The cat-like Nekomata is a powerful S-Rank agent who can carry you through the early game with a build that capitalizes on her strengths as a Main DPS in Zenless Zone Zero. A whirlwind of physical attacks and slashing damage, Nekomata's lightning-fast strikes can shred through enemies in the blink of an eye, either by effortlessly switching between targets or focusing down a single foe for massive damage bursts.
Nekomata excels in quick rotations, dealing most of her damage right after being swapped in. Simple, direct, extremely fast, and incredibly fun to play, Nekomata delivers big damage spikes thanks to the Assault effect triggered by her physical anomaly, which builds up as you dodge enemy attacks.
Nekomata Best W-Engine
As Nekomata thrives as an on-field DPS who claws her enemies to shreds, maximizing her damage output is key. Here are the W-Engines that can supercharge her basic attack-heavy playstyle:
Rarity | Name | Adv. Stat | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
S-Rank | Steel Cushion | Crit Rate | Increases Physical DMG by 20%. The equipper's DMG increases by 25% when attacking the enemy from behind. |
A-Rank | Cannon Rotor | Crit Rate | Increases ATK by 7.5%. Landing a critical hit on an enemy will inflict an additional 200% of ATK as DMG. This effect can trigger once every 8s. |
A-Rank | Starlight Engine | ATK% | Launching a Chain Attack increases ATK by 24% for 10s
|
As expected, Nekomata's signature W-Engine, Steel Cushion, is perfect for her. It offers a significant boost to both Physical DMG and CRIT Rate, and rewards her flanking maneuvers with a hefty damage increase when attacking enemies from behind. This synergizes perfectly with Nekomata's skills that incentivize dodging and quick swapping, leading to consistent hard-hitting back attacks and a constant damage boost.
The A-Rank Cannon Rotor is a fantastic alternative. It increases ATK and grants a hefty bonus damage every time Nekomata lands a critical hit. Since Nekomata boasts the highest base attack in the game, this bonus can translate to massive damage spikes. On top of that, the Attribute Mastery stat on Cannon Rotor helps her apply her physical anomaly assault more frequently, another core aspect of her kit.
Nekomata Best Drive Disk
Nekomata takes the spotlight as the team’s main DPS, and to unleash her full offensive potential, equip her with Drive Discs that amplify her damage output. Here are some recommended Drive Disc sets:
Build | Drive Disk | Effects |
|---|---|---|
Assault DPS | Fanged Metal | 4-Piece:
Whenever a squad member inflicts Assault on an enemy, the equipper deals 35% additional DMG to the target for 12s.
|
Woodpecker Electro | 2-Piece:
Increases PEN Ratio by 10%. | |
Crit DPS | Woodpecker Electro
| 4-Piece
Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter, or EX Special Attack increases the equipper's ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated seperately. |
Fanged Metal
| 2-Piece Bonus
Increases Physical DMG by 10%. |
Drive Disk Stat Priority
Main stats
- Slot 4: CRIT Rate% or CRIT DMG
- Slot 5: ATK%
- Slot 6: Anomaly Rate%
Sub stats in order of priority:
- CRIT Rate% or CRIT DMG
- PEN
- ATK%
- Attribute Mastery
Nekomata Best Bangboo
The final touch to your Nekomata team is the Bangboo, your team’s adorable robot companion. Since Nekomata excels as a physical DPS and belongs to the Cunning Hares faction, here are some Bangboos that synergize with her playstyle:
Rank | Bangboo | Skills |
|---|---|---|
S-Rank | Amillion | Increases CRIT DMG of all Agents by 28%, and the CRIT DMG of Cunning Hares Agents by an extra 28% |
A-Rank | Luckyboo | When there are at least 2 Physical Attribute characters in your squad: Active Skill inflicts 40% more Anomaly Buildup. Active Skill's continuous strikes duration is increased by 1s. |
A-Rank | Paperboo | When there is at least 1 Defense character in your squad: Bangboo Chain Attack generates Shield for all squad members based on the number of enemies hit, up to a max of 15% of Paperboo's Max HP. |
Nekomata Best Teams
Nekomata shines as a burst damage dealer, excelling in short rotations where she can swap in, unsheathing her claws, and then switch out. Her passive grants a significant damage boost to her EX Special Attack whenever any character triggers Assault (up to a 70% increase with two stacks). To maximize this bonus, consider building a team with at least two Physical or Cunning Hare agents.
Here's a powerful team composition that capitalizes on Nekomata's strengths:
- Main DPS
- Nekomata
- Sub-DPS
- Anby/Piper
- Support
- Nicole/Lucy
Since Nekomata excels in quick swaps, it's recommended that you deploy supports like Nicole, who can provide buffs and debuffs within a short timeframe. Nicole's crowd control can also group enemies for Nekomata's powerful EX Special Attack
Nekomata Skill Priority
As a quick swap main DPS, Nekomata thrives on weaving in dodge counters and building Assault through her swift attacks. To maximize her damage potential, prioritize leveling her skills in this order:
- Dodge
- Basic Attack
- Special Attack
- Ultimate Attack
That concludes our build guide for Zenless Zone Zero's Nekomata! Rest assured, we'll keep this guide updated with any balance changes or new discoveries.
Interested in learning more about Zenless Zone Zero? Get ahead of the curve and start planning your Polychrome savings for your future party members with our Zenless Zone Zero 1.0 banner lineup here.