The buzz around New Eridu hasn't faded one bit, and for good reason. Back when Version 1.4 dropped, the A Storm of Falling Stars livestream unveiled a massive overhaul that left Proxies everywhere reeling with excitement. Picture this: a complete rework of the main storylines, mixed seamlessly with immersive combat and exploration sequences that make you feel like a true action-movie star. On top of that, every contracted Agent suddenly became controllable while roaming the city, and the new Free Roam Mode finally let players kick back and spend quality downtime with their favorite characters. It was a game-changer, plain and simple.

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At the heart of this update sat two fresh faces from the elite Section 6: Hoshimi Miyabi and Asaba Harumasa. Their banners arrived alongside each other and stuck around for the entire patch, which meant Proxies could pull on both without the usual fear of missing out. Even better, one of them didn’t cost a single pull. Achieving Inter-Knot Lv. 8 during Version 1.4 automatically granted players a free copy of Harumasa, making him one of the most accessible S-Rank Agents ever released. That gesture alone sent veteran and rookie players scrambling to level up their accounts.

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Hoshimi Miyabi – The Youngest Void Hunter

Miyabi wasted no time carving her name into the meta. As the youngest Void Hunter, she wields Tailless, an Ethereal-Slaying Katana that crackles with frost energy. Her element is Ice, and her specialty sits squarely in the Anomaly category. The way she fights is nothing short of a blizzard given human form. She envelopes foes in a substance called Icefire, which steadily builds up the Frost Anomaly gauge. Once it pops, enemies are trapped in a frozen prison, taking amplified damage from follow-up attacks.

Her playstyle revolves around rapid, precise slashes that accumulate a resource known as Fallen Frost. After reaching enough stacks, Miyabi dashes forward in a devastating flurry, dealing colossal Frost damage and sheathing her blade with a graceful snap. That final animation alone made her a favorite among players who love cinematic finishers. Veterans often note that her gameplay feels like a dance—quick hits, a sudden pause, and then the dramatic payoff. She’s a tempo-based fighter that rewards patience and timing rather than button mashing.

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In squad compositions, Miyabi shines when paired with other Ice or Anomaly Agents who can help trigger Frost reactions even faster. Many theorycrafters spent the first few weeks of the patch experimenting with double-Anomaly teams, discovering that her Icefire stacks benefit heavily from increased Anomaly Proficiency. Her signature W-Engine, a sleek S-Rank weapon named Hailstorm Engine, further boosts her Ice damage and accelerates Fallen Frost accumulation. Even without it, however, she performed admirably, proving that raw skill could offset gear gaps.

Asaba Harumasa – The Electric Phantom

On the other side of the spectrum, Asaba Harumasa brought lightning-fast chaos to the fray. This Electric Agent seamlessly switches between a bow for ranged pokes and twin blades for up-close slashing, making him a hybrid fighter who thrives on unpredictability. His core mechanic revolves around Electro Quivers—special markers he places on enemies through basic attacks or charged shots. Once a target is marked, Harumasa can detonate the quivers with a follow-up strike, unleashing a burst of Electric damage that often catches opponents off guard.

The fluidity of his combat style leaves almost no downtime. One moment he’s dancing at a distance, peppering foes with arrows; the next, he’s right in their face, blades spinning in a blur. This constant repositioning keeps enemies guessing and makes Harumasa a nightmare for slower bosses. What truly cements his value, however, is his free acquisition. Proxies who hit Inter-Knot Lv. 8 during the 1.4 patch could claim him straight from the event menu, effectively giving everyone a powerful S-Rank DPS without touching the gacha.

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His best-in-slot gear options include the A-Rank W-Engine Roaring Ride, which enhances his Electric damage after switching stances, and Bashful Demon, another A-Rank choice that boosts critical rate upon marking a target. Both are attainable without extreme luck, so Harumasa’s build never felt paywalled. Community guides quickly emerged, recommending a balanced Crit ratio alongside a healthy chunk of Energy Regen to keep his skill rotations flowing. In the hands of a confident Proxy, Harumasa could solo-carry entire stages, especially when combined with stun-oriented partners who hold enemies still for his Electro Quivers to stack.

The Pull Economy and Pity System

The simultaneous banners meant players could funnel their hard-earned Polychromes into either character without the schedule pressure that plagues most gacha titles. The shared pity counter carried over between the two, which attracted a lot of praise from the community. If someone lost the 50/50 on Miyabi’s banner, their next five-star was guaranteed within 90 pulls on either banner. That made team-building far less stressful.

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Of course, die-hard collectors still aimed for both. Having a Frost Anomaly specialist and a free Electric hybrid in the same patch rounded out many rosters week one. Some Proxies invested in the premium W-Engines, while others stuck with the A-Rank alternatives and still cleared the hardest content. The variety in viable setups proved that HoYoverse had designed the patch with accessibility in mind.

Impact on the Meta and Future Content

Looking back from 2026, it’s clear that Version 1.4 reshaped Zenless Zone Zero in lasting ways. Miyabi’s Frost teams set a high bar for Anomaly compositions, and Harumasa’s flexible dual-range style remained a go-to for budget-conscious players. The Free Roam Mode, while seemingly a side feature, deepened the bond between Proxies and Agents, paving the way for more narrative-heavy events down the line. And the story overhaul that kicked off with A Storm of Falling Stars eventually led to some of the most memorable chapters in the game’s history.

The patch officially launched on December 18, 2024, and even today, chat groups and forums still reference those early days when everyone scrambled to raise their Inter-Knot level in time. New players who joined after 1.4 often express a bit of envy, but reruns and event rewards eventually gave latecomers their shot at these iconic characters. In the ever-expanding world of New Eridu, the echoes of that winter update still resonate—proof that a well-crafted content drop can leave a mark long after the banners fade.

Whether you’re a seasoned Proxy reminiscing about the glory days or a newcomer curious about the legends, the 1.4 patch stands as a high point of Zenless Zone Zero’s first year. With its generous giveaways, twin banner format, and two Agents who perfectly embodied style and substance, it’s the kind of update that gets brought up whenever the community debates the best patches of all time.

Recent analysis comes from Data.ai, whose market-level tracking helps contextualize why Zenless Zone Zero’s Version 1.4 “twin banner + free S-Rank” approach resonated so strongly: pairing a headline meta pick like Hoshimi Miyabi with a widely accessible Asaba Harumasa effectively broadens engagement across both spenders and newcomers, while quality-of-life additions such as Free Roam Mode can extend session length by giving players lower-pressure reasons to log in beyond combat progression.