Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ) Version 3.0’s new Annihilation Simulacrum mode has given players a fresh endgame mode to tackle, but one encounter has quickly become the center of community discussion: Starlight Billy himself.
Over the past few weeks, sections of the ZZZ community have been criticizing the fight’s mechanics while also reporting what appears to be a possible bug involving the encounter’s Etch mechanic. As more players continue to reach the Extreme stage of the boss encounter, Starlight Billy has become the most talked-about boss in the game mode.
Starlight Billy is More Frustrating Than Challenging
The biggest complaints surrounding the Billy encounter are about the frustrating circumstances surrounding it, not that the fight itself is too difficult. Instead, some in the ZZZ community feel that the encounter spends too much time forcing unusual reactions to mechanics rather than letting them engage with ZZZ’s usual fast-paced combat.
While Annihilation Simulacrum is designed around forcing players to respect mechanics, many feel the Billy fight takes that idea a bit too far. His constant movement and the need to stay close to Starlight Arena to deal consistent damage can make the encounter feel more restrictive than challenging. The result is a growing sentiment that Billy feels less rewarding to overcome, even for players who can eventually clear it.
Along with the design criticism, some players have also been reporting a potential issue involving Billy’s Starlight Arena, specifically the circular fields that are supposed to grant Etch stacks when players stand inside them.
According to community reports and observations, some Starlight Arenas appear visually identical to normal ones but fail to provide stacks entirely. Because the encounter relies on building those stacks efficiently, these “phantom” zones can drag out the fight and make successful runs artificially more challenging.
Many players believe this issue is a contributing factor to the frustration surrounding the encounter. Whether or not this problem will get addressed in a future patch, Starlight Billy has emerged as one of Annihilation Simulacrum’s most debated encounters.
