Zenless Zone Zero 3.1 phase 2: the 20% discount and pity guarantee don't carry over — what to do before September 8

Since Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 12:00 PM server time, Zenless Zone Zero has its phase 2 signal search channels running; they will close on September 8 at 2:59 PM server time. The W-Engine track adds two perks: a 20% discount on the first set of 10 searches, and a guaranteed bonus on the first S-rank obtained. HoYoverse specifies that neither carries over to the next session.

Whatever isn't used by September 8 is therefore lost. The trap lies elsewhere: switching tabs to feature a different W-Engine resets neither the discount nor the guarantee. Anyone who thinks they can restart the promotion by switching targets simply pays full price.

What's open, and until when

The window is shared by all four channels: opening on August 19, 2026 at 12:00 PM, closing on September 8, 2026 at 2:59 PM — both in server time.

• "Until the End of the Sky" — Exclusive channel, with a greatly increased drop rate for Sigrid (Ice - Attack), alongside the default A-rank agents Soukaku (Ice - Support) and Lucy (Fire - Support).
• "Ode to the Cavalier" — W-Engine channel, featuring the exclusive S-rank W-Engine of the same name (Attack). Default A-rank items with increased rate: Demon Blushed (Support) and Kaboom the Cannon (Support).
• "Exclusive Channel" — three selectable S-rank agents: Dialyn (Physical - Anomaly), Yuzuha (Physical - Support), Harumasa (Electric - Attack).
• "W-Engine Channel" — three selectable S-rank W-Engines: Yesterday's Calling (Anomaly), Metal Anomaly (Support), Zanshin Herb Case (Attack).

On the European server, server time corresponds to UTC+1: as long as daylight saving time applies, add one hour to get Paris time. The closure on September 8 at 2:59 PM server time will therefore fall at 3:59 PM in Paris.

One point weighs on the decision: the exclusive S-rank agent and W-Engine signals listed above will not be available in the Standard "Featured List" channel. HoYoverse only states that they may be offered again later on limited-time channels.

The 20% discount: only once per session, regardless of the tab

During each W-Engine Channel session, the first set of 10 signal searches benefits from a 20% discount: it costs 8 Encrypted Master Tapes instead of 10. From the second set onward, the cost returns to the original amount. The same system exists on the agent side, in the Exclusive Channel.

Three limits are explicitly stated in the announcement, and these are the ones that cost resources.

One. The discount applies to all channels within the current Channel event and can only be activated once during the session. It is tied to the session, not to a specific W-Engine.

Two. Switching W-Engine channels at the increased rate does not reset the number of times the boost has been used. The interface lets you switch tabs at any time, which gives the impression of moving to a fresh channel: that's not the case. A run consumed down to 8 master tapes on Ordinary Pass Zanshin does not come back by switching to Metanukimorphosis.

Three. The reduction is reset with every session update, and unused boosts are not carried over to the next session. A discount left unused is lost, not banked.

In practice: lock in your target before launching the first set of 10.

The bonus guarantee comes before the standard guarantee

Second advantage: the first S-Rank signal obtained on the "W-Engine Reverberation" channel is guaranteed to be the featured exclusive S-Rank W-Engine, meaning the one on the active tab. This is the mechanism HoYoverse calls the bonus guarantee.

It follows the same non-carryover rules as the discount: valid across all channels of the current Reverberation, activatable only once per session, unaffected by switching tabs, reset with every new session, and never carried over.

What remains is how it interacts with the standard guarantee. The two are calculated independently and have no bearing on one another. On the first S-Rank W-Engine obtained within the channels of the current Reverberation, it's the bonus guarantee that is used first. Once that is used up, the next S-Rank falls back under the standard guarantee rules, and the standard counter keeps accumulating within that channel.

So it should be read as a one-time safety net layered on top of the usual system: it secures the identity of the first S-Rank, not the number of pulls needed to reach it.

Four counters, no shared pool

This is what makes the trade-off difficult: it's impossible to reason in terms of a single budget. Each family of channels keeps its own guarantee counter, and the announcement repeats this for each one — the number of pulls made on one channel only stacks with those of channels in the same family.

Four separate counters, hence four separate decisions: pulls made on Sigrid don't advance the "Ode to the Cavalier" counter, and those on the agent rebroadcast don't advance the Reverberation counter.

Within a single family, however, switching tabs makes no difference: progress carries over.

S-Rank signal customization: six names to check off

On the Exclusive Channel and the W-Engine Channel — meaning "To the Ends of the Earth" and "Ode to the Rider," not the two reruns — the S-rank Signal Customization lets you select 6 S-rank agents or W-Engines, which inherit the drop rate rules of non-featured S-ranks. If the S-rank obtained is not the featured one, it is guaranteed to be one of the 6 selected.

A second option lets you choose 2 A-ranks with an increased drop rate for the current period. Without any adjustment on your part, the default A-ranks apply — Bashful Demon and Kaboom the Cannon on "Ode to the Rider."

What these announcements don't put a number on

Both official communications describe the mechanics, the windows, and the prices, but they do not publish the drop rates, the number of pulls before guarantee, or the W-Engine statistics. No numerical threshold is given, and we won't make one up.

The publisher itself points to the "Details" button, in the bottom left corner of the in-game Signal Search page: that's where the full rules for the channel in question can be found.

Sigrid's outfit: a 330-Monochrome gap, with a switchover date

The second announcement concerns the shop. Sigrid's outfit "Majestic Wave Chaser" is joining the "Outfit of the Day" section. Its sale period is permanent: it will not disappear from the catalog. What does have a deadline is its price.

The savings made during the promotion therefore amount to 330 Monochromes. Watch out for the time reference: HoYoverse dates the end of this promotion in UTC+8, not server time. September 9 at 5:59 AM UTC+8 corresponds to September 8 at 11:59 PM in Paris — meaning the entire day of September 8, while the Signal Search channels, for their part, will already have closed at 3:59 PM Paris time that same day. Finally, the outfit can only be purchased once during the sale period.

What to do before September 8

1. Set your target before pulling. On the W-Engine Reverberation, choose the tab before the first set of 10: the discount on 8 Master Tapes and the benefit guarantee don't reset if you change your mind.
2. Use up the discount and guarantee within the session. Whatever remains unused on September 8 at 2:59 PM server time is lost.
3. Think in terms of channel families. Spreading your pulls across the four channels means advancing four independent counters.
4. Set the S-rank Signal Customization on the two channels concerned, as well as the two boosted-rate A-ranks, before spending.
5. Make your decision on Sigrid's outfit before September 8 at 11:59 PM Paris time. After that it remains available, but at 1,680 Monochromes instead of 1,350.

Last checkpoint: version 3.1 ends on September 8, and the exclusive S-ranks from this phase will not be joining the standard "Featured" Channel. Those aiming for them therefore have no permanent alternative to wait for.