Hailing from the Victoria Housekeeping Co. faction, Von Lycaon is an S-rank Ice Stun agent. Even though he’s a standard banner character, he’s not one to underestimate, especially with the new Version 2.6 Lycaon buffs. The Lycaon known back in Version 1.0 is now looking a bit different, so here’s everything needed to know about Zenless Zone Zero Lycaon’s kit, including a detailed breakdown of his role, skills, Mindscapes, and signature W-Engine.
Who is Lycaon in Zenless Zone Zero
The leader and representative of Victoria Housekeeping Co., Von Lycaon is an S-rank Ice agent whose primary role is inflicting Daze and stunning opponents. Gameplay-wise, Lycaon fulfills two key functions in a team: stunning enemies and applying debuffs. His charged attacks, charged EX Skill, and Defensive Assists do an excellent job of staggering bosses, and while doing so, Lycaon also makes enemies vulnerable not only to Ice damage, but to all attributes.
- Real name: Von Lycaon
- Gender: Male
- Faction: Victoria Housekeeping Co.
- Rarity: S rank
- Attribute: Ice
- Specialty: Stun
- Core Stat: Impact
The Restrained (S-rank Stun W-engine)
Lycaon has his very own signature w-engine and it’s the Restrained. This weapon does not only fit well into his aesthetic, but it also meshes well with his kit. Here’s what you need to know about The Restrained.
| Rarity | S rank |
|---|---|
| Class | Stun |
| Base Stat | 46 ~ 684 base ATK |
| Advanced Stat | 7.2% ~ 18% Impact |
| How to get | Gacha |
| W-engine effect | When an attack hits an enemy, DMG and Daze from Basic Attacks increase by 6% / 7.5% / 9% / 10.5% / 12% for 8s, stacking up to 5 times. This effect can trigger at most once during each skill. The duration of each stack is calculated separately. |
In general, The Restrained is a great W-Engine for most stunners in the game, such as Lycaon, Koleda, and Anby. With this weapon, Lycaon can deal up to 30%–60% more damage and Daze when landing Basic Attacks. Despite being his signature weapon, however, it’s no longer his best-in-slot, as the buff doesn’t extend to his Defensive Assists, Assist Follow-Ups, or EX Specials which are his other major sources of Daze.
Zenless Zone Zero Lycaon’s Basic Attack
Lycaon’s Basic Attack, Moon Hunter, has two effects depending on whether it’s tapped or held.
Moon Hunter is Lycaon’s only Basic Attack. Tapping the Normal Attack performs a five-hit attack string, but it doesn’t provide much value. Holding the Normal Attack, however, deals Ice damage and inflicts a significantly higher amount of Daze.
Basic Attack: Moon Hunter
Press normal to activate:
Unleashes up to 5 strikes in front, dealing Physical DMG.
Hold down normal attack to charge up, increasing the power of the attack and dealing Ice DMG.
Lycaon’s Special Attacks
Depending on whether Lycaon has enough Energy, he can cast either a Special Attack or an EX Special Attack.
Lycaon’s Special Attacks are one of his main sources of damage and Daze. Between the two, players will mostly find themselves using the EX Special Attack, as it’s the easiest way for Lycaon to build Daze and deal damage. That said, enemies can be stunned faster by holding down Lycaon’s Special Attack. When combined with his held Basic Attack, this allows Lycaon to stagger bosses much more quickly.
Special Attack: Time to Hunt
Press special attack to activate:
Unleashes a series of strikes in front, dealing Ice DMG.
Hold down special attack to charge up, increasing its power.
Anti-Interrupt level is increased while using this skill.
EX Special Attack: Thrill of the Hunt
With enough Energy, press EX Special Attack to activate:
Unleashes a series of powerful strikes in front, dealing massive Ice DMG.
Hold down EX Special Attack to charge up, consuming Energy and enhancing the power of the attack.
Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
All Lycaon’s Assists in ZZZ
Lycaon has Quick Assists, Defensive Assists, and Assist Follow-Ups. Here’s what they do.
Aside from Lycaon’s charged Basic Attacks and charged EX Special Attacks, his Assists apply most of his Daze. Their effects are tied to his Core Skill and provide different benefits depending on the Assist used.
Quick Assist: Wolf Pack
When the active character is launched, press Switch characters to activate:
Strikes enemies in front, dealing Ice DMG.
Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Defensive Assist: Disrupted Hunt
When the on-field character is about to be attacked, press Switch Characters to activate:
Parries the enemy’s attack, dealing massive Daze.
This skill excels at parrying enemy attacks and reduces the consumption of Assist Points when the character is under intense attacks.
Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Assist Follow-Up: Vengeful Counterattack
Press Normal Attack after a Defensive Assist to activate:
Creates an icicle in front, which strikes all enemies within range, dealing Ice DMG.
Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Assist Follow-Up: Vengeful Counterattack – Glacial Waltz
Hold Normal Attack after a Defensive Assist to activate:
Quickly launch multiple strikes against enemies in front, dealing Ice DMG.
Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
ZZZ Lycaon’s Dodge attacks
Lycaon has three dodges: dodge, dash attack, and dodge counter.
Of the three, Dodge Counter is the only attack that deals Ice damage.
Dodge: Suitable Positioning
Press Dodge to activate:
A quick dash dodge.
Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Dash Attack: Keep it Clean
Press Normal Attack during a dodge to activate:
Slides forward, launching a series of strikes in front, dealing Physical DMG.
Dodge Counter: Etiquette Manual
Press Normal Attack during a Perfect Dodge to activate:
Strikes enemies in front, dealing Ice DMG.
Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Lycaon’s Chain Attacks
For his Chain Attacks, Lycaon can use Chain Attack: As You Wish or Ultimate: Mission Complete.
Lycaon’s Chain Attack and Ultimate are straightforward, with no complicated mechanics. While his Chain Attack has minimal impact, his Ultimate is excellent and can easily bring a boss into a Stunned state. It also features one of the highest Daze multipliers, making it well worth using.
Chain Attack: As You Wish
When a Chain Attack is triggered, select the character to activate:
Unleashes a series of powerful strikes at enemies in a small area in front of him, dealing massive Ice DMG.
Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Ultimate: Mission Complete
When Decibel Rating is at Maximum, press Ultimate to activate:
Unleashes multiple powerful strikes at enemies in a large area, dealing massive Ice DMG.
Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Core Skill of ZZZ Lycaon
Lycaon’s core skill is called Metallic Paws, and here’s how it works.
In spite of the long text block in his in-game description, Lycaon’s Core Skill is relatively simple, though there are a few details to keep in mind.
Metallic Paws makes holding down his Basic Attack far more effective than just tapping it. Thanks to his Core Passive, Lycaon enjoys an 80% increase in Daze inflicted by the skill. Additionally, when his EX Specials and Assist Follow-Ups hit an enemy, Lycaon shreds their Ice resistance and increases the damage they take from other attributes. This means he’s no longer restricted to Ice teams and can be useful in a variety of team compositions.
Another component of his Core Skill is the Encircle Prey mechanic. Only one Encircle Prey activation can be active at a time, and it can be triggered upon entering the battlefield. Lycaon enters this state after activating a backward Quick Assist following damage from Assist Follow-Up: Vengeful Counterattack – Glacial Waltz. While in this state, he stays on-field alongside the active character, mimicking their actions and dealing a significant amount of damage and Daze.
Players can gain an additional Encircle Prey stack after stunning an enemy or boss.
Lycaon can also end this state early if the active character stops attacking or uses a Chain Attack or Ultimate.
Regarding Lycaon’s additional ability, his Stun Damage multiplier increases when he’s in a squad with an Anomaly character, Ice agents, or agents from Victoria Housekeeping Co.
Core Passive: Metallic Paws
- When Lycaon completes charging during a Basic Attack, or activates a Dodge Counter or Dash Attack, the Daze inflicted by the skill increases by 80%.
- When EX Special Attack: Thrill of the Hunt, Assist Follow-Up: Vengeful Counterattack, or Assist Follow-Up: Vengeful Counterattack – Glacial Waltz hits an enemy, the target’s Ice RES is reduced by 25%, and it increases the DMG to the target from other attributes by 30% for 30s.
- Upon entering the battlefield, Lycaon gains one Encircle Prey activation chance.
- When Encircle Prey has available activations, hitting an enemy with Assist Follow-Up: Vengeful Counterattack – Glacial Waltz triggers the Quick Assist of the previous character in the squad. During this skill, when other squad members enter via Quick Assist, Lycaon enters the Encircle Prey state for 8s.
- When an elite or boss enemy becomes Stunned, 1 Encircle Prey activation chance is gained. Up to 1 Encircle Prey activation can be stored.
- When the Encircle Prey state ends, Lycaon automatically activates Assist Follow-Up: Vengeful Counterattack – Glacial Waltz. If the Encircle Prey state ends early, for every 1s of remaining duration, the Daze dealt by the next Assist Follow-Up: Vengeful Counterattack – Glacial Waltz increases by 6%.
- When the currently active character stops attacking or uses a Chain Attack or Ultimate, Lycaon will end the Encircle Prey state early.
- When Lycaon manually uses Assist Follow-Up: Vengeful Counterattack – Glacial Waltz, the Encircle Prey state also ends early, but Assist Follow-Up: Vengeful Counterattack – Glacial Waltz will not be automatically triggered.
- While the Encircle Prey state is active, Lycaon will activate Basic Attack, Dodge, Dash Attack, and Dodge Counter based on the skills used by the currently active character.
- When the currently active character uses a Basic Attack or EX Special Attack, Lycaon will simultaneously perform the 1st through 3rd hits of his Basic Attack.
- When the active character performs a Dodge or Dodge Counter, Lycaon will simultaneously perform a Dodge or Dodge Counter. After performing a Dodge Counter while in the Encircle Prey state, Lycaon can immediately follow up with the 3rd hit of his Basic Attack.
- While the Encircle Prey state is active, when Lycaon is not the currently active Agent, his attacks only deal DMG and Daze. While Lycaon is the currently active character, the Encircle Prey duration does not decrease.
Additional Ability: Elegant Predator
- When another character in your squad is an Anomaly character or shares the same Attribute or Faction:
- When Lycaon hits a Stunned enemy, the target’s Stun DMG Multiplier increases by 35%.
All Zenless Zone Zero Lycaon Mindscape Cinema
Every Zenless Zone Zero agents, including Lycaon can have up to six Mindscape Cinema. Keep on reading to know what each of Mindscape Cinema does, and how good it is.
Mindscape 1: Full Moon Momentum
When Lycaon’s EX Special Attack: Thrill of the Hunt hits an enemy, the attack’s Daze increases by 12%. This effect can trigger once every 8s. When he charges his EX Special Attack: Thrill of the Hunt to completion, this buff will increase by an additional 10%.
Lycaon’s EX Special Attack, Thrill of the Hunt, is one of his main sources of Daze. After activating his first Mindscape, the Ice Stunner gains a whopping 22% increase in Daze.
Mindscape 2: Energy Feedback
When Stunning an enemy or triggering a squad member’s Chain Attack, Lycaon gains 5 Energy. Can trigger once every 1s.
It’s a strong buff that lets him access his Ultimate faster simply by staggering opponents and triggering Chain Attacks.
Mindscape 3: Attendant Training
Basic Attack, Dodge, Assist, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2
Instantly increases Lycaon’s Basic Attack, Dodge, Assist, Special Attack, and Chain Attack levels by 2. Good buff to his damage and daze multipliers.
Mindscape 4: Graceful Demeanor
If Lycaon is attacked while using a Basic Attack or Special Attack, he will immediately gain a Shield equal to 7.5% of his Max HP, lasting for 15s.During the Shield’s duration, his Anti-Interrupt level is increased. This effect can trigger once every 15s.
Great for sustain, as it provides shields and anti-interruption resistance, making Lycaon less likely to have his combos canceled.
Mindscape 5: Alpha Nature
Basic Attack, Dodge, Assist, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2
Instantly increases Lycaon’s Basic Attack, Dodge, Assist, Special Attack, and Chain Attack levels by 2. Good buff to his damage and daze multipliers. However, it brings no value to his daze and damage.
Mindscape 6: Ruthless Hunter
When a charged attack hits an enemy, the target suffers 10% increased DMG from Lycaon, stacking up to 5 times and lasting 12s. Only one stack can be gained per skill use, and repeated triggers reset the duration.
Ruthless Hunter essentially just amplifies Lycaon’s damage. Since he’s meant to be played around spamming charged attacks, keeping its uptime isn’t much of an issue.
That’s everything you need to know about Zenless Zone Zero’s Lycaon. Whether you missed your 50/50 or picked him up from the free S-Rank selector, don’t worry as while he’s not a limited banner character, he can still compete with other stunners as long as you know how to maximize his kit. If you’re looking to get new characters or just want to strengthen your roster in ZZZ, be sure to also check out these cheap and affordable Monochromes you can grab for yourself!
Niña Forneloza is a game guides writer who has a love-hate relationship with role-playing, gacha, and first-person shooter games. In her free time, she’s either going full tryhard in Valorant, or recovering from her latest tilt.