Anniversaries are the one time of year a gacha game hands you a pile of free stuff, and the players who get the most out of them are the ones who showed up ready. Zenless Zone Zero's 3.1 update is the anniversary patch, and it goes live on or around July 29, 2026. That gives you about two weeks. This is not a leak roundup, and it is not a who-to-pull piece. It is the boring, useful part: how to walk into the anniversary with a full wallet, an empty to-do list, and nothing left on the table.
If you want the character side, our 3.1 preview of Velina and Sigrid covers the banners. This is the prep.
What "anniversary" actually tends to mean
Let us be clear about what is confirmed versus expected. The date and the anniversary framing are the reliable parts. The exact reward package is not official until HoYoverse's Special Program airs, so anything specific below is set by precedent, not a promise.
That precedent is worth knowing, because HoYoverse's anniversary track record across its live-service games has shifted hard toward generosity over the last couple of years. The pattern that has become typical of a first-anniversary window includes:
- A free character selector or a guaranteed free unit, often letting you pick from a pool of standard or older limited Agents.
- A large lump of free Polychrome delivered through login events, mail, and web logins over the patch.
- Anniversary login campaigns that drip rewards daily, so missing days genuinely costs you.
- Refreshed redemption codes timed to the Special Program livestream.
Treat that list as "what to be ready for," not "what is guaranteed." The point of prepping is that if any of it lands, you capture all of it, and if the package is bigger than expected, you are not caught flat-footed.
Bank Polychrome like the banner is real
Whatever the anniversary gives, the smartest position is to arrive with a big self-made reserve on top of it. Two weeks is enough to meaningfully pad your pull budget if you actually sweep your income:
- Clear every active code today. Grab everything on the ZZZ codes page before the pre-anniversary batch expires, and check back the day the Special Program airs for the fresh drop.
- Empty your Battery Charge daily. Do not let stamina cap and overflow during the run-up. Even if you are bored of the current content, spend it.
- Finish the standing modes. A full clear of Shiyu Defense and Deadly Assault is a real chunk of Polychrome and Denny, and both reset on a cycle, so clear the current one before it rolls over.
- Do not spend on standard banners "for fun." Pity carries. Sitting on your pulls until the anniversary banners and rewards are live is free value.
Pre-farm so a new Agent is playable day one
Nothing feels worse than pulling a shiny new S-Rank and then staring at a character you cannot level because you are out of mats. Spend the wait building a runway:
- Stockpile ascension and skill materials from the modes you are clearing anyway, so a new pull can hit max level and skill caps immediately.
- Level a spare set of Drive Discs and a W-Engine or two in the roles you are likely to pull, rather than farming reactively after the banner. Our Drive Discs and W-Engines guide covers what actually matters.
- Have a team plan. If you are eyeing an anomaly carry or a stun unit, know which supports you already own that pair with it. The ZZZ tier list and our beginner team-building notes are the fast way to sketch it.
The two-week checklist
Print this, or just run it:
- Redeem all current codes, then re-check on Special Program day.
- Clear Shiyu Defense and Deadly Assault before the reset.
- Spend down Battery Charge daily, do not let it cap.
- Stop pulling on standard banners; bank every Polychrome and Master Tape.
- Pre-farm ascension and skill mats for the role you plan to pull.
- Log in every day once the anniversary login event starts, no skips.
- Read the Special Program breakdown before spending a single pull.
The honest takeaway
You do not control what the anniversary gives you. You completely control whether you are ready to receive it. Two weeks of sweeping your income, clearing your modes, and pre-farming turns the anniversary from "nice, some free stuff" into "I got the character, leveled her the same night, and still have pulls in the bank." Do the prep now, watch the Special Program when it airs, and check our 3.1 character preview to decide where those pulls actually go. New here and wondering if ZZZ is worth the runway? Our full review makes the case.
Sources: HoYoverse's confirmed 3.1 anniversary timing and its established anniversary reward patterns across its live-service titles. Exact reward specifics are not official until the Zenless Zone Zero 3.1 Special Program.
