With Zenless Zone Zero – Version 2.8 Special Program just around the corner, developer HoYoverse decided to take a sneak peek at something further beyond. Enter Season 3 Outlook Dev Talk, almost 18 minutes of the team sharing on the things to come – new Element, new combat features, the story, some characters, and more.
“Season 3’s plot previews, combat system expansions, new gameplay modes, areas, systems, optimizations, and more information are waiting for you!”
Season 3 Outlook Dev Talk aka Insider’s Scoop Special Edition features many familiar faces such as Peng, the Narrative Designer, who revealed that the dormant power within the Proxies is slowly awakening, inching towards the edge of their control. Flint Porcelloy, a new material introduced in V2.7, became the protagonist’s latest goal.
And, since it has fallen into hands of Ramiel, the next step is pursuing and figuring her out: who is she? How much does she know? What is her connection to the Proxies? There are plenty of questions without answers – yet.
“The power hidden inside Phaethon all along, or what we call the legacy of Helios Academy, will officially make their appearance to everyone in the form of the Etheric Other, Pyrois. They will be just like any other Agent, supporting the Proxies in combat. Of course, this also means that the past events in Helios Academy will slowly surface and make their way to Phaethon in the story that follows, whether it be by chance or otherwise.”
Roscaelifer
In Season 3’s story, at the invitation of Velina and Norma, Proxies will officially make their way to the hidden city in the sky: the Bangboo utopia ruled by Lady Sunbringer, Roscaelifer. A dream city and a secluded sanctuary where Bangboo and humans live in harmony. The developers aim for warm nostalgia as the emotional tone to describe this new location.
The art team designed some hover cabs and double-decker buses that blend retro and futuristic styles to establish a daily ambience that is retro, yet technologically-savvy.
Game designer Xiaoyu then takes the stage. As the gameplay progresses, Proxies will uncover more stories about the Bangboo – after all, Lady Sunbringer is their creator – and as you restore and bring back more and more little Bangboo, you can also obtain a special gift to unlock a secret base.
Roscaelifer also has a special environmental phenomenon, Singularity Leakage, that warps the fabric of space in a localized area, briefly transforming it into an environment similar to a Hollow. Within this area, Proxies will find intricate pathways and shifting mechanisms, adding new experience to both exploration and combat.
Roscaelifer will also feature more areas where the Proxies’ hacking skills will see practical applications and value.
Combat & Gameplay
Game designer ZK joined the Dev Talk to talk about the ways Season brings fresh updates and better combat experience. In the upcoming Version 2.8, everyone will experience the changes brought by the new Wind attribute.
The new boss will enter a Wind Attribute Anomaly state during specific phases, and inflicting other Attribute Anomalies during this period will trigger a brand-new Vortex effect. Wind Attribute agents will get to show off their combat capabilities in Season 3.
Beyond the Wind Attribute, the developers also gathered feedback from working on the Rupture specilization and will use it in order to formulate and explore more possibilities regarding combat strategies and team synergy. Currently, the team is in the early conceptual phase of possible character mechanics, hoping it would provide more squad-building options, broadening the possibilities in combat.
The plan for enhancing older characters is also progressing steadily. More enhancemens and mechanical improvements of the already-released Agents to follow in Season 3. The team is also working on new enemies, combat mechanics, attack and defense skills for opponents. Such new skills may contain hidden designs that require players to seize the right timing and coordinate responses.
In Season 3, old enemies you’ve clashed with before are bringing brand-new, never-before-seen skills. On top of that, more casual game modes and mini-games are in development, like the Hotpot event in V2.7 or the camera events.
