Beta testing for version 2.3 of ZZZ is still underway, and this update includes numerous adjustments. Yidhari, Manato, and Lucia have all seen major tweaks to their stats, so let’s break down what’s new!
Lower Damage, Better Sustain for Yidhari
Yidhari is the next limited Ice Rupture Agent, and her damage centers around Sheer damage. Her core mechanic is HP manipulation, meaning she deals more damage the more HP she sacrifices while attacking. In earlier beta builds, her Ether Veil no longer provided sustain, leaving her only with two ways to recover health: her EX Special Attack and the third hit of her Basic Attack.
In the latest beta update, the devs seem to be balancing Yidhari by strengthening her survivability. Both her Charged Basic Attacks and her Additional Ability received a 5% boost to damage reduction.
They also tweaked her resource mechanics. Yidhari now gains 10 Adrenaline for every 1% HP lost through her Core Passive. Her first Mindscape was buffed, raising Adrenaline gain from 30 to 35, while her fourth Mindscape was slightly nerfed, dropping from 15% to 10%.
On the flip side, her overall damage took some cuts. Her Additional Ability now caps at a 30% Crit Damage bonus instead of 35%, and the Sheer damage from her final Mindscape dropped from 30% to 25%. But this change mainly affects high-investment players. Her Signature W-Engine also got toned down, now granting 7% Sheer damage per stack instead of 8%.
All in all, these changes appear to be a slight nerf. Yidhari didn’t really need extra help with damage reduction, as her mitigation was already strong in previous versions.
Lucia is Stronger than Ever
If Astra serves as the all-around support and Yuzuha shines as the go-to for Anomaly teams, then Lucia is clearly shaping up to be the Rupture specialist. The latest beta update only reinforces that role.
Unlike Yidhari, who saw a mix of buffs and nerfs, Lucia mostly received buffs this time around. This is a surprising move considering her kit was already quite strong.
To start, the HP buff from her Dreamscape now lasts 40 seconds instead of 30, giving her a much longer window of support. Her Sheer Force buff also became easier to build, requiring only 22k HP instead of 24k for the maximum bonus. On top of that, her Core Passive’s damage buff duration was extended from 8 to 12 seconds, improving her overall buff uptime. At M0, the only drawback is a slight nerf: her Aftershock cooldown increased from 6 to 8 seconds.
Higher investments bring even more value, as expected from a support unit. Her M1 now shreds 15% RES instead of 12%, while its Decibel regeneration dropped from 8% to 5%. This is still a buff, since RES Shred is especially valuable. Her fourth Mindscape Decibel generation was also toned down a bit. As for her W-Engine, its Energy regeneration nearly doubled, going from 0.24 to 0.5, while the damage buff dropped from 25% to 20%. To balance that, it now grants an additional 12% HP buff, making her even more valuable in Rupture teams.
Lucia also got some welcome quality-of-life changes. She can now trigger Quick Assist not just with her Ultimate, but also when entering Dreamscape. This makes rotations smoother and allows quicker swaps to your DPS.
Is Manato Finally Playable?
When information was first released about him, players were honestly pissed. The fact that he was bugged for most of the beta until now definitely didn’t help. But we now have a better idea of how he performs, and this doesn’t look too bad!
When Manato was first revealed, players weren’t exactly thrilled, and the fact that he stayed bugged through most of the beta didn’t help. But with the latest update, we finally get a clearer look at his true potential, and honestly, it’s not looking too bad!
Most of the adjustments this time were tied to bug fixes, with a few balance tweaks on top. His Special can now be charged, but it’s limited to once every 10 seconds. While in his Ignited state, he gains a 15% Crit Rate boost along with 20% bonus Fire damage. On the downside, his fourth Mindscape’s HP buff was reduced from 10% to 8%, and his Fire damage bonus dropped from 4% to 3%.
His main damage still comes from his Defensive Assist Follow-Up, which now makes him invincible for its entire duration. This not only offsets the lower multipliers but also boosts his survivability, since he heals while attacking in the Ignited state. Add in the Crit Rate, HP%, and Fire damage from his W-Engine, and he feels much more well-rounded.
That said, one issue still lingers: his Defensive Assist Follow-Up has poor tracking once it starts. Against stationary enemies, it’s fine, but against mobile ones it’s much harder to land consistently. A Reddit clip even showed him up against Pompei, and despite the flaw, he looks surprisingly fun to play.
So, what do you think of these changes? Do any of these characters make your pull list for 2.3?
