Nicole Agent Zenless Zone Zero | [Guide & Builds] ❤️

Agent	Attribute	Rank	Fighting Style	Faction	Role	Weapon
	Ether	A	Support	Gentle House AKA Cunning Hares	Support	Guns

Nicole is an A-Rank character in Zenless Zone Zero, known for her Ether attribute and Support fighting style. As the leader of the Cunning Hares faction, she brings cunning strategies and valuable support skills to any team. Nicole’s all-or-nothing approach makes her a unique and formidable ally in battles. Explore her skills, strengths, weaknesses, and best builds below.

Nicole’s Skills

Nicole excels in providing support and debuffs to enemies, making her an invaluable asset in team compositions. Her skill set focuses on reducing enemy defenses and enhancing the team’s Ether damage.

Basic Attacks	Skill Name	Description
	Cunning Combo	Press to activate. Unleashes up to 3 strikes, dealing Physical DMG.
	Do As I Please	After using a Special Attack, EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or Ultimate, Nicole can reload, and here Basic Attack and Dash Attack are enhanced, increasing the power of her bullets.

Dodge Skills	Skill Name	Description
	Speed Demon	Press to activate. A rapid dodge. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. Move the joystick to dodge, then hold to reload while dodging, enhancing Basic Attacks and Dash Attacks up to 8 times.
	Jack in the Box	When moving the joystick during a dodge, press to dash in the target direction and strike nearby enemies, dealing Physical DMG. When not moving the joystick during a dodge, press to vault backward and launch a ranged strike against enemies in front, dealing Physical DMG. Automatically reloads after the attack to enhance her Basic Attack and Dash Attack, up to 8 times.
	Diverted Bombard	Press during a Perfect Dodge to activate. Dodge backwards and send a ranged strike at enemies in front, dealing Ether DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. Automatically reloads after the attack to enhance Basic Attack and Dash Attack up to 8 times.

Assist Skills	Skill Name	Description
	Cat’s Paw	When the on-field character is launched, press to activate. Slashes enemies in front, dealing Physical DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. Automatically reloads after the attack to enhance her Basic Attack and Dash Attack, up to 8 times.
	The Hare Strikes Back!	When the character on field is about to be attacked, press to activate. Parries the enemy’s attack, dealing massive Daze. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
	Window of Opportunity	Press after a Defensive Assist to activate. Charge and bombard enemies, dealing Ether DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Special Attacks	Skill Name	Description
	Sugarcoated Bullet	Press to activate. Unleashes a ranged strike against enemies in front, dealing Ether DMG. Anti-Interrupt level is increased while using this skill. Automatically reloads after the attack to enhance Basic Attack and Dash Attack up to 8 times.
	Stuffed Sugarcoated Bullet	When Nicole has enough Energy, press to activate. A powerful ranged strike, generating an energy field that pulls enemies towards its center to deal Ether DMG. Hold down to charge up this attack, during which a small energy field is generated at the muzzle as Energy is consumed, dealing bonus DMG to enemies nearby. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. A Reactive Assist is triggered when this skill hits an enemy. Automatically reloads after the attack to enhance Basic Attack and Dash Attack up to 8 times.

Chain Attack	Skill Name	Description
	Ether Shellacking	When a Chain Attack is triggered, select the character to activate. Unleashes a powerful ranged strike at enemies in a small area, generating an energy field that pulls enemies towards its center to deal Ether DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. A Reactive Assist is triggered when this skill hits an enemy. Automatically reloads after the attack to enhance Basic Attack and Dash Attack up to 8 times.

Nicole Pros & Cons

Understanding Nicole’s strengths and weaknesses is crucial to using her effectively in Zenless Zone Zero. Here’s a detailed look at what makes her shine and where she falls short.

Pros

Can apply a very large Defense Shred debuff on enemies increasing the damage they take considerably.
Increases the entire squads’ Ether damage by 25% while her Additional Ability is active.
She’s free!
One of the only characters that synergizes with characters such as Billy and Nekomata due to the limited roster of characters on release in 1.0.

Cons

There are no Ether damage characters for Nicole to support on release, but this will quickly change with the release of Zhu Yuan – still, for now, her Ether boost is only useful for herself.
Requires specific timing or constant swapping to maintain good uptime of DEF shred debuff on enemies due to its low duration.

Nicole’s Mindscapes

Mindscapes are special abilities that enhance Nicole’s performance in combat. These abilities can be unlocked and leveled up to increase her effectiveness on the battlefield. Here’s a look at Nicole’s Mindscapes:

Mindscape	Description
M1: Supercharged Bomb	The DMG and the Anomaly Buildup inflicted by Nicole’s EX Special Attack increases by 16%. For each additional 0.1s of charging when Nicole activates her EX Special Attack, the duration of the energy field created at the target location increases by 0.15s.
M2: Charging Device	Nicole recovers 5 Energy when Core Passive: Mechanical Case’s debuff is triggered. This effect can trigger once every 15s.
M3: A Hare’s Cunning	Basic Attack, Dodge, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2.
M4: Field Expansion	When Nicole uses her EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or Ultimate, the diameter of the energy field generated at the target location is increased by 3m.
M5: Industry Star	Basic Attack, Dodge, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2.
M6: Corrupting Energy Field	When Nicole’s energy fields deal DMG to an enemy, all squad members CRIT Rate against that enemy increases by 1.5%, stacking up to 10 times, and lasting 12s. The duration of each stack is calculated separately.

Nicole Detailed Stats (Level 60)

Nicole’s stats at max level provide insight into her combat capabilities. These stats determine her effectiveness in battle and help players understand how to best utilize her skills.

Stat	Value
HP	8147.1
DEF	623.2
ATK	649.17
CRIT Rate	5%
CRIT DMG	50%
PEN Ratio	0%
Impact	88
Anomaly Mastery	90
Anomaly Proficiency	93
Energy Regen	1.56

Nicole Best Builds

Building Nicole to her full potential involves selecting the right W-Engines and Disk Drive sets. Here’s a look at the best options for maximizing her performance.

Best W-Engines

W-Engines are essential for enhancing Nicole’s abilities, providing unique passive effects and stat boosts. Here are the top choices for Nicole:

	W-Engine	Description
	Weeping Cradle	While off-field, Energy Regen increases by 0.6/0.75/0.9/1.05/1.2 per second. Attacks from the equipper enhance the squad’s DMG against a struck target by 10/12.5/15/17.5/20% for 3 seconds. During this period, this effect is further increased by 1.7/2/2.5/3/3.3% every 0.5s, up to a maximum additional increase of 10.2/12/15/18/19.8%. Repeated triggers only refresh its duration without refreshing the DMG increase effect. Passive effects of the same name do not stack.
	The Vault	Dealing Ether DMG using an EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or Ultimate increases all squad members’ DMG against the target by 15/17.5/20/22/24% and increases the equipper’s Energy Regen by 0.5/0.58/0.65/0.72/0.8 per second for 2s. Passive effects of the same name do not stack.
	[Reverb] Mark II	Launching an EX Special Attack or Chain Attack increases all squad members’ Anomaly Mastery and Anomaly Proficiency by 10/12/13/15/16 for 10s. This effect can trigger once every 20s. Passive effects of the same name do not stack.
	[Reverb] Mark III	Launching a Chain Attack or Ultimate increases all squad members’ ATK by 8/9/10/11/12% for 10s. This effect can trigger once every 20s. Passive effects of the same name do not stack.
	Unfettered Game Ball	Whenever the equipper’s attack triggers an Attribute Counter effect, all squad members’ CRIT Rate against the struck enemy increases by 12/13.5/15.5/17.5/20% for 12s. The bonuses triggered by the same type of passive effects do not stack.

Best Disk Drives Sets

Disk Drives are critical for boosting Nicole’s stats and abilities. Combining the right sets can significantly enhance her performance:

	Disk Drive Set	Description
	Swing Jazz	(2) Energy Regen increases by 20%. (4) Launching a Chain Attack or Ultimate increases all squad members’ DMG by 15% for 12s. Passive effects of the same name do not stack.
	Freedom Blues	(2) Increases Anomaly Proficiency by 30. (4) Whenever a Chain Attack or Ultimate is launched, all squad members’ DMG is increased by 10% for 12s. Passive effects of the same name do not stack.
	Hormone Punk	(2) Increases ATK by 15%. (4) When an enemy is defeated, all squad members’ DMG is increased by 10% for 12s. Passive effects of the same name do not stack.

Nicole’s Team Synergy

Nicole’s synergy with other characters can greatly enhance team performance. Here are some of the best characters to pair with Nicole:

Nekomata

Nicole and Nekomata enable each other’s Additional Ability, opening up the last slot of a team member to your choice. Nicole also provides Nekomata an incredibly impactful Defense Shred debuff on enemies which when timed right can significantly increase Nekomata’s total damage output.

Billy

Billy’s biggest issue is his access to good synergistic supportive options, especially ones that can enable his additional ability if possible. Fortunately for Billy, while there aren’t any Physical supports in 1.0, Nicole is a support who shares a faction with Billy.

Nicole’s Teams

If a column has multiple characters, the bigger one is the priority choice for the team while the smaller ones are alternatives. If they are the same size, either of them can be used.

Nicole Team #1

Nekomata – DPS
Lycaon
Koleda
Ben – STUN
Nicole – SUPPORT

Nicole Team #2

Billy – DPS
Lycaon
Koleda
Ben – STUN
Nicole – SUPPORT

Nicole is a versatile support character who can provide significant buffs and debuffs, enhancing the team’s overall performance in battle. With the right team composition and build, Nicole can be a powerful asset in Zenless Zone Zero, helping to turn the tide of battle in your favor.