Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ)EllenBuild and Guide

Introduction

Best guide and build for Ellen from ZZZ (Zenless Zone Zero). Ellen is an
rank character with the Ice attribute who belongs to the
Attack Specialty and who is part of the
Victoria Housekeeping Co. faction.

Less Is More, Simple Is Key. Complexity has no place here. Just keep everything simple. Work Smart and Rest More. Take breaks at the right time... to minimize the annoyance of working. Work With Focus, Prevail With Caution. Whether she takes it too seriously or not seriously enough, it's her enemy who ends up suffering from it. Unleash Sweet Delight, Unwrap and Indulge. Savoring the lollipop and concealing her true thoughts.

To learn more about Ellen check the sections below. Use the tabs to quickly switch to the kind of information you're looking for.

Update tracker

Last review/pros & cons update

Patch 2.5

Last build/calcs update

Patch 2.5

Last teams/synergies update

Patch 2.5

Last profile update*

December 29th, 2025

*Profile update means smaller edits to disk drives, stats or other things that don't require new calculations.

To learn more about Ellen check the sections below. Use the tabs to quickly switch to the kind of information you're looking for.

Profile

Review

Build

SD/DA Analytic

Teams & Synergy

Calculation

Core skills

Core Passive Sharp-Toothed

Lv. 1

When Ellen launches a Charged Scissor strike during Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush, or consumes Flash Freeze Charge to activate Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming, the skill's CRIT DMG increases by 50%.

The above effect also applies to Chain Attacks, Ultimates, Basic Attack: Icy Blade, and Basic Attack: Glacial Blade Wave.

CRIT Rate: 0

BASE ATK: 0

Additional Ability Rising Storm

When another character in your squad is a Stun character or shares the same Attribute or Faction:

When Ellen deals Ice DMG, subsequent Ice DMG increases by 3% for 10s. This effect can stack up to 10 times, and repeated triggers reset the duration.

Potential

Potential Awakening: Permafrost Zone

Lv. 1

At Potential level 1, the character unlocks all of their kit and gameplay changes, but has no Additional Ability stat enhancements.

Skills

Basic

Dodge

Assist

Special

Chain

Basic Attack: Saw Teeth Trimming

Press to activate. Unleashes up to 3 slashes, dealing Physical DMG. Press repeatedly or hold during the 3rd attack to extend the skill duration.

Lv. 1

1st-Hit DMG Multiplier

48.80%

1st-Hit Daze Multiplier

24.40%

2nd-Hit DMG Multiplier

111.10%

2nd-Hit Daze Multiplier

86.80%

3rd-Hit DMG Multiplier

297.30%

3rd-Hit Daze Multiplier

240.40%

Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming

While Flash Freeze is in effect, press to activate. Launch up to 3 attacks at enemies in front, dealing Ice DMG. Each attack consumes 1 Flash Freeze Charge. Press repeatedly or hold during the 3rd attack to extend the skill duration.

Lv. 1

1st-Hit DMG Multiplier

99.60%

1st-Hit Daze Multiplier

48.80%

2nd-Hit DMG Multiplier

184.00%

2nd-Hit Daze Multiplier

90.20%

3rd-Hit DMG Multiplier

496.20%

3rd-Hit Daze Multiplier

245.50%

Basic Attack: Glacial Blade Wave

After the 3rd hit of Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming, Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush's charged scissor strike, Dodge Counter: Reef Rock, and Quick Assist, if Ellen has Flash Freeze Charges, pressing will launch Basic Attack: Glacial Blade Wave, dealing Ice DMG. This skill consumes 2 points of Flash Freeze Charge. After use, it can be directly followed up with the 3rd hit of her Basic Attack. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1

1st-Hit DMG Multiplier

230.20%

1st-Hit Daze Multiplier

67.00%

2nd-Hit DMG Multiplier

146.80%

2nd-Hit Daze Multiplier

84.20%

Basic Attack: Icy Blade

After the 3rd hit of Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming, EX Special Attack: Sharknami, Dodge Counter: Reef Rock, and Assist Follow-Up, automatically launch Basic Attack: Icy Blade, dealing multiple instances of Ice DMG to all enemies in a large area ahead. It inflicts additional instances of Ice DMG against Medium and Large foes. After the skill, Ellen gains the Quick Charge effect. Basic Attack: Icy Blade does not affect the branch or form of the original skill. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1

Multiplier to Small Enemies DMG Multiplier

181.20%

Multiplier to Small Enemies Daze Multiplier

77.40%

Multiplier to Medium Enemies DMG Multiplier

220.20%

Multiplier to Medium Enemies Daze Multiplier

94.20%

Multiplier to Large Enemies DMG Multiplier

259.20%

Multiplier to Large Enemies Daze Multiplier

111.00%

Dodge: Vortex

Press to activate. A rapid dash dodge. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. When Perfect Dodge is triggered, Ellen gains the Quick Charge effect, reducing the charge time of Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush, lasting up to 5 seconds or until it triggers.

Dash: Roaming Hunt

Hold or double-tap to activate. Enter the Roaming state, allowing dashing movement. In the Roaming state, drag the stick/joystick to control Ellen's direction, and release to stop. Ellen is invulnerable for a brief time after activation.

Flash Freeze

When Ellen has Flash Freeze Charges, the Flash Freeze effect is activated. Once Flash Freeze activates, Basic Attacks and Dash Attacks expend Flash Freeze Charges, dealing massive Ice DMG. Ellen can have up to a maximum of 6 Flash Freeze Charges.

Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush

While in the Roaming state, press to activate. Delivers a spinning slash to enemies before opening her scissors for a Swift Scissors strike, dealing Ice DMG. Gain 1 point of Flash Freeze Charge when the Swift Scissors strike hits. While in the Roaming state, hold to activate. Perform a spinning slash against the enemy, then pull apart the scissors to unleash a Charged Scissor strike, dealing massive Ice DMG. Gain 3 points of Flash Freeze Charge when the Charged Scissor strike hits. If the enemy is Frozen, it always triggers Shatter. Anti-Interrupt level is increased while charging the skill, and DMG taken is reduced by 40%. When taking DMG from enemies while the skill is charging, that instance of DMG is nullified, and charging instantly completes. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1

Spinning Slash DMG Multiplier

62.30%

Spinning Slash Daze Multiplier

62.30%

Swift Scissors DMG Multiplier

127.60%

Swift Scissors Daze Multiplier

98.20%

Charged Scissors DMG Multiplier

158.20%

Charged Scissors Daze Multiplier

121.70%

Swift Scissors Flash Freeze Charge Obtained DMG Multiplier

1.00%

Swift Scissors Flash Freeze Charge Obtained Daze Multiplier

0.00%

Charged Scissors Flash Freeze Charge Obtained DMG Multiplier

3.00%

Charged Scissors Flash Freeze Charge Obtained Daze Multiplier

0.00%

Dash Attack: Monstrous Wave

Press during a dodge to activate. Launches a dashing slash attack at enemies in front, dealing Physical DMG.

Lv. 1

DMG Multiplier

77.00%

Daze Multiplier

38.50%

Dash Attack: Cold Snap

While Flash Freeze is active, press during a dodge to activate: Launches a dashing slash attack at enemies in front, dealing Ice DMG. Consumes 1 Flash Freeze Charge.

Lv. 1

DMG Multiplier

145.70%

Daze Multiplier

78.80%

Dodge Counter: Reef Rock

Press during a Perfect Dodge to activate. Rapidly move through enemies with open scissors for a cutting strike, dealing Ice DMG. Character is invulnerable during the attack.

Lv. 1

DMG Multiplier

152.60%

Daze Multiplier

227.40%

Special Attack: Drift

Press to activate. Use a quick tail sweep attack in front, dealing Ice DMG. Anti-Interrupt level is increased while using this skill.

Lv. 1

DMG Multiplier

50.50%

Daze Multiplier

50.50%

EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe

With enough energy, press to activate. Perform a forceful tail whip attack that deals massive Ice DMG. Gain 1 Flash Freeze Charge upon striking an enemy. After executing the move, you can immediately follow up with the 3rd hit of a Basic Attack. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1

DMG Multiplier

377.20%

Daze Multiplier

405.10%

Energy Cost

EX Special Attack: Sharknami

After activating EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe, with enough Energy, press to activate: Perform a powerful series of slashes ahead that deal massive Ice DMG. Gain 1 Flash Freeze Charge upon striking an enemy. After executing the move, you can immediately follow up with the 3rd hit of a Basic Attack. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1

DMG Multiplier

553.30%

Daze Multiplier

371.70%

Energy Cost

Chain Attack: Avalanche

When a Chain Attack is triggered, press the character icon to activate. Crash down from above and unleash an ice storm, dealing massive Ice DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1

DMG Multiplier

794.60%

Daze Multiplier

355.70%

Ultimate: Endless Winter

When Decibel Rating is at Maximum, press to activate. Crash down from above and unleash an ice storm before a powerful scissor strike, dealing massive Ice DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1

DMG Multiplier

1890.80%

Daze Multiplier

185.20%

Quick Assist: Shark Sentinel

When the character on the field is knocked back, press to activate. Speedily move through the enemy with open scissors for a cutting strike, dealing Ice DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. When the character on the field is launched, drag and press to activate. Enter the Roaming state, enabling dashing movement. While in the Roaming state, use the stick/joystick to change directions and release to stop. Character is invulnerable briefly when triggering the skill. Upon triggering a Quick Assist, Ellen gains the Quick Charge effect, shortening the charging time of Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush, lasting up to 5s or until it triggers once.

Lv. 1

DMG Multiplier

121.10%

Daze Multiplier

121.10%

Defensive Assist: Wavefront Impact

When the character on field is about to be attacked, press to activate. Parries the enemy's attack, dealing massive Daze. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1

Light Defensive Daze Multiplier

271.30%

Heavy Defensive Daze Multiplier

342.80%

Chain Defensive Daze Multiplier

166.80%

Assist Follow-Up: Shark Cruiser

Press after a Defensive Assist to activate. Charge and slash enemies in front, dealing Ice DMG. Press repeatedly or hold during the attack to extend the skill duration. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1

DMG Multiplier

437.90%

Daze Multiplier

384.80%

Mindscapes

Glacial Omen

Mindscape 1

Upon hitting an enemy with a Swift Scissors during Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush, the obtained Flash Freeze Charges are increased to 3. Upon hitting an enemy with a Charged Scissors strike during Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush, the obtained Flash Freeze Charges are increased to 6. For each Flash Freeze Charge consumed, Ellen's CRIT Rate is increased by 2% for 15s, stacking up to 6 times. The duration of each stack is calculated separately.

Arctic Ocean Predator

Mindscape 2

The 3rd hit of Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming can be directly followed up with EX Special Attack: Sharknami. When using an EX Special Attack, each Flash Freeze Charge increases the current attack's CRIT DMG by 20%, up to a max of 60%.

Overtime-Intolerant

Mindscape 3

Basic Attack, Assist, Dodge, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2

Endless Hoarfrost

Mindscape 4

Whenever a squad member Freezes or Stuns an enemy, Ellen gains 6 Flash Freeze Charges and the Quick Charge effect. She also recovers 4 Energy. The Energy recovery effect can trigger once per 10s.

Adequate Sleep

Mindscape 5

Basic Attack, Assist, Dodge, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2

The Feast Begins

Mindscape 6

When Ellen uses an EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or gains Quick Charge, her PEN Ratio increases by 20% for 6s. She also gains 1 stack of The Feast Begins, up to a maximum of 3 stacks. With 3 stacks of The Feast Begins, using a Charge Scissor Strike during Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush consumes all stacks, increasing the DMG of the current attack by 250%.

Stats (Level 60)

Ellen Stats at level 60 (including Core passive bonuses).

7673

DEF

606

ATK

938

CRIT Rate

19.4%

CRIT DMG

50%

PEN Ratio

Impact

Anomaly Mastery

Anomaly Proficiency

Energy Regen

1.2

Voice Actors

ENG

JPN

Wakayama Shion (若山詩音)

Xiāoqīngyuán (萧清源)

Gallery

Ellen images aren't available yet. They will be added soon!

Ratings

This tier list assesses Agents (characters) based on their combat potential in Zenless Zone Zero’s most demanding contents - Deadly Assault (DA) and Shiyu Defense (SD). Please keep in mind Zenless Zone Zero is a skill-based game and each character has a different playstyle, difficulty level and even special tricks and combos. Zenless Zone Zero is also a team based game and it's only by combining both these factors to the highest level a character can reach optimal performance.

Crit DPS

Endgame Modes

Pros & Cons

Pros

High Ice damage output which is easy to access;
Cohesive kit with high movement speed, self-buffs, invulnerability and parry mechanics. Easy to adapt to several kinds of enemies;
Wide AoE capabilities, small enemy grouping capabilities and increased damage against larger targets — versatile to where she’s capable of handling all kinds of situations.

Cons

On-fielder playstyle with lots of different combos may make her harder to pilot than a lot of other DPS Agents;
Notably lengthy Chain Attack, which may cause some issues with ensuring all of her key abilities fit during a single Stun window.

Review

Ellen is an S-Rank Ice Combat Agent specializing in delivering high amounts of pure Ice damage through and outside of her burst rotation, as she enjoys being played on-field. She can handle groups of small enemies and bosses alike and is characterized by her versatility in playstyle.

Ellen boasts high mobility, thanks to her signature “Roaming” state accessed via double-tapping or holding Dodge, which positions her as one of the fastest characters in the game. Her gameplay is centered around managing Flash Freeze charges, a resource exclusive to her, which powers her multiple Enhanced Basic Attacks.

Ellen’s Basic Attack is a 3-hit combo integral to both her standard and burst rotations. It features two variants: a standard form dealing Physical damage (which will be mostly unused) and an enhanced form consuming Flash Freeze charges to deal Ice damage instead (requiring 3 Flash Freeze for a full 3-hit combo). In both forms, the first and second strikes are swift and relatively weak, while the third strike is a lengthier attack that can be extended further with continuous tapping. The third hit deals the majority of the combo's damage and triggers Ellen's teleportation behind her current or a new target if the original is eliminated or moves.

After this attack, Ellen automatically casts an additional wave of Ice DMG called “Icy Blade”. There are several ways to activate it which include:

Using her Enhanced Basic Attack 3;
Using her second EX Special;
Using her Dodge Counter;
Using her Assist Follow-Up.

Icy Blade is an extra attack automatically activated at the cost of a little bit of time, and it improves Ellen’s damage by a ton, as it deals more up to 2 or 3 instances against Medium and Large enemies (1 low-power hit against Small enemies). It has a wide AoE and also gives her the “Quick Charge” buff, significantly speeding up her next Charged Arctic Ambush from roughly 2 seconds to about 1.5 seconds. Let’s explain what that is:

Ellen possesses a standard Dodge, Dodge Counter, and Dash attacks common among characters. Unique to her is the ability to hold down her Dodge to enter a special sprinting state known as the Roaming State. This state allows her to remain indefinitely sprinting and transforms her standard Basic Attack into Arctic Ambush, a critical component of her kit. Activating Arctic Ambush exits the Roaming State, delivering a chopping attack with her scissors that generates 1 Flash Freeze charge on hit. Alternatively, holding the Basic Attack button charges Arctic Ambush, increasing its damage and generating 3 Flash Freeze charges (ideal for executing a full Enhanced Basic Attack combo). Charging Arctic Ambush costs Ellen considerable field time, but executing a Perfect Dodge grants her the "Quick Charge" buff mentioned prior as well. Additionally, it can act as a form of parry. If Ellen is hit by an enemy, the attack is instantly cast while providing the full 3 Flash Freeze charges, negating any field time cost with proper timing. Add that on top of the fact that Ellen is completely invulnerable for a brief period after exiting the Roaming state, and you have a parry mechanic similar in several ways to Yixuan’s charged EX special.

Additionally, after using her Basic Attack 3, if Ellen has Flash Freeze charges remaining, she can use up to 2 of them to cast a special Basic Attack called “Glacial Blade Wave” which is a big burst of Ice DMG and can transition right back into Basic Attack 3, allowing for the potential to alternate between the two attacks for really high damage. Note however that using this ability does not trigger Icy Blade. Other ways to trigger Glacial Blade Wave (note Ellen must have Flash Freeze charges in any situation) include:

After a Quick Assist;
After a Charged Scissor Strike;
After a Dodge Counter.

Ellen’s Defensive Assist, Assist Follow-Up, and Quick Assist are standard attacks among melee characters, dealing Ice damage and/or inflicting Daze. Notably, when she performs a Quick Assist, she also gains the "Quick Charge" effect mentioned before, in addition to the usual Perfect Dodge bonus.

Ellen possesses 2 EX Specials (her regular Special will be unused). The first EX Special can be activated when having sufficient energy, dealing Ice damage ahead of her, generating 1 Flash Freeze charge, and allowing an immediate Follow-Up with the third Basic Attack of her Basic Attack combo. This sequence allows Ellen to quickly deal damage, generate a Charge, and then immediately use it via her powerful Basic 3 automatically followed up by Icy Blade, making for a really good burst of damage. Ellen’s second EX functions similarly but with increased damage, requiring immediate use after her first EX. This choice gives Ellen flexibility: she can opt for EX1 followed by a Basic 3 and 1 Icy Blade or EX1 + EX2 and 1 Icy Blade followed by a Glacial Blade Wave.

Ellen’s Chain Attack and Ultimate deliver substantial Ice damage and Daze. However, her Chain Attack requires more time to execute compared to other characters, something to take note of as it may take up precious Stun window times.

Ellen’s Core Passive is very strong, making it a nice incentive to approach 100% CRIT Rate without damaging her other stats. This passive grants up to 100% Crit damage to Arctic Assault, all her Flash Freeze-Enhanced attacks (including Icy Blade, Glacial Blade Wave and Basic Attacks), Chain Attacks, Ultimates – you name it. Her Additional Ability is also a good boost and is really easy to activate thanks to its simple activation requirements. It grants a buff increasing her Ice damage by 3% each time she deals any Ice damage, stacking up to 10 times for 10 seconds. This ability is easily maintained, effectively providing a consistent 30% boost to Ice damage.

Ellen’s meta relevancy has seen a new surge in 2.0 thanks to her revamped kit, restoring a good chunk of the dominance she had during the game’s launch period. Now usable with new, more powerful teammates such as Lighter and Astra Yao on top of her revamped kit, she’s able to clear endgame content much better than she used to, and her damage potential has only reached new heights despite her build being completely unchanged from before. If you already have Ellen built and benched her in favour of more powerful DPS Agents, think again as her damage output is back and it’s way more noticeable than ever. Despite requiring a new playstyle due to her revisited combos, it’s definitely worth the effort learning.

In conclusion, Ellen used to be a very potent damage dealer in version 1.0, and thanks to her revamped kit in version 2.0, she’s back to that state once again. She’s worth considering if you wish to acquire a good Ice Attack Agent and an Agent like Miyabi doesn’t suit you or isn’t available. Thanks to her synergy with free characters and standard banner characters like Lycaon and Soukaku, building a strong team for Ellen couldn’t be easier and you’ll get great performance out of her that way.

How to play

Ellen gets a lot of value from on-fielding, being able to dish out good damage and being able to exploit Perfect Dodges to speed up her Flash Freeze Charge generation with the Quick Charge effect.

Her low EX Special cost makes it possible to slot in an occasional cast for the B3 shortcut, and anytime Icy Blade is used it’s an opportunity to briefly swap out to other characters for buffs/debuffs/Daze. Even if Ellen does benefit from being the active character, it is far from the focus, and working so as to not under or overshoot Ice Anomaly build-up can help if bosses are Freezeable.

As stun approaches, be more conservative with Energy spend, as being able to get a Tail Swipe into Sharknami string, then still be able to generate enough Energy mid-stun to do another Tail Swipe into B3 is ideal (Support Ultimates can help with this).

Being at around 80 - 100 Energy depending on the team and available Ultimates is ideal.

Which combo is used depends on the team. For example:

Ellen | Dialyn | Nicole

Dialyn Ultimate Conversion
Ellen Ultimate
Nicole Chain Attack
Ellen Chain Attack
EB1
Ellen Ultimate
Swap to Nicole for her Ultimate
Quick Assist to Ellen (Dash Cancel)
EX Special: Tail Swipe
EX Special: Sharknami
Swap to Nicole for her EX Special
Icy Blade
Quick Assist to Ellen (Dash Cancel)
EX Special: Tail Swipe
EB3
Icy Blade

Ellen | Lighter | Filler

EX Special: Tail Swipe
EX Special: Sharknami
Swap to Lighter for a Chain trigger
Icy Blade
Ellen Chain Attack
Cancel
EB1
EB2
EB3
Icy Blade
Swap to Lighter for Chain trigger
Ellen Chain
EX Special: Tail Swipe
EB3
Icy Blade
Ellen Ultimate

Try to maintain any relevant W-Engine buffs where applicable (such as Deep Sea visitor, with Basics in combos to refresh stacks) and make use of Freeze to extend stun durations.

From there, it’s back to building up resources again while doing as much damage as possible between stuns without sacrificing on set-ups and other Agents’ contribution to a fight.

Best W-Engines

The W-Engines are listed in order of priority. Sometimes the percentages appearing near them won't reflect their performance as pure damage or Stun output isn't the only thing we're looking at - the utility of the W-Engine might be more important than the calculations imply.

Team-buffed calculations

The W-Engine calculations below are team-buffed calculations and here's the team we used for them:

Dialyn + Yesterday Calls
Astra Yao + Kaboom the Cannon

100.00%

Increases Ice DMG by 25/31.5/38/44.5/50%. Upon hitting an enemy with a Basic Attack, the equipper's CRIT Rate increases by 10/12.5.15/17.5/20% for 8s. When dealing Ice DMG with a Dash Attack, the equipper's CRIT Rate increases by an additional 10/12.5.15/17.5/20%for 15s. The duration of each effect is calculated separately.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

Ellen's Signature W-Engine and an excellent choice for any Ice Attack Agents. Grants 24% CRIT Rate and 25% Ice DMG unconditionally, 10% additional CRIT Rate after hitting an enemy with a Basic Attack for 8 seconds and a further 10% CRIT Rate after hitting an enemy with an Ice DMG Dash Attack.

Usage: 79.72%

Shiyu Defense: 24757

Deadly Assault: 16343

99.01%

Increases CRIT DMG by 45/51.75/58.5/65.25/72%. When using an EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or Ultimate to deal Ice DMG, the equipper gains the Absolute Zero Death Sentence effect for 3s. While Absolute Zero Death Sentence is active, the character ignores 25/28.75/32.5/36.25/40% of the enemy's DEF when landing a hit.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

Myriad Eclipse is an incredibly competitive option, often matching and at times even exceeding Ellen's own signature. The DEF Shred effect it provides is particularly strong and it lasts for 3 seconds after any EX Special, Chain Attack or Ultimate damage hit, allowing for relatively easy upkeep in stun periods. It has a solid CRIT Rate mainstat and, although the CRIT DMG it provides can be rather saturated on Ellen, it's still an incredibly strong alternative that may be even easier to manage than Deep Sea Visitor.

Usage: 6.74%

Shiyu Defense: 25979

Deadly Assault: 16657

92.75%

Increases CRIT Rate by 15/17/19/21/23%. When the equipper deals DMG with a Basic Attack or EX Special Attack, they gain 1 stack of a buff. Each stack increases the equipper's Electric DMG by 12.5/14.5/16.5/18.5/20%, up to 2 stacks. Each stack lasts 40s. The duration of each stack is calculated separately. Can trigger once per use of a skill. At 2 stacks, the wearer's Basic Attack and Ultimate DMG ignore 20/23/26/29/32% of enemy DEF.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

Seed's Signature W-Engine has generally strong stats, providing a ridiculous amount of CRIT RATE that is just 5% behind Deep Sea Visitor's. As DMG % bonuses can get rather saturated and so much of Ellen's damage coming from Basic Attacks and Ultimates, having DEF Shred be applied to them make it a highly competitive choice that effectively has 100% uptime with no thought needed.

Usage: 0.16%

Shiyu Defense: 600

Deadly Assault: 23757

91.68%

CRIT DMG increases by 50/57.5/65/72.5/80%. When the equipper enters the battlefield, or activates a Chain Attack or Ultimate, they gain 1 stack of Heartstring. Each stack of Heartstring allows the equipper's Chain Attack and Ultimate to ignore 12.5/14.5/16.5/18.5/20% of the target's Fire RES, stacking up to 2 times and lasting 30s. Repeated triggers reset the duration.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

Evelyn's Signature W-Engine is the best general CRIT stat-stick for all Attack Agents, providing a massive amount of CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG. Although CRIT DMG can get saturated on Ellen, the sheer stats that it provides mean it's still a strong contender as far as W-Engine options go.

Usage: 0.64%

Shiyu Defense: 26385

Deadly Assault: 0

84.42%

Increases Physical DMG by 20/25/30/35/40%. The equipper's DMG increases by 25/31.5/38/44/50% when attacking the enemy from behind.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 684

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

Nekomata's Signature W-Engine can do fine, having a decent CRIT Rate mainstat and up to 25% DMG Bonus when hitting enemies from behind. Do note that Steel Cushion's damage buff is determined by the direction the attack comes from, not from where the character is. Ellen's Basic 3 will hit from the back when Ellen is at the front of the enemy, but as she dashes to reposition as it begins, this means that she will always hit from the front even when she dashes to be behind enemies. Working around this can be quite difficult (especially if multiple Basic 3s are to be used in a combo), so in practice this weapon's DMG Bonus is not particularly useful, being little more than a CRIT Rate stat stick.

Usage: 1.15%

Shiyu Defense: 23255

Deadly Assault: 12365

77.12%

Launching a Dodge Counter or Quick Assist increases the equipper's ATK by 12/13.8/15.6/17.4/19.2% for 12s.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 594

Attack (Lv 60): 25%

A solid all-around Free To Play accessible option for all Attack Agents. Grants 25% unconditional Standard Attack and a further 19.2% (At S5) Combat Attack buff after performing a Dodge Counter or Quick Assist lasting 12 seconds. This buff is reasonably easy for all Attack Agents to achieve in both their standard and burst rotations, assuming a Support character is present on the team.

Usage: 1.6%

Shiyu Defense: 20414

Deadly Assault: 11123

Best Disk Drives Sets

100.00%

(2)

PEN Ratio +8%.

(4)

Ultimate DMG increases by 20%. Launching an Ultimate increases the equippers ATK by 15% for 12s.

Puffer is a particularly strong set, but one that's reliant on a specific teammate: Dialyn. Its Combat Attack bonuses are comparable to Woodpecker's 2-stack, with the added bonus of providing Ultimate DMG %, but its 12s duration meant it never lasted for a whole stun period, and getting enough Decibels for Ultimates every stun was often unsustainable. If Dialyn is present though, this fixes both problems, as it allows for both double Ultimate rotations (so full uptime for burst) and Ultimates in every stun, leading to it outperforming Woodpecker when it otherwise would fall short.

Best combined with your choice of 2-PC Set:

2P
Woodpecker Electro
(Recommended)
2P
Polar Metal
2P
Branch & Blade Song
2P
Astral Voice
Hormone Punk

99.35%

(2)

CRIT Rate +8%.

(4)

Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack increases the equippers ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately.

As Ellen's Basic Attack burst is interspersed with EX Specials, it has high stack uptime, providing a consistent and high value Combat Attack boost. Unfortunately, maintaing 3 stacks out of stun can lead to sub-optimal rotation decisions, as needing to Dodge Counter for stacks takes away time better spent with Dash or Basic Attacks. It is also difficult to maintain 2 stack uptime in stun, potentially sacrificing use of Sharknami to conserve Energy to refresh the EX Special stacks, or leading to less effective combos in certain teams (such as with Astra). Given its generally decent uptime though, it is still most likely to be her best option when its bonuses are worked around.

Best combined with your choice of 2-PC Set:

2P
Puffer Electro
(Recommended)
2P
Polar Metal
2P
Branch & Blade Song
2P
Astral Voice
Hormone Punk

93.24%

(2)

The DMG of Aftershocks and Dash Attacks is increased by 15%.

(4)

Upon hitting an enemy with an Aftershock or Dash Attack, if the DMG dealt aligns with the equipper's attribute, the equipper gains 1 stack of a buff effect, at most once per use of a skill. For each stack, the equipper's ATK increases by 4%, and CRIT Rate increases by 4%. The effect can stack up to 3 times and lasts for 15s. Repeated triggers reset the duration.

Ellen needs to frequently use her Dash Attack to build charges and Shadow Harmony provides hefty buffs upon using Dash Attacks. It's no wonder then that it's a usable set on her, with relatively consistent Combat ATK % and CRIT Rate increases making it a decent option. Unfortunately, the lacklustre 2-piece effect lowers its value, and as Ellen has relatively low cost EX Specials, Woodpecker is almost certain to do better with less demanding buff management needs when in stun. Shadow Harmony can be a fair alternative if other sets aren't available, but still falls short of being all that great.

Best combined with your choice of 2-PC Set:

2P
Puffer Electro
(Recommended)
2P
Woodpecker Electro
2P
Branch & Blade Song
2P
Astral Voice
Hormone Punk

Best Disk Drives Stats

Disk 4

CRIT DMG%

Disk 5

PEN Ratio% > Ice DMG%

Disk 6

ATK%

Substats: CRIT DMG >= CRIT Rate > ATK% > PEN = ATK

Best Endgame Stats (Level 60)

ATK: 2600 - 3000+
HP: 9500+
DEF: 780+
CRIT RATE: 90 - 100%
CRIT DMG: 120% - 180%+

Skill priority

Chain Attack

Special Attack

Basic Attack

Dodge

Assist

Video guides

Synergy

Below we list only the most important synergies for Ellen. The character can work with others if you know what to do and how to use them.

Dialyn - With Ellen's Potential allowing for her Chain Attacks and Ultimates to benefit from her Core Passive, it's no wonder that getting an extra Ultimate helps with damage. Dialyn also leads to setups where Ellen can both get an Ultimate from her conversion and still land a Chain Attack in full, which when combined with the 2 second stun duration extension, makes for incredibly hard-hitting combos. As Dialyn does not demand much field time, she enables fast Daze build without taking away from Ellen's out of stun damage and resource generation, being an even better option than Lighter for the Stunner slot.
Lighter
Trigger
Ju Fufu
Lycaon - These 4 Stun options each have their pros and cons, typically with Lighter coming out on top as the best choice for Ellen (outside of Dialyn). This is because he sports massive boosts to Ice DMG, Ice RES shred and has amazing Daze infliction as well as a Stun window extension which allows Ellen's damage to reach its true potential. Lycaon also provides Ice RES shred and a Stun DMG Multiplier increase at the cost of inflicting slower Daze. Trigger, much like Lycaon, can increase the Stun DMG multiplier of enemies, all that while dealing damage and Daze off-field, and Ellen can make good use of the extra field time. Ju Fufu also takes up little field time while focusing on buffing CRIT DMG, Ultimate and Chain Attack DMG. These 4 options are very competitive, Lighter being the best one by far.
Astra Yao
Yuzuha
Nicole - These 3 generalist Support units are capable of servicing as the Support to any team in the game. Astra Yao provides Quick Assists, extra Chain Attacks, healing, super low field time, ATK, DMG and CRIT DMG buffs which makes her the overall best choice in almost all cases. Yuzuha is the ultimate Anomaly buffer who also has awesome ATK and DMG% buffs applicable to any Agent as well, giving her strong general use potential; Nicole provides the sought-after DEF Shred and CRIT Rate at M6 which makes her competitive. They can work with any team in the game to great effect.
Soukaku - Soukaku has a particular synergy with Ellen since both are of the Ice attribute. This makes both able to activate each other's Additional Abilities, and Soukaku can enjoy reducing Ice RES, increasing Ice DMG and increasing the ATK of Ellen all at once to greatly improve her damage potential, while applying tons of extra Anomaly to aid Ellen in freezing targets to extend Stun windows. She isn't stronger than premium options like Astra Yao but remains a very strong Support choice, particularly for F2P players.

Teams (Shiyu Defense)

This section lists most popular teams featuring Ellen in the current phase of Shiyu Defense.

Rank 65

App. rate: 0.63%

Avg. time: 26847

Rank 77

App. rate: 0.48%

Avg. time: 27864

Rank 99

App. rate: 0.32%

Avg. time: 25035

Rank 117

App. rate: 0.26%

Avg. time: 17211

Rank 145

App. rate: 0.17%

Avg. time: 22362

Rank 153

App. rate: 0.16%

Avg. time: 30679

Rank 186

App. rate: 0.12%

Avg. time: 27151

Rank 186

App. rate: 0.12%

Avg. time: 25250

Rank 241

App. rate: 0.08%

Avg. time: 22647

Rank 254

App. rate: 0.07%

Avg. time: 27658

Teams (Deadly Assault)

This section lists most popular teams featuring Ellen in the current phase of Deadly Assault.

Rank 79

App. rate: 0.31%

Avg. score: 18616

Rank 117

App. rate: 0.19%

Avg. score: 22088

Rank 142

App. rate: 0.13%

Avg. score: 14173

Rank 148

App. rate: 0.12%

Avg. score: 16694

Rank 165

App. rate: 0.1%

Avg. score: 18977

Rank 165

App. rate: 0.1%

Avg. score: 10088

Rank 193

App. rate: 0.08%

Avg. score: 11305

Rank 230

App. rate: 0.06%

Avg. score: 14342

Rank 258

App. rate: 0.05%

Avg. score: 13872

Rank 292

App. rate: 0.04%

Avg. score: 20280

Damage

Don't use the damage output calculations as an indication on who is worth pulling or investing as those are just simulations and in day-to-day gameplay there's a lot variables and also the skill of the player is important. As usual, don't compare the numbers between characters.

New Calculations

ZZZ has changed a lot from 1.0 - many new mechanics, enemies characters have been introduced and biggest of all the game has a new competitive endgame mode Deadly Assault. Deadly Assault is based around dealing as much damage as possible in 180 seconds, because of this we're changing our calculation style away from a focus on burst to instead focus on extended fights over 3 minutes (180s). Also, many Mindscapes, Disc Drive and W-engine calculations can meaningfully change when factoring in the buffs of an Agents best team, for this reason we're also adding a new feature, allowing you to see damage output with one of the agents best teams buffs factored in.

Team-buffed calculations

The W-Engine calculations below are team-buffed calculations and here's the team we used for them:

Dialyn + Yesterday Calls
Astra Yao + Kaboom the Cannon

Ellen in 1 Target scenario [Mindscape Calculations]

Rotation time: consistent DPS over 180s.

Ellen (M6)

247 719 DPS163.50%

Ellen (M5)

208 756 DPS137.78%

Ellen (M4)

192 190 DPS126.85%

Ellen (M3)

192 190 DPS126.85%

Ellen (M2)

175 624 DPS115.91%

Ellen (M1)

172 216 DPS113.66%

Ellen (M0)

151 513 DPS100%

Ellen in 1 Target scenario [Potential Calculations]

Rotation time: consistent DPS over 180s.

Ellen (Potential 6)

187 246 DPS123.58%

Ellen (Potential 5)

180 715 DPS119.27%

Ellen (Potential 4)

174 461 DPS115.15%

Ellen (Potential 3)

168 506 DPS111.22%

Ellen (Potential 2)

162 689 DPS107.38%

Ellen (Potential 1)

151 513 DPS100%

Details about the calculations

And here are the W-Engines and Disk Drives used in the calculations.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

(2)

PEN Ratio +8%.

(4)

Ultimate DMG increases by 20%. Launching an Ultimate increases the equippers ATK by 15% for 12s.

(2)

CRIT Rate +8%.

(4)

Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack increases the equippers ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately.

Disk 4

CRIT DMG%

Disk 5

PEN Ratio%

Disk 6

ATK%

Substats: ATK (27%), CRIT Rate (26.4%), CRIT DMG (67.2%)

Shiyu Defense / Deadly Assault

This section contains information about Ellen performance in the latest Shiyu Defense and Deadly Assault cycles (2.5.1). The page will be automatically updated every patch once enough data is gathered.

The data has been last updated on 07/01/2026,
24137 players shared their 2.5.1 Shiyu Defense clear data with us (22031 of the sample are self-reported players that filled our form, 2106 are from random UIDs that we scanned).
21285 players shared their 2.5.1 Deadly Assault clear data with us (19441 of the sample are self-reported players that filled our form, 1844 are from random UIDs that we scanned).

If you want to share your clear information with us, you simply need to fill the form below and provide us with your UID and make your Hoyo profile public - we will automatically parse the Shiyu Defense clear information from your profile after that!

Shiyu Defense Stats Form

Usage rate (SD)

Characters are ranked with appearance rate, which is how often a character was used in Shiyu Defense by the players who we have scanned, regardless of whether they own the character or not. Ownership rate currently cannot be obtained.

78.4%

72.47%

70.98%

64.1%

55.81%

48.71%

47.03%

41.46%

39.14%

38.8%

35.2%

30.7%

29.91%

20.37%

19.85%

18.76%

18.64%

18.46%

16.03%

14.44%

13.78%

12.08%

11.94%

9.7%

8.69%

5.13%

5.07%

4.92%

4.82%

4.26%

3.97%

3.92%

3.47%

3.14%

3.09%

2.5%

1.72%

1.69%

1.19%

0.7%

0.46%

0.41%

0.34%

0.3%

0.24%

0.11%

0.08%

Usage rate (DA)

Characters are ranked with appearance rate, which is how often a character was used in Deadly Assault by the players who we have scanned, regardless of whether they own the character or not. Ownership rate currently cannot be obtained.

73.04%

67.41%

63.6%

60.53%

60.37%

58.06%

56.7%

52.21%

42.45%

40.81%

30.04%

25.73%

19.29%

16.03%

12.81%

11.31%

10.56%

8.99%

8.82%

8.74%

7.02%

6.8%

6.58%

6.54%

5.8%

4.48%

3.9%

3.72%

3.6%

3.29%

3.13%

3.12%

2.51%

2.34%

2.26%

1.91%

1.38%

1.04%

0.92%

0.79%

0.64%

0.54%

0.51%

0.48%

0.18%

0.09%

0.06%

Common partners (SD)

This section lists the characters that were most commonly paired with Ellen in the current phase of Shiyu Defense.

27113

48.11%

21588

26.84%

26047

24.53%

25795

22.32%

24595

15.05%

27477

14.42%

19596

12.95%

26397

6.0%

Common partners (DA)

This section lists the characters that were most commonly paired with Ellen in the current phase of Deadly Assault.

18472

44.75%

17722

29.0%

13723

26.0%

18945

21.75%

14931

19.5%

17384

12.0%

12561

10.0%

18789

8.25%

Mindscapes

Mindscapes data comes from players who used Ellen in the current SD cycle (950) or in the current DA cycle (400).

Change mode:

53.6%

24264

Mindscape 0

15.57%

26375

11.2%

29937

5.78%

28732

Basic Attack, Assist, Dodge, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2

1.65%

30137

Whenever a squad member Freezes or Stuns an enemy, Ellen gains 6 Flash Freeze Charges and the Quick Charge effect. She also recovers 4 Energy. The Energy recovery effect can trigger once per 10s.

0.68%

30636

Basic Attack, Assist, Dodge, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2

11.52%

34177

W-Engines

W-Engines usage data comes from players who used Ellen in the current SD cycle (950) or in the current DA cycle (400).

Change mode:

79.72%

24757

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

6.74%

25979

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

4.14%

22873

Upon hitting an enemy with a Basic Attack, Dash Attack, or Dodge Counter, the equipper's ATK increases by 3.5/4.4/5.2/6/7% for 8s, stacking up to 8 times. This effect can trigger once every 0.5s. The duration of each stack is calculated separately.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 684

Attack (Lv 60): 30%

1.92%

20629

When an EX Special Attack or Chain Attack hits an enemy, the equipper's ATK increases by 6/6.9/7.8/8.7/9.6% for 8s. While the target is under an Attribute Anomaly, this effect is increased by an additional 6/6.9/7.8/8.7/9.6%.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 594

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 20%

1.6%

20414

Launching a Dodge Counter or Quick Assist increases the equipper's ATK by 12/13.8/15.6/17.4/19.2% for 12s.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 594

Attack (Lv 60): 25%

1.15%

23255

Increases Physical DMG by 20/25/30/35/40%. The equipper's DMG increases by 25/31.5/38/44/50% when attacking the enemy from behind.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 684

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

Disk Drives

Disk Drives usage data comes from players who used Ellen in the current SD cycle (950) or in the current DA cycle (400).

Change mode:

20.82%

25496

(2)

CRIT Rate +8%.

(4)

Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack increases the equippers ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately.

(2)

CRIT DMG +16%.

(4)

When Anomaly Mastery exceeds or equals 115 points, the equipper's CRIT damage increases by 30%. When any squad member applies Freeze or triggers the Shatter effect on an enemy, the equipper's CRIT Rate increases by 12%, lasting 15s.

16.95%

25348

(2)

CRIT Rate +8%.

(4)

Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack increases the equippers ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately.

(2)

PEN Ratio +8%.

(4)

Ultimate DMG increases by 20%. Launching an Ultimate increases the equippers ATK by 15% for 12s.

13.98%

20567

(2)

Ice DMG +10%.

(4)

Increases the DMG of Basic Attack and Dash Attack by 20%. When any squad member inflicts Freeze or Shatter, this effect increases by an additional 20% for 12s.

(2)

CRIT Rate +8%.

(4)

Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack increases the equippers ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately.

9.96%

24114

(2)

CRIT Rate +8%.

(4)

Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack increases the equippers ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately.

(2)

Ice DMG +10%.

(4)

Increases the DMG of Basic Attack and Dash Attack by 20%. When any squad member inflicts Freeze or Shatter, this effect increases by an additional 20% for 12s.

9.56%

23501

(2)

Ice DMG +10%.

(4)

Increases the DMG of Basic Attack and Dash Attack by 20%. When any squad member inflicts Freeze or Shatter, this effect increases by an additional 20% for 12s.

(2)

CRIT DMG +16%.

(4)

4.22%

28243

(2)

CRIT Rate +8%.

(4)

Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack increases the equippers ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately.

(2)

ATK +10%.

(4)

Whenever any squad member enters the field using a Quick Assist, all squad members gain 1 stack of Astral, up to a maximum of 3 stacks, and lasting 15s. Repeated triggers reset the duration. Each stack of Astral increases the DMG dealt by the character entering the field using a Quick Assist by 8%. Only one of this effect can be active at a time in the same squad.

Character Stats