The previous Zenless Zone Zero update, v1.4, was pitched as a kind of soft reboot for the hit gacha game – and it was an enormous success. In addition to reworking the opening chapters of the campaign, it also introduced an epic story quest, centring on hugely popular Agent Miyabi.

Now the HoYoverse team, fresh from topping gacha revenue charts, is refusing to relieve its momentum. It’s announced the next major update, Astranomical Moment, will launch on 22nd January.

This was teased at the end of the previous patch, and takes the story in a slightly more showbiz direction. “Astra Yao, New Eridu’s brightest star, will take the stage to deliver a dazzling New Year performance, while Proxies will find themselves involved in an adventure unfolding both under the Starloop spotlight and in the shadows,” the press release teases.

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Naturally, Astra Yao will headline the first phase of the update, bringing some much-needed S-Rank support in the form of her damage buffing performances. She can also restore health with her Ultimate. She’ll be flanked by Ellen’s rerun.

Astra Yao’s bodyguard, S-Rank attacker Evelyn, will front the second phase of the update, dealing deadly damage with her Burning Tether. Once enough points have been accumulated, she can unleash a Chain Attack, igniting her targets. She’ll be accompanied by Qingyi.

There’s honestly so much content in this update we’re having trouble condensing it all. Mach 25, a new arcade minigame, is getting introduced – as is a 2-Player mode to the Vampire Survivors-inspired Bizarre Brigade. In fact, that whole minigame is getting some big improvements, including tweaks to its difficulty and much more.

Then there’ll be a trio of new outfits to equip to Ellen, Astra Yao, and Nicole – with the latter available for free if you participate in the latest Bangboo-themed event. Other events include an angling contest where you can unlock an exclusive wallpaper.

All of this is in addition to the promise of approximately 23 free pulls just for logging in. You can earn even more pulls from participating in the events, so plan carefully and you should be able to unlock the characters you want.