HoYoverseNicole is a free A-rank agent unlocked early in Zenless Zone Zero. To maximize her potential, you’ll need to farm the best Drive Discs, W-Engines, and more for this Support character.
Joining the ranks of Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, Zenless Zone Zero is HoYoverse’s latest gacha game. Like its predecessor, ZZZ has plenty of S-rank and A-rank characters for players to collect.
Until July 23, Ellen is the featured S-rank for the game’s first limited banner, alongside Anton and Soukaku as the A-rank agents.
However, you don’t need to get lucky on banners to score a great character. Nicole is available for free early in the game, and here are her best Drive Discs, W-Engines, and more to effectively build her.
Best Nicole build in Zenless Zone Zero
| W-Engine | Drive Disc | Stat Preference | Team Comp |
| The Vault | Swing Jazz (4-piece) Chaotic Metal (2-piece) | Slot 4: Anomaly Proficiency Slot 5: Ether DMG Slot 6: Energy Regen Sub-stats: Anomaly Proficiency, Energy Regen | Nicole, Zhu Yuan, Anby |
Best W-Engines for Nicole
The Vault
The best W-Engine for Nicole in Zenless Zone Zero is the A-rank The Vault. By dealing Ether DMG with an EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or Ultimate, the entire team’s DMG against the target increases by 15%. Additionally, Nicole’s Energy Regen improves by 0.5/s for 2s.
Unfettered Game Ball
An excellent alternative W-Engine for Nicole is the A-rank Unfettered Game Ball. Whenever Nicole’s attack triggers an Attribute Counter effect, all squad members’ CRIT Rate against the struck enemy increases by 12% for 12s.
Best Drive Disc for Nicole
The best Drive Disc for Nicole is the 4-piece Swing Jazz set. The set bonus for this Drive Disc is as follows:
| Set Piece | Set Bonus |
| 2-piece bonus | Energy Regen increases by 20%. |
| 4-piece bonus | Launching a Chain Attack or Ultimate increases all squad members’ DMG by 15% for 12s. Passive effects of the same name do not stack. |
For the final two spots, we recommend using the Chaotic Metal Drive Disc set. The set bonus for this Drive Disc is as follows:
| Set Piece | Set Bonus |
| 2-piece bonus | Increases Ether DMG by 10%. |
Nicole Promotion & Skill Enhancement Materials
Promotion
You must gather Basic Support Certification Seal, Advanced Support Certification Seal, and Ruler Certification Seal for Nicole. The exact number of required materials are below:
- Basic Support Certification Seal x4
- Advanced Support Certification Seal x32
- Ruler Certification Seal x30
- Dennies x800,000
Skill Enhancement Materials
Nicole in Zenless Zone Zero needs Basic Ether Chip, Advanced Ether Chip, Specialized Ether Chip, Hamster Cage Pass, Ferocious Grip, and Higher Dimensional Data: Murderous Obituary. The exact number of materials you need are as follows:
- Basic Ether Chip x25
- Advanced Ether Chip x75
- Higher Dimensional Data: Murderous Obituary x60
- Ferocious Grip x9
- Specialized Ether Chip x250
- Hamster Cage Pass x5
- Dennies x2.5 million
Best Nicole team comp
HoYoverseThe best team comp featuring Nicole is alongside Zhu Yuan and Anby to utilize Ether DMG. Nicole can both buff Ether DMG and reduce enemy DEF, making her an excellent counterpart to Zhu Yuan’s Ether Buckshots.
Considering Zhu Yuan is not yet available in Zenless Zone Zero, we recommend using Billy until her banner begins on July 24. Anby, Nicole, and Billy are an incredible free-to-play team that performs well with Avocaboo as your Bangoo. Avocaboo ensures that the party’s health is recovered at a quicker rate.
Nicole’s abilities
Basic Attack
| Ability Name | Description |
| Basic Attack: Cunning Combo | Press Basic Attack to activate. Unleashes up to 3 strikes, dealing Physical DMG. |
| Basic Attack: Do As I Please | After using a Special Attack, EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or Ultimate, Nicole can reload, and her Basic Attack and Dash Attack are enhanced, increasing the power of her bullets. |
Dodge
| Ability Name | Description |
| Dodge: Speed Demon | Press Dodge to activate. A rapid dodge. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. Move the joystick to dodge, then hold Dodge to reload while dodging, enhancing Basic Attacks and Dash Attacks up to 8 times. |
| Dodge Counter: Diverted Bombard | Press Basic Attack during a Perfect Dodge to activate. Dodge backwards and send a ranged strike at enemies in front, dealing Ether DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. Automatically reloads after the attack to enhance Basic Attack and Dash Attack up to 8 times. |
| Dash Attack: Jack in the Box | When moving the joystick during a dodge, press Basic Attack: Dashes in the target direction and strikes nearby enemies, dealing Physical DMG. When not moving the joystick during a dodge, press Basic Attack: Vaults backward and launches a ranged strike against enemies in front, dealing Physical DMG. Automatically reloads after the attack to enhance her Basic Attack and Dash Attack, up to 8 times. |
Assist
| Ability Name | Description |
| Reactive Assist: Emergency Bombard | When the on-field character is launched, press to Perfect Assist activate. Dodge backwards and send a ranged strike at enemies in front, dealing Ether DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. Automatically reloads after the attack to enhance Basic Attack and Dash Attack up to 8 times. |
| Defensive Assist: The Hare Strikes Back! | When the character on field is about to be attacked, press Perfect Assist to activate. Parries the enemy’s attack, dealing massive Daze. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. |
| Assist Follow-Up: Window of Opportunity | Press Chain Attack after a Defensive Assist to activate. Charge forward and bombard enemies, dealing Ether DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. |
Special Attack
| Ability Name | Description |
| Special Attack: Sugarcoated Bullet | Press to Special Attack activate. Unleashes a ranged strike against enemies in front, dealing Ether DMG. Anti-Interrupt level is increased while using this skill. Automatically reloads after the attack to enhance Basic Attack and Dash Attack up to 8 times. |
| EX Special Attack: Stuffed Sugarcoated Bullet | When Nicole has enough Energy, press EX Special Attack to activate. A powerful ranged strike, generating an energy field that pulls enemies towards its center to deal Ether DMG. Hold down EX Special Attack to charge up this attack, during which a small energy field is generated at the muzzle as Energy is consumed, dealing bonus DMG to enemies nearby. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. A Reactive Assist is triggered when this skill hits an enemy. Automatically reloads after the attack to enhance Basic Attack and Dash Attack up to 8 times. |
Chain Attack
| Ability Name | Description |
| Chain Attack: Ether Shellacking | When a Chain Attack is triggered, select the character to activate. Unleashes a powerful ranged strike at enemies in a small area, generating an energy field that pulls enemies towards its center to deal Ether DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. A Reactive Assist is triggered when this skill hits an enemy. Automatically reloads after the attack to enhance Basic Attack and Dash Attack up to 8 times. |
| Ultimate: Ether Grenade | When Decibel Rating is at Maximum, press Chain Attack to activate. Unleashes a powerful ranged strike at enemies in a small area, generating an energy field that pulls enemies towards its center to deal Ether DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. A Reactive Assist is triggered when this skill hits an enemy. Automatically reloads after the attack to enhance Basic Attack and Dash Attack up to 8 times. |
Core Skill
| Ability Name | Description |
| Core Passive: Mechanical Case | After hitting an enemy with a Special Attack, EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or Ultimate, Nicole can reload, enhancing her Basic Attack and Dash Attack. When her enhanced bullets or Energy Field hits an enemy, the target’s DEF is reduced by 20% for 2s. |
| Additional Ability: Hare of Many Burrows | When another character in your squad shares the same Attribute or Faction: When Nicole’s Core Passive: Mechanical Case applies a debuff, the target additionally takes 25% more Ether DMG. |
Core Skill Enhancements
| Ability Name | Description |
| A | • Base Energy Regen increases by 0.12/s • Core Passive: Mechanical Case Skill Lv. +1 |
| B | • Base ATK increases by 25 • Core Passive: Mechanical Case Skill Lv. +1 |
| C | • Base Energy Regen increases by 0.12/s • Core Passive: Mechanical Case Skill Lv. +1 |
| D | • Base ATK increases by 25 • Core Passive: Mechanical Case Skill Lv. +1 |
| E | • Base Energy Regen increases by 0.12/s • Core Passive: Mechanical Case Skill Lv. +1 |
| F | • Base ATK increases by 25 • Core Passive: Mechanical Case Skill Lv. +1 |
Mindscape Cinema for Nicole
Mindscape Cinema is similar to the constellation system from Genshin Impact in how obtaining multiple copies of one character increases the number of buffs. Here are the effects of all the Mindscape Cinema levels for Nicole:
- Supercharged Bomb (MC1) – Nicole’s EX Special Attack gains 16% more DMG and Anomaly Buildup. The duration of the energy field created by charged EX Special Attacks increase the longer you charge the skill.
- Charging Device (MC2) – Nicole gains 5 Energy every time her passive shreds enemy DEF. Can only be triggered once every 15 seconds.
- A Hare’s Cunning (MC3) – Basic Attack, Dodge, Assist, Special Attack, and Chain Attack gain +2 levels.
- Field Expansion (MC4) – The diameter of energy fields from Nicole’s EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, and Ultimate are increased by 3 meters.
- Industry Star (MC5) – Basic Attack, Dodge, Assist, Special Attack, and Chain Attack gain +2 levels.
- Corrupting Energy Field (MC6) – When Nicole’s energy fields damage an enemy, the CRIT Rate of all squad members against that enemy increases by 1.5%, stacking up to 10 times, and lasting for 12 seconds. The duration of each stack is calculated separately.
Nicole pros & cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Nicole enhanced Basic and Dash attacks reduce enemy DEF | Heavy enemies can prove challenging for Nicole to defeat |
| Nicole is available to all players for free early in ZZZ |
Trailer for Nicole
In November 2023, Zenless Zone Zero posted Nicole’s character demo on its official YouTube channel. You can watch the video below:
Now that you know the best Nicole build, for more on the game, check our guides for Zenless Zero codes, controller support, and pre-registration rewards.
