Version 2.5 is the patch that finally puts both Ye Shunguang and Zhao on the field in Zenless Zone Zero, and they arrive together at the turn of the year.
Ye Shunguang and Zhao release date in Version 2.5
Version 2.5 of Zenless Zone Zero is scheduled to go live on December 30, 2025. Both headline Agents tied to this patch, Ye Shunguang and Zhao, are slated to become obtainable on that same date.
| Agent | Version | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ye Shunguang | 2.5 | December 30, 2025 | Debut banner in Phase 1, second Void Hunter |
| Zhao | 2.5 | December 30, 2025 | S‑Rank Ice Defense, obtainable during 2.5 |
The official 2.5 program, titled “To Be Fuel for the Night”, confirms that the version begins on December 30 and highlights both Agents as the faces of the update. The in‑game schedule follows the usual pattern: the version begins immediately after 2.4 ends, and character content linked to 2.5 becomes available with that switchover.
How long Version 2.5 and its phases are expected to run
Version timing drives how long each Agent’s banner and related events are available. For 2.5, there are two reasonable duration expectations:
| Scenario | Phase 1 window | Phase 2 window |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. 50‑day version | Dec 30, 2025 – Jan 21, 2026 | Jan 21, 2026 – Feb 17, 2026 |
| Six‑week version | Dec 30, 2025 – Jan 21, 2026 | Jan 21, 2026 – Feb 11, 2026 |
In both schedules, Phase 1 runs from launch on December 30 up to January 21. For Ye Shunguang, that Phase 1 window is the key date range for her banner and for any premium acquisition path tied to her.
How Ye Shunguang’s banner works in 2.5
Ye Shunguang is positioned as the main premium headliner of 2.5. She is a Honed Edge Attribute Attack Agent from the Yunkui Summit faction and is described as the second Void Hunter in the game after Hoshimi Miyabi.
Her banner is set to start in Phase 1 on December 30, 2025. Community discussion around the 2.5 schedule consistently treats her signal search as the central, limited banner of the patch, with other Agents running alongside her rather than replacing her mid‑version. References to her “getting five weeks channel” echo how Miyabi’s banner functioned in Version 1.4, where the Void Hunter‑level character effectively covered the entire patch.
Practically, that means:
- Her primary limited banner begins as soon as 2.5 goes live.
- She is treated as the main premium target for pulls across most or all of the version.
- Other banners or acquisition paths (including Zhao) are structured around that Void Hunter headliner status.
How Zhao is obtained in Version 2.5
Zhao is framed differently from Ye Shunguang. She is an S‑Rank Ice Defense Agent from the Krampus Compliance Authority, teased in the “A Moment’s Light” promo and shown applying Ice to her weapon and the battlefield, then triggering the Shatter effect. She is treated as an S‑Rank Agent rather than an event four‑star or a story‑only character.
Version 2.5’s benefits announcement spells out one important piece: during the event period, players can claim Zhao for free. It describes her as a “new limited S‑Rank Agent” that can be obtained at no cost while 2.5 is active, alongside other rewards such as:
- Jane’s swimsuit outfit
- A level 40 upgrade pack
- 1,000 Polychromes
- Sign‑in rewards like Encrypted Master Tape ×10 and Boopon ×10
Discussion in the community around the 2.5 beta and the drip order of announcements already anticipated this structure. Players expect Zhao to be available from the start of the patch, either via an event route or a special banner that is effectively subsidized by the free claim event. The comparison that comes up most often is Version 1.4, where Harumasa was given away while Miyabi anchored the sales‑focused banner.
That context leads to a simple expectation for 2.5:
- Zhao becomes claimable on December 30 when 2.5 begins.
- The free acquisition is tied to a 2.5 event rather than being permanently available.
- Her kit and materials behave like any other S‑Rank Agent once claimed.
How banners and availability likely mirror Version 1.4
Players looking at 2.5 often point to Version 1.4 as the template. In that earlier patch, Miyabi, another Void Hunter‑tier character, shared the spotlight with Harumasa. The key patterns were:
- Miyabi’s premium banner effectively spanned the entire version.
- Harumasa was provided for free through an event.
- Both characters’ banners or acquisition routes ran in parallel across the patch.
Discussion around Ye Shunguang and Zhao maps directly to that structure. A common expectation is that Ye Shunguang’s banner runs across the bulk of 2.5, while Zhao is claimable and potentially featured concurrently, giving players a full patch where both characters can be built into teams without waiting for a Phase 2 rotation.
That is also why many players refer to 2.5 as a “double banner” patch, not in the narrow sense of two standard limited banners swapping in sequence, but in the broader sense that two high‑value Agents are both obtainable for much of the version.
What kind of character Ye Shunguang is
Ye Shunguang is built as a high‑impact attacker who operates around a two‑form mechanic:
- Her standard form with brown hair.
- Her Qingming Form with white hair entered through the Enlightened Mind state.
While outside Enlightened Mind, she builds up a resource called Qingming Sword Force through her attacks, specific skills, and by interacting with an Ether Veil. At 6 stacks of Sword Force, holding the basic attack button shifts her into Enlightened Mind, or she can enter it directly with her Ultimate.
Inside Enlightened Mind:
- Her damage rises significantly, and her moveset is powered up.
- She has access to an Ultimate that does not consume Decibels, which changes how players plan rotations.
- Ending the state early, either by holding Special Attack or using the Ultimate, converts the remaining window into a large burst of Honed Edge damage.
Her Attribute, Honed Edge, is treated as a specialized form of Physical that triggers the Assault anomaly. That places her in the physical damage ecosystem while giving her Void Hunter‑style mechanics that lean on tempo and resource management rather than just raw uptime on the field.
Another important hook is her synergy with Ether Veil. Despite being tagged as an Attack Agent, she thrives when an Ether Veil is active. She can even generate one herself while in Enlightened Mind by dealing Honed Edge damage. When a Veil exists, she applies an additional form of vulnerability to enemies, pushing her toward lineups that can maintain Ether Veil presence and continuously exploit that debuff window.
What kind of character Zhao is
Zhao fills a very different role. She is an Ice Defense Agent under the Krampus Compliance Authority banner. Her in‑universe job is to investigate TOPS companies and enforce regulations, and she carries that no‑nonsense persona into combat.
Footage from her reveal shows several core themes:
- She coats her sword in Ice, then attacks in two distinct states, with and without the coating.
- She slams the ground to generate what appears to be an Ice “field” that behaves similarly to an Ether Veil, but with Ice properties.
- Her charged follow‑up in that field results in the Shatter keyword appearing, linking her kit tightly to the Ice attribute anomaly.
As a Defense Agent, Zhao is expected to contribute more through protection, buffs, and battlefield control than through pure personal DPS. Her Ice coating likely amplifies her own durability or crowd‑control effects, while the Ice field suggests party‑wide buffs or debuffs that other Ice or Shatter‑centric teammates can lean on.
She is also classified as an S‑Rank Agent, aligning her rarity with the other marquee characters in Zenless Zone Zero, even though her route into players’ accounts in 2.5 is partially handled through a free claim event.
Where Ye Shunguang and Zhao sit in the broader 2.5 lineup
Version 2.5 sits immediately after 2.4, which introduced Dialyn and Banyue. Those two helped flesh out Krampus Compliance Authority and other roles, but 2.5 shifts the focus to Void Hunters and the further expansion of Krampus’ roster.
In that context:
- Ye Shunguang extends the Void Hunter narrative thread that started with Miyabi, building out the Yunkui Summit side of the cast.
- Zhao expands Krampus Compliance Authority with a high‑profile S‑Rank Defense unit, complementing Dialyn’s presence in that faction.
On the gameplay side, the combination of a Physical‑variant attacker who thrives alongside Ether Veil and an Ice Defense support that interacts with Shatter gives players more flexibility in both physical and Ice‑oriented team construction. The free route to Zhao during 2.5 also means that players who concentrate their premium currency on Ye Shunguang can still walk away from the patch with a new S‑Rank to build.
For players planning pulls or routing their upgrade materials, the key facts are simple. Version 2.5 lands on December 30, 2025. Ye Shunguang’s premium debut starts with Phase 1 that same day and is expected to span much of the patch, and Zhao arrives at the same moment through a limited‑time free claim plus any event‑tied banners that sit alongside the Void Hunter headliner.
