Zenless Zone Zero difficulty modes explained

Zenless Zone Zero is now available on different platforms as miHoYo’s latest free-to-play title, and it offers a host of innovative features for players.

The developers have once again ensured the implementation of cross-play, which is also found in previous releases like Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail. The combat system in Zenless Zone Zero is very different from Honkai Star Rail, and you might require a bit of time to get used to all the mechanics. Thankfully, there’s a highly flexible difficulty system in the game that’s available during all missions.

Does Zenless Zone Zero allow you to change difficulty

There are two modes of difficulty available within the game – Casual and Challenge. You come across the two choices right after the tutorial, where you have to complete the first story mission. The game does a good job of giving brief explanations about what each mode offers and how players should select the one better suited for them.

The Casual mode is similar to an easy or story mode, where combat becomes a lot simpler. The main focus is to help you get a taste of the story, and it’s indeed quite enjoyable. However, the fights take time and effort, as you’ll still have to pay attention to your enemies and squad composition.

The Challenge mode is ideally meant for more experienced players. In the Challenge mode, fights are harder to complete. This difficulty setting might feel a bit overwhelming for some at first, as the enemies are harder to kill.

Thankfully, you can change the difficulty before beginning any mission. Even if you complete a certain quest in Casual mode, you can opt for Challenge mode to complete the next mission. This allows you to test which is the perfect mode for you.

Is the Zenless Zone Zero Casual mode different from the Challenge mode

If the explanation in the section above hasn’t made it clear, the two modes are different. However, the main difference is mainly in terms of the enemies’ health. In Challenge mode, the same enemies become a lot harder to kill as their health pool becomes larger.

There’s no additional reward if you aim to complete the game at a harder difficulty. In many ways, playing in Challenge mode is more about your self-satisfaction rather than earning more rewards. In terms of the style of combat, I found a lot of similarities with games like Honkai Impact 3rd and Punishing Gray Raven. If you have experience with such games, make sure to try Challenge mode.

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