Transparency note: HoYoverse has confirmed the Version 2.6 launch date and Angels of Delusion banner theme. Some character details — particularly Sunna's element and Phase 1 banner structure — conflict across community sources and are labeled throughout....
The Version 2.6 Character Lineup
Character | Role | Element | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
Sunna | S-Rank Support | Physical (community) / Ice (conflict) | Phase 1 |
Aria | S-Rank Anomaly DPS | Ether | Phase 1 |
Nangong Yu | S-Rank Stunner | Physical | Phase 2 |
Phase 1 (Feb 6–27): Sources conflict on whether this is a Sunna solo banner or a Sunna + Aria dual banner. Treat the structure as unconfirmed until HoYoverse's official pre-patch stream.
Phase 2 (Feb 27–Mar 20): Aria + Nangong Yu. Nangong Yu then carries into Version 2.7's Phase 1 alongside Harumasa.
Version 2.7 follows around March 25, featuring Damian, Yixuan, Cissia, and Orphie & Magus — though exact pairings are still unconfirmed.
W-Engine Banners
Sunna's signature W-Engine, Thoughtbop, offers 713 base ATK at level 60 with 140% Energy Regen — cutting ultimate cooldown from 25–30 seconds down to 15–18 seconds. That's a real improvement, but free alternatives still deliver 70–85% of that performance. W-Engine banners use the same Polychrome but run a separate 80-pull hard pity (12,800 Polychrome). Budget for it separately, and always secure the character first.
Gacha Basics: How Polychrome and Pulls Work
One pull = 160 Polychrome. Everything else follows from that.
Pull Cost Reference
Goal | Pulls | Polychrome |
|---|---|---|
1 pull | 1 | 160 |
10-pull | 10 | 1,600 |
Soft pity threshold | ~75–80 | 12,000–12,800 |
Hard pity (guaranteed S-Rank) | 90 | 14,400 |
Worst case (lost 50/50 + hard pity) | 180 | 28,800 |
W-Engine hard pity | 80 | 12,800 |
Pity, 50/50, and the Carry-Over Rule
Base S-Rank rate is 0.6%. Soft pity kicks in around pull 75–80 depending on your server, jumping the rate to roughly 6–6.6%. Hard pity at pull 90 is an absolute guarantee.
The 50/50: your first S-Rank on a limited banner has a 50% chance of being the featured character. Lose the flip, get a standard S-Rank instead — but your next S-Rank is then guaranteed to be the featured character. That guarantee carries over across phases, versions, and banners indefinitely.
Pity never resets when a banner ends. This is the most misunderstood mechanic in ZZZ. If you're at 60 pity when Version 2.6 ends, you start Version 2.7 at 60 pity. Never panic-pull to protect your progress — there's nothing to protect against.
One more thing: Polychrome spent on Exclusive Channel (limited) banners can't be used on Standard Channel banners. Encrypted Master Tapes work on limited banners; standard Master Tapes don't. Don't convert Polychrome into standard pulls if you're targeting limited S-Ranks — you lose the guarantee system entirely.
How Much Polychrome Do You Actually Need?
Targeting One S-Rank
Average case: ~80 pulls = 12,800 Polychrome
Hard pity: 90 pulls = 14,400 Polychrome
Worst case (lost 50/50): 180 pulls = 28,800 Polychrome
Already at 60 pity with a guaranteed 50/50 win? You only need 30 pulls (4,800 Polychrome) to guarantee your character. Know your pity state before budgeting — it changes everything.
Targeting Two S-Ranks
Scenario | Pulls | Polychrome |
|---|---|---|
Both at soft pity | 150 | 24,000 |
Both at hard pity | 180 | 28,800 |
Both lost 50/50 | 270 | 43,200 |
Two characters in one patch is a serious investment. F2P players with 13,000–15,000 Polychrome can comfortably target one, or two with favorable pity going in.
Full Budget Reference
Scenario | Pulls | Polychrome |
|---|---|---|
1 S-Rank (lucky) | 50–75 | 8,000–12,000 |
1 S-Rank (average) | 80 | 12,800 |
1 S-Rank (hard pity) | 90 | 14,400 |
1 S-Rank (lost 50/50) | 180 | 28,800 |
2 S-Ranks (average) | 160 | 25,600 |
2 S-Ranks (worst case) | 270 | 43,200 |
Signature W-Engine | 80 | 12,800 |
Mindscape Cinema (Duplicates)
Each additional copy requires another full 50/50 cycle — another 14,400–28,800 Polychrome per level. Unless you're deeply invested in a specific character's ceiling, skip duplicates and spend that Polychrome on a new character instead.
Free Polychrome: Every Source for Version 2.6
Daily & Weekly Income
The optimal daily routine takes 10–45 minutes and yields roughly 150 Polychrome per day:
Daily Commissions: 60 Polychrome/day × 42 days = 2,520 total
Inter-Knot Membership (Monthly Card): 90 Polychrome/day × 30 days + 300 initial = 3,300 total (~$4.99, ~$0.27/pull)
Coffee/Scratch Card + HIA Club tasks: ~30–60 Polychrome/day additional
The Monthly Card is the single best-value purchase in ZZZ. Activate it on February 6 — not before — to capture the full 26+ days of Version 2.6 value.
Events — Your Biggest Income Spike
Gilded Surprise Wonderful Boo-ns (Feb 14–20/23): 600–1,200 Polychrome + 25 free draws (~4,000 Polychrome equivalent)
Four Billion Polychrome prize pool event (Feb 17): 300–500 Polychrome per player
Livestream codes (e.g., DREAMINGANGEL): 400–600 Polychrome — redeem via Main Menu > More > Redemption Code
Complete high-value events early. Missing the Gilded Surprise event cuts your version income by roughly 30%. Getting 80% completion on a major event beats 100% on a minor one every time.
Hollow Zero, Shiyu Defense, Exploration
Hollow Zero Operation Matrix: Up to 4,640 Polychrome/week × 6 weeks = 27,840 total (single-source figure — treat as upper bound; Lost Void yields ~3,200/week as a conservative baseline)
Shiyu Defense: ~2,016 Polychrome per bi-weekly cycle across all floors. Floor 10 yields 200 Polychrome per cycle vs. floor 7's 100 — pushing your clear depth matters
Hollow Zero Bounties: 960 Polychrome across the 42-day cycle
Version 2.6 F2P Income Summary
Source | Polychrome | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Daily Commissions (42 days) | 2,520 | Consistent |
Events (Gilded Surprise + others) | 4,000–6,000 | Complete early |
Hollow Zero / Lost Void | 3,200–27,840 | Lost Void is baseline |
Shiyu Defense | ~2,000 | Push to floor 10 |
Bounties | 960 | Passive |
Livestream codes | 400–600 | Redeem immediately |
Total estimate | 13,000–15,000 | Phase 1 window |
That's 81–94 pulls from free sources alone — enough to hit hard pity on one banner with Polychrome to spare.
Save or Spend? A Decision Framework
At 0 Pity Right Now
Save everything. No momentum on any banner means you're starting from scratch regardless of when you pull. Spending on a Version 2.5 rerun at 0 pity just delays your Version 2.6 progress.
At 50+ Pity
At 60 pity with a guaranteed 50/50 win, you're 30 pulls from a guaranteed character. If a Version 2.5 character genuinely fits your roster, pulling now is defensible. But if you're targeting Sunna or Nangong Yu specifically, hold — that 60 pity carries forward and gives you a massive head start.
Which Version 2.6 Character Should You Pull?
Sunna — Pull if you run Physical DPS characters (she pairs best with Aria, Billy, or Ye Shunguang). Skip her if you have no Physical DPS; her support value is conditional, not universal.
Aria — Pull if you need an Ether Anomaly main DPS. Self-sufficient damage dealer, no team dependency required.
Nangong Yu — Pull if you want strong Stun/control in an Angels of Delusion composition. She's the faction leader and enables team synergies the others don't.
Spending Tier Verdicts
F2P: Target one character. With 13,000–15,000 Polychrome available, you can hit hard pity comfortably and have pulls left over. Don't chase two S-Ranks unless you have significant saved Polychrome from Version 2.5.
Dolphin (Monthly Card + selective top-up): Monthly Card alone adds 3,300 Polychrome ($4.99). Combined with F2P sources, you're looking at 115–129 pulls — enough to target two characters with reasonable confidence.
Whale: Budget 28,800 Polychrome per character for guaranteed outcomes. W-Engine banners are 12,800 each, separate. Mindscape Cinema copies add another 14,400–28,800 per level on top of that.
Top-Up Guide: Getting the Best Value
Direct in-game Polychrome packs deliver roughly 100–200 Polychrome per dollar — the worst efficiency in the shop. The Monthly Card at $4.99 delivers 3,300 Polychrome over 30 days ($0.27/pull). It's not close.
Top-Up Priority Order
Monthly Card (Inter-Knot Membership) — Always first. Activate on patch launch day.
Battle Pass — Secondary option for casual spenders.
Polychrome bundles — Only after the above are active. Larger bundles offer marginally better per-unit value.
First-Time Purchase Double Bonus
The in-game shop offers a one-time double bonus on certain Polychrome packs for first-time buyers. If you've never spent on ZZZ, this effectively halves your cost on that purchase. It's a one-time opportunity — don't miss it.
Pulls Per Dollar
Purchase | Cost | Polychrome | Pulls | $/Pull |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly Card (30 days) | ~$4.99 | 3,300 | ~20 | ~$0.25 |
Small Polychrome Pack | ~$0.99 | 60–120 | <1 | >$1.00 |
Large Polychrome Bundle | ~$99.99 | ~6,480 | ~40 | ~$2.50 |
Monthly Card × 2 months | ~$9.98 | 6,600 | ~41 | ~$0.24 |
Two months of Monthly Card beats a $100 bundle on pulls-per-dollar. That's the whole story.
For players who want competitive pricing outside the default in-game store, you can buy Zenless Zone Zero Polychrome top up at BitTopup — fast delivery, secure transactions, rates worth comparing before your next top-up. If you're looking to recharge Zenless Zone Zero monochrome currency specifically, BitTopup covers that too.
Version 2.6 Prep Checklist
Do this before February 6:
Check your current pity count (Signal Search > Details > History — count pulls since your last S-Rank)
Note whether you have a guaranteed 50/50 win or are starting fresh
Tally saved Polychrome and calculate your current pull count
Activate Monthly Card on February 6 (not before — maximize the 30-day window)
Redeem all livestream codes immediately (DREAMINGANGEL + any new codes from the Version 2.6 stream)
Prioritize Gilded Surprise event in the first week (Feb 14–20)
Push Shiyu Defense to floor 10 — 200 Polychrome per cycle vs. 100 at floor 7
Complete Hollow Zero Operation Matrix early each week; Lost Void is your consistent baseline
Decide your target character before the banner launches — impulse pulling is the #1 Polychrome drain
FAQ
How much Polychrome guarantees a Version 2.6 S-Rank?
Hard pity at 90 pulls = 14,400 Polychrome. Lose the 50/50 and the worst case is 180 pulls (28,800 Polychrome). Most players hit their target between pulls 75–85 (~12,000–13,600 Polychrome) thanks to soft pity.
Does leftover Polychrome from previous versions carry over?
Yes. Polychrome never expires. Everything saved from Version 2.5 or earlier works on Version 2.6 banners.
What happens to my pity when a banner ends?
Nothing. Pity carries forward to the next limited character banner automatically. This is one of the most persistent myths in ZZZ — pity does not reset at banner end. Never pull just to protect your count.
Is Sunna Physical or Ice element?
Unconfirmed. Multiple sources list her as Physical Support; at least one tags her as Ice. Wait for HoYoverse's official Version 2.6 character reveal. Her kit mechanic — the Mesmerized debuff dealing 500% ATK Physical damage with guaranteed crits and +50% CRIT DMG for 12 seconds — is more consistently reported across sources.
Should I pull Sunna's signature W-Engine?
Only after you've secured Sunna herself and have Polychrome to spare. Thoughtbop's 140% Energy Regen cuts ultimate cooldown from 25–30 seconds to 15–18 seconds — meaningful, but free alternatives still hit 70–85% of that performance. Character first, always.
Is topping up worth it for Version 2.6?
F2P players targeting one character probably don't need to — 13,000–15,000 free Polychrome covers one S-Rank comfortably. Targeting two characters or wanting a safety net? The Monthly Card at ~$4.99 is the highest-value entry point by a wide margin. Direct Polychrome bundles offer poor per-pull value and should only be considered after the Monthly Card is active.
Version 2.6 details are based on community reporting and early source analysis as of early 2026. Update upon official HoYoverse announcements — particularly Phase 1 banner structure and Sunna's confirmed element. Speculative sections are labeled throughout.
