available strong team at launch. Once Rina and Roxy are on your account, Claret with Roxy and Rina is the ceiling.
Is there a Zenless Zone Zero code for the 3.2 update? Not at the time of writing on 9 September 2026. The only promo code tied to the 3.2 Special Program expired on 30 August 2026. Codes rotate every patch, so check a page that is refreshed rather than one written once.
