Zenless Zone Zero: 3 Most Used Characters in Deadly Assault

To clear Deadly Assault stages efficiently in Zenless Zone Zero, the three most deployed agents are Ellen Joe, Zhu Yuan, and Caesar King. These picks dominate the mode because they cover every essential combat requirement under strict stage timers: rapid Daze buildup, defensive interruption protection, and high-multiplier burst damage during stunned windows.

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Why Ellen Joe, Zhu Yuan, and Caesar King Lead Deadly Assault

Each of these three agents addresses a specific mechanical hurdle posed by aggressive endgame enemies:

Ellen Joe (Ice Attack): Solves mobility and crowd control. Her Roaming state and Flash Freeze dash let you traverse hazardous arenas without burning through standard Dodge Counters. Slicing through clustered enemies charges her Flash Freeze bar, which she expends via scissor basic combos and her EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe. The resulting Freeze and Shatter procs lock down aggressive elites and generate Decibels for squad rotations.
Zhu Yuan (Ether Attack): Delivers fast burst damage during Daze phases. Rather than staying on-field, Zhu Yuan enters through Chain Attacks and Quick Assists to unload loaded Enhanced Shots. Firing these shells during groggy states triggers Ether Corruption and Attribute Anomalies, melting elite health pools without wasting precious timer seconds on prolonged combat strings.
Caesar King (Physical Defense): Prevents interruptions and accelerates Daze. Caesar’s Radiant Aegis shield grants absolute flinch resistance, allowing your primary attackers to complete full combo strings without getting knocked back by incoming hits. Beyond survivability, she provides a flat squad Attack bonus and inflicts heavy Impact through Parry Counters and Shield Bashes to fill the target's Daze meter quickly.

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Recommended Builds and Drive Disc Setups

Because Deadly Assault rewards fast stage completions, equip your damage dealers with offensive primary stats while relying on Caesar King’s shield for squad survival.

Agent	Combat Role	Core Kit Function	Recommended Drive Discs	Priority Disc Main Stats
Ellen Joe	Ice Burst / Hypercarry	Rapid repositioning, Frostbite application, sustained melee burst	Polar Metal (4-pc) + Woodpecker Electro (2-pc)	Slot 4: Crit Rate / Crit DMG<br>Slot 5: Ice DMG<br>Slot 6: ATK%
Zhu Yuan	Ether Stun Burst	Concentrated shell dump during Daze, high critical scaling	Chaotic Heavy Metal (4-pc) + Woodpecker Electro (2-pc)	Slot 4: Crit Rate / Crit DMG<br>Slot 5: Ether DMG<br>Slot 6: Energy Generation
Caesar King	Physical Defense & Buffer	Knockback immunity, teamwide ATK buff, parry impact	Proto Punk (4-pc) + Shockstar Disco (2-pc)	Slot 4: DEF%<br>Slot 5: Physical DMG or DEF%<br>Slot 6: Impact

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Combat Execution and Rotation Sequence

To achieve top clear times, run a strict three-phase Daze-to-Burst loop:

Defensive Opener: Intercept the enemy's opening attack with Caesar King’s Defensive Assist. Immediately trigger her EX Special to erect the Radiant Aegis shield and activate the squad-wide Attack buff.
Daze Stacking: Maintain active pressure with Caesar’s basic attacks and Parry Counters to rapidly build the elite enemy's groggy gauge. Once the Daze bar maxes out, trigger the Chain Attack sequence, ending on Zhu Yuan to restock her Enhanced Shots.
Burst Dump: Unload Zhu Yuan's Enhanced Shots while the enemy is stunned. Avoid firing unenhanced standard basic attacks, as they deal minimal damage. If the target survives the initial barrage, swap to Ellen Joe to discharge stored Flash Freeze charges and trigger Shatter before the Daze window expires.

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Skill Upgrade Priorities

Distribute your Denny and Skill Chips into the specific kit components that scale your clear speed:

Zhu Yuan: Maximize Basic Attack and Chain Attack first to scale Enhanced Shot burst damage. Dodge and Assist skills can remain at base investment.
Ellen Joe: Prioritize Basic Attack and EX Special Attack to scale her Flash Freeze scissor combos and Tail Swipe damage.
Caesar King: Prioritize Core Skill and Special Attack to scale the durability of Radiant Aegis and increase the value of her teamwide flat Attack buff.