Gab Hernandez 
Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ) offers some of the most engaging combat from the HoYoverse, particularly thanks to the parry mechanic and the evasive and defensive assists.
HoYoverse games dominate the gacha action market, from staples like the Honkai franchise to massive hits like Genshin Impact. The latest release from the studio, Zenless Zone Zero, is arguably the most innovative of the three. With a unique urban sci-fi setting and surprisingly in-depth combat system, ZZZ has plenty to offer newcomers.
One of the most exciting aspects of ZZZ combat is the parry. In contrast to Genshin Impact’s build-focused fights, Zenless Zone Zero relies on dexterity and reflexes. The parry mechanic is the ultimate expression of that, outright negating the opponent’s attacks.
How to parry in ZZZ
Players can perform a perfect assist parry with spacebar on PC, RB for those using an Xbox controller, or R1 on PS5.
Unlike a traditional parry, the perfect assist parry in ZZZ also switches out the character. The assist character will be the one performing the parry. That means players can’t use one character as a crutch in ZZZ when building a team, and must understand their chemistry.
The optimal time to parry in ZZZ is when the opponent’s attack flashes. Parrying an attack costs one assist point while heavier attacks, such as from bosses, cost two. Chain attacks and ultimates recover these assist points. Defensive agents such as Ben, Caesar, and Seth offer stronger parries than the rest, making them optimal for defensive play.
What’s the difference between an evasive assist and defensive assist in Zenless Zone Zero?
Defensive assists block attacks, while evasive assists dodge them with an extra “Bullet Time” follow-up.
Characters with evasive assists, such as Billy, Alexandrina, and Zhu Yuan, will instead perform a perfect dodge and trigger an extended bullet time. Given that they are DPS characters, it’s a far more fitting style than a typical defensive parry. This ability is particularly powerful, but is only available to a handful of agents. The ability can be made available to all characters through specific Resonium in Hollow Zero missions.
Defensive assists work best against opponents with multiple light chain attacks, while evasive assists dominate against slow, hard-hitting attacks. Observe enemy behavior when deciding which character’s assist to use when parrying. If a player has no assist points left, the switched character will simply dodge with no bonus effects.
