ZZZ 3.0 will come with a playable Phaethon, kind of

Zenless Zone Zero's main character, Belle and Wise, plays a major role in Hollow exploration, but one of their primary features is the fact that they don't participate in battle themselves. Instead, the protagonists are proxies, leading others into the Hollow, but they don't enter themselves or have the ability to battle dangerous monsters within.

However, now that we're entering Chapter 3 of ZZZ, this may finally change, as Phaethon will be playable. Well, kind of.

It is said that the Ether accumulated within Phaethon's bodies has finally reached its limit, and the mysterious power inside them takes shape as a combat entity, Pyrois. So unfortunately, we won't be playing Belle and Wise themselves, but instead this manifested summon.

Over time, you'll learn to master Pyrois, its combat prowess, and its exploration skills, so don't miss out on the upcoming version 3.0.

Two other characters were teased for Zenless Zone Zero 3.0

Although Phaethon's Pyrois is arguably the most interesting upcoming character (and I really hope they're free and don't require pulling), HoYoverse has announced two other playable Agents for the start of Chapter 3.

Norma and Velina are both members of the External Strategy Department. Velina will introduce the Wind attribute, which was previously available in Beta, but wasn't included in the live version. So she will be the first Wind-Anomaly Agent in ZZZ.

This is interesting, as we also don't know what kind of Anomaly Wind will bring, and I would love to know how she will pair with the existing Anomaly damage dealers and supports.

Meanwhile, Norma is a Fire-Stun character, a combination we've seen several times before, with Ju Fufu, Koleda, and Lighter.

Chapter 3's Roscaelifer will be available after ZZZ 2.8, and if things stay on schedule, that would be around June 17, 2026.