We always see the gacha game ads when we’re scrolling social media or browsing online. Developers and publishers promise ridiculous amounts of “free pulls” on banners. Given we all know this is the way to get the best characters in these types of games, it’s enticing. However, Zenless Zone Zero is frustrating, as it is one of those games where while you’ll hear about 180 free pulls, it genuinely feels like it takes forever to get them. I’ve been playing since launch on July 4, 2024, and I haven’t gotten them yet!
Now, to be fair, it is possible to get 180 free pulls in Zenless Zone Zero. This isn’t a case of false advertising. However, it is a situation where people need to be looking at the fine print. Part of that is because 100 of those are free pulls. These are done on the character and W-Engine banners. These can end up being a mixture of limited and Star-Studded Cast standard ones. Given the prevalence of B-Rank and A-Rank W-Engines flooding both, odds are you’ll end up with more of those weapons than you will A-Rank and S-Rank agents. (There is a pity system at 90 pulls on both, and the standard banner does guarantee you an S-Rank unit in your first 50 pulls upon starting the game as a bonus for beginners.) The remaining Boopons are the currency used on the Bangboo Channel Signal Searches for those supporting characters.
So right away, you need to know that the division means you aren’t just getting chances at playable characters, which is probably what you’d expect and want from that “180 free pulls” offer in Zenless Zone Zero. Right away, it’s disappointing. I knew that going in, so I wasn’t feeling as bad about that part as it took forever for more Encrypted Master Tapes for the limited banner and Polychromes I could put toward it rolled in as I played. But I had friends who aren’t as familiar with gacha games, but got lured in by the art style, expressing concerns. I can’t blame them! Clarity is important with something like this.
But there isn’t just a lack of clarity and forthrightness when it comes to the division of the 180 free pulls in Zenless Zone Zero at times. It can also be about the “how” and “when.” Some of these are tied to login events. Those are limited-time affairs, and they require someone to log-in daily. So if you don’t catch those, you miss 30 Encrypted Master Tapes and 10 Boopons. They also mean you have to stick with the game to be around for all of them as they run until August 13, 2024, which is a bummer.
Combine that with another 40 general gacha pulls via Encrypted Master Tapes and Master Tapes, 65 Bangboo Boopons, and 1,600 Polychromes tied to the Road to Proxy Greatness event, and that’s another major hit. You actually need to get invested to earn all of those. That’s because it is tied to the Inter-Knot level that only builds as you play by going through campaign missions, optional commissions, and runs through VR matches to get materials. This takes hours. Again, as I write this, I’ve been playing since launch. I still haven’t hit level 30 and gotten my last 1,600 Polychromes and 20 Boopons.
All this ties into yet another overarching issue with Zenless Zone Zero: pacing. I talked about this before. It takes a substantial amount of time to unlock all of the major features in the game. I’ve played Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and even some of Honkai Impact 3rd. I definitely feel, at the very least, that it took me way fewer hours to unlock everything I wanted and needed in Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. By the end of my first week playing, I was set. Two weeks later, and I feel sometimes like I’m still missing out with Zenless Zone Zero.
As a result, it really feels like HoYoVerse is abusing the “180 free pulls” line with Zenless Zone Zero. Even when the company does break it down a bit, so you can more clearly see it is divided into free pulls and Boopons.
Zenless Zone Zero is available for free for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices.
Published: Jul 17, 2024 04:00 pm