Hello Proxies! Welcome to LootBar’s Zenless Zone Zero W-Engine Guide. This article explains how W-Engines work, including their stats, specialties, upgrade systems, and acquisition methods. This guide is designed to help players understand how to choose, upgrade, and manage W-Engines efficiently at any stage of progression.
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What Are W-Engines?
W-Engines are equipable weapons that enhance an Agent’s combat performance through multiple stat layers and conditional effects. Each W-Engine provides Base ATK that contributes to overall damage scaling, an Advanced Stat that modifies specific combat behavior, and a unique passive effect tied to the engine. As W-Engines are leveled, promoted, and refined, these bonuses scale further, making them one of the most impactful progressions in the game.
W-Engine Stat Breakdown
Base ATK – Contributes directly to an Agent’s base stats and scales with ATK% bonuses.
Advanced Stat – Provides a secondary stat such as CRIT Rate, Impact, or Energy Regen.
W-Engine Effect – A passive ability that only activates when the Agent’s Specialty matches the engine type.
W-Engine's passive effect is conditional, Base ATK alone does not determine a W-Engine’s value. A mismatched W-Engine loses a large portion of its intended power regardless of rarity. Evaluating all three components together is critical before investing upgrade materials.
What are W-Engines Rarity and Signature W-Engines
W-Engine Rarity
W-Engines are divided into rarity tiers that determine their stats, passives, and overall efficiency. Higher rarity engines generally provide stronger passive effects and better stats, but they also require significantly more resources to upgrade and optimize. Because of this, rarity alone does not automatically make a W-Engine the best option for every Agent or account.
W-Engines are divided into three tiers: S-Rank, A-Rank, and B-Rank. S-Rank W-Engines feature the highest base stats and the strongest passive scaling, making them powerful but resource-intensive investments. A-Rank W-Engines offer balanced performance with strong long-term value, while B-Rank W-Engines function primarily as early-game placeholders with limited usefulness as Proxies level up.
Signature W-Engines
Some S-Rank and A-Rank W-Engines are designed as Signature Engines for Agents. Equipping a signature w-engine unlocks exclusive effects, which can be toggled on or off in the equipment menu. This visual effect is purely cosmetic and does not affect gameplay performance.
What are W-Engine Specialties?
Every W-Engine belongs to a specialty category that must match the Agent’s role to activate its passive effect. Specialty matching is a hard requirement, not a bonus, and directly determines whether the W-Engine’s unique effect functions. If the specialty does not match, the engine provides stats only and loses its defining advantage.
W-Engine Specialty Types
| Specialty Types | ||||
Attack | Attack W-Engines are designed to maximize direct damage output, particularly during Stun windows. They usually provide ATK%, CRIT Rate, CRIT Damage, or conditional damage multipliers that activate against Stunned enemies. These W-Engines are intended for Agents who deal with the majority of the team’s DPS. | |||
Stun | Stun W-Engines are optimized to increase Daze accumulation. Because Stun Agents exist to push enemies into the Stunned state as quickly as possible, these W-Engines commonly increase Impact or provide bonuses tied to Daze generation. Their role is to shorten the time required to create Stun windows for DPS agents. | |||
Anomaly | Anomaly W-Engines are designed to accelerate Anomaly Buildup and improve Attribute Anomaly damage. Since Anomaly Agents rely on repeatedly applying attribute anomaly, these W-Engines focus on Buildup rate, Proficiency, or damage Disorder damage. | |||
Support | Support W-Engines are built to buff team output. They typically increase Energy Regeneration, team attribute anomaly proficiency or damage, sheer damage, buff duration, or activate effects when switching characters or using support skills. These W-Engines are optimized to improve rotation flow and overall squad efficiency. | |||
Defense | Defense W-Engines focus on survivability and counterplay. Since Defense Agents are intended to absorb damage and remain active on the field, these W-Engines commonly scale with DEF, reduce incoming damage, or trigger effects when the user is hit. | |||
Rupture | Rupture W-Engines are designed to increase Sheer DMG, which ignores enemy defense. Because Rupture Agents often modify their own HP and charge Ultimates using Adrenaline instead of Energy, these W-Engines prioritize effects tied to HP. Their passives typically enhance Sheer DMG Dealt and HP%. | |||
How to Level Up W-Engines?
Leveling a W-Engine increases its Base ATK. Directly improving an Agent’s damage and overall combat effectiveness. This process uses dedicated W-Engine EXP materials obtained through gameplay, events, and recycling. Leveling alone improves stats but is limited by level caps that must be unlocked through promotion.
Materials Required to Level Up W-Engines
W-Engine Power Supply – Primary EXP materials for leveling.
Dennies – Consumed during the leveling process.
To level up a W-Engine, open the W-Engine menu from the Agent or inventory screen and select the desired engine. Add W-Engine Power Supplies, such as Batteries or Module,s to provide EXP, then confirm the upgrade. The engine will increase in level until it reaches its current cap.
How to Modify W-Engines
Modifying a W-Engine raises its level cap and allows further progression beyond hard limits. This system functions similarly to Agent promotion and is mandatory for long-term scaling. Without modification, a W-Engine cannot gain additional levels regardless of available EXP.
To modify a W-Engine, first level it to its current maximum cap. Open the modification screen and use the required specialty-specific Components obtained from HIA VR Trials. Confirm the modification to unlock the next level cap and enable further leveling.
How to Overclock W-Engine Effects
Overclocking a W-Engine strengthens its unique passive effect. Each Overclock increases the values of the passive, directly improving combat efficiency. This system consumes duplicate copies of the same W-Engine and has diminishing returns at higher rarities.
W-Engine Overclocking Rules
Requires duplicate copies of the same W-Engine – Overclocking consumes an identical W-Engine copy to upgrade the passive effect. The duplicate is permanently removed, making this a limited and irreversible upgrade.
Increases passive values per Overclock – Each Overclock upgrade increases the values of the W-Engine’s passive effect. This directly improves damage, buffs, or utility provided by the engine.
Maximum of five Overclocks – A W-Engine can be upgraded up to five Overclocks in total. Once the fifth Overclocked is reached, the passive effect cannot be upgraded further.
Overclocking is most resource-efficient for A-Rank and commonly used engines. Using S-Rank duplicates early often reduces overall account flexibility. In most cases, two separate S-Rank engines provide more value than one overclocked copy.
To overclock a W-Engine, open the W-Engine menu and select the engine you want to upgrade. Enter the Overclock, insert a duplicate copy of the same W-Engine, and confirm the upgrade. The duplicate is permanently consumed, and the W-Engine’s Overclock level increases by one, up to a maximum of five.
How to Obtain W-Engines?
W-Engines can be obtained through multiple systems, each offering different levels of control and reliability. Some methods rely heavily on RNG, while others allow targeted acquisition through gameplay. Combining multiple sources ensures consistent access over time.
W-Engine Acquisition Methods
Signal Search (W-Engine Channel) – This is the primary method for obtaining S-Rank and signature W-Engines through the gacha system. It features a pity system with a featured guarantee, making it the main source of limited and character-specific engines. However, results are still RNG-based, so careful Polychrome planning is recommended.
Box Galaxy (Gadget Store) – The Gadget Store allows players to purchase specific A-Rank W-Engines using W-Engine Chips earned from Notorious Hunts. This method provides a more controlled and predictable way to obtain useful engines without relying on gacha pulls. It is especially valuable for F2P players building long-term engine collections.
Signal Shop – The Signal Shop enables direct acquisition of S-Rank W-Engines by spending Residual Signal obtained from Signal Search pulls. This system rewards frequent pullers by converting excess gacha currency into guaranteed progress. While slower, it provides a safety net for acquiring high-rarity engines without additional RNG.
New Eridu City Fund – The Battle Pass offers exclusive A-Rank W-Engines as progression rewards for players who complete its tiers. These engines are often designed to be broadly useful across multiple Agents and specialties. This makes the City Fund one of the most cost-efficient ways to obtain reliable A-Rank W-Engines.
Recycling W-Engines
Recycling allows Proxies to convert unwanted W-Engines into upgrade materials and Dennies, helping manage inventory space as collections grow over time. While recycling is an efficient way to recover resources from low-value engines, it carries permanent consequences if handled incorrectly. Because recycled W-Engines cannot be restored, careful selection is required before confirming any action.
Safe W-Engine recycling focuses on disposing of B-Rank or clearly redundant engines while protecting high-value equipment from accidental loss. S-Rank and A-Rank W-Engines should be locked upon acquisition. Proxies should double-check the lock status before entering the recycling screen. These precautions prevent irreversible mistakes that can brick the Proxy's account.
To recycle W-Engines, go to the W-Engine selection tab. From the upper right, you can see the Recycle button. Select only low-priority or duplicate W-Engines that are not locked, then confirm the recycle action to receive materials and Dennies. Accidentally recycling a valuable W-Engine permanently removes it from the account and can significantly delay future upgrades.
Conclusion
Mastering W-Engines is essential for efficient progression in Zenless Zone Zero. Proper upgrade planning and smart acquisition choices help Proxies maximize performance while minimizing wasted resources. For secure and affordable top-ups, visit Lootbar.gg and head straight to Zenless Zone Zero Top-up page.
