Zenless Zone Zero Deadly Assault Guide | August 2026

Soft tip: if your Anomaly bench still needs Burnice copies, her signature, or a second DPS for the other two nodes, Zenless Zone Zero Monochrome top-up on XPTopup delivers to UID and server only.

Deadly Assault 9-Star Teams (August 2026)

Updated on 2026-08-05: Version 3.1 Phase I bosses live; Trial Mode 9 Stars unlocks Adversity Mode for extra cosmetics and Investigation Certificates.

Each node’s “best” score on the hub can come from a different run. For a single 9★ push, Agents still cannot overlap.

Per-node star cutoffs stay the same every cycle:

Nine stars means 3★ on all three nodes. Agents cannot be reused across nodes, so roster depth wins over one stacked squad.

Official Phase I lineup for Version 3.1 (HoYoverse patch notes):

• Girtablullu - Stagnant Aberrant

• Notorious - Dead End Butcher

• Unknown Corruption Complex

Phase II and Phase III swap Ye Shiyuan the Thrall, Miasma Priest, Primordial Nightmare - "The Creator", and more Girtablullu variants later in the patch. Rebuild tables when those windows open.

Piper, Burnice, Lucy: Dead End Butcher Lane

This Sons of Calydon trio is the budget-friendly Anomaly clear for Dead End Butcher and any node that rewards Fire / Physical Disorder.

Why this team scores

Piper applies Physical Assault. Burnice applies Fire Burn from off-field. Disorder between those two anomalies prints the big score ticks you need past 20k. Lucy’s long ATK buff and low field time let Piper keep the blade spinning. Against bosses with room to stand off, Lucy’s Chain Attack lets you force a second Piper Chain in one stun window (Piper → Lucy cancel → Piper again). That double Chain is free damage if you practice the cancel.

Build notes that move the needle

Piper sample panel from a 9★ clear run: HP 9,819 · ATK 2,658 · Anomaly Mastery 150 · Anomaly Proficiency 366 · PEN Ratio 24%. Crit Rate stays low on purpose. You score through Assault and Disorder, not crit fishing.

Burnice wants her signature Flamemaker Shaker at Lv. 60 when you have it: Base ATK 713, ATK% substat, off-field Energy Regen, and stacked DMG after EX / Assist hits. Pair Anomaly disc sets that raise Proficiency and cut enemy Anomaly Buildup RES (Freedom Blues / Chaos Jazz style splits are common). Lucy can sit on support discs and a battery Engine; her job is buff uptime, not personal DPS.

How to Clear Deadly Assault for 9 Stars

1. Step 1: Open Deadly Assault → Trial. Read each node’s buff cards before you lock a team. Match Fire / Anomaly buffs to Piper–Burnice–Lucy. Put your strongest leftover hypercarry on the node that buffs its element.

2. Step 2: Assign three non-overlapping squads. Never park both Stun units on one node if that leaves another boss unstunnable.

3. Step 3: On Corruptive Barrier fights, use Defensive Assist. Assist breaks the barrier faster than raw attacks.

4. Step 4: Perfect Dodge or Perfect Assist the control-skill openers. Those dodges add score and keep your rotation alive.

5. Step 5: Front-load Lucy’s buff, plant Burnice’s Burn, then let Piper spin. Dump Chain Attacks and Ultimates inside the stun / Impaired window.

6. Step 6: Chase 20,000 on every node. Stopping at 14,000 leaves a star on the table and blocks Adversity Mode.

7. Step 7: After 9 Stars, open Adversity Mode for the limited animated avatar, title, namecard, and Investigation Certificates (Version 3.1 notes).

How to Get More Score and Polychrome

• Farm Drive Disc main stats before you blame the team. Underleveled discs cap you under 20k even with clean play.

• Pull or build a second and third DPS so Deadly Assault and Shiyu Defense stop sharing one carry. The Zenless Zone Zero free agent selector in Marcel Anniversary Gifts (through September 8, 2026) can fill a hole if you still lack Jane, Trigger, Lucia, or another limited S-Rank.

• Clear Summer Waves Roll In for Lucy’s free Princess on Holiday outfit and event Polychrome before September 7, 2026 server time.

• Redeem live codes and claim anniversary login Polychrome while 3.1 runs.

• When you sit one pity short of Burnice Mindscape, a signature Engine, or a node-2 hypercarry, top up Monochrome on XPTopup Zenless Zone Zero with UID + America / Asia / Europe / TW-HK-MO. No password.

FAQ

What score do you need for 9 stars in Deadly Assault?

You need 20,000 on each of the three nodes (3★ × 3). Total stars across Trial Mode must hit 9. Individual node cutoffs are 6,000 / 14,000 / 20,000.

Is Piper, Burnice, and Lucy good for Deadly Assault in 3.1?

Yes on nodes that reward Anomaly, Fire, or Physical Disorder, including Notorious - Dead End Butcher in Phase I. Piper holds the field, Burnice burns from off-field, Lucy buffs. Replace Lucy with Caesar if you want shields and stun help instead of raw ATK.

Can you reuse Agents across Deadly Assault nodes?

No. Each Agent can only appear on one node per attempt. Build three teams or you stall at 6–7 stars.

What is Adversity Mode in Version 3.1?

Adversity Mode unlocks after you earn 9 Stars in the current season’s Trial Mode. Hit the score targets there for a limited animated avatar, title, namecard, Investigation Certificates, and the Deadly Assault: Purge / Annihilator badge sets.

How often does the Deadly Assault boss list change?

Bosses and buff cards rotate by phase inside a version and again each season. Version 3.1 lists three phases on the official patch page. Rebuild teams when Phase II (Ye Shiyuan the Thrall, Miasma Priest) or Phase III (Primordial Nightmare - "The Creator") goes live.

Conclusion

Deadly Assault in August 2026 comes down to three teams, three buff reads, and 20,000 points per node. Park Piper, Burnice, and Lucy on the Disorder-friendly boss, put your Ice or premium hypercarry on the high-score node, and fill the third slot with whoever is left. Claim anniversary Agents if your bench is thin, finish Lucy’s summer event while it is free, and keep this page bookmarked when the Phase II list drops. When you need Monochrome for the next Anomaly piece, use XPTopup.