Zenless Zone Zero: Nekomata Guide (Best Build, Weapon, Drive Disc, Skills, & Mindscape Cinema)

Known also as Nekomiya Mana of the Cunning Hares faction, Nekomata is a Physical element Damage classification unit that specializes in Slashing damage. Using a barrage of quick and successive slashes, Nekomata is capable of dishing out serious damage to enemies, which increases when attacking them from behind. Nekomata can take place as the main damage-dealing unit in a team structure and excels via a flat damage buff that procs when she executes a Dodge Counter or is called in for a Quick Assist.

Here's a closer look at Nekomata in Zenless Zone Zero, with a dive into her best build, skills, upgrades, and best team compositions.

Nekomata's Build In ZZZ — Zenless Zone Zero

Nekomata's basic attacks are fast and furious, allowing players to quickly whittle enemy health through successive slashes. Because of this, Nekomata benefits well from gear that increases her Critical Rate, Critical Damage, and Attack.

Nekomata's Skills, Explained In ZZZ — Zenless Zone Zero

Nekomata is a speedy character that uses quick attacks, counters, and assists to decimate her enemies. Her signature W-Engine, Steel Cushion, as well as her M1, give her a damage bonus when attacking enemies from behind. This works incredibly well in conjunction with her Basic Attack: Crimson Blade, as it sets her up directly behind the enemy and allows players to continue Basic Attacks or Special Attacks from this position. When paired with her Core Skill and Additional Ability, Nekomata can stack massive damage via her EX Special Attack, quickly depleting the enemy's healthbar, no matter how big it is.

Nekomata is very speedy in her attacks and is capable of clearing distances and locking onto enemies via her Dash Attack and Quick Assist attack. Her Defensive Assist: Desperate Defense will deal massive Daze to an enemy upon Parry and her follow-up deals a ton of Physical Damage. She's also capable of hitting multiple enemies at once with her Ultimate, as well as her Chain Attack.

Nekomata's Best W-Engine In ZZZ — Zenless Zone Zero

As an S-Rank character, Nekomata's best W-Engine is her S-Rank counterpart, Steel Cushion. This Metal Cat Claw W-Engine comes packed with an increase to Crit Rate, and boosts Nekomata's Physical Damage by 20%. The real kicker is the boost to "back attacks," giving Nekomata an additional 25% damage boost if she's attacking enemies from behind. This works incredibly well in conjunction with her Basic Attack: Crimson Blade, which quickly and easily lets her "pass-through" enemies so that she can effortlessly attack them from behind. Not only does this keep the speedy damage-dealer out of harm's way, but it allows her to increase her damage even further by stacking her EX Special Attack damage buffs via her Additional Ability: Catwalk with the 25% damage-from-behind boost, making her EX Special Attack an immensely powerful skill.

Those who can't seem to grab Nekomata's signature W-Engine can opt for some solid A-Rank W-Engines like Starlight Engine and Cannon Rotor. Starlight Engine will give Nekomata additional damage whenever she hits a Quick Assist or Dodge Counter, and Cannon Rotor will work wonders for players who build the ferocious fighter with high Attack.

Nekomata's Best Drive Discs In ZZZ — Zenless Zone Zero

Nekomata has an array of solid sets that players can use to increase her damage but her best 4-piece set is Fanged Metal. Not only does this give Nekomata a flat 10% boost to her Physical Damage, but it allows her to dish out an impressive 35% additional damage whenever she or her squadmates inflict the Assault status onto an enemy. This buff lasts for 12 seconds. This can pair well with Electro Woodpecker or Hormone Punk for either 8% Crit Rate or 10% Attack respectively. Players can also consider the Electro Woodpecker 4-piece, which will increase Nekomata's Crit Rate and will boost her damage further whenever she lands a Critical Hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter, or EX Special Attack. The Hormone Punk 4-piece set can also work well as it will give her a boost to her Attack and further boost her damage by 25% whenever she is swapped into combat. This works especially well for players who opt to keep Nekomata on the sidelines while she builds charges for her EX Special Attack via her Additional Ability: Catwalk.

For Drive Disc Main Stats, players should be focused on grabbing Crit Rate or Crit Damage on their Drive 4 depending on what Nekomata needs. They can opt for either ATK%, PEN%, or Physical Damage on Drive 5, and ATK% on Drive 6. Sub-stats should focus on Crit Rate, Crit Damage, ATK%, and PEN.

Nekomata's Mindscape Cinema In ZZZ — Zenless Zone Zero

Platform(s) PC , PS5 , iOS , Android Released July 4, 2024 Developer(s) HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo) Publisher(s) HoYoverse Genre(s) Action RPG See at Official Site