ZZZ 2.6 Phase 1 W-Engine Overview
Version 2.6 launches February 6, 2026 at 11 AM UTC+8, running through February 27, 2026.
W-Engines divide into three categories: Signature S-Rank (Signal Search), craftable A/B-Rank (Box Galaxy using W-Engine Chips), and standard pool S-Rank.
S-Rank signatures require 14400-28800 Polychrome depending on pity. Hard pity guarantees S-Rank at 80 pulls (1% rate). A-Rank pity hits at 10 pulls.
For resource planning, ZZZ pull plan 2.6 requires careful Polychrome management. BitTopup offers competitive rates with fast delivery for limited-time Phase 1 banners.
Phase 1 Signature W-Engines
Thoughtbop (Sunna's signature, S-Rank Support):
- Level 60: 713 Base ATK, 60% Energy Regen
- Generates 0.6 energy/second off-field
- Passive: Stacks two buffs increasing EX Special Physical DMG by 12.5% each (40s duration), plus 10% ATK at max stacks
Qingming Birdcage (S-Rank, Rupture-focused):
- Level 60: 743 Base ATK, 24% CRIT Rate
- Passive: 20% CRIT Rate baseline, stacks two instances of 8% Ether DMG and 10% Sheer DMG (15s) on EX Special or combat start
Both require: 300000 EXP, 200000 Dennies (level 51-60), 20 Specialized W-Engine Components (level 50-60).
F2P W-Engine Ecosystem
Kaboom the Cannon (craftable Support):
- Level 60: 624 Base ATK, 50% Energy Regen
- Passive: Stacks 2.5% squad ATK per hit, max 4 stacks (8s), totaling 10% ATK bonus
Weeping Cradle (S-Rank Support):
- Level 60: 684 Base ATK, 24% PEN Ratio
- Generates 0.6 energy/second off-field
- Passive: 10% squad damage to targets, ramps 1.7% every 0.5s to max 10.2% (3s duration)
Minimum viable build: Sunna with Kaboom the Cannon + Moonlight Lullaby 4-piece + Special level 8 clears Shiyu Defense critical nodes.
Investment Priority Hierarchy
- Character acquisition first
- W-Engine optimization for primary damage dealers
- Support weapon refinement last
New players: Build diverse agent rosters before pursuing signatures—team flexibility outweighs individual weapon optimization.
Mid-game (Inter-Knot 35-50): Invest in damage dealer signatures only if you've secured necessary supports and lack adequate F2P alternatives. Support agents perform well with craftables.
Overclock (refinement): Requires duplicate copies, max 5 times. For signatures, this is extreme investment. F2P alternatives benefit more from refinement due to lower opportunity costs.
Signature vs F2P: Statistical Comparison
Signatures maintain 10-20% base stat advantages. Thoughtbop's 713 Base ATK exceeds Kaboom's 624 by 14.3%. Weeping Cradle matches Thoughtbop's 0.6 energy/second generation.
Core Stat Scaling
Base ATK: 14% difference translates to 8-12% final damage variance depending on total ATK% from other sources. Gap narrows with optimized Disc Drive substats and team synergies.
Energy Regen thresholds: Thoughtbop and Weeping Cradle (0.6/s) enable consistent ultimate cycling. Kaboom's 50% vs 60% creates one additional skill rotation per ultimate—noticeable but manageable.
PEN Ratio: Weeping Cradle's 24% approaches soft caps for most enemies. Additional PEN from other sources often exceeds practical benefit thresholds.
Passive Abilities
Thoughtbop: 25% total EX Special Physical DMG (12.5% × 2 stacks, 40s) benefits burst-window playstyles. Signature-exclusive scaling unavailable on F2P options.
Kaboom the Cannon: 10% squad ATK at 4 stacks activates consistently during rotations. Universal application benefits all damage sources including Anomaly procs.
Weeping Cradle: 10% base squad damage, scaling to 10.2% max. 3-second duration requires active rotation management but approaches signature performance with skilled play.
Refinement Impact
Signature refinement: 3-5% gains per rank through enhanced passives. Costs 14400-28800 Polychrome per rank—rarely justifies marginal improvement.
F2P refinement: Better cost-efficiency. Kaboom refinement delivers 4-6% improvements at lower investment. Three agents with rank 1 F2P weapons outperform one rank 5 signature + two suboptimal weapons.
Damage Calculation Methodology
Testing Parameters
- Level 60 agents with identical Disc Drives: 4-piece sets, optimized main stats, normalized 20% CRIT Rate/50% CRIT DMG
- Enemies: Level 60 Shiyu Defense elites with normalized defense/resistance
- Rotations: Three normal attacks → EX Special, ultimate on cooldown, standardized assist triggers
- Team: Fixed supports (one Energy Regen, one damage amp) for consistent buffs
DPS Formula
Damage = Base ATK × (1 + ATK%) × Skill Multiplier × (1 + DMG%) × CRIT multiplier
Energy Regen impact: 0.6/s enables ultimates every 15-18s with active skills; 50% Energy Regen requires 18-22s. 3-4s difference = one additional ultimate per 60s window = 8-12% DPS variance.
Buff uptime: Thoughtbop's 40s duration achieves 85-95% uptime; Weeping Cradle's 3s ramping buff maintains 60-70% uptime.
Team Synergies
Multiplicative stacking: 14% Base ATK difference compounds with 30% team ATK buffs and 25% damage amp, creating 18-22% final variance vs base 14%.
Energy generation synergies: Teams with multiple Energy Regen sources experience diminishing returns. Kaboom's 50% suffices in these scenarios.
Elemental matching: Thoughtbop's Physical DMG specialization maximizes value in mono-Physical teams but provides zero benefit to Ether/Fire dealers. Kaboom's universal ATK stacking maintains value across all compositions.
Practical Variance
Real combat introduces 5-10% performance variance from enemy movement, execution errors, and CRIT RNG—often exceeding statistical differences between optimized F2P and signature setups.
Skill expression: Perfect rotations with animation canceling extract maximum signature value. Suboptimal play reduces signature advantages to negligible levels.
Content difficulty: Early/mid-game content dies in single rotations regardless of W-Engine. Shiyu Defense critical nodes introduce DPS checks where 15-20% differences matter.
Support and Anomaly W-Engines
Support W-Engines prioritize Energy Regen and team buffs over personal damage. Smallest performance gap between signature and F2P—optimal category for budget optimization.
For limited resources, prioritize character banners and damage dealer weapons over support signatures. Top up polychrome ZZZ through BitTopup for secure transactions and excellent customer service.
Support Comparison
Thoughtbop provides specialized Physical support, but Kaboom achieves 80-85% effectiveness at zero Polychrome cost. 10% Energy Regen difference = one additional ultimate every three rotations—noticeable but not build-defining.
Elegant Vanity (S-Rank Support):
- 713 Base ATK, 30% ATK at level 60
- Passive: 5 Energy on squad Assist (5s cooldown), 10% squad DMG stacking twice (20s) on 25+ Energy consumption
- Competitive in multi-Assist teams but unreliable standard pool acquisition
Half-Sugar Bunny (Defense Support):
- 713 Base ATK, 0.46 energy/second
- Passive: 10% squad ATK and Max HP, 30% Ether Veil CRIT DMG (60s)
Anomaly Proficiency Scaling
Breakpoint analysis: Diminishing returns above 400 total Anomaly Proficiency. F2P weapons reaching 300-350 achieve 85-90% of maximum buildup efficiency.
Energy Regen for Anomaly agents affects ultimate availability but doesn't impact Anomaly buildup. Since Anomaly damage scales from Anomaly Proficiency and agent level (not ATK), Base ATK advantages contribute less—F2P alternatives perform within 5-8% of signatures.
Best F2P Support W-Engines
Kaboom the Cannon: 10% max ATK bonus activates within 2-3s of combat, maintains high uptime. Reliability outperforms conditional signature passives.
Crafting priority: One copy of each primary support type (Energy Regen, ATK buff, defensive) before pursuing refinements. Ensures roster flexibility for Shiyu Defense dual-teams.
Why Support Signatures Offer Minimal Advantage
Support damage = 15-25% of total team damage. 20% damage increase on 20% of team damage = 4% total team DPS—insufficient to justify signature costs vs damage dealer optimization.
Buff application functions identically regardless of W-Engine. 25% damage amp buffs provide exact bonus whether signature or F2P equipped. Buff magnitude derives from agent skills and Disc Drives, not W-Engine passives.
Energy Regen sufficiency: Most support ultimates require 100-120 Energy, achievable every 18-22s with 50% Energy Regen weapons. Signatures reducing to 15-18s provide marginal value in 45-60s encounters.
Crafting Strategy
Material Requirements
Box Galaxy crafting: A-Rank weapons require moderate W-Engine Chips; B-Rank costs minimal resources but lower stats.
Level 51-60: 300000 EXP, 200000 Dennies (accumulate slowly—prioritize double-reward events)
Level 50-60: 20 Specialized W-Engine Components (weekly bosses, event shops—time-gated)
Priority: Damage dealer weapons to 60 first, support weapons to 50 as intermediate breakpoints.
Crafting Priority (New Players)
- Kaboom the Cannon: Universal ATK buffing for any support—optimal first craft
- Primary damage dealer weapon: Specialized craftable matching damage type
- Secondary dealers/specialized supports: Fill roster gaps for specific team comps
Long-Term Investment
Universal buffs maintain value across updates: Kaboom's ATK stacking remains relevant regardless of future agents—ATK scaling is foundational.
Energy Regen weapons similarly timeless: Ultimate-dependent comps exist across all metas. 0.6/s generation provides value that doesn't depreciate.
Specialized weapons (Physical DMG amp) face obsolescence if agents fall out of meta. Avoid over-investing in niche craftables.
Crafting vs Pulling
Crafting three A-Rank weapons costs equivalent to 30-40 Signal Searches—far short of 80-pull hard pity. Resource efficiency favors crafting for roster breadth.
Signatures justifiable only after baseline F2P equipment across all active agents. Represents mid-to-late game optimization.
Opportunity cost: New agent with F2P weapon provides more flexibility than marginal performance on existing agents. Prioritize expanding roster to 8-10 characters before pursuing signatures.
Shiyu Defense Performance
Clear Time Comparisons
Testing identical teams with only W-Engine variables: 12-18% clear time differences. 90s clears with signatures typically require 105-110s with F2P—within comfortable margins.
Gap narrows with proper execution. Perfect combos with F2P weapons often outperform average players using signatures—skill expression outweighs equipment.
Multi-target scenarios show smaller gaps. F2P weapons with AoE passives or universal buffs perform closer to signatures when damage spreads.
F2P Viability
Max difficulty clears achievable with full F2P loadouts when paired with optimized Disc Drives and team comps. Minimum viable Sunna build (Kaboom + Moonlight Lullaby 4pc + Special 8) demonstrates functional endgame performance.
DPS checks sit 15-20% below max optimized output—comfortable margins for F2P equipment. Clear content while gradually upgrading through natural progression.
Budget Team Compositions
Synergy-focused F2P teams outperform poorly constructed signature teams. Cohesive composition with complementary abilities, element matching, and optimized rotations using craftables delivers superior results.
Energy Regen stacking from multiple F2P sources: Three Energy Regen weapons generate ultimates 30-40% faster, enabling spam strategies matching signature burst windows.
Anomaly comps particularly benefit: Dual-Anomaly teams with craftables apply status rapidly through coordinated rotations, creating DoT strategies bypassing direct damage advantages.
When Signatures Become Necessary
Current content: No hard requirements. All content clearable with F2P equipment given proper optimization. Signatures reduce execution requirements and provide error margin.
Competitive leaderboards: Top 1% clear times require max optimization including signatures, perfect Disc substats, flawless execution.
Future difficulty: May create soft requirements if DPS checks tighten to 90%+ of max optimized damage. Currently speculative—trajectory suggests continued F2P viability.
Common Misconceptions
Myth: Signatures Are Always 30%+ DPS Increase
Reality: 15-22% in optimal scenarios with proper teams and buff stacking. 30% figure from theoretical max calculations rarely achieved in practice. Combat variance, execution errors, suboptimal buff windows reduce gains.
Support signatures: 8-12% team damage increases accounting for limited personal damage contribution. Misconception from examining support personal damage in isolation.
Diminishing returns: Adding signature to already-optimized Disc Drives/teams yields smaller improvements than adding to poorly optimized setups.
Myth: F2P Can't Clear Endgame
Documented max difficulty Shiyu Defense clears using full F2P loadouts directly contradict this. Minimum viable Sunna build proves accessibility.
Selection bias: Showcased clears typically use signatures, creating perception of necessity. F2P clears receive less visibility despite being achievable.
Skill and team comp matter more than equipment for completion. Equipment serves as shortcut, not requirement.
Myth: All Signatures Equal Value
Value varies by archetype: Attack-type signatures provide 18-22% increases with limited F2P alternatives; support signatures offer 8-12% team improvements with excellent craftables.
Specialized passives determine uniqueness: Thoughtbop's Physical DMG stacking unavailable on F2P creates genuine gaps. Generic ATK/Energy Regen signatures compete directly with craftables.
Agent dependency affects longevity: Universal signatures usable across multiple agents provide better long-term value than hyper-specialized single-agent weapons.
Reality: Situational Performance
Context matters: Short encounters ending in single rotations show minimal signature impact. Signatures shine in sustained encounters where multiple cycles accumulate advantages.
Player skill inversely correlates with signature value: Advanced players extract max value from signature passives; beginners see minimal benefit. Skilled F2P players outperform casual signature users.
Progression stage: Early-game benefits more from roster expansion and Disc farming. Mid-game sees moderate value from damage dealer signatures. Late-game gains marginal improvements from completion.
Investment Decision Framework
Character vs W-Engine Priority
Character acquisition precedes W-Engine optimization in nearly all scenarios. New agents enable team flexibility, counter specific enemies, provide strategic options equipment can't replicate.
Exception: Players with 10+ functional agents. At this breadth, marginal team comp improvements diminish while equipment optimization provides clearer gains.
Limited-time character availability creates urgency absent from W-Engines. Missing character requires months for rerun; W-Engine banners recur more frequently with standard pool fallbacks.
Budget Player Roadmap
Month 1-3: Character acquisition + basic F2P crafting. Secure 6-8 agents covering all archetypes with one craftable per agent.
Month 4-6: Disc Drive optimization + selective character expansion. Farm optimal sets with correct main stats before considering signatures. Quality Discs provide larger improvements than signatures when upgrading from random sets.
Month 7+: Selective signature pulls for primary damage dealers after optimized Discs and diverse roster. Support signatures remain low priority.
Whale Perspective
Priority order: Damage dealer signatures first → versatile universal signatures → support weapons last. Maximizes performance gains per resource.
Refinement shows poor value even for whales: 3-5% gains per rank cost equivalent to new signatures. Roster breadth with rank 1 outperforms concentrated refinement except absolute min-max.
Collection completion: Primary whale motivation for support signatures and niche weapons. Subjective value from completion beyond objective performance.
Future-Proofing
Universal mechanics (ATK scaling, Energy Regen, CRIT) maintain value across updates. Prioritize versatile signatures over specialized options for long-term investment.
Power creep affects agents more than weapons: New agents with higher multipliers release regularly; W-Engine stat scaling remains stable. Weapon investments more future-proof.
Crafting system provides insurance: Future craftable options will maintain baseline viability even if current F2P becomes outdated.
Advanced Optimization Tips
W-Engine + Disc Drive Synergy
Multiplicative buff stacking: Thoughtbop's Physical DMG pairs optimally with Physical DMG% Disc sets. Align W-Engine and Disc damage types for max efficiency.
Energy Regen breakpoints: Reaching ultimate every 15-18s enables consistent Disc effect triggers. 0.6/s weapons achieve breakpoints more reliably.
CRIT balancing: Qingming Birdcage's 24% CRIT Rate allows prioritizing CRIT DMG on Disc substats, optimizing toward ideal 1:2 ratio. Yields 8-12% damage improvements.
Energy Regen Thresholds
Ultimate costs (100-120) require 15-20s with 60% Energy Regen weapons + active skills. Align ultimate availability with team buff windows—multiplies ultimate damage by 1.3-1.5× vs unbuffed.
Off-field generation: Thoughtbop/Weeping Cradle generate during swaps. Place these agents off-field during support field time, accumulating Energy passively. Reduces rotation time by 2-3s.
Energy overflow: Cast ultimates before 100% to avoid wasting passive generation. Prevents 5-10% efficiency losses.
Refinement Strategy
Duplicate signatures from failed 50/50: Evaluate if 3-5% refinement improvement outweighs equipping duplicate on secondary agents. Roster breadth usually exceeds marginal refinement value.
F2P duplicates: Better refinement value due to lower opportunity costs. Refining Kaboom to rank 2-3 costs minimal resources vs crafting new weapons.
Timing: Refine only after reaching level 60, optimizing Discs, maxing agent skills. Refinement provides smallest marginal gains—final optimization step.
Off-Meta Combinations
Energy Regen on damage dealers in ultimate-spam teams can outperform traditional ATK weapons when composition enables constant cycling.
Defensive W-Engines (Half-Sugar Bunny): Trade 10-15% damage for 20% Max HP and defensive buffs. Valid strategy prioritizing clear consistency over speed.
Hybrid builds: Primary dealer with signature, supports with F2P alternatives. Optimizes resource allocation, concentrating investment where gains manifest most.
FAQ
Are signature W-engines worth pulling in ZZZ 2.6 Phase 1?
Signatures provide 15-22% damage increases for dealers, 8-12% team improvements for supports. Worth pulling only after securing characters and optimizing Discs. Prioritize damage dealer signatures if your primary agent lacks F2P alternatives. Skip support signatures—Kaboom achieves 80-85% effectiveness.
What are the best F2P W-engine alternatives?
Kaboom the Cannon: 624 Base ATK, 50% Energy Regen, 10% squad ATK at 4 stacks. Weeping Cradle: 684 Base ATK, 24% PEN Ratio, 0.6/s energy generation. Both enable Shiyu Defense clears with optimized Discs and teams.
How much DPS difference between signature and craftable?
15-22% in optimal scenarios with perfect rotations and synergies. Real combat reduces to 12-18%. Supports show 8-12% team damage improvements. Gap narrows with skill—perfect F2P execution matches average signature performance.
Which W-engines should I craft first?
Kaboom the Cannon first for universal support coverage. Second: primary dealer's optimal craftable matching damage type. Third: fill roster gaps for secondary teams. Avoid over-refining—roster breadth with rank 1 outperforms concentrated refinement.
Can F2P W-engines clear Shiyu Defense max difficulty?
Yes. Max difficulty clearable with full F2P loadouts. Minimum viable Sunna (Kaboom + Moonlight Lullaby 4pc + Special 8) demonstrates functional endgame performance. Clear times 12-18% longer but within comfortable margins. Team comp and execution matter more than equipment.
Should I pull signature W-engines or save for characters?
Prioritize characters until 8-10 functional agents covering all archetypes. Character acquisition provides flexibility equipment can't replicate. After diverse roster and optimized Discs, consider damage dealer signatures for primary agents. Support signatures remain low priority due to excellent F2P alternatives.
