Should You Get Astra Yao in Zenless Zone Zero?

Astra Yao is the latest Agent added to Zenless Zone Zero in Version 1.5. She’s a new Ether Support Agent who blesses the party with the power of singing. But is she worth saving up your Polychromes to pull for?

Let’s first look at what Astra can do. Her moveset is mainly a ranged Ether-based moveset, as her vocals summon blasts of Ether into existence. Her moveset is heavily built around her Idyllic Cadenza stance, which locks her in place while she sings, but allows her to grant persistent buffs.

Astra Yao is Not a Great Solo Agent in Zenless Zone Zero

You get your first chance to experience Astra Yao in the latest story content for Zenless Zone Zero, which involves her entering the Ballet Twins Hollow to retrieve a rare concert recording. In this sequence, Astra doesn’t feel great to play. She’s sluggish in her attacks, and her Idyllic Cadenza stance only makes this worse.

While in Idyllic Cadenza, Astra cannot move aside from a backwards dodge activated through her Special Attack. Her basic attack also somehow gets slower in this stance. The only way to escape this stance is through holding the attack button, which slowly activates a long sweeping attack that lets her move again.

On this basis, it might seem like Astra is a weak character that’s worth skipping. However, Astra is not meant to be used alone.

Astra Shows Her Strength When Paired With Another Agent

While this initial impression isn’t great, this all changes once Evelyn enters the story. After all, Astra Yao is a Support Agent in Zenless Zone Zero. Her role is buffs and debuffs, and other Agents with the same Speciality also have similar weaknesses. Her strengths only begin to show when another Agent is present, preferably one focused on damage-dealing.

Evelyn’s presence instantly brings out a new side to Astra. With both Agents present, Astra can be called on to activate Idyllic Cadenza, and almost immediately, a Quick Assist will pop up which not only switches to Evelyn (or another party member) but it also buffs them. Astra will also stick around to indicate that her song is active, and these buffs continue as long as she is there. She also can’t be damaged in this situation, although she can still be switched to if necessary.

While Astra isn’t a great Agent to play as directly, her presence on the field is one that already shows promise. Of course, Evelyn was designed to work well with Astra, so it’s not necessarily an indication of Astra’s capabilities when other Agents are in the party.

Astra Yao is a Game Changer in a Full Zenless Zone Zero Party

I was fortunate enough to get Astra on my third pull after saving up plenty of Polychromes during Version 1.4. So naturally, I decided to test her out properly in the Combat Simulations at the HIA, and I was pleased to see that not only was she strong, she completely overhauls the pace of battle in a full party.

With two additional party members, Astra’s buffs not only make the party stronger, they also trigger constant Quick Assists. With the right party setup, battles with Astra on the field will see a relentless chain of boosted Assists backed by song. On top of this, her Ultimate has the ability to heal the entire party, something that no other Support Agent can currently do. In other words, Astra Yao is a character you definitely should try and obtain in Zenless Zone Zero.

How to Get the Best Out of Astra Yao in Zenless Zone Zero

In terms of setup for Astra, her signature W-Engine, Elegant Vanity, is naturally the best option. However, if you’re struggling to pull for it, there are two decent A-Rank options that work well for her. Nicole’s signature W-Engine, The Vault, is a strong option due to the increase in Ether DMG triggered by Chain Attacks. However, if this is also hard to obtain, Slice of Time from Box Galaxy has its benefits too, since it can boost Assist Attacks for the whole party, which Astra’s whole moveset is built around to begin with.

As for party setups, Astra is surprisingly versatile. She only needs to be matched with Attack or Anomaly characters to activate her passive abilities. Once Evelyn is released, she will naturally be a good fit based on how they work together in the story mode, but others are also strong. Zhu Yuan and Miyabi mutually benefit since their passive skills are activated with the presence of a Support Agent, and they’re already strong characters who benefit from Astra’s buffs.

Zenless Zone Zero is out now for PC, PS5 and mobile devices.