Master the art of building and playing Lightyear in Zenless Zone Zero with our comprehensive character guide. Dominate the battlefield with speed, precision, and strategic prowess.
Here is the first event male character in Zenless Zone Zero . Lightyear was shown shortly before his release – in update 1.2, when we were introduced to the gang “Sons of Calydon”. Little is known about the past of the mysterious biker, but in the story we could learn that before joining the gang, he often fought in the fighting pits and was considered a champion.
In update 1.3 we finally got his banner and now everyone can add Lighter to their collection. And in this article we will analyze his build.
About the character
Lightyear is a charismatic guy who at first glance seems like a typical “bad guy”. In fact, this is all an image that hides a difficult past and a rather kind and understanding nature of a biker.
Lightyear was once a renowned fighter, and his reputation as a champion extends far beyond the Sons of Calydon. He fights honorably, but tries to win without bloodshed, as the sight of blood can cause him to faint. Because of Lightyear’s past, the gang sometimes runs into former gladiators who want to get even with him.
As a playable character, the biker uses the fire attribute and belongs to the Intimidation specialty agents. He lowers enemy resistance with his attacks and quickly accumulates a stun gauge.
How to get
You can only get Lightyear in your collection during the second half of the 1.3 update. He is available in the “Fiery Champion” brand banner until December 18. And during his summon, you will be able to get Ben and Corin with an increased chance.
Pumping materials
Character Rise
| Level | Danny | Support Token |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | — | — |
| 20 | 24,000 | x4 Entry-Level Intimidation Token |
| 30 | 56,000 | x12 Highest Tier Intimidation Token |
| 40 | 120,000 | x20 Highest Tier Intimidation Token |
| 50 | 200,000 | x10 Winner Token |
| 60 | 400,000 | x20 Winner Token |
Improving skills and abilities
| Danny | Chip | Material from the Reed Foundation | Expert call | Merciless Hunt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,500,000 | x25 Basic Ignition Chip
x75 Advanced Ignition Chip
x250 Specialized Arson Chip
|
x5 Pass to the “Hamster Cage”
|
x60 High Dimension Data: Crimson Horror
|
x9 Scarlet Engine
|
Skills
Basic attacks
| Skill | Gain | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Basic attack | L-thunderclap | To activate, press or hold the Basic Attack button. The agent will launch a 5-stage combo using physical and fire damage.
When performing stage 3, tilt the joystick and hold or continuously press the basic attack to make Lightyear continue to hit the enemy. Release the joystick and the agent will proceed to stage 4 of the series. When performing Stage 5, tilt the joystick to make Lightyear alternate between Stage 4 strikes and light attacks. Tap or hold the skill button to continue the jab sequence. When the combo ends or you exceed the jabs limit, the character will perform a finishing blow, turning on invulnerability for that time. During Stage 5 attacks, Lightyear increases his resistance to incoming damage by 40%. With Selflessness active, he takes 80% less damage. |
| Evasion | Step into the shadows | Instantly dodges enemy attacks when the skill is activated. |
| Dash attack:
Knuckle slam |
Activate a basic attack while dodging an enemy to counter with a physical attribute attack. | |
| Counterattack after dodging: Blazing Strike | Activate the basic attack after a perfect dodge and Lightyear will strike with fire. Using the attack again will immediately activate the 5th stage of the combo. | |
| Help | Quick Aid: Blazing Strike (Defensive) | If an active agent is knocked up, use the skill to replace the agent with Lightyear and perform a counterattack with fire damage. |
| Defense Assistance: Breather | If the active character is about to take damage, use the skill to parry the attack and accumulate stun points. | |
| Additional Attack Assist: Knuckle Jab | After parrying an enemy, press the basic attack button to deal fire damage. | |
| Special attack (E) | V-strike of dawn | Lightyear performs an uppercut, dealing fire attribute damage to enemies. When dodging to the side, a special attack can be used to launch a combo of attacks enhanced by the character’s element. This does not interrupt the basic attack combo. |
| Enhanced Special Attack: V-Strike of Dawn (Full Power) | Lightyear’s uppercut is strengthened and deals more damage. Using the skill again will activate an additional attack with a strengthened attack. The basic combo after this move will start immediately from stage 4.
If the agent has enough energy, activate the skill while dodging to the side to launch a series of boxing punches. |
|
| Chain of attacks (ulta) | V-strike of the scorching sun | Switch to Lightyear after starting an attack chain to unleash a powerful attack enhanced by the Fire attribute. |
| Super Ability: Hell’s Signature W-Strike | Once you’ve got the decibel bar up to 3000, trigger Lightyear’s super to perform an area-of-effect fire strike. |
Makings
All top row traits (A, C, E) give the character 6 units of impulse. The bottom row buttons (B, D, F) increase attack power by 25. Also, all character traits increase the level of the main passive skill: Fuse.
Main Passive Skill: Fuse .
During battle, Lightyear passively gains Fighting Spirit points, and he also gains their energy consumption during battle. The maximum Fighting Spirit is 100 units. When his level reaches 80, after Lightyear is summoned to the field, Quick Aid is instantly activated, and when his combo stage 5 is activated, the agent enters Selflessness mode.
Selflessness increases the power of attacks and consumes Morale when attacks hit an enemy. At the same time, for every 10 points spent, the agent’s momentum increases. In this state, Lightyear cannot passively gain Morale. When all of them are spent, the finishing blow of the combo is triggered.
Lightyear’s attacks in Selflessness cut enemies’ Fire and Ice Resistance by 15% for 30 seconds. When landing a finishing blow, he also applies the Ravage status effect to the enemy. This effect increases the duration of the stun by 3 seconds and can only occur once per stun duration.
Additional ability: Fighter’s Spirit.
If another Assault character or another agent from the Sons of Calydon gang joins the team, then when Lightyear’s attacks hit an enemy in the Selfless state, allies gain the Battle Fervor effect. It lasts 30 seconds, stacks up to 20 times, and increases damage dealt by Fire and Ice attributes by 1.25% per stack.
If Lightyear’s Momentum is 170 or higher when he launches Battle Fervor, every 10 points increases the buff by 0.25%. The maximum damage buff from Battle Fervor cannot exceed 75%, and is reset when the attack chain is launched.
Priority of pumping
In terms of importance of pumping, the first place is occupied by inclinations and basic attacks. The first will give Lightyear more opportunities to accumulate and spend Fighting Spirit, and the second will allow him to launch effective combos and accumulate stun.
Next, we pump up skills in the following order: special attack, ult, help, evasion.
Amplifier options
| Name | Basic stats | Characteristics | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flame Crown
|
48–714 attacks;
7.2–18% of the impulse. |
After activating a Quick or Perfect Assist, the agent gains 25-40% boost for 8 seconds.
When a target is damaged by basic attacks, the Overwhelm status is activated. It lasts for 30 seconds and stacks with each hit, up to 20 times in total. Each level of Suppression grants the wearer a 1.5-2.4% bonus to Fire and Ice Critical Damage. |
Lightyear’s signature weapon. It’s the best for him in a variety of builds, as it provides a lot of momentum and crits. |
| Jade Purity Teapot | 48–714 attacks;
7.2–18% of the impulse. |
Hitting with basic attacks activates levels of Tea Power. They stack up to 30 times. Each level increases the agent’s momentum by 0.7-1.4%, and lasts for 8 seconds.
Upon reaching 15 or more levels of Tea Power, all agents in the squad deal 20-32% more damage for 10 seconds. |
An excellent option for a hypercarry build and a team buff. True, you won’t be able to knock Qingyi out before the rerun, but if you already have him on your account, you can safely put him in. |
| Restraint | 48–684 attacks;
7.2–18% of the impulse. |
Basic attacks deal 6-12% more damage and stun when hitting enemies. This effect stacks up to 5 times and lasts for 8 seconds. However, it can only be triggered once per attack combo. | Lycaon’s Signature Amplifier is best suited for a hypercarry build, allowing Lightyear to deal more damage. |
| Hellfire Gear | 48–684 attacks;
7.2–18% of the impulse. |
While the agent is “in the pocket”, he restores energy 0.6-1.2 units per second faster.
When the Special Attack Boost is activated, the momentum is increased by 10-20%, the effect stacks up to 2 times and lasts for 10 seconds. |
A good option for those packs in which the agent is not very actively used. Allows you to charge special attacks faster and deliver them with a buff when entering the field. |
| Double boiler | 40–594 attacks;
20-50% energy recovery. |
Every 10 Energy in the agent’s reserve increases their Momentum by 2-3.2%. The bonus can stack up to 8 times and lasts for 8 seconds after using Energy. | A good budget replacement for legendaries that gives a bonus boost. |
Drive disk
The best combination of drive discs for Lightyear is 4 parts Shockstar Disco and 2 parts Inferno Metal:
- The first set at 2 pieces gives 6% momentum, and at 4 pieces increases the stun from basic attacks, dash attacks, and counterattacks after dodging by 20%.
- We take the second set because of the fire damage bonus: for 2 parts it will give a 10% increase.
For builds in a hypercarry Lighter, who is often on the field, choose a combo of 4 parts Woodpecker-Electro and 2 parts Shockstar-Disco:
- The first set at 2 will grant 8% critical hit chance, while at 4, dealing damage with basic attacks, counters, or empowered specials will grant stacks, each increasing the agent’s attack power by 9% for 6 seconds.
- We take the second set to add to the impulse: 6% for 2 parts.
The recommended values for the characteristics in disks look like this:
- 4th disc – critical hit chance or critical damage;
- 5th disc – attack power or fire damage bonus;
- 6 disk – impulse.
- Passive stats: Critical Damage, Critical Hit Chance, Attack Power, Impulse, Anomaly Knowledge.
Teams
The best team for Lightyear includes a fire damage dealer and a shielder or support. This way you will fully buff your allies and deal with enemies faster.
We put in the squad:
- Lightera;
- Caesar/Lucy;
- Soldier 11/Bernice.
If your account doesn’t have enough legendaries yet, you can assemble a pack with a hypercarry Lighter. To do this, put Lucy and a second support with him.
This pack includes:
- Lighter;
- Lucy;
- Nicole/Caesar
Banbu
Red Moccus is the best choice for packs that have at least 2 Sons of Calidon characters. And considering that Lightyear is not particularly demanding and will work well even with Piper and Lucy, this is the best option.
- a. Four-wheel drive . Rams a distant enemy on a motorcycle and pushes him closer to the agent.
- b. Drift on the Bypass . If there are 2 or more characters from the Sons of Calydon faction in the party, Banbu’s active skill hits harder and its cooldown is reduced when defeating an enemy.
- c. Storm Gust – Rams an enemy with a unicycle and explodes them, dealing heavy damage.
Rocketaboo is suitable for teams with 2 or more fire heroes. For example, it will fit perfectly in a pack with Agent 11 or Burnies.
- a. Boom! Fires a rocket at the enemy, dealing fire damage and accumulating a large amount of fire anomaly.
- b. Fuel Infusion – When there are 2 or more Fire-attribute agents in the squad, Rocketaboo will gain anomaly faster when triggering a chain of attacks.
- c. Explosive Delivery – Rides into enemies on a rocket and explodes, dealing area damage.
If you don’t have the first two assistants, take Plaksaba. He also greatly buffs agents with the fire attribute.
- a. Grenade . Throws a grenade at the enemy, which explodes with fire and accumulates anomaly.
- b. Heat Accumulation : When there are 2 or more Fire Attribute Agents in a squad, Fire Anomaly accumulates faster during the attack chain.
- c. Unexpected Gift . Takes out the most powerful grenade from the arsenal and throws it at the enemy, causing a large amount of damage and greatly filling the anomaly scale.
Mental picture
| Number | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Undefeated Champion | The stun state of an enemy hit by the Ravage effect is extended from 3 to 5 seconds, while their resistance to Fire and Ice damage is reduced by an additional 10%.
If Morale runs out during a Light Strike or Jab Combo, Lightyear’s Flip Strike will deal 30% more damage. |
| 2 | Red scarf | While Ravage is active, the target becomes 25% more vulnerable to incoming damage. Fire and Ice attributes receive a 120% damage bonus when activating Battle Fervor. |
| 3 | Mercenary Commander | +2 levels to all character skills. |
| 4 | Sunglasses | When Lightyear is “in the pocket”, the active character accumulates energy 10% faster.
When Selflessness is activated, it also restores 4 energy to other agents. Can occur once every 18 seconds. |
| 5 | Strategist | +2 levels to all character skills |
| 6 | Survivor | Morale is charged 200% more efficiently. When using a heavy strike, the Fire Charge effect is activated, which instantly damages the enemy by 250% of the agent’s attack power, and occurs no more than once every 8 seconds for each enemy.
Each point of Lightyear’s Pulse above 170 increases the damage of Onen Charge by 5% (up to 500%). When the Fighting Spirit runs out or a series of jabs is launched, the effect recharges and can be activated again. |
Now you are ready to meet Lightyear and know what to expect from this mysterious biker. We wish to get him in your squad as soon as possible and test the power of his fists in battle