Case File #zero
A TierZero Build Guide
Esper Zero is a burst-oriented Sub-DPS who frontloads damage into their Ultimate and Skill, giving them strong burst potential as they naturally stack Awakening effects over time. Because that burst window is also their main and usually best damage source, Zero shines as a carry-through-the-game Sub-DPS rather than an endgame hypercarry, which lands them in A tier.
Strengths
- Skill instantly fills Cycle Energy, letting Zero trigger Esper Cycles on demand
- Ultimate and Skill deal huge burst damage, especially with Awakening effects online
- Flexible pairing with both Lakshana and Anima teams to access Remora, Blossom, and Charge
- Solid free-Arc options like Day Off and The Forgotten keep them budget-friendly
- Scales well over time as Awakening bonuses accumulate
Weaknesses
- Damage is heavily frontloaded into Ultimate and Skill, so downtime feels weak
- Not an endgame hypercarry — better suited to Sub-DPS roles
- Best Arc, The Rain That Shook the World, is paid-only
- Basic Attack is low priority unless built as the Main DPS
- Skill loses damage against enemies at or above Zero's level
Best Arcs
Hypervortex: deals 30% increased Cosmos DMG with the wearer's Redirect Skill and Ultimate. Increases the wearer's Cycle Intensity by 36 for 15s after casting a Redirect Skill, resetting the duration when triggered again.
Eclipse: increases wearer's ATK by 30% and unlocks Arc: Eclipse. Arc: Eclipse creates a 40s Eclipse; during the Eclipse, each enemy defeated restores 6 Ultimate Energy, up to 5 times (cooldown: 300s).
Picture Frame: increases ATK by 20% when the wearer's HP is above 50%; increases DEF by 20% when HP is below 50%.
Best Cartridge
Epic (2): Cosmos DMG +10%. Legendary (4): Ignores 25% of enemies' DEF for 20s after the wearer casts Ultimate. Effect does not stack.
Best Main Stat: CRIT Rate or Cycle Intensity
- CRIT Rate is the general pick — it makes Zero's short burst combos more consistent
- Cycle Intensity is viable when Zero is slotted into a full quickswap team with enough Esper Cycles to benefit from it
Module Layout
Required Modules
Bonus: Type III (+10% ATK)
Total Bonus: +40% Attack
Substat Priority
- This layout activates Lost Radiance's 4-piece effect while maximizing bonus Module value
- Prioritize sub stats in the listed order to improve Zero's damage output
- Sub stat priority: CRIT DMG and CRIT Rate are top picks, followed by Cycle Intensity and DMG, with ATK% last
Best Teams
Zero takes the Sub-DPS slot alongside Jiuyuan to deal damage behind Main DPS Nanally. The trio easily triggers the Blossom Esper Cycle, which Jiuyuan can empower, while Sakiri provides crowd control, ATK buffs, and access to the Hexed Esper Cycle.
Zero
Sub-DPS
Burst Sub-DPS who frontloads damage with Ultimate and Skill and instantly triggers Esper Cycles.
Nanally
Main DPS
Primary damage dealer; swap to Mint if you do not own Nanally.
Jiuyuan
Sub-DPS
Empowers the Blossom Esper Cycle and keeps Lethal Rose Pact uptime.
Sakiri
Support
Provides crowd control and ATK buffs, and enables the Hexed Esper Cycle.
Alternatives
Open with Jiuyuan's Skill, then Sakiri's Hold Skill and Ultimate to set up buffs and crowd control
Use Esper Zero's Skill followed by their Ultimate to dump burst damage
Swap to Nanally to trigger Blossom, then use Nanally's Skill and Ultimate and spam Normal Attacks
Close the rotation with Jiuyuan's Ultimate to keep Lethal Rose Pact active
If running Mint instead of Nanally, spam Mint's Skill thanks to its low cooldown; the rest of the rotation is unchanged
- The team easily triggers the Blossom Esper Cycle, which Jiuyuan can empower for extra damage
- Sakiri enables an additional Hexed Esper Cycle damage avenue
- Swap Adler in if you prefer a more defensive support
Skill Priority
Appraisal (Basic Attack)
Can be leveled later as a burst unit, but is worth leveling alongside the Skill if you play Zero as the Main DPS.
Rift Blossom (Support Skill)
Nice for bonus DMG but leveled last, since most of Zero's damage comes from other sources.
Appraise and Engrave (Skill)
Level next since Zero uses this about as frequently as the Ultimate, and it instantly fills Cycle Energy.
Divice by Zero (Ultimate)
Max this first — most of Zero's damage comes from using the Ultimate as often as possible.
Awakening Priority
Anomalies Record
Five-star priority. Sets up Zero's Ultimate for more damage thanks to extra CRIT Rate. Get this first.
Undecided Factors
Second-priority Awakening that improves the damage of Zero's Ultimate.
Deceptive Liberation
Improves Zero's Skill damage, making their damage more reliable. Get this third.
Finding the Calling
Helps facilitate using Zero's Ultimate more often. Get this fourth.
Theopneustos
Provides bonus ATK when Zero's Support Skill is triggered — a good quality-of-life pick.
Blooming Gaze
Deals additional damage to lower-level enemies. Good to have but low priority.
How to Play
Zero plays as a quickswap burst Sub-DPS: use their Skill to instantly refill Cycle Energy, dump the Ultimate for massive damage, then swap into a Lakshana or Anima teammate to trigger Remora or Blossom. Pairing with both reaction types unlocks Charge, which converts hits on Remora-affected enemies into Ultimate Energy for your DPS.
Rotations
- 1If a Lakshana or Anima teammate has full Cycle Energy, start combat with them active, then swap to Esper Zero to immediately trigger Remora or Bloom
- 2Use Esper Zero's Skill to immediately fill Cycle Energy; cast the Ultimate if available for massive damage
- 3After using the Skill and filling Cycle Energy, swap to a Lakshana or Anima teammate to trigger Remora or Bloom
- 4If you have both a Lakshana and an Anima teammate and already triggered one reaction, trigger the other to activate Charge and gain Ultimate Energy
- 5Sample full rotation: Jiuyuan Skill → Sakiri Hold Skill → Sakiri Ultimate → Esper Zero Skill → Esper Zero Ultimate → Swap to Nanally (Blossom Trigger) → Nanally Skill → Nanally Ultimate → Spam Normal Attacks → Jiuyuan Ultimate
Tips
- Use Skill to quickly trigger Esper Cycles — Appraise and Engrave deals damage and fully charges Cycle Energy
- Level Zero to the cap whenever possible; their Skill deals an extra instance of damage to enemies below their level
- Team up with Lakshana characters to apply Remora, lowering enemy movement and attack speed
- Team up with Anima characters to trigger Blossom, placing Vita Buds that fire Vita Pistils at enemies
- Use both Lakshana and Anima to access Charge, granting Ultimate Energy when Vita Pistils hit Remora-affected enemies
- Use the Ultimate to deal massive damage, especially once the correct Awakening effects are unlocked