EllenBuild and Guide

Introduction

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 2.0

Last build/calcs update

Patch 2.0

Last teams/synergies update

Patch 2.0

Last profile update*

June 11th, 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 Analytics

Teams & Synergy

Calculations

Core skills

Core Passive Sharp-Toothed

Lv. 1

When Ellen launches a charged scissor strike during Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush, or consumes a Flash Freeze Charge to activate Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming, the skill's CRIT DMG is increased 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.

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 directly 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: Unleash a series of powerful slashes forward, dealing massive Ice DMG. Gain 1 Flash Freeze Charge upon hitting an enemy. After executing the move, you can directly 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!

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.

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).

SD is a similar mode to Genshin Impact’s Spiral Abyss or Honkai Star Rail’s Memory of Chaos and requires 2 teams of 3 Agents with good Disk Drives and W-Engines. This mode offers a reasonable mix of Boss encounters (single-target) and Elite packs (2-3 targets), allowing multiple characters to find a niche. With that being said, there is a bias towards single-target performance, which may reflect in select character ratings. Additionally, since this content’s goal is to kill all enemies within the shortest time frame possible, Agents who dish out lots of damage quickly instead of damage over time are favoured. This Tier List focuses on Agents’ ability to clear within 150s (2m30s) out of the 300s (5m) needed to obtain all rewards.

DA is a very unique mode in Zenless Zone Zero which offers Boss encounters exclusively, meaning other types of damage than single-target are rarely impactful (if ever). It requires a total of 3 teams to maximize all possible rewards, however only 2 well-geared teams are necessary to maximize Polychrome (premium pull currency) rewards (which are the most important and as a result are what we consider for this Tier List). The goal of this gamemode is to inflict as much damage to a boss as possible in a total time span of 3 minutes, meaning sustainable damage within long time windows is favoured. A maximum of 65000 score points can be obtained by fully depleting a boss’s HP, however this is unrealistic for the overwhelming majority of players while being unnecessary to maximize rewards. Only 20000 points is needed to maximize said rewards, with up to 5000 points being obtainable via Performance (obtained via performing certain actions on specific Boss enemies). Agents’ ability to reach this threshold of 20000 points is what the Tier List focuses upon.

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.

DPS

Endgame Modes

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.

100%

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.

97.70%

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%

Hugo's Signature is perfect for Ellen as it allows her to gain massive unconditional CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG but also gain a significant DEF Ignore effect on several of her key abilities being her EX Specials, Chain Attacks and Ultimate. However, this W-Engine will perform much worse outside of Stun windows due to the very brief nature of its DEF Ignore effect, in which case you can expect it to perform closer to Heartstring Nocturne.

89.78%

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 has the highest unconditional CRIT stats in the game, however its passive is unusable by Ellen. With that being said, by sheer power of the unconditional stats it provides this W-Engine is still one of the best options for Ellen.

88.71%

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%

Ellen is easily able to stack up this W-Engine's ATK increasing effects since she wants to be played on the field performing lots of Basic and Dash Attacks which is what this W-Engine favours. For this reason, it is one of the best options for Ellen.

87.18%

CRIT Rate increases by 10/11.5/13/14.5/16%. Dash Attack Electric DMG increases by 40/46/52/58/64%. When any squad member applies an Attribute Anomaly or Stuns an enemy, the equipper's CRIT Rate increases by an additional 10/11.5/13/14.5/16% for 15s.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713

Crit Damage (Lv 60): 48%

Thanks to its high CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG boosts, this W-Engine serves as a good stat stick for Ellen, even though she makes no use of the increased Dash Attack DMG.

87.13%

CRIT DMG is increased by 30/34.5/39/43.5/48%. When the equipper lands a hit with a Basic Attack, Special Attack, or Aftershock, they gain 1 stack of a buff. Each stack increases the equipper's CRIT DMG by an additional 10/11.5/13/14.5/16%, stacking up to 3 times. The effect lasts for 30s, with each stack's duration calculated separately, and can only be triggered once per use of a skill. With all 3 stacks, the equipper's Electric DMG increases by 20/23/26/29/32%.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713

Crit DMG (Lv 60): 48%

Ellen is only able to stack up this W-Engine's CRIT DMG increasing buff 2 times, meaning she can't access its full power, however this W-Engine gets her massive amounts of CRIT DMG regardless so it is a good choice.

84.72%

Increases CRIT Rate by 15%. Launching an EX Special Attack grants the equipper 8 Charge stacks, up to a maximum of 8 stacks. Whenever the equipper's Basic Attack deals Ether DMG, consumes a Charge stack and increases the skill's DMG by 35%.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713

Crit Damage (Lv 60): 48%

Pure CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG stat stick with nothing else that can add to Ellen's damage. An acceptable choice but far from the best.

81.22%

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.

78.05%

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%

Reasonable option for CRIT scaling agents playing in teams capable of applying Anomaly semi-consistently to trigger and maintain its secondary bonus effect a decent amount of the time.

Best Disk Drives Sets

100%

(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.

Great option for all direct damage dealers that make use of some form of Basic ATK and EX frequently. The set grants 8% permanent CRIT RATE% from the 2-PC and a 9% increased combat ATK% buff for 6 seconds when triggering a CRIT with each a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack from the 4P. Each buff belongs to an attack type so you'll need to CRIT with each type every 6 seconds to maintain 3 stacks. You can expect 2 stacks of this set most of the time one from basics and one from either EX's during a burst window or Dodge Counters during downtime granting 18% combat ATK% that multiplies all ATK stats like FLAT ATK and ATK% ((Base ATK * (1 + ATK%)) + Flat ATK) * (1 + Combat ATK%).

Despite all this, the set has ramp-up time and can quickly fall off without access to energy for EX's making it most suitable for characters with cheap EX's, frequent Dodge Counters or concentrated burst damage windows.

Best combined with your choice of 2-PC Set:

Puffer Electro (Recommended)
Hormone Punk
Polar Metal

90.11%

(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.

Reasonable option for direct Ice damage dealers specializing in Dash Attacks and Basic attack specifically. The set grants 10% permanent Ice DMG% from the 2-PC and 20% increased DMG with Basic and Dash Attacks from the 4P. Upon Freezing or Shattering an enemy, the bonus from the 4P increases from 20% to 40% for 12 seconds. Due to the very specific nature of the buffs of this set it can fall behind other more powerful damaging options.

Best combined with your choice of 2-PC Set:

Woodpecker Electro (Recommended)
Hormone Punk
Puffer Electro

102.63%

(2)

PEN Ratio +8%.

(4)

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

A top option for burst damage characters aiming to deal most of their damage in a short window following their Ultimate. The set grants 8% permanent PEN Ratio% from the 2-PC, 15% increased combat ATK% for 12 seconds after using an Ultimate and 20% increased Ultimate DMG from the 4P. When evaluating this set we assume you'll gain and save your damaging Ultimate for the enemy Stun window and use it before executing the rest of your combo. If you're unable to gain your Ultimate every stun window, this sets value will drop compared to its listing.

Important! If this set's damage numbers are larger than sets ranked higher than it, it's because our team doesn't consider the damage increase to be worth the restriction of requiring your Ultimate to gain the bonus. Use this set if you consider the increase to burst damage to be worth it for you.

Best combined with your choice of 2-PC Set:

Woodpecker Electro (Recommended)
Hormone Punk
Polar Metal

Best Disk Drives Stats

Disk 4

CRIT DMG%

CRIT Rate%

Disk 5

Ice DMG%

PEN Ratio%

Disk 6

ATK%

Substats: CRIT RATE = CRIT DMG > 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. For more alternatives, refer to the Teams section.

Lighter
Trigger
Lycaon - These 3 Stun options each have their pros and cons, typically with Lighter coming out on top as the best choice for Ellen. This is because he sports massive boosts to Ice DMG, Ice RES shred and has amazing Daze infliction which allows Ellen's damage to reach its true potential. However, Lycaon also provides Ice RES shred while inflicting slower Daze but he allows Ellen to activate her Additional Ability as a trade-off. Lastly, 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, making these 3 options very competitive, typically with Lighter coming out on top by a small margin.
Astra Yao
Nicole - These 2 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. 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, whether that's by themselves or together.
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. She isn't stronger than premium options like Astra Yao but remains a very strong Support choice, particularly for F2P players.

Teams

If a column has multiple characters, the bigger one is the priority choice for the team while the smaller ones are alternatives. If they are the same size, either of them can be used.

Best Ellen Team

DPS

Stun

Support

Alternative Team

DPS

Stun

Stun

F2P Ellen Team

DPS

Stun

Support

Bangboo options:

Butler = 2x Victoria Housekeeping,
Sharkboo or Penguinboo = 2x Ice.

How to play

Coming Soon!

Damage output

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.

Important! Ellen's listed burst rotation does not make use of her Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush meaning a portion of this mindscape is currently not included in calculations. Because of this in fights you plan to main field Ellen and execute her out of Stun Rotation this mindscapes value will increase moderately compared to it's current listing.

Ellen in 1 Target scenario - Burst

Rotation time: 15.18s for Burst

Ellen (M6)

2 907 190 DMG (191 502 DPS)145.18%

Ellen (M5)

2 591 624 DMG (170 715 DPS)129.42%

Ellen (M4)

2 396 573 DMG (157 867 DPS)119.68%

Ellen (M3)

2 396 573 DMG (157 867 DPS)119.68%

Ellen (M2)

2 201 522 DMG (145 018 DPS)109.94%

Ellen (M1)

2 143 925 DMG (141 224 DPS)107.06%

Ellen (M0)

2 002 501 DMG (131 908 DPS)100%

Details about the calculations

Here are the rotations used in the calculations.

As of Version 2.0 Ellen's rotations have received an update thanks to her gaining a number of new abilities but the basis of her playstyle still remains the same. Ellen has two rotations she cycles through a burst rotation to be executed during the stun window and an out of stun rotation (OOS) to be executed in the meantime.

Burst rotation (During Stun)
Chain Attack: Avalanche (Cancel Chain)
EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe
EX Special Attack: Sharknami
Basic Attack: Icy Blade (Quick Swap To Support)
Re-trigger Chain with Support
Chain Attack: Avalanche
Ultimate: Endless Winter
Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P1
Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P2
Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3
Basic Attack: Icy Blade (Optionally Quick Swap)

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

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

(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.

Disk 4

CRIT DMG%

Disk 5

Ice DMG%

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 (2.0.1). The page will be automatically updated every patch once enough data is gathered.

The data has been last updated on 13/06/2025,
6470 players shared their 1.7.1 Shiyu Defense clear data with us (1994 of the sample are self-reported players that filled our form, 4476 are from random UIDs that we scanned).
6436 players shared their 1.7.1 Deadly Assault clear data with us (2014 of the sample are self-reported players that filled our form, 4422 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.

85.8%

82.67%

51.94%

38.97%

32.09%

29.54%

29.5%

26.07%

24.6%

23.4%

21.15%

20.83%

20.23%

19.59%

18.38%

9.67%

9.6%

8.21%

7.21%

6.89%

6.82%

6.67%

6.46%

3.51%

2.42%

2.12%

1.05%

0.47%

0.43%

0.34%

0.3%

0.28%

0.13%

0.06%

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.

88.66%

81.42%

45.59%

44.83%

42.1%

41.22%

40.98%

40.87%

40.35%

38.18%

32.25%

30.4%

28.29%

27.54%

23.67%

20.37%

20.09%

18.45%

18.24%

17.74%

15.5%

11.22%

9.79%

8.42%

7.84%

6.97%

2.89%

2.51%

2.26%

1.66%

0.98%

0.81%

0.45%

0.36%

0.08%

Common partners (SD)

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

151s

52.04%

155s

35.53%

129s

27.38%

135s

22.91%

148s

21.94%

132s

17.09%

142s

6.41%

175s

5.05%

Common partners (DA)

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

17139

61.58%

15544

41.44%

21201

25.02%

18300

20.14%

19641

13.01%

20954

9.68%

16676

8.13%

13564

6.66%

Teams (SD)

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

Rank 24

App. rate: 1.99%

Avg. Time: 2m 37s

Rank 42

App. rate: 0.94%

Avg. Time: 2m 31s

Rank 43

App. rate: 0.92%

Avg. Time: 2m 14s

Rank 49

App. rate: 0.75%

Avg. Time: 2m 5s

Rank 75

App. rate: 0.43%

Avg. Time: 1m 49s

Rank 75

App. rate: 0.43%

Avg. Time: 2m 30s

Rank 80

App. rate: 0.39%

Avg. Time: 2m 36s

Rank 88

App. rate: 0.36%

Avg. Time: 2m 25s

Rank 92

App. rate: 0.34%

Avg. Time: 2m 13s

Rank 92

App. rate: 0.34%

Avg. Time: 2m 15s

Mindscapes

Mindscapes data comes from players who used Ellen in the current SD cycle (515) or in the current DA cycle (1291).

64.43%

148 s.

Mindscape 0

17.34%

146 s.

10.4%

128 s.

2.58%

146 s.

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

0.52%

112 s.

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.

0.17%

130 s.

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

4.58%

89 s.

W-Engines

W-Engines usage data comes from players who used Ellen in the current SD cycle (515) or in the current DA cycle (1291).

75.4%

144 s.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

6.25%

165 s.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 684

Attack (Lv 60): 30%

4.35%

153 s.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 594

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 20%

3.81%

159 s.

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%

2.24%

128 s.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713

Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

1.95%

155 s.

ATK increases by 6/6.9/7.8/8.7/9.6%, and DMG dealt by EX Special Attacks increases by 15/17.2/19.5/21.8/24%.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 594

Attack (Lv 60): 25%

Disk Drives

Disk Drives usage data comes from players who used Ellen in the current SD cycle (515) or in the current DA cycle (1291).

36.25%

156 s.

(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.

17.06%

154 s.

(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)

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.

11.52%

141 s.

(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)

9.88%

138 s.

(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.

6.54%

144 s.

(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.

4.85%

166 s.

(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.