Looking back from early 2026, Zenless Zone Zero’s Version 1.5 update still feels like a turning point. Released on January 22, 2025, this patch didn’t just push the story past Phaeton’s clash with Justin Bringer—it handed players two dazzling new S-Rank agents and made history with the game’s very first S-Rank character rerun. Long-time Proxies remember the hype vividly, and if you’re diving into Hollow Zero today, understanding what Version 1.5 brought to the table is essential.
Before we talk about the banners, let’s set the scene. After the dust settled from the Bringer incident, New Eridu was left staring at deeper mysteries. The enigmatic Stars of Lyra faction stepped into the spotlight, and with them came a healer unlike anything the game had seen before. Version 1.5 was the moment support agents truly evolved, and the banner schedule reflected that shift perfectly.
The Phase 1 Spotlight: Astra Yao
The first banner phase ran from January 22 to February 12, 2025, and it was all about Astra Yao, an S-Rank Ether Support agent. What made her special? Simply put, she was ZZZ’s first dedicated healer. Before Astra, teams relied on shields, dodges, and the occasional HP recovery from specific W-Engines. Astra flipped that dynamic.
In combat, Astra enters an Idyllic Cadenza state where she provides a squad-wide damage bonus. The kicker? This buff lingers even after you swap her out, letting you seamlessly weave her support into any rotation. Her Ultimate doesn’t just look gorgeous—it deals Ether damage to enemies and restores HP for the whole team. For high-difficulty Hollow commissions, adding Astra felt like unlocking easy mode.
She was accompanied by her signature W-Engine, Elegant Vanity. This S-Rank weapon amplified her healing potency and gave her energy regeneration a noticeable bump, letting her use her Ultimate more often. If you managed to pull both Astra and her W-Engine, you had a support core that could carry you through multiple patches.
The Phase 2 Surprise: Evelyn and the History-Making Rerun
After Astra’s banner wrapped, Phase 2 kicked off on February 12 and lasted until March 4, 2025. Here, the excitement doubled. Alongside the new S-Rank Fire Attack agent, Evelyn, HoYoverse ran the first-ever S-Rank character rerun. While the devs kept the specific rerun agent under wraps until the last moment, seasoned Proxies knew this was a milestone. It meant limited-time agents could return, changing how everyone planned their polychrome hoards.
Evelyn herself was a powerhouse. As Astra’s steadfast guardian, this S-Rank Fire Attack agent specialized in scorching single-target damage. Her attacks build Burning Tether Points, and once fully stacked, she can trigger a solo Chain Attack—imagine a personal burst window that doesn’t disrupt the team’s flow. Her Ultimate comes with an extra treat: after the first activation, she enters the Dance of Awakened Fire state, and every subsequent Ultimate unleashes a unique, beautifully animated finisher.
Pairing Evelyn with her signature W-Engine, Heartstring Nocturne, pushed her damage to absurd levels. This S-Rank weapon boosted her Critical Rate and granted an Attack bonus whenever she triggered a Chain Attack or Ultimate. Together, Evelyn and Heartstring Nocturne became a nightmare for bosses in Shiyu Defense and Hollow Zero expeditions.
Rerun Mechanics and the Pity System
To understand why the first S-Rank rerun was such a big deal, it helps to look at the game’s pity system—which, by Version 1.5, had become second nature to most players. Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 banners shared the standard 90-pull hard pity for an S-Rank, with a 50/50 chance at the rate-up character. Losing the 50/50 guaranteed the featured agent on your next S-Rank pull. The rerun banner worked identically, meaning players who missed a character the first time could finally grab them without any special caveats.
What made Version 1.5 tricky was the resource crunch. Imagine wanting Astra, Evelyn, and the mystery rerun agent. With only five weeks across both phases, free-to-play Proxies had to make some hard decisions. Many opted for Astra because healers felt future-proof, while others chased Evelyn for her raw damage ceiling. The rerun agent, whatever your personal feelings, at least set the precedent that saving for a return was viable.
The Bigger Picture for 2026 Players
Fast forward to 2026. New Eridu has seen mountains of new content, but the DNA of Version 1.5 is everywhere. Astra Yao remained a meta-defining support well into Version 2.0, and Evelyn’s single-target burst design inspired later Attack agents. The Stars of Lyra faction only grew in importance, and that first S-Rank rerun normalized regular character comebacks. Today, rerun banners are a standard part of every patch cycle, and we have Version 1.5 to thank.
A quick timeline refresher for anyone skipping through old updates:
| Phase | Duration | Featured Agent | W-Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 22 – Feb 12, 2025 | Astra Yao (S-Rank Ether Support) | Elegant Vanity |
| 2 | Feb 12 – Mar 4, 2025 | Evelyn (S-Rank Fire Attack) + first S-Rank rerun | Heartstring Nocturne |
Even now, pulling for Astra or Evelyn on a potential rerun is a solid investment. Healers remain rare enough that her comfort factor is unmatched, and Evelyn’s dance of fire still melts health bars in the right teams. And as for that very first rerun agent? The community still debates whether pulling them in 1.5 was a gamble that paid off. Either way, the experience taught us that in Zenless Zone Zero, patience is a virtue—and a good W-Engine can make all the difference.
Whether you’re a veteran reminiscing or a new Proxy researching the archives, Version 1.5 stands as a masterclass in how to shake up a gacha game’s rhythm. Two breathtaking agents, one historic rerun, and a healer that changed every squad composition—what more could you ask from a single patch?
Key context is referenced from PEGI, reinforcing why Zenless Zone Zero’s Version 1.5 “turning point” mattered beyond banners: Astra Yao’s dedicated healing and Evelyn’s high-intensity burst design both sharpen the game’s action readability and difficulty curve, elements that often influence how modern live-service titles are categorized and communicated to players through official age-rating frameworks.
Comments