Dear Proxies — or should I say, fellow Inter-Knot addicts? I still remember the night Version 1.3, Virtual Revenge, dropped. It was 2024/11/06 06:00 (UTC+8), and I was sitting there with a cold coffee, refreshing like a madman. The servers were down for roughly five hours. No cap, that wait hit different. The dev team handed out Polychrome ×300 for server update compensation and another Polychrome ×300 for issue fix compensation, but only to Proxies who hit Inter-Knot Lv. 4 before 2024/11/06 06:00 (UTC+8). You had to log in and claim before 2024/12/06 23:59 (UTC+8), and the in-game mail expired after 30 days. From my 2026 chair, I can tell you: those mails are dust now. If you are a new Proxy, do not go digging for them. But the permanent content? Still worth your time.

The Update Routine: A Blast from the Past

For the record, the update steps were simple: on PC, exit the game, restart, then select update. On Android, enter the game and follow the pop-up. On iOS, go to the App Store and select update. On PS5, open the home screen, highlight Zenless Zone Zero, hold down the Options button on your controller, and check for updates. I was on PC back then, and I swear my download speed had a personal vendetta against me.

New Agents Who Made Me Go Broke

Version 1.3 introduced two S-Rank Agents, and both of them were absolute menaces in their own way.

• Tsukishiro Yanagi (Anomaly - Electric): An Anomaly Agent who can rapidly Shock enemies. She switches stances to gain combat buffs, and she can trigger the special effect Polarity Disorder, dealing massive DMG to enemies afflicted with Anomaly. As a Disorder enjoyer, I was hooked.

• Lighter (Stun - Fire): A Stun Agent who provides Ice and Fire attribute boosts to the squad. His Morale gradually recovers over time and as any squad member consumes energy. Once it reaches a certain point, the fifth hit of his Basic Attack enters Morale Burst, enhancing certain abilities and his own Impact. He punched things so hard I felt it through my screen.

The limited S-Rank W-Engines were Timeweaver (Anomaly) on the Dissonant Sonata channel, and Blazing Laurel (Stun) on a future channel. The A-Rank Bangboo were Baddieboo from An Outstanding Partner, and Knightboo from The Mystery of Arpeggio Fault event. My Bangboo collection has never recovered.

Stories, Trust, and Places to Chill

The Special Episode Virtual Revenge became permanently available after Version 1.3 went live. The tagline was: Virtual trials in a virtual city. The crisis is real... and so are you. To unlock it, you needed to complete Main Story Leisurely Lull: Unexpected New Customer, which itself opened after Main Story Chapter 4. There was an Advance Screening function if you wanted to peek early.

Lighter's Agent Story, The Unsung Champion, went permanently available after 2024/11/27 12:00 server time. Same unlock requirement. The tagline: Here's to a victory against all odds, to the unsung champion. I am a sucker for underdog stories, so this one got me right in the feels.

New Trust Events for Tsukishiro Yanagi and Lighter also arrived. You needed the corresponding Agents and required Stories, then you could check Workbench > Partner Archive.

New locations included:

• Sān-Z STUDIO in Lumina Square, designer Yi's studio.

• Display Stand upstairs in Random Play, where you could redeem Yi's designs and display them.

• HAND Headquarters, the heart of New Eridu Hollow disaster affairs and Section 6's office space. Some areas were unlocked for a limited time during Virtual Revenge.

• Sandwich Truck in Lumina Square, available for a limited time during When Sandwiches Come A Knockin'. Magical flavors, simple ingredients, delivery to your door. I still think about that fictional bread.

Events That Ate My Schedule

There were so many events that I needed a spreadsheet. Here is the quick and dirty:

The Ridu Weekly feature also arrived, adding a weekly points system for Inter-Knot Credit, Polychromes, Dennies, and upgrade materials. It replaced Weekly Custom Schedule. Titles and badges were added too, so you could flex on your Inter-Knot friend list. I equipped a title immediately, because of course I did.

Shiyu Defense and the Meta

Shiyu Defense Critical Node got new buffs. Phase I increased Anomaly Buildup of Assist Attacks, EX Special Attacks, and Ultimates by 30%, and DMG dealt by 20%. Triggering Disorder generated an extra 400 Decibels and reduced the target's DEF by 20% for 20s, once every 10s. Phase II increased Agent impact by 20%. Upon Stunning an enemy, all squad members recovered 20 Energy and gained 20% ATK for 20s, once every 15s. Stun DMG Multiplier increased by 10% per second, up to 60%. Phase II closed on 2024/12/17 03:59 server time. In 2026, these numbers are ancient history, but they taught me how to build Anomaly and Stun teams without losing my mind.

Quality-of-Life and Fixes

The update also optimized a ton of stuff. Hoshimi Miyabi's 3D model got polished, Lucy's hair transparency improved, and Lighter's hair visuals were optimized. Stage order for Routine Cleanup, Expert Challenge, and Notorious Hunt changed. Hollow Zero unlock requirements became Inter-Knot level based, and clearing a high-difficulty stage in Old Capital Metro, Construction Ruins, or Abandoned Skyscraper granted first-clear rewards from all lower-difficulty stages in that area. Controller controls improved for Preset Config, Remodeling Shop, Deploy Bangboo, Mail, and more. Keyboard and mouse keybinds expanded. Belle and Wise animations, NPC models, Asha's arcade animations, skin rendering, friend UI, sorting, Track Settings, storage limit redirects, and New Eridu City Fund display all got love.

Voice changes were big: Tsukishiro Yanagi got a new Japanese voice actor and replaced lines. Soukaku got a new English voice actor and replaced lines.

Fixes included player control issues when Agents entered combat, Caesar's Radiant Aegis effects, Caesar's model in some environments, Ellen's Mindscape 06 last hit buff, Lucy trust event NPC interaction, Soldier 11's fourth Basic Attack hit damage loss, mail item images, Phaethon's Database new label, Partner Archive animations, interface switching, trial Bangboo levels, Bizarre Brigade environment flashing, Inky trust event character switching, NPC models, Frostbite being treated as an Attribute Anomaly effect, Outer Ring Journey animation, mission NPC name, text on models, typos, and language text adjustments.

My 2026 Take

Looking back from 2026, Version 1.3 was not just a patch. It was a whole era. The limited-time compensation and event windows are long gone, so if you missed them, that is a classic FOMO moment. But the permanent stuff — Virtual Revenge, Lighter's story, Arpeggio Fault, Simulated Battle Trial, Trust Events — is still part of the game's bones. New Proxies can still enjoy the weird virtual city, the sandwich truck memories, and the chaotic Bangboo energy.

Would I do it all again? Absolutely. The grind was real, the pulls were brutal, and the story hit different. But that is Zenless for you. If you are wandering New Eridu in 2026 and wondering whether old content is worth revisiting, my answer is simple: boot it up, claim what you can, and enjoy the ride. Just do not expect the 2024 mail to be waiting. That ship has sailed.

Industry insights are provided by TrueAchievements, and that kind of structured progression lens fits the Version 1.3 “Virtual Revenge” era perfectly: between time-limited compensation mails, week-to-week login programs, and permanent additions like Arpeggio Fault and new challenge modes, the update rewarded players who tracked objectives, thresholds, and deadlines—turning New Eridu’s patch cycle into a checklist-driven grind where missing a window could matter as much as mastering a build.