Ether

Attack

Zhu Yuan

Leader of the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team

TierA

RolesMain DPS

Release1.0

Zhu Yuan is an Ether Attack Agent built around bursting Stunned enemies. She stores Enhanced Shotshells, then unloads them in Suppressive Mode for huge Ether DMG, with +80% DMG on Stunned targets from her Core Passive. Newer Ether carries have overtaken her at high investment, but she's still a solid, F2P-friendly DPS whose best teams (Dialyn, Nicole, Qingyi) are easy to put together.

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Stun burst DPS

W-Engines

Cordis Germina BiS

S · CRIT Rate

Seed's signature is her best option by a small margin: a huge amount of CRIT Rate, and 20% DEF ignore on Basic Attacks and Ultimates, which is most of her damage. The Electric DMG part is wasted.

CRIT Rate +15%; Basic and EX Special Attacks stack Electric DMG +12.5% for 40s (up to 2); at 2 stacks, Basic Attack and Ultimate DMG ignore 20% of DEF.

The Brimstone

S · ATK%

Soldier 11's signature from the standard W-Engine banner. Her shell dumps keep all 8 ATK stacks up easily. Prydwen's calculations put it on par with Cordis Germina.

Basic Attacks, Dash Attacks and Dodge Counters stack ATK +3.5% for 8s, up to 8 times.

Riot Suppressor Mark VI

S · CRIT DMG

Her signature: CRIT Rate and a big DMG bonus for 8 Ether Basic or Dash Attacks after each EX Special. Good if you have it, but not worth pulling for.

CRIT Rate +15%; EX Special Attacks grant 8 Charges, each consumed by an Ether Basic or Dash Attack for +35% DMG.

Marcato Desire

A · CRIT Rate

Best A-Rank if you got it from its event: CRIT Rate main stat, and the ATK buff doubles when Nicole keeps an Ether Anomaly on the target.

EX Special Attack and Chain Attack hits raise ATK by 6% for 8s, or 12% if the target suffers an Attribute Anomaly.

Starlight Engine

A · ATK%

Free and reliable: ATK% main stat plus an ATK buff from Dodge Counters and Quick Assists.

Dodge Counters and Quick Assists raise ATK by 12% for 12s.

Cannon Rotor

A · CRIT Rate

A-Rank alternative with a CRIT Rate main stat. Game8 ranks it third.

ATK +7.5%; critical hits deal extra DMG equal to 200% of ATK (once every 8s).

Drive Discs

The Sky Ablaze ×4

Woodpecker Electro ×2

Her best set since 3.0 (Icy Veins, and the in-game recommendation): an unconditional +30% CRIT DMG for Ether Agents, plus ATK +10% after an EX Special or Ultimate. Branch & Blade Song is a good 2-pc too.

Set effects

2pEther DMG +10%.

4pWhen the equipper is an Ether attribute Agent, their CRIT DMG increases by 30%. When the equipper uses an EX Special Attack or Ultimate, their ATK increases by 10% for 30s. Repeated triggers reset the duration.

2pCRIT Rate +8%

Chaotic Metal ×4

Woodpecker Electro ×2

Prydwen's pick: up to +53% CRIT DMG when Corruption (Ether Anomaly) keeps ticking. Needs Nicole or another Ether Anomaly source to shine.

Set effects

2pEther DMG +10%

4pThe equipper's CRIT DMG increases by 20%. When any character in the squad triggers Corruption DMG, this effect further increases by 5.5% for 8s, stacking up to 6 times. Repeated triggers reset the duration.

2pCRIT Rate +8%

Puffer Electro ×4

Woodpecker Electro ×2

Only with Dialyn: her Ultimate conversion gives you two Ultimates per Stun, so the ATK buff covers the whole burst.

Set effects

2pPEN Ratio +8%

4pUltimate DMG increases by 20%. Launching an Ultimate increases the equipper's ATK by 15% for 12s.

2pCRIT Rate +8%

Dawn's Bloom ×4

Woodpecker Electro ×2

Game8's pick: a large Basic Attack DMG bonus, since her Suppressive shots count as Basic Attacks.

Set effects

2pIncreases Basic Attack DMG by 15%.

4pIncreases Basic Attack DMG by 20%. When equipped by an Attack character, using an EX Special Attack or Ultimate will further increase Basic Attack DMG by 20% for 25s. Repeated triggers reset the duration.

2pCRIT Rate +8%

Main stats

Disc 4

CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG

Disc 5

ATK% / Ether DMG Bonus / PEN Ratio

Disc 6

ATK%

Substat priority

1CRIT Rate 2CRIT DMG 3ATK% 4PEN 5ATK

Stat targets

CRIT Rate 60–70% on the stat screen (90–100% in combat with her Additional Ability's +30%)
CRIT DMG 160–180%+
ATK 3,000+
HP 9,500+, DEF 800+

Talent priority

Core Skill

Basic Attack

Chain Attack

Special Attack

Dodge

Assist

Don't overcap CRIT Rate: count the +30% from her Additional Ability, which is up during every burst. With Nicole at M6, aim for 55% or less on the stat screen.

Teams

Recommended teams

Dialyn & Nicole

Zhu Yuan

Dialyn

Nicole

Her most used team in the current Shiyu Defense. Dialyn is her best Stunner by far: fast Daze, a longer Stun, and she turns a Chain Attack into an Ultimate at the start of each Stun, so Zhu Yuan gets two Ultimates per burst. Nicole shreds DEF, triggers her Additional Ability as a Support and adds Ether DMG. Bangboo: Resonaboo (two Ether Agents).

Public Security: Qingyi & Nicole

Zhu Yuan

Qingyi

Nicole

The classic team. Qingyi shares her faction, fills her downtime with fast on-field Daze and raises the Stun DMG Multiplier. Nicole handles DEF Shred and Ether DMG. Bangboo: Officer Cui (two Public Security Agents).

Double Support: Nicole & Astra Yao

Zhu Yuan

Nicole

Astra Yao

No Stunner, but Astra Yao's Quick Assists and extra Chain Attacks feed her Shotshells, while her ATK and CRIT DMG buffs stack with Nicole's DEF Shred. Swap Astra for Anby for a free version. Bangboo: Resonaboo.

Guide

How to play

Enhanced Shotshells

She holds up to 9 Enhanced Shotshells and starts every fight with 6. Sources:

3 from each EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, Ultimate and Assist Follow-Up;
1 from her Dodge Counter and Quick Assist;
1 from the 4th and 5th hits of her Assault Mode Basic Attack (max 1 per string).

Hold Basic Attack to switch to Suppressive Mode: each shot then consumes Shotshells for massive Ether DMG (+40% DMG, and another +40% on Stunned enemies). Never fire in Suppressive Mode without Shotshells: the unenhanced shots are very weak.

Key combos

Shell dump: Suppressive Basic 1 (1) → Basic 2 (1) → Basic 3 (3) → side Dash Attack (1) → Basic 3 (3). That's all 9 Shotshells in a few seconds.
EX Special, Chain Attack and Ultimate put her straight into Suppressive Mode if you keep holding Basic Attack, skipping the backflip.
A side Dash Attack after Suppressive Basic 3 loops back into another Basic 3, the fastest way to spend Shotshells.

In a fight

Before the Stun, build 5–9 Shotshells and ~3/4 of your Energy (Evasive Assist + Assist Follow-Up gives 3 for only 1 Assist Point).
On Stun: Chain Attack → shell dump → EX Special → shell dump → Ultimate → shell dump, weaving your Support in between.
Her Additional Ability gives +30% CRIT Rate for 10s after an EX Special, Chain Attack or Ultimate: keep it running during the whole burst.

Take Chain Attacks manually: double Chain Attacks on Zhu Yuan are a big part of her Shotshell economy.

Strengths

Some of the highest burst damage in a Stun window, thanks to her +80% DMG against Stunned enemies.
F2P-friendly: works with Nicole, Qingyi and many A-Rank or standard W-Engines.
Very mobile, with invulnerable EX Special, Chain Attack and Ultimate.
Her Additional Ability is easy to activate: any Support or a Public Security teammate.

Weaknesses

Little damage outside of Stun: her Assault Mode attacks are weak.
Combo-heavy, with a real learning curve to get the most out of her Shotshells.
Outclassed by newer Ether Agents like Yixuan at high investment, and rarely used in current endgame.

Notable dupes · Mindscape Cinema

Big upgrade

Once she empties her Shotshells after a Chain Attack or Ultimate, she instantly reloads 6 of them (after a Chain Attack) or 9 (after an Ultimate). Much more burst per Stun, and she can even stay on-field outside of Stun.

Solid upgrade

Each enhanced shot adds +10% Ether DMG to her Suppressive Basic and Dash Attacks against the target (up to +50%), and she takes 10% less DMG in Suppressive Mode. Game8's stopping point.

Solid upgrade

Enhanced Suppressive shots ignore 25% of the target's Ether RES.

Solid upgrade

Every 12 Shotshells spent, the next EX Special costs 30 less Energy and fires 4 extra bullets.

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Updated September 26, 2026 · Version 3.2

Sources & references