Banyue is an S-Rank Fire Rupture Agent from the Krampus Compliance Authority faction in Zenless Zone Zero. As a main DPS, he excels in on-field play with fighting game-style combos that build Wrathful Fires to enter Visage of Wrath state for massive Sheer DMG bursts. His kit scales heavily with Max HP for Sheer Force, emphasizes EX Special Attacks, and rewards precise inputs, parries, and Perfect Cancels. Strengths include high burst potential during stuns, self-parry tools, and DEF-ignoring Fire Sheer DMG. Weaknesses are a high skill ceiling, heavy field time needs, and reliance on specific teammates for optimal performance.
In the current meta (post-2.4 launch), Banyue ranks T0.5 for expert players and T1 baseline, competing with top DPS like Yixuan when mastered.
Skill Priority
| Skill | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core Passive | ★★★★★ | Core to Sheer Force scaling, Wrathful Fires, and buffs. Max first. |
| Basic Attack | ★★★★★ | Key for combos and Adrenaline/Wrathful Fires generation. |
| Special Attack | ★★★★★ | Essential for EX Special branches and manual inputs. |
| Chain Attack | ★★★★☆ | Enables quick Visage of Wrath entry. |
| Ultimate | ★★★★☆ | Strong burst, buffers well. |
| Dodge | ★★★☆☆ | For parries and Wrathful Fires (Immovable Mountain). |
| Assist | ★★★☆☆ | Defensive Assist generates Fires; Follow-Up buffs Sheer Force. |
Best W-Engines
| W-Engine | Rarity | Key Stats/Bonus | Why It's Good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrathful Vajra (Signature) | S | HP 30%, CRIT Rate +20-32% | Best overall: Stacks Fire Sheer DMG (up to 14.4-28.8%) on EX Special/Assist Follow-Up. Perfect synergy. |
| Qingming Birdcage | S | HP 30%, CRIT Rate +20-32% | Near-BiS: Raw stats match signature; Ether bonuses wasted but HP/CRIT elite. |
| Grill O'Wisp | A | HP 25%, Fire DMG +15-24% | Top F2P A-Rank: Unconditional Fire DMG + CRIT Rate on HP loss (easy trigger). |
| Puzzle Sphere | A | ATK 25%, CRIT DMG +16-25.6% | Craftable F2P: EX Special CRIT DMG + low-HP bonus; consistent uptime. |
| Radiowave Journey | A | HP 25%, Sheer Force +80-128/stack (x3) | Chain/Ult stacks; solid but uptime-dependent. |
Best Drive Discs & Stats
Optimal Set: Yunkui Tales (4-pc) + Woodpecker Electro (2-pc) or Branch and Blade Song (2-pc).
- Yunkui Tales (4-pc): HP +10% (2-pc); CRIT Rate stacks (up to +12%) +10% Sheer DMG on 3 stacks. Full uptime from EX spam.
- Alternatives: Inferno Metal (2-pc) for Fire DMG if CRIT balanced.
Main Stats Priority:
| Slot | Priority |
|---|---|
| 4 | CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG |
| 5 | Fire DMG / HP% |
| 6 | HP% |
Substats: CRIT Rate = CRIT DMG > HP% > HP > ATK%. Aim for ~100% CRIT Rate in combat (buffs push it).
Best Teams & Bangboo
Banyue thrives in hypercarry teams: Banyue (DPS) + Stunner + Rupture Support.
| Team | Stunner | Support | Bangboo | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | Dialyn | Lucia | Birkblick / Belion | BiS: Dialyn enables double Chains/Ultimates + CRIT DMG; Lucia buffs HP/Sheer Force. ~20-30% stronger than alts. |
| Strong Alt | Ju Fufu | Lucia | Belion | Fire synergy, Decibel buffs, solid Daze. |
| F2P | Pulchra (M6) | Pan Yinhu | Cryboo / Sumoboo | Accessible; Pan buffs Sheer DMG. |
| Budget | Trigger | Astra Yao | Knightboo | Decent Daze/CRIT/heals. |
Bangboo Priority: Birkblick (Rupture synergy) > Belion (Fire) > Cryboo/Excaliboo (general).
Playstyle & Combos
Banyue is combo-heavy: Build Wrathful Fires (Adrenaline spend, parries, Dodges/Assists) to 120+ for Visage of Wrath (4 Mountain's Might; free EX Specials restoring Adrenaline). Manual inputs > auto-hold for damage/Perfect Cancels (flash indicator). Focus stuns for bursts; parry out-of-stun.
Resources:
- Wrathful Fires (max 150): Entry to Wrath state.
- Mountain's Might (max 4): Free/enhanced EX Specials in Wrath.
- Adrenaline: Fuels normals/EX outside Wrath.
Core Mechanics:
- Pre-Fight: Hold Basic (if HP >50%) for 120 Fires + Wrath entry.
- Parry: Dodge: Immovable Mountain (dir. release + Basic+Dodge) for 4-6 Fires.
- EX Quick Inputs: ↓↓↓ (Lion's Roar), ↑↑↑ (Mountain Tremor), etc.
- Perfect Cancel: Precise timing for speed/damage.
Key Combo Branches (Manual for stacks/buffs):
| Branch | Input Sequence |
|---|---|
| Lion's Roar | Basic x1-2 > Special |
| Earth Shaker | Basic x3-4 > Special |
| One's Path | Special x1-2 > Basic |
| Mountain Tremor | Special x3-4 > Basic |
Wrath Versions (Enhanced, higher DMG):
- Mountain Tremor - Wrath: After Earth Shaker.
- Lion's Roar - Wrath: After One's Path.
Standard Stun Rotation (Manual, Recommended):
- Chain: Blazing Wrath (enter Wrath).
- EX: Earth Shaker > Mountain Tremor - Wrath.
- Swap > Chain trigger.
- EX: One's Path > Lion's Roar - Wrath.
- Basic: Crushing Peaks (hold) > Toppling Mountain (finisher).
- Ult: The World Trembles (buffer EX post).
- Repeat/Extension loop.
Easy Starter: Hold Special in Wrath (auto-sequence) for casual play.
Materials
Promotion (Lv. 60):
| Material | Amount |
|---|---|
| Basic Rupture Certification Seal | 4 |
| Advanced Rupture Certification Seal | 32 |
| Arbiter Certification Seal | 30 |
| Denny | 800,000 |
Skills (All Max):
| Material | Amount |
|---|---|
| Basic Burn Chip | 25 |
| Advanced Burn Chip | 75 |
| Specialized Burn Chip | 250 |
| Hamster Cage Pass | 5 |
| Crimson Miasma Spike | 9 |
| Higher Dimensional Data: Miasmic Elytron | 60 |
| Denny | 2,905,000 |
Farm: Combat Simulation (Chips/Seals), Hollow Zero (Spikes/Data), Events (Hamster Cage).
Mindscape Cinema (Constellations)
Banyue's Mindscapes are underwhelming overall; prioritize W-Engine > copies. M1 boosts Fire RES Shred/Sheer DMG (solid early). Higher ones add niche buffs but conflict with teams; M6 enables extreme burst but not essential.
Pull Advice: Pull if you love his playstyle/master combos and need Fire Rupture DPS. Skip for broader utility (e.g., upcoming 2.5 units). F2P-friendly with Grill/Puzzle.