In Zenless Zone Zero, Nicole Demara is an A-rank character with a strike attack style who harnesses the ether element. She’s a support character who can buff the team with ease. Nicole is also a member of the Cunning Hares faction along with Anby, Billy, and Nekomataa.
If you’re new to the game, we recommend you check out our Zenless Zone Zero tier list to find out which Zenless Zone Zero character we think is best, and our Zenless Zone Zero codes for some in-game freebies.
Here’s everything you need to know about Zenless Zone Zero’s Nicole:
What is the best Nicole build?
Nicole is an A-rank agent who dishes out strike damage and her element is ether. Dealing ether damage accumulates the ether attribute anomaly, causing the corruption effect. Corruption causes additional ether damage when you attack the enemy and corrupted enemies also attack both friends and foes.
We recommend you equip her The Vault W-Engine to help boost squad members’ damage when she uses an EX special, chain attack, or ultimate, along with four pieces of Chaotic Metal and a two-piece set of Woodepecker Electro for her drive discs.
| Best W-Engine | The Vault |
| Drive discs | Four-piece: Chaotic Metal Two-piece: Woodpecker Electro |
| Main stats | Crit (rate or damage) > attack ratio or pen ratio > energy regen |
| Sub-stats | Crit (rate or damage) > pen (only if you have some pen ratio) > attack ratio > attack |
Nicole’s special attack deals ranged ether damage to foes and her EX special can draw enemies together in a damaging energy field. you can also get amongst the action with her basic attack as she strikes enemies with her briefcase to deal physical damage.
What is Nicole’s best W-Engine?
Nicole’s best W-Engine is The Vault. It’s her signature A-rank that increases squad members’ damage when she uses an EX special, chain attack, or ultimate.
| W-Engine | Effect |
| The Vault | Dealing ether damage using an EX Special attack, chain attack, or ultimate increases all squad members’ damage against the target and increases Nicole’s energy regen for two seconds. Passive effects of the same name do not stack |
What are the best drive discs for Nicole?
We recommend equipping Nicole with a four-piece set of Chaotic Metal for a boost to her ether and crit damage and a two-piece set of Woodpecker Electro to increase her crit rate.
This information is subject to change, and as we play more and try out different combinations we’ll update this guide.
| Drive discs | Effect |
| Chaotic Metal | Two pieces: Increases ether damage by 10% Four pieces: Increases crit damage by 20%. When any character in the squad triggers corruption’s additional damage, this effect increases by 5.5% for eight seconds, stacking up to six times. Repeated triggers reset the duration. |
| Woodpecker Electro | Two pieces: Increases crit rate by 8% Four pieces: Increases Nicole’s attack by 9% for six seconds when triggering a critical hit with a basic attack, dodge counter, or EX Special attack. The buff duration for different skills is calculated differently |
Nicole’s stat recommendations:
Here are the stats you should prioritize when building Nicole.
Mains stats:
- Crit (rate or damage)
- Attack ratio or pen ratio
- Energy regen
Sub-stats:
- Crit (rate or damage)
- Pen (only if you have some pen ratio)
- Attack ratio
- Attack
What are Nicole’s skills?
These are each of Nicole’s skills that are available in the second closed beta, these are subject to change on the full release of the game.
Nicole’s attacks:
| Skill | Effect |
| Basic attack – Cunning Combo | Press the basic attack button to perform up to three strikes, dealing physical damage |
| Sub-basic attack – Do As I Please | Nicole can reload after using her special attack, EX Special attack, chain attack, or ultimate, enhancing her basic and dash attacks, increasing the power of her bullets |
| Special attack – Sugarcoated Bullet | Press the special attack button to unleash a ranged attack against enemies in front, dealing ether damage. Increases Nicole’s anti-interrupt level while in use. Nicole automatically reloads after this move to enhance her basic and dash attacks up to eight times |
| EX special attack – Stuffed Sugarcoated Bullet | When Nicole has enough energy, press the special attack to launch a powerful ranged attack that generates an energy field that pulls enemies toward its center to deal ether damage. Hold special attack down to charge up, during which period a small energy field is generated at the muzzle of her weapon, dealing bonus damage to nearby enemies. Nicole is invulnerable while using this skill. Triggers a quick assist when this skill hits an enemy. Nicole automatically reloads after this move to enhance her basic and dash attacks up to eight times |
Nicole’s dodges:
| Skill | Effect |
| Dodge – Speed Demon | Press the dodge button to rapidly avoid an enemy’s attack. Nicole is invulnerable while using this skill. Drag the joystick and hold the dodge button to reload, enhancing her basic and dash attacks up to eight times |
| Dash attack – Jack in the Box | When moving during a dodge press basic attack to dash at the target location and strike nearby enemies, dealing physical damage. When not moving during a dodge, press basic attack to vault backward and launch a ranged attack against enemies in front, dealing physical damage. Nicole reloads her weapon after the attack to enhance her basic and dash attacks up to eight times |
| Dodge counter – Diverted Bombard | Press dodge during a perfect dodge to vault backward and launch a ranged attack against enemies in front, dealing ether damage. Nicole reloads her weapon after the attack to enhance her basic and dash attacks up to eight times. She’s invulnerable while using this skill |
Nicole’s combo attacks:
| Skill | Effect |
| Quick assist – Emergency Bombard | When the character in combat is knocked back, press the swap character button to launch this attack. Nicole dodges backward and unleashes a ranged strike, dealing ether damage. Nicole reloads her weapon after the attack to enhance her basic and dash attacks up to eight times and is invulnerable while using this skill |
| Defensive assist – The Hare Strikes Back | When an enemy is about to attack the character in combat, press the swap character button to launch this attack. Nicole parries the enemy’s attack and deals massive daze. She’s invulnerable while using this skill |
| Assist follow-up – Window of Opportunity | Press the special attack button after a defensive assist to activate this attack. Nicole charges forward and deals ether damage. She’s invulnerable while using this skill |
| Chain attack – Ether Shackling | When you trigger a combo attack, change to Nicole to unleash a powerful ranged attack that damages enemies in a small AoE and creates a field that draws foes in and deals ether damage. Nicole is invulnerable while using this skill. A quick assist is triggered when this skill hits an enemy. Nicole reloads her weapon after the attack to enhance her basic and dash attacks up to eight times |
| Chain attack ultimate – Ether Grenade | When Nicole’s decibel rating is at maximum, press the ultimate button to unleash a powerful ranged attack that damages enemies in a small AoE and creates a field that draws foes in and deals ether damage. When using this skill, other squad members recover ten energy, and the next character to switch in gains an additional 20 energy. Nicole is invulnerable while using this skill. A quick assist is triggered when this skill hits an enemy. Nicole reloads her weapon after the attack to enhance her basic and dash attacks up to eight times |
Nicole’s passives:
| Skill | Effect |
| Core passive – Mechanical Case | After Nicole hits an enemy with her special attack, EX special attack, chain attack, or ultimate, she reloads her weapon to enhance her basic and dash attacks. When her enhanced bullets or energy field hits an enemy, the target’s defense is reduced for 3.5 seconds |
| Additional ability – Hare of Many Burrows | When another character in your squad shares the same attribute or faction: all squad members deal 25% more ether damage for 3.5 seconds when Mechanical Case applies a debuff to an enemy |
What are Nicole’s promotion materials?
To get Nicole to max level you need to save up your denny and support certification seals from combat simulation – agent promotion or craft them from old seals and components you don’t need.
Here are all of Nicole’s promotion materials:
| Level | Denny and materials |
| 20 | 24k denny and four basic support certification seals |
| 30 | 56k denny and 12 advanced support certification seals |
| 40 | 120k denny and 20 advanced support certification seals |
| 50 | 200k denny and ten ruler certification seals |
| 60 | 400k denny and 20 ruler certification seals |
What are Nicole’s mindscape cinemas?
To increase Nicole’s mindscape cinema level you need to receive a duplicate of her during a gacha pull. The mindscape cinema is similar to Genshin Impact’s constellations and Honkai Star Rail’s eidolons.
Here are all of Nicole’s mindscape cinemas:
| Mindscape cinema | Effect |
| Supercharged Bomb | Increases the damage and anomaly buildup inflicted by Nicole’s EX special attack by 16%. Increases the duration of the energy field created by her EX special attack by 0.15 seconds for each additional 0.1 seconds of charging |
| Charging Device | Nicole recovers five energy when Mechanical Case’s debuff is triggered. This effect can trigger once every 15 seconds |
| A Hare’s Cunning | Increases the level of basic attack, dodge, assist, special attack, and chain attack by two |
| Field Expansion | When Nicoles uses her EX special attack, chain attack, or ultimate, the diameter of the energy field generated increases by three meters |
| Industry Star | Increases the level of basic attack, dodge, assist, special attack, and chain attack by two |
| Corrupting Energy Field | Increases all squad members’ crit rate by 1.5% against a target that receives damage from Nicole’s energy field, stacking up to ten times, and lasting 12 seconds. The duration of each stack is calculated separately |
What are Nicole’s core skill enhancement materials?
To increase the levels of Nicole’s core skills you need lots of denny, some higher dimensional data: murderous obituary from expert challenges, and a few ferocious grips from notorious hunts.
Here are all of Nicoles’s core skill enhancement materials:
| Required level | Denny and materials |
| 15 | 5k denny |
| 25 | 12k denny and two higher dimensional data: murderous obituary |
| 35 | 28k denny and four higher dimensional data: murderous obituary |
| 45 | 60k denny, nine higher dimensional data: murderous obituary, and two ferocious grips |
| 55 | 100k denny, 15 higher dimensional data: murderous obituary, and three ferocious grips |
| 60 | 200k denny, 30 higher dimensional data: murderous obituary, and four ferocious grips |
What are Nicole’s skill enhancement materials?
You need different levels of ether chips to enhance Nicole’s skills. You can get them by completing combat simulation – agent skills and by dismantling other chips. Additionally, if you want to max out one of Nicole’s skills (level 12), you also need a hamster cage pass (similar to Genshin’s crowns), which you can earn through events or the New Eridu City Fund.
Here are all of Nicole’s skill enhancement materials:
| Required level | Denny and materials |
| 15 | 2k denny and two basic ether chips |
| 15 | 3k denny and three basic ether chips |
| 25 | 6k denny and two advanced ether chips |
| 25 | 9k denny and three advanced ether chips |
| 35 | 12k denny and four advanced ether chips |
| 35 | 18k denny and six advanced ether chips |
| 45 | 45k denny and five specialized ether chips |
| 45 | 67.5k denny and eight specialized ether chips |
| 55 | 90k denny and ten specialized ether chips |
| 55 | 112.5k denny and 12 specialized ether chips |
| 60 | 135k denny, 15 specialized ether chips, and one hamster cage pass |
That’s all we have for you on Zenless Zone Zero’s Nicole. If you need some more Hoyoverse action, head over to our Honkai Star Rail codes and Genshin Impact codes lists to pick up some freebies.