Zenless Zone Zero Claret Guide: Skill Priorities and Rotations

To play Claret effectively in Zenless Zone Zero, prioritize upgrading her Empowered Special Attack, build her resonance energy gauge using dodge counters rather than standard basic attacks, and swap her off-field immediately after completing her post-chain follow-up move.

Skill Upgrade Hierarchy

Claret relies primarily on burst damage from her special abilities rather than sustained basic attack damage. Allocate your skill leveling materials based on scaling impact and energy generation needs.

Skill	Leveling Priority	Primary Combat Role
Empowered Special Attack	Priority 1 (Max First)	Core area-of-effect (AOE) burst damage source
Chain Attack	Priority 2	Team-window burst multiplier
Dodge Counter	Priority 3	Defensive invincibility, energy gain, and stun damage
Basic Attack	Priority 4 (Last)	Low base damage; upgrade only after capping higher skills

Upgrade her Empowered Special Attack first to maximize the damage output of her primary energy spender. Level her Chain Attack second to increase burst damage during stun windows. Upgrade Dodge Counter third to raise counter-attack base damage, and leave Basic Attack for last once other skills reach your current level cap.

Resonance Gauge and Energy Management

Claret's combat performance depends on maintaining her resonance state to empower her special attacks.

Avoid Basic Attack Energy Drain: Basic attack combos deal low scaling damage and do not efficiently charge her resonance gauge. Avoid spending active field time relying solely on basic attack strings when her gauge is empty.
Time Dodge Counters for Instant Energy: Execute a dash right before an enemy attack lands to trigger a dodge counter. Successful counters grant invincibility frames (i-frames), deal stun damage, and immediately replenish her resonance energy gauge.
Cast Empowered Special at Peak Charge: When her energy gauge begins to glow, activate her Empowered Special Attack to execute a high-damage AOE strike before swapping.

Swap Sequences and Chain Positioning

To maximize team buffs and maintain combat mobility, execute Claret's rotations using specific swap timing:

Assign Chain Attack Slot: Place Claret in the second or third slot of your team's chain attack sequence. This ensures her entry hit benefits from support agent stat buffs, such as damage percentage increases or defense penetration.
Execute the Follow-Up Ability: Immediately trigger Claret's unique follow-up skill after her chain attack hit. This attack automatically repositions her behind the target to grant back-attack bonus damage.
Swap Off-Field: Swap back to your support or anomaly agent right after the follow-up strike finishes to refresh enemy debuffs and restart energy generation cycles.

Team Composition Roles

Match Claret with team members that complement her quick-swap playstyle and stun windows:

Stunner / Support Agents: Use a stun specialist to break the enemy's guard gauge. Swap to Claret during the stun window to unleash her Empowered Special. If running a mono-faction team, equip your support with high energy regeneration stats to trigger chain attack opportunities more frequently.
Anomaly Agents: Pair Claret with agents capable of rapidly applying elemental status effects. This enables Claret to trigger Disorder or Assault reactions during her enter-and-exit swap windows.
Shield / Tank Agents: Include a defensive shield buffer if you struggle with precise dodge-counter timing, allowing Claret to maintain an aggressive positioning strategy without taking lethal hit damage.