The Zenless Zone Zero Shiyu Defense activity is perhaps the most fun and intense in the game, despite there being many more endgame modes to experience. With timed challenges and tough bosses, beating each floor of Shiyu Defense is a puzzle all of its own. Don’t worry if you’re struggling to beat it as this guide will go over how to complete Shiyu Defense and each of its floors.
As one of the main Zenless Zone Zero endgame activities, don’t head into Shiyu Defense expecting a walk in the park. It’s challenging, especially if you want to get an S-rank on each floor for maximum rewards, including Polychrome. Take a look at our ZZZ tier list and put together the best ZZZ team comps before heading in.
Zenless Zone Zero Shiyu Defense Explained
Shiyu Defense is an exclusively combat-focused endgame activity in Zenless Zone Zero, inspired by Genshin Impact’s Spiral Abyss. You will have to defeat waves of enemies and bosses within certain time limits to complete the stage and progress to the next level.
So, not only do you have to beat the challenging encounters with at least one character left standing, but you will also need to achieve a good rating to get more rewards and unlock the next stage. These objectives are known as Challenge Targets, and each stage has three - B-rank, A-rank, and S-rank. Thankfully, achieving at least a B-rank is enough to progress to the next floor.
As you reach the higher difficulties in Shiyu Defense, you will have to create two teams. Split across two different fights, needing to create not one, but two solid teams is a challenge early on. What’s more, both teams must have different characters and Bangboo as each can only be used once.
The most important thing to know about Shiyu Defense is that there are, in fact, two versions - Stable and Critical.
Stable Shiyu Defense
The Stable Node Shiyu Defense is a permanent activity with ten curated levels to beat. These stages do not change periodically as the Critical version does. While it’s very much an introduction to the mode, getting you used to team building and encounter design, it’s still a change.
Each floor increases in difficulty level, meaning you will need to level up your characters, W-Engines, Drive Disc, Bangboos, and more to stay competitive. You won’t be able to rock up and race through every Stable Node as soon as you unlock the mode.
Once you’ve beaten all Stable Nodes, however, you’re done with this version of the Shiyu Defense. You can return to complete each stage again but there will be no new rewards or encounters - which is where Critical Shiyu Defense comes in.
Critical Shiyu Defense
Critical Shiyu Defense is very similar to the Stable version, only that Critical Nodes reset every two weeks with fresh enemy encounters and rewards. This means that you will need to return to the drawing board with each cycle to find out how best to beat each stage.
What’s more, Critical Shiyu Defense is intended to be even more challenging. With heaps of Polychrome and other rewards up for grabs, reaching (and conquering) the final stage of this version requires fully levelled teams and a strong understanding of the combat mechanics.
How to Unlock Shiyu Defense in Zenless Zone Zero
To unlock Shiyu Defense, you must first complete the second Inter-Knot Rank-Up mission when you will also unlock the ability to level characters and gear from level 20 up to 30. Then, progress through the main story until you are introduced to the mode. To unlock Critical Shiyu Defense, you must first beat all ten Stable stages first.
Once you’ve unlocked Shiyu Defense, you can access it at any time by traveling to the Scott Outpost and interacting with the relevant terminal. Check out the Zenless Zone Zero maps to find out more.
Zenless Zone Zero Shiyu Defense Best Teams
Although each Zone has different effects and enemies, encouraging slight variations, the best teams to have for Shiyu Defense are:
- Ice: Ellen, Lycaon, and Rina/Soukaku
- Fire: Soldier 11, Lucy, Piper/Koleda
- Electric: Anton, Anby, Grace
- Ether: Zhu Yuan, Nicole, Anby
Given the ZZZ meta right now is to trigger Disorder for a burst of damage, done by applying two different Anomaly elements, having mixed element teams is actually preferred. For example, Ellen is an amazing DPS that pairs well with Lycaon, which then lets you bring Rina along so that you can apply both Ice and Electric to trigger Disorder.
How to Beat Every Stable Shiyu Defense Zone
There are ten Stable Nodes to beat in Shiyu Defense, each with a different effect, enemies, and therefore recommended attributes to build your team around.
To successfully complete a stage, you need only to defeat all enemies to earn a B-rank rating. However, A-rank requires you to finish with more than 240 seconds remaining, while S-rank demands you finish the stage with more than 360 seconds.
From floor 7-9, each stage will also have the following effect to increase the challenge:
- Elite/Boss enemies will obtain an Attribute Shield equal to 30%/15% of their Max HP respectively. Attacking Shielded enemies with their Attribute weakness increases DMG by 100%. Inflicting the Attribute Anomaly of enemies' Attribute weaknesses will clear the shield.
First Frontier (Stage 1)
Level | Effect | Recommended Attributes | Recommended Teams | Recommended Bangboo | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
25 | Increases Agent Anomaly Buildup Rate by 20%, and Assault DMG by 80%. | Physical, Ice | Nekomata/Billy/Corin, Anby, Nicole OR Ellen, Lycaon, Rina | Bangvolver/Exploreboo/Bagboo OR Pengboo/ Sharkboo/Butler | Raider, Assault, Poacher, Pyromaniac |
Stable Node 1, First Frontier, starts things off nice and simple. Fighting simple bandits, First Frontier is more about dealing with several weaker enemies than one large boss. However, what you’ll have to look out for is the mix of ranged and melee enemies. If you’re confident dodging, it’s easiest to take down the melee enemies first. However, if the ranged units are chipping away at you, then close the gap and take these down first.
Having characters that deal serious AoE damage or that can group enemies is helpful here, though this stage shouldn’t give you too much grief.
Second Frontier (Stage 2)
Level | Effect | Recommended Attributes | Recommended Teams | Recommended Bangboo | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
28 | Increases Agent Electric Anomaly Buildup Rate by 20%, and Shock DMG by 80%. | Electric | Grace, Anton, Anby/Koleda/Rina | Plugboo/Safety/Electroboo | Enraged Sweeper, Tarasque Mixer, Beholder Engine, Beholder Engine |
The Second Frontier focuses on robotic enemies, making Electric and Ether damage a strong choice. Pair with this the nodes buff to Electric and Shock, a team comp will quickly emerge. Grace is a particularly good choice for this stage given how easily she can deal AoE damage.
Most of these enemies will go down without much of a fight, though the Enraged Sweepers can be a bit more troublesome when they spin their arms, repeatedly interrupting your attacks. This will make it so you can’t easily damage them with melee attacks. If you’re lacking a ranged unit, then you’ll generally have to wait until this spinning move is over before going back on the offensive.
Third Frontier (Stage 3)
Level | Effect | Recommended Attributes | Recommended Teams | Recommended Bangboo | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
30 | Increases Agent Ether Anomaly Buildup Rate by 20%, and Corruption DMG by 80%. | Ether | Zhu Yuan/Nekomata/Billy, Nicole, Anby | Primordial Black Hole/Devilboo/Exploreboo/Booressure/Resonaboo | Ionized Farbauti, Blastcrawler, Ionized Setoria, Ionized Nacelia |
While the Third Frontier isn’t all that challenging in terms of the enemies it throws at you, its focus on dealing Ether damage will be hard for many players at the launch of the game, given how few Ether characters are available. Zhu Yuan is undoubtedly the best character for this stage, though she is only available during phase two of the Zenless Zone Zero 1.0 banners - and is an S-Rank character.
The hardest enemies in the third stage are the Farbauti, hulking beasts that deal heavy damage with each swing and block damage with their arms. To kill these enemies, try to attack them from the back or sides and be sure to dodge or use Perfect Assists against their attack chains.
Fourth Frontier (Stage 4)
Level | Effect | Recommended Attributes | Recommended Teams | Recommended Bangboo | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
33 | Increases Agent Fire Anomaly Buildup Rate by 20%, and Burn DMG by 80%. | Fire, Physical | Soldier 11, Lucy, Piper/Koleda | Rocketboo/Cryboo | Wanted Enforcer, Wanted Intimidator, Looter, Rustler, Arsonist |
Bring the burn in the Fourth Frontier, a stage which massively buffs Fire characters. With a Wanted Intimidator thug spawning in the second wave, and the fourth, final wave spawning both a Wanted Intimidator and Enforcer, you’ll need strong single-target damage to beat this stage. Thankfully, the Intimidator and Enforcer’s attacks are easy to dodge if you’re paying attention to their animations. So, time your dodges right and deal as much Fire damage as you can while they recover.
Note that on the final wave, there will be several weaker ranged units alongside the Intimidator and Enforcer. Though it is best to take these out first, the Intimidator and Enforcer often charge right at you when they spawn and dominate the arena. If you can’t safely reach the ranged units, deal with the Intimidator and Enforcer first.
Fifth Frontier (Stage 5)
Level | Effect | Recommended Attributes | Recommended Teams | Recommended Bangboo | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
35 | Increases Agent Ice Anomaly Buildup Rate by 20%, and Shatter DMG by 80%. | Ice, Ether | Ellen/Corin, Lycaon, Soukaku/Rina | Sharkboo, Pengboo, Butler | Goblin, Armored Hati, Faun, Faun |
The Fifth Frontier focuses on Ice damage, though Ether also does well here. Thankfully, making a strong Ice team is relatively straightforward, and Nicole is a good Ether backup unit if needed.
Stage five features several tanky enemies, making Ellen’s Ice AoE damage very valuable if you have her. Otherwise, it’s best to take enemies down one by one to ease up the pressure on yourself.
Though tanky, the Armored Hati on wave three and the Fauns on waves two and four are easily stunned by freezing them. Between freezes though, be careful of the long attack combo the Fuans can throw at you, requiring you to dodge or use a Perfect Assist to turn in your favor.
Sixth Frontier (Stage 6)
Level | Effect | Recommended Attributes | Recommended Teams | Recommended Bangboo | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
38 | Increases Chain Attack DMG by 100%. Upon launching a Chain Attack, all squad members deal 10% more DMG for 30 seconds, stacking up to three times. Each stack's duration is calculated separately. | Fire | Soldier 11, Koleda/Anby/Lycaon, Lucy/Ben | Rocketboo/Cryboo | Ruthless Fiend, Frenzied Maniac, Wicked Wraith, Vicious Striker, Greedy Ranger |
Not buffing any particular element, stage six is where things begin to get more difficult if you’re confused about the various types of attacks you can use. The Sixth Frontier focuses on using Chain Attacks to deal increased damage and buff your squad for a short duration.
Chain Attacks are special moves that will let you swap to one of your other characters to unleash a powerful move. You can trigger Chain Attacks by stunning the enemy, done by filling the Daze Gauge under the enemy’s health bar, and then using your Special Attack ability.
The enemies here are also much more tanky (such as the Ruthless Fiend) so you’ll have to stay on top of dodging and countering attacks to avoid taking damage from their long attack chains. Though there are AoE encounters here, it’s best to focus on single-target damage to make the boss fights easier.
Seventh Frontier (Stage 7)
Stage | Level | Recommended Effect | Recommended Attributes | Recommended Teams | Recommended Bangboo | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
One | 40 | Increases Daze inflicted by Defensive Assists by 100%, and Assist Follow-Up DMG by 150%. Upon launching a Chain Attack, gain one extra Assist Point. | Electric | Grace/Anton, Rina/Nicole, Anby/Koleda | Plugboo/Safety/Electroboo | Guardian MK II, Assault Gunner, Harrier Jaeger, Scout Jaeger
|
Two | 40 | Increases Daze inflicted by Defensive Assists by 100%, and Assist Follow-Up DMG by 150%. Upon launching a Chain Attack, gain one extra Assist Point. | Ether | Zhu Yuan/Nekomata/Billy, Nicole, Flexible Spot such as Anby | Resonaboo, Devilboo | Ionized Thanatos, Ionized Farbauti, Ionized Setoria, Ionized Nacelia |
Stage seven is where things really start heating up in Shiyu Defense. This is the first Stable Node where you must have two teams. This is a challenge all of itself, as having six characters and two Bangboos leveled up and geared well takes a lot of time and energy.
Furthermore, the stage’s effect, while powerful, is certainly forgettable. Keep it in mind though, as Daze is great for dealing massive damage while the enemy is stunned. I recommend bringing a Stun character in your teams to take full advantage of this effect, especially against the boss enemies.
The first team will be a mono-Electric setup while the second will be Ether. Both teams will have to face high-health enemies that deal significant damage. Because of this, you’re best off playing it safe by dodging and using Assists while you try to fill the Daze meter on these tanky enemies.
Eighth Frontier (Stage 8)
Stage | Level | Effect | Recommended Attributes | Recommended Teams | Recommended Bangboo | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
One | 43 | Increases Agent Impact by 50%. Upon hitting Stunned enemies, increases the target's Stun DMG Multiplier by 75%. | Fire | Soldier 11, Koleda/Grace, Lucy/Ben | Rocketboo/Cryboo | Ruthless Fiend, Wicked Wraith, Vicious Striker, Greedy Ranger |
Two | 43 | Increases Agent Impact by 50%. Upon hitting Stunned enemies, increases the target's Stun DMG Multiplier by 75%. | Ice, Physical | Ellen/Corin, Lycaon, Soukaku/Rina | Sharkboo/Pengboo/Butler | Bulky Enforcer, Bulky Intimidator, Assaulter |
You will once again have to build two teams for the Eight Frontier, this time Fire and Ice or Physical. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about Ether characters like stage seven. However, the stage’s effect is very specific, making Impact and Stun characters stronger. Koleda and Lycaon are perfect choices for teams one and two respectively.
As is par for the course in the later stages, both teams will be facing tanky boss-like enemies that will eat up most of your time. This is where taking advantage of the stage’s unique effects comes into play. So, stun the enemy as much as you can and follow up with Chain Attacks. Don’t forget that you have Perfect Assists too, which come in clutch to stay on the offensive.
Ninth Frontier (Stage 9)
Stage | Level | Effect | Recommended Attributes | Recommended Teams | Recommended Bangboo | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
One | 45 | Agent Decibel Generation Rate increases by 50%. Increases Ultimate DMG by 120%. | Ice, Ether | Ellen/Corin, Lycaon, Soukaku/Rina | Sharkboo/Pengboo/Butler | Notorious Thanatos, Hati |
Two | 45 | Agent Decibel Generation Rate increases by 50%. Increases Ultimate DMG by 120%. | Fire, Physical | Soldier 11, Koleda/Grace, Lucy/Ben | Rocketboo/Cryboo | Troublemaker Wanted Enforcer, Looter
|
With two recommended elements for both teams, stage nine gives you lots of great potential team comps, especially with the currently lacking Ether Agents. Where this comes in most important is your DPS units. Due to this stage’s unique effect of massively buffing Ultimate DMG and Decibel Generation, you will want to ensure you are always using your damage dealer’s Ultimate. Having a strong Support character is also helpful here, as these characters and their gear often boost team damage or ability generation.
Stage nine also further hones in on boss fights. Rather than a tough enemy with a handful of stragglers, the Ninth Frontier instead pits you against two bosses. As you can guess, these enemies have lots of health and deal significant damage, so much so that failure to dodge their attacks will lead your team to die very quickly.
Though it’s tempting to focus on bursting their health bars down, be prepared to ease up when you need to avoid damage. Having Stun characters to Daze the enemy certainly helps with this, however.
Tenth Frontier (Stage 10)
Stage | Level | Effect | Recommended Attributes | Recommended Teams | Recommended Bangboo | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
One | 50 | Increases Agent Anomaly Buildup Rate by 25%, and Attribute Anomaly DMG by 80%. | Ether | Zhu Yuan/Nekomata/Billy, Nicole, Anby | Resonaboo/Devilboo | Friday Energized |
Two | 50 | Increases Agent Anomaly Buildup Rate by 25%, and Attribute Anomaly DMG by 80%. | Ice | Ellen/Corin, Lycaon, Soukaku/Rina | Pengboo/Sharkboo/Butler | Notorious Dullahan |
Building on what’s come before the final Stable Shiyu Defense level, the Tenth Frontier puts you in the ring against two boss enemies. While these bosses don’t have any allies, they also don’t need them; they deal enough damage by themselves. The stage bonus isn’t that strong either, focusing on Anomaly characters.
While Friday Energized is pretty much a stationary target, their attacks are surprisingly tricky to dodge due to their unique design. I would recommend doing a practice run where you simply learn its attacks and get used to the dodge timing so you can avoid Friday’s attacks altogether and counter them.
Being more humanoid, Notorious Dullahan is oddly easier to beat, despite them being more agile and just as deadly. However, being able to dodge their attacks more easily gives you more opportunities to get in some free hits.
All Zenless Zone Zero Shiyu Defense Rewards
These are the rewards available for completing each Stable Shiyu Defense zone once:
Stage | S Grade | A Grade | B Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
First Frontier | Polychrome x100, Investigation Merits x200, Denny x20000 | Polychrome x100, W-Engine Chip X1, Denny x15000 | Polychrome x100, Audio Booster Master Copy x5, Denny x10000 |
Second Frontier | Polychrome x100, Investigation Merits x200, Denny x20000 | Polychrome x100, W-Engine Chip X1, Denny x15000 | Polychrome x100, Audio Booster Master Copy x5, Denny x10000 |
Third Frontier | Polychrome x100, Investigation Merits x200, Denny x20000 | Polychrome x100, W-Engine Chip X1, Denny x15000 | Polychrome x100, Audio Booster Master Copy x5, Denny x10000 |
Fourth Frontier | Polychrome x100, Investigation Merits x200, Denny x20000 | Polychrome x100, W-Engine Chip X1, Denny x15000 | Polychrome x100, Audio Booster Master Copy x5, Denny x10000 |
Fifth Frontier | Polychrome x100, Investigation Merits x200, Denny x20000 | Polychrome x100, W-Engine Chip X1, Denny x15000 | Polychrome x100, Noise Reduction Master Copy x5, Denny x10000 |
Sixth Frontier | Polychrome x100, Investigation Merits x200, Denny x20000 | Polychrome x100, W-Engine Chip X1, Denny x15000 | Polychrome x100, Noise Reduction Master Copy x5, Denny x10000 |
Seventh Frontier | Polychrome x100, Investigation Merits x200, Denny x20000 | Polychrome x100, W-Engine Chip X2, Denny x15000 | Polychrome x100, Noise Reduction Master Copy x10, Denny x10000 |
Eighth Frontier | Polychrome x100, Investigation Merits x200, Denny x20000 | Polychrome x100, W-Engine Chip X2, Denny x15000 | Polychrome x100, Noise Reduction Master Copy x10, Denny x10000 |
Ninth Frontier | Polychrome x100, Investigation Merits x200, Denny x20000 | Polychrome x100, W-Engine Chip X2, Denny x15000 | Polychrome x100, Noise Reduction Master Copy x10, Denny x10000 |
Tenth Frontier | Polychrome x100, Investigation Merits x200, Denny x20000 | Polychrome x100, W-Engine Chip X2, Denny x15000 | Polychrome x100, Noise Reduction Master Copy x10, Denny x10000 |
With Stable Shiyu Defense only intended to be beaten once, these rewards are a one-off. However, that also makes them juicy rewards as you can't grind them. The best reward of all is the 3000 Polychrome you will earn if you can beat every stage, making Stable Shiyu one of the best ways to get Polychrome, at least early on.
Now you know how to beat every stage of Zenless Zone Zero Shiyu Defense and have a clear understanding of all the rewards, it's time to put your skills to the test. To get team comps ready, take a look at all the Zenless Zone Zero free characters you can get, as you'll struggle to beat Shiyu Defense without them. You should also learn all about ZZZ's Hollow Zero, the other main endgame mode.