Zenless Zone Zero Celebrates Its First Anniversary Again with a New Story Chapter

The past month—wow, has it been crazy hot—like literally and figuratively for Zenless Zone Zero. They kicked off their first anniversary not long ago (somewhere close to 30 days?) by finally dropping the game on Xbox. Felt like forever waiting for that. And yes, the 2.0 update was a thing. Big stuff.

But, hang on a sec. If you’ve been vibing with this sci-fi RPG, you know the real anniversary is all about July. July 4, to be precise. So, yeah—no one’s complaining about a surprise patch and a whole new story arc. Just take it and run, right?

Fast forward (or slow, depending on your timezone chaos), today’s July 4. The actual one-year bash for Zenless Zone Zero. HoYoverse is bringing the party again with a chunky patch. But plot twist: it’s only the reveal day for update 2.1, which they’re sneakily calling "The Impending Crash of Waves." Kinda dramatic, isn’t it? But hey, it’s not coming out till the 16th. Gotta wait again!

So what’s in this teaser of a teaser? Two new places to get lost in: Sailume Bay and Fantasy Resort. There’s a brand-new faction, too, with the Spook Shack gang—a nod to the underwater vibes this update seems to be about. Maybe it’s an ocean thing? But Sailume Bay is supposed to be where all the action kicks off, with Fantasy Resort being the drop spot for summer stories and events. Beach stuff, maybe.

And agents! Can’t forget those. We’ve got Ukinami Yuzuha—like, a top-tier boss with a tanuki that tosses candy bombs. Which, honestly, sounds like it’d either be really fun or chaotic in a sugar-rush kind of way. Then there’s Alice Thymefield. Total sword wizard. She’s fast, like, blink-and-you-miss-it fast, boosting her Blade Etiquette for power hits.

Oh, and not to leave new friends out, there’s Miss Esme—another high-ranking player, popping up when 2.1 finally lands. Plus, a rerun of old pals like Void Hunter Miyabi and Yanagi.

If you haven’t checked out the latest codes for July, do yourself a favor and catch up. That’s where the good stuff often hides.