Claret is the first Armorer in Zenless Zone Zero, an S-Rank Electric main DPS who breaks two long-standing build rules at once. Her damage scales off DEF instead of ATK, and her kit rewards CRIT Rate well past the usual 100% ceiling. If you build her like a normal attacker, she feels weak. Build her around DEF and CRIT Rate, and she hits like a freight train.
Quick answer: Equip Crimson Thirst, run 4-piece Thorned Rose with a 2-piece Woodpecker Electro set, and pair her with Roxy and Rina. Hit at least 1,800 initial DEF first, then stack CRIT Rate as high as your gear allows.
How Claret’s DEF scaling and multi-CRIT work
Claret’s Core Passive, Pale Blood Feast, converts all of her skill damage into Sharp DMG and uses DEF as the damage multiplier. That single rule is why her build looks different from every other carry. DEF is both her damage stat and her survival stat, so there is no trade-off between hitting hard and staying alive.
The second rule change is multi-CRIT. When Claret lands a critical hit, Laceration DMG replaces the normal CRIT DMG in the calculation. Her Laceration multiplier is fixed at 150% and cannot be raised with CRIT DMG bonuses. Once her CRIT Rate rises above 100%, the excess becomes the chance for a second Laceration check on the same hit. In practice, 140% CRIT Rate means a guaranteed crit plus a 40% shot at a bonus crit.
There is also a smaller conversion worth knowing. Her Core Skill turns initial CRIT DMG into extra CRIT Rate, granting roughly 0.35% CRIT Rate for every 1% initial CRIT DMG. That keeps CRIT DMG as a useful secondary stat even though it never touches her Laceration multiplier.
Gash and Maim: the build-and-spend loop
Claret’s damage runs on a debuff she applies herself. Her Sharp DMG fills an enemy’s Gash gauge, and when the gauge is full the target gains one stack of Gash. Enemies can hold up to three stacks at once.
She then spends those stacks. Certain Blood Blossom Oath attacks consume one Gash stack to trigger Maim, a burst of extra Electric DMG that also grants her one Personal Resource. Personal Resources feed her main finisher, EX Special Attack: Blood Burial Onslaught, which gains 6.5% more damage for every resource consumed and empties the stock when used. The whole point is to build several Maim triggers first, then fire the empowered finisher during the burst window.
Her transformation drives all of this. Spending 60 Sharpness on EX Special Attack: Blood-Forged Edge turns her hammer into a blood axe and enters Crimson Inscription for 16 seconds. That timer stops decreasing while she is off field, so you can swap out to a teammate and return with part of the state still running.
Best W-Engine for Claret
Because Armorer is a brand-new Specialty, Claret’s weapon pool is small, and her signature is the clear pick. Crimson Thirst carries a Base DEF of 431 and a DEF% secondary stat, both of which feed straight into her damage. Its Bloodthirst effect raises CRIT Rate by up to 35% and Electric DMG by up to 25%, then adds up to 16% Electric Sharp DMG for 40 seconds whenever she uses an EX Special Attack or triggers Maim.
If you do not have the signature, the fallbacks still lean on DEF. Here is how the options compare.
| W-Engine | Rarity | Main / Sub | Why it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimson Thirst | S-Rank (signature) | Base DEF / DEF% | Best in slot. Adds CRIT Rate, Electric DMG, and Electric Sharp DMG. |
| Bloodmarrow Coffer | A-Rank | Base DEF / DEF% | Recommended A-Rank alternative when the signature is unavailable. |
| Catty Luck | A-Rank | Base DEF / DEF% | Backup option; stacks DEF% on EX Special Attack use. |
Best Drive Discs and stat targets
The best set is 4-piece Thorned Rose with a 2-piece Woodpecker Electro pairing. Thorned Rose is built for her kit. The 2-piece bonus grants DEF +16%, and the 4-piece adds 15% DMG plus up to 16% CRIT Rate once initial DEF reaches 1,800. That CRIT Rate breakpoint is the reason DEF and CRIT Rate feed each other on her sheet.
For the 2-piece slot, Woodpecker Electro is the top pick to help push CRIT Rate, though several 2-piece options land close together and a single substat roll often decides the winner. Set your main stats as below.
| Slot | Main stat |
|---|---|
| Disc 4 | CRIT Rate |
| Disc 5 | PEN Ratio |
| Disc 6 | DEF% |
| Substat priority | CRIT Rate > DEF% > CRIT DMG > PEN > DEF |
PEN Ratio matters more than usual on Claret because it scales well with her Gleaming Edge Unveiled state and pairs strongly with Rina. Aim for these numbers in order of importance.
| Stat | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Initial DEF | 1,800 (breakpoint) | 1,800–2,000+ |
| Initial CRIT Rate | 50%+ | 65–80%+ |
| In-combat CRIT Rate | 100%+ | 120–150%+ |
| PEN Ratio | 24% | 24%+ before buffs |
Reach the 1,800 initial DEF breakpoint first, since it unlocks the full Thorned Rose CRIT Rate bonus. After that, chase CRIT Rate as hard as your gear allows. Because the second Laceration check reads CRIT Rate beyond 100%, values up to around 200% keep adding damage, but you must clear 100% first for the bonus check to fire at all.
Skill upgrade priority
Level her Core Skill first, since it governs her Sharp DMG, DEF scaling, Gash, Maim, and CRIT mechanics all at once. Her Special and EX Special come next, since they control Crimson Inscription and the Blood Burial Onslaught finisher.
| Order | Skill | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Core Skill | Controls Sharp DMG, DEF scaling, Gash, Maim, and CRIT. |
| 2 | Special Attack | Enters Crimson Inscription and delivers her burst finisher. |
| 3 | Basic Attack / Chain Attack | Empowered combos and Gash application in her rotation. |
| 4 | Assist / Dodge | Useful but less central; upgrade last. |
Best teams for Claret
Claret’s Additional Ability, Bloodline Legacy, activates when another Stun or Armorer character joins the squad. That teammate helps stack Gash faster and can trigger Maim of their own, so her ideal partners are a Stunner and a Support that boosts PEN Ratio.
| Team | Members | Role of partners |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | Claret, Roxy, Rina | Roxy adds CRIT Rate buffs and reliable Stun; Rina provides team buffs and PEN Ratio. |
| Alternative | Claret, Norma, Rina | Norma covers the Stun role; Rina buffs offense and PEN Ratio. |
| F2P | Claret, Anby, Nicole | Anby handles Stun windows; Nicole reduces DEF and groups enemies. |
In every version Claret stays the on-field carry. Let your Stunner and Support prepare Daze, Gash, and buffs, then bring her in for the main damage window. Her basic gameplay loop is straightforward once you have it: apply buffs, build Daze and Gash, enter Crimson Inscription, trigger Maim, gain Personal Resources, then fire Blood Burial Onslaught.
Mindscape Cinema breakdown
Claret has a complete kit at M0, which is welcome news if you only want one copy. If you do invest, M2 is the recommended stopping point because it directly boosts her damage loop through Electric RES ignore and Sharpness recovery on Maim.
| Mindscape | Effect |
|---|---|
| M1 | Raises Gash buildup by 15% on Sharp Explosion; adds stacking CRIT Rate when the squad applies Gash. |
| M2 | Blood Blossom Oath attacks ignore 35% of the target’s Electric RES; squad Maim triggers recover Sharpness. |
| M3 | Basic Attack, Dodge, Assist, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2. |
| M4 | Dodging during Crimson Inscription preserves her current Basic Attack combo count. |
| M5 | Basic Attack, Dodge, Assist, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2. |
| M6 | Chain Attack or Ultimate heavy hits trigger single-target Maim without consuming Gash. |
At full investment, her damage scales sharply. A maxed M6W5 build stacked with team buffs can push single chain-attack hits past 24 million, thanks to DEF scaling, multi-CRIT, and the compounding Maim triggers her kit and Mindscapes provide.
Upgrade materials
Fully building Claret from level 50 to 60 and maxing her skills draws on the standard Shock Chip line plus Armorer-specific seals. Keep an eye on the Blade Bearer Certification Seal, since it is the specialty drop tied to her kit.
| Material | Total |
|---|---|
| Basic Shock Chip | 25 |
| Advanced Shock Chip | 75 |
| Specialized Shock Chip | 250 |
| Beginner Armorer Certification Seal | 4 |
| High-Grade Armorer Certification Seal | 32 |
| Blade Bearer Certification Seal | 30 |
| Hamster Cage Pass | 5 |
| Denny | 3,705,000 |
The build itself is simple once the two core facts click. Treat DEF the way you would treat ATK on any other carry, and never stop buying CRIT Rate at 100%. Get those right, hit the 1,800 DEF breakpoint for Thorned Rose, and Claret turns into a front-line anchor who holds the field and keeps detonating Maim through her entire damage window.
