Hoyoverse is stirring up the meta in Zenless Zone Zero once again. After removing the Wind attribute during early beta, the long-rumored element is finally making its comeback. Leaks from the 2.8 beta point to a full Wind Attribute rollout in the near future — likely tied to version 2.8 or the lead-up to 3.0 — complete with brand-new anomaly mechanics that could reshape team-building and endgame content.
What Is the Wind Element?
Wind was scrapped pre-launch in favor of Ether to better fit New Eridu’s cyberpunk-apocalyptic vibe. Now it’s returning as a full-fledged attribute focused heavily on Anomaly play. Unlike standard elements, Wind builds its own unique gauge that triggers:
- Weathered: Interrupts enemies and deals massive Wind DMG.
- Erosion: Boosts the target’s received Wind Direct DMG by 10% for 20 seconds (a unique multiplier that doesn’t affect Anomaly DMG).
- Catalysis (Wind’s version of Disorder): A specialized reaction that replaces or blocks normal Disorder in many cases, forcing teams to adapt.
Early beta footage shows Wind anomaly “locking” enemies into debuff states that older anomaly units struggle to trigger properly.
The Big Question: Will It Force New W-Engine Pulls?
Short answer: Yes — at least for optimal performance on debut characters.
W-Engines in ZZZ are locked behind two key gates: Specialty (Attack, Stun, Anomaly, etc.) and Element/Attribute. Many signature engines provide powerful element-specific bonuses like +Wind DMG%, ignore DEF on Wind hits, or unique passives that only activate with the matching attribute.
Just like the Rupture specialty and Auric Ink introduced in version 2.0, existing W-Engines simply won’t cut it for Wind-focused agents. Leaks confirm that none of the current W-Engines will be optimally usable on the first wave of Wind characters.
- DPS-focused Wind agents will feel the strongest pressure to pull their signature S-rank W-Engine (or the new batch of element-specific engines dropping alongside them).
- Support or sub-DPS roles might get away with stat-stick options (high ATK% or CRIT), but the power gap will be noticeable in Shiyu Defense, Deadly Assault, or high-difficulty Hollow Zero runs.
- Generalist engines exist, but they’re usually a noticeable downgrade for new attributes.
This is classic Hoyoverse gacha design: introduce a shiny new element, drop dedicated W-Engines on the banner, and watch the Polychrome flow.
Who’s Coming With the Wind?
Early leaks highlight several Wind-heavy characters:
- Promeia (likely the S-rank Anomaly or Attack debut) — flashy kit with heavy Wind anomaly focus.
- Nangong Yu — teased in 2.7 banners as a potential Wind enabler.
- Velina and Norma — rumored as core pieces for dedicated Wind teams, complete with elegant fan-based attacks and massive Wind DMG multipliers.
Expect new banners, new W-Engines, and possibly even Wind-specific Drive Disc sets in the coming patches.
F2P/Low-Spender Advice
You can clear content without the newest engines — ZZZ has always been generous with A-rank options and event rewards. But if you want comfortable top clears or to future-proof your account for the Wind meta shift, start saving now. The power curve for new elements is steepest in the first 1–2 patches until more generalist support arrives.
Comments