This ZZZ tier list ranks all 61 playable Zenless Zone Zero Agents for Version 3.3 "Journey to the Sky", which went live on October 21, 2026 after the 06:00 (UTC+8) update. The headline change is Phoenix: she is pullable from today, and the trackers that have already ranked her put her straight into their top tier, with one large condition attached. Everything else in the table carries over from our October 7 reconciliation of the Version 3.2 endgame lists, because no existing Agent was rebalanced in the 3.3 update notes. The focus stays practical: damage ceiling matters, but so do team flexibility, field time, investment cost, and whether an Agent still performs when the stage does not favour them.
Quick answer: In Version 3.3 the S+ group is Aria, Astra Yao, Claret, Dialyn, Lucia, Miyabi, Nangong Yu, Norma, Phoenix (provisional), Remielle, Sigrid, Sunna, Velina, Ye Shunguang, Yixuan and Yuzuha. Phoenix enters at S+ on launch day because Icy Veins and Mobalytics both rank her top tier, but Icy Veins puts her performance drop without Velina at 34%, so on most accounts Velina is the safer first pull of the two Phase I channels. Both close on November 11, 2026 at 11:59 server time. Severian (Wind Attack) arrives in Phase II on November 11 and stays unranked until he is playable. Version 3.3 runs 42 days, ending December 2, 2026 at 06:00 (UTC+8).
Article status: updated October 21, 2026, launch day of Version 3.3, against HoYoverse's Version 3.3 Update Announcement and Is Now Live notice. Existing placements reconciled October 7, 2026 from Prydwen's and Game8's lists. Phoenix's tier is a launch-day placement and will be settled after the first Version 3.3 endgame reset.
Who are the best Agents in Zenless Zone Zero Version 3.3?
The best Agents are the ones that either set the damage ceiling or make several teams substantially better. Astra Yao remains the cleanest account-wide Support investment because she contributes without demanding long field time. Ye Shunguang, Yixuan, Miyabi and Claret are four different premium damage cores, and Claret's skills use DEF as their base DMG multiplier, and she is still the roster's only Armorer. Remielle, Aria, Yuzuha and Velina sharply improve Anomaly-oriented accounts, while Dialyn, Nangong Yu and Norma create high-value Stun windows for the teams that fit them.
Phoenix is the new name at the top, and she belongs to the Anomaly group rather than replacing anyone in it. Her Core Passive, Nirvana, lets the whole squad's Attribute Anomaly DMG crit on enemies inflicted with Sear, which is what makes her such a strong partner for Velina and Remielle. Our ZZZ Phoenix guide covers her full first-party kit.
This is an overall ranking, not a claim that one Agent wins every encounter. Enemy weakness, resistance, stage bonuses, team completeness, W-Engine quality, Drive Disc sets and execution can move a character by a full tier inside your account. One player put the limit of any aggregated list plainly: "Prydwen shows the actual clear scores of people who upload their data... Like 1% of players are good enough to make mono freeze Miyabi be unbeatably strong." Treat the top of this table as what an Agent can do, not what she will do on an unfinished account.
What is the current ZZZ tier list for Version 3.3?
The table uses four tiers. Existing placements reconcile the two most actively maintained public tier lists, Prydwen's list as revised on 30 September 2026 and Game8's list as of its 09/30/26 changelog (still titled for Version 3.2 on October 21), and favour Agents with broad account value over characters who need one exact premium composition. Where the sources disagree the split is called out rather than hidden. Rankings assume reasonable investment rather than maximum Mindscapes and signature equipment.
| Tier | Agents (61 total) | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| S+ | Aria, Astra Yao, Claret, Dialyn, Lucia, Miyabi, Nangong Yu, Norma, Phoenix (provisional), Remielle, Sigrid, Sunna, Velina, Ye Shunguang, Yixuan, Yuzuha | Meta pillars, elite carries, or Supports that raise several teams at once |
| S | Alice, Banyue, Burnice, Cissia, Evelyn, Jane Doe, Ju Fufu, Lighter, Nicole, Orphie & Magus, Promeia, Pyrois, Rina, Roxy, Seed, Soldier 0 - Anby, Starlight - Billy, Trigger, Vivian, Yidhari, Zhao | Excellent endgame picks with narrower teams, higher execution demands, or a Mindscape requirement |
| A | Ellen, Grace, Harumasa, Hugo, Koleda, Lycaon, Manato, Nekomata, Pan Yinhu, Piper, Qingyi, Soldier 11, Soukaku, Yanagi | Strong and fully usable, but more replaceable or stage-dependent than the top groups |
| B | Anby, Anton, Ben, Billy, Caesar, Corin, Lucy, Pulchra, Seth, Zhu Yuan | Capable in story and properly supported teams, but generally need more investment for the same endgame result |
There are no unusable Agents here. B tier does not mean a character cannot clear difficult content. It means the same account resources usually buy more consistency when invested into a higher-tier alternative in the same role. A completed A-tier team can still outperform an S+ Agent carrying an under-levelled W-Engine and mismatched teammates. Our ZZZ best teams guide shows which three-slot combinations these Agents actually belong in.
What changed in the Version 3.3 update?
Version 3.3 added two Agents and no balance changes to existing ones. The notes for existing Agents are bug fixes and text-only corrections, such as the Gash tutorial now reading "Some Sharp DMG builds up Gash". So the moves are additions rather than reshuffles.
- Phoenix: new, S+ (provisional). HoYoverse's update notice lists her as "S-Rank Agent Phoenix (Fire - Anomaly)", obtainable from the "Into the Flames of Life" Signal Search. On launch day, Icy Veins wrote: "We have placed Phoenix into T0 as she is the strongest in her class as an Anomaly Main DPS however there's some caveats. Despite the amazing performance, she unfortunately has a huge 34% decrease in her performance without Velina." Mobalytics also lists her in its top tier. We mark her provisional until the first 3.3 endgame reset produces clear data.
- Severian: announced, unranked. He is an S-Rank Wind Attack Agent from the "Answers in the Wind" Signal Search in Phase II. He is not playable yet, so he is not in the table.
- Velina and Norma reruns. Velina's "Graceful Gale" channel runs alongside Phoenix in Phase I. Norma returns in Phase II next to Severian. Both stay in S+.
- The roster count moves from 60 to 61. It reaches 62 when Severian launches.
- A free Armorer W-Engine. The A-Rank W-Engine Candlelit Scheme (Armorer) comes from the limited-time "Spooky Funhouse Tales" event, which runs from October 22 at 10:00 to November 30 at 03:59 server time. It does not change Claret's tier, but it is the first event W-Engine for the Specialty she founded.
Where does Phoenix land, and should you pull Phoenix or Velina?
Phoenix (S-Rank Fire Anomaly, S+ provisional). Her ceiling is not in question. The issue is how narrow it is. HoYoverse's own two recommended teams in her Mechanics Intro are Phoenix + Velina + Remielle and Phoenix + Velina + Yuzuha, and both include Velina. Mobalytics makes the same point from the other side: "Although Phoenix's performance is conditional on Velina (in fact, she can do worse than Agents like Promeia or Aria on alternative teams, like with Vivian or Nangong Yu), when at her best, she clears all other Anomaly Agents by a significant margin."
That makes the Phase I decision simpler than it looks:
| Your account | Pull first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| No Velina, no Remielle | Velina | She is a sub-DPS and Support at once, and both official Phoenix teams need her |
| Remielle but no Velina | Velina | Velina completes Remielle's best team and unlocks Phoenix later |
| Velina already owned | Phoenix | You have the condition that the 34% figure depends on |
| Velina and Remielle owned | Phoenix | This is her best official team, ready on day one |
| No Anomaly Agents at all | Neither, or Velina | Phoenix alone has no team around her |
Signal Search pity is cumulative across Exclusive Channels and does not reset between phases or versions, so pulls spent on one Phase I channel still count towards your next S-Rank. The ZZZ pity system guide explains the guarantee. Our Velina guide covers her build and teams.
Which Agents does the Version 3.3 endgame favour?
The 3.3 update notice publishes all three Shiyu Defense Critical Node buff sets and the full Deadly Assault boss list. That tells you which tiers matter most this version.
| Critical Node | Buffs that matter (first-party) | Who benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Phase I | Anomaly Agents' Fire DMG +20%, Attribute Anomaly DMG +30% after an Anomaly crit; Sharp DMG and DEF +20%; Attack Agents' Ether and Ice DMG +20% with CRIT DMG +40% | Phoenix (Fire Anomaly whose kit makes Anomaly DMG crit), Claret (her skill DMG counts as Sharp DMG and scales off DEF), Ice and Ether Attack carries |
| Phase II | Attack Agents' ATK +35% and Wind DMG +20%; squad ATK and Attribute Anomaly DMG up on Anomaly crits; Sheer DMG +35% | Wind Attack carries, crit-Anomaly teams, Rupture teams |
| Phase III | Attack Agents' Wind DMG +30% and CRIT DMG +40%; Armorer DEF and Sharp DMG +15%; Anomaly Proficiency +30 | Wind Attack again, Armorer, Anomaly |
Two patterns stand out. Anomaly crits are buffed in two of the three node sets, and Phoenix's Nirvana passive is exactly the mechanic that makes Anomaly damage crit. Wind Attack is buffed in Phase II and Phase III, and Severian, arriving November 11, is a Wind Attack Agent. Read that as a hint about where the next placements are likely to go, not as a ranking.
Deadly Assault Trial Mode rotates through Blasphemer, Unknown Corruption Complex and Discordant Solo - Vesper in Phase I, then Blasphemer, Infernal Revenant and Autonomous Assault Unit - Typhon Destroyer in Phase II, then Infernal Revenant, Kusarikku and Phaethon of the Scorched Horizon in Phase III. The Adversity bosses are Integrated - Girtablullu - Stagnant Aberrant, Rewritten - Sanguine Sweeper and Integrated - Girtablullu, in that order. Our Deadly Assault guide covers scoring and rewards.
Why are these Agents in S+ tier?
Which damage dealers have the highest current ceiling?
Ye Shunguang, Yixuan, Miyabi, Claret, Aria and now Phoenix are the headline carry group, but they win in different structures.
- Claret is the first Agent in the Armorer Specialty and her skill multipliers are based on DEF rather than ATK. She builds Gash on enemies to trigger Maim, and CRIT Rate above 100% feeds multi-CRIT instead of being wasted. See the Claret build guide.
- Ye Shunguang is a premium on-field Attack carry with a very high ceiling when her team supports her resource loop.
- Yixuan is a self-sufficient Rupture core whose survivability makes her comfortable across difficult stages.
- Miyabi remains an elite Frost Anomaly damage dealer. Prydwen's 30 September list placed her one step below its top tier while Game8 kept her at the top. The Miyabi build guide covers her setup.
- Aria is a powerful Ether Anomaly core with strong Disorder potential. Phoenix competes with her for the main Anomaly slot, but only on accounts that own Velina.
- Phoenix is the strongest Anomaly main DPS when Velina is on the team, and a much more ordinary one when she is not.
Which Supports and Stun Agents are safest to build?
Astra Yao is the most broadly useful top-tier investment because she supports many different damage archetypes. Yuzuha and Remielle are more specialised toward Anomaly structures, but their value inside those teams is exceptional, and 3.3 makes Anomaly even more central. Lucia is the dedicated top-end partner for Rupture accounts. Her placement still draws pushback on launch day, with one player in a community thread on the updated Prydwen list asking "Why is Lucia still T0 when no rupture dps is T0". The reply from the same thread is that the gap she opens for Rupture teams is big enough to keep her there even while Rupture itself is struggling.
Dialyn, Nangong Yu and Norma reach S+ because they compress Stun, team amplification and rotation value. Norma's Phase II rerun makes her the most accessible of the three in 3.3.
Which S-tier ZZZ Agents are closest to the top?
S tier is where most efficient accounts should spend their time. These 21 Agents are powerful enough for endgame, but each has a constraint that keeps them below the universal group.
Alice, Yidhari, Pyrois, Seed, Soldier 0 - Anby, Starlight - Billy, Evelyn, Vivian, Jane Doe and Promeia can anchor serious damage teams. Vivian matters more in 3.3: Icy Veins' Phoenix teams page calls her "basically the only option outside of Velina" as an Anomaly partner for Phoenix. Lighter, Ju Fufu, Nicole, Zhao, Trigger, Rina and Roxy provide setup or amplification. Roxy is a Wind Stun Agent and one of HoYoverse's official Claret partners, so she climbs if you run Claret. Our Roxy build guide has her priorities.
Promote an S-tier Agent in your personal ranking when the current stage favours their damage, you own the teammates that activate their full kit, and their levels, W-Engine, Core Skill and key Drive Disc stats are finished. The ZZZ W-Engine tier list covers which weapons are worth the pull.
Are A- and B-tier Agents worth building?
Yes, especially when they complete an elemental or role gap. Yanagi still works in established Anomaly structures, Grace and Piper fill Anomaly slots, Nekomata fills an Attack slot, and Manato fills a Rupture slot. Ellen, Hugo, Harumasa, Soldier 11, Qingyi, Lycaon, Koleda, Soukaku and Pan Yinhu stay relevant when their buffs or faction synergy match the carry.
B tier now holds names that were top picks a year ago. Game8's 09/09/26 changelog reads "Moved Zhu Yuan, Caesar, and Lucy to Tier 2," and Prydwen's 30 September list places Zhu Yuan at T1.5 with Caesar and Lucy at T2. A built Zhu Yuan still clears content. She is simply no longer a recommended target for new resources.
How should F2P players use this Zenless Zone Zero tier list?
Treat the list as a resource-allocation map and build complete teams in sequence.
- Finish one main carry. Raise the Agent, W-Engine, skills and Core Skill before chasing substats.
- Add the correct enabler. Stun for burst-window teams, a second Anomaly Agent for Disorder, or the dedicated Support for Rupture.
- Complete the third slot. A lower-rarity Support with real synergy beats an unrelated S+ unit.
- Build a second damage profile. Endgame needs coverage on both sides.
- Farm Drive Discs last.
Version 3.3 also pays out free Polychrome that can fund a pull: the Server Update Compensation and the Issue Fix Compensation are each 300 Polychrome for accounts that reached Inter-Knot Lv. 4 before the update began on October 21, 2026 at 06:00 (UTC+8). The Issue Fix mail must be claimed before November 20, 2026 at 23:59 (UTC+8). For redemption codes, see our ZZZ livestream codes page.
How will Severian and Phase II change the ZZZ tier list?
According to HoYoverse's Version 3.3 Intel Report, Phase II opens on November 11, 2026 at 12:00 server time with Severian's "Answers in the Wind" channel, his W-Engine Incarcerating Grip, and the Norma rerun. It runs until December 1, 2026 at 14:59 server time, and Version 3.3 itself ends on December 2 at 06:00 (UTC+8). Severian is a Wind Attack Agent from New Eridu Public Security. His full kit numbers are not first-party yet, so he will be ranked here only after release. The ZZZ Severian guide tracks what HoYoverse has confirmed, and the Version 3.3 overview covers the full patch.
FAQ
Who is the best character in ZZZ right now? There is no single winner for every account. Claret, Ye Shunguang, Yixuan, Miyabi, Aria and Phoenix are the strongest carry cores in Version 3.3, and Astra Yao is the safest broad Support investment.
What version does this ZZZ tier list cover? Version 3.3 "Journey to the Sky", live since October 21, 2026 and running 42 days until December 2, 2026 at 06:00 (UTC+8). It was last updated on October 21, 2026.
Is Phoenix top tier in ZZZ? Yes on launch day. Icy Veins placed her in T0 and Mobalytics lists her in its top tier, but Icy Veins puts her performance drop without Velina at 34%. This page places her in S+ provisionally until the first 3.3 endgame reset.
Should I pull Phoenix or Velina first? Velina, unless you already own her. Both of HoYoverse's recommended Phoenix teams include Velina, and Velina also completes Remielle's team. Both channels close on November 11, 2026 at 11:59 server time.
Is Phoenix worth pulling if I have no other Anomaly Agents? Usually not as a first step. Phoenix needs Anomaly teammates, ideally Velina, to reach the ceiling her tier reflects. Build the team first, then add her.
Where is Severian on the tier list? He is not ranked yet. Severian is an S-Rank Wind Attack Agent who arrives in Phase II on November 11, 2026, and he will be placed after release data exists.
Does Signal Search pity carry over from Phoenix to Severian? Yes. Exclusive Channel pity is cumulative across channels and does not reset between phases or versions.
Can A-tier Agents clear Shiyu Defense and Deadly Assault? Yes. The tier measures efficiency and consistency relative to the current top options, not whether a character is usable.
Existing rankings reconciled October 7, 2026 from Prydwen's Zenless Zone Zero tier list (as revised 30 September 2026) and Game8's tier list (as of its 09/30/26 changelog). Phoenix's launch-day placement draws on Icy Veins and Mobalytics. Version, channel, endgame buff and kit facts come from HoYoverse's official HoYoLAB announcements for Version 3.3 and the Zenless Zone Zero official site. Player quotations are reproduced verbatim from public ZZZ community threads and are deliberately unattributed. Official artwork is from HoYoverse's Version 3.3 materials.
