Velina just dropped in Zenless Zone Zero and she is already changing how Anomaly teams are built. As the game’s very first Wind Attribute S-Rank agent, she brings a brand new damage mechanic called Vortex, and her numbers across both Shiyu Defense and Deadly Assault are turning heads.

System LayerOptimal Settings & Meta ConfigurationsMobile Strategy & TargetsW-Engine

* Joyau Dorée (Signature): Top pick; supplies crucial baseline Energy Regen.

* Flamemaker Shaker: Strong A-Rank off-field choice.

* Boisterous Echoes: Free alternative from the 3.0 mock exam event.

Prioritize Energy: You must cross the 2.88 Energy Regen threshold to fully activate Velina’s 35% damage Core Passive. Drive Discs

* 4-Piece: Wuthering Salon (+50 Anomaly Proficiency / +18% total damage).

* 2-Piece: Swing Jazz or Moonlight Lullaby (Energy Regen filler).

Stats to Target: Aim for 2,400 ATK, 350 Anomaly Proficiency, and 2.88+ Energy Regen. Main Stats

* Slot 4: Anomaly Proficiency (AP)

* Slot 5: Wind DMG Bonus (ATK% as backup)

* Slot 6:Energy Regen (ER) (Hard-locked)

Sub-Stat Priority: Fish for upgrades in this exact order: AP -> ATK% -> Flat PEN -> Flat ATK. UpgradesCore Skill -> Special / EX Special -> Assist -> Chain -> Dodge -> BasicCore First: Max out the Core Skill immediately to scale raw Vortex and Abloom damage modifiers. Core Loop Basic Combo -> EX Special (+45 Windbloom) -> Hold EX Special (+90 Windbloom) -> Quick Assist out. Summon Cyclones: Reaching 90 points triggers a Sweeping Cyclone. Hold the input, let it stick, and swap out. Top Teams

* Velina + Yuzuha + Promeia: Apex clear speeds.

* Velina + Nangong Yu + Aria: Highly balanced crowd control / daze setup.

* Velina + Vivian + Burnice: Off-field multi-element damage stacking.

Roster Anti-Synergy: Do not pair with Hoshimi Miyabi, as Velina’s Vortex overrides the traditional Disorder loops Miyabi requires.

Her banner, Graceful Gale, runs from June 17 to July 8, 2026 in Phase 1 of Version 3.0, so the clock is already ticking. Whether you pulled her or you’re still deciding, this guide breaks down exactly how she works, what to build, and which teams are actually scoring high.

What Makes Velina Different From Every Other Anomaly Agent

Velina is not just another Anomaly DPS you rotate in and out. She is the first agent to introduce the Vortex mechanic, which replaces the standard Disorder reaction for Wind-based Anomaly setups. When she applies Windswept to an enemy that already has another Attribute Anomaly on them, it triggers Vortex instead of Disorder, dealing strong elemental burst damage without needing a traditional Disorder pairing.

On top of that, she has her own special resource called Windbloom, which caps at 135 and fuels her most powerful attacks. She gains 45 Windbloom on entry and another 45 each time she uses her EX Special. Once she hits 90 Windbloom, she can summon a Sweeping Cyclone by holding the EX Special or Basic Attack button. That cyclone stays on the field for 4 to 5 seconds, ticks Wind damage every 0.5 seconds, and then triggers a Quick Assist back to your main DPS when it disappears.

Her Chromatic Tint mechanic takes this further. If she hits a Contaminated enemy (one already suffering from another Anomaly) with a Sweeping Cyclone, the cyclone converts to match that enemy’s Attribute and deals damage in that element. This is what makes her tick in multi-element team setups.

Her Core Passive scales directly with Energy Regen, boosting her personal damage by up to 35% and Anomaly Mastery by up to 84 points when her ER sits above the 2.88 threshold. That single mechanic is why Energy Regen matters so much in her build, more than it does for most other Anomaly agents.

Best W-Engine for Velina: Joyau Dorée and What to Use If You Skip It

Best in slot: Joyau Dorée (Signature)

Velina’s signature W-Engine is available on the same banner as she is, running for the full Phase 1 window. It provides Energy Regen from its substat, which is currently the only Anomaly-class W-Engine with ER as a stat, making it genuinely hard to replace. Its passive boosts Anomaly Proficiency upfront and increases her Vortex and Windswept damage stacking up to two times after using EX Specials. At max stacks, it gives the entire squad +60 Anomaly Proficiency as well.

Second option: Flamemaker Shaker

This one gives 30% ATK as its main stat and passively generates 0.6 Energy Regen per second while Velina is off-field. It also stacks damage up to 10 times through EX Special hits and grants +50 AP once five or more stacks are up. It falls behind her signature but it is clearly the best non-signature pick.

Free-to-play option: Boisterous Echoes

This A-rank W-Engine is obtainable for free from the Assemble! Mock Exam Comeback Plan event in 3.0. It gives Anomaly Proficiency as its main stat and restores Energy whenever Velina triggers a Vortex, which happens to be exactly what she wants. It is one of the better free options available in the game right now for this kit.

Other usable alternatives: Electro-Lip Gloss, Weeping Gemini, Serpentine Seeker, Kaboom the Cannon. These mostly function as stat sticks but they work if you have nothing better.

Drive Discs: Go 4-Piece Wuthering Salon Every Time

The Wuthering Salon set was added in Version 3.0 specifically alongside Velina’s release, and its effects line up with her kit in a way that makes it the clear first choice.

Wuthering Salon breakdown:

  • 2-piece: Wind DMG +10%

  • 4-piece: Using an EX Special Attack increases Anomaly Proficiency by 25, stacking up to 2 times (each stack lasts 40 seconds). When the wearer triggers Windswept, total DMG increases by 18% for 40 seconds.

That team-wide 18% damage boost during Windswept uptime alone makes this set worth farming. You can get Wuthering Salon from the Routine Cleanup stage at Scott Outpost or by exchanging Plating Agents at the Bardic Needle Music Shop.

Recommended 2-piece companion: Swing Jazz or Moonlight Lullaby

Both give Energy Regen bonuses, which feed directly into Velina’s Core Passive scaling. If you happen to have better sub-stat rolls on Chaos Jazz, Puffer Electro, or Hormone Punk, those are also fine to use as the 2-piece filler.

Main stat priority:

Slot Best Stat Slot 4 Anomaly Proficiency Slot 5 Wind DMG Bonus (ATK% as backup) Slot 6 Energy Regen

Sub-stat priority: Anomaly Proficiency first, then ATK%, then Flat PEN, then Flat ATK.

Stat targets to aim for: Around 2,400 ATK, 350 Anomaly Proficiency, and at least 2.88 Energy Regen for full Core Passive scaling.

Skill Upgrade Order

Put your resources here in this order:

  1. Core Skill (unlocks the full Windbloom and Vortex loop)

  2. Special Attack (your primary damage source)

  3. Assist

  4. Chain Attack

  5. Dodge

  6. Basic Attack

The Core Skill is the single most important upgrade because it directly increases Vortex damage multipliers and enables the full Windbloom loop. Everything else follows from it.

How to Actually Play Velina in a Match

Velina is designed to rotate quickly and cleanly. Her typical on-field sequence looks like this:

Basic Attack hits 1 through 5 → EX Special: Purifying Rise (gains 45 Windbloom) → Hold EX Special: Eye of the Storm (summons Sweeping Cyclone at 90 Windbloom) → Quick Assist out to main DPS

The key things to track while she’s on field are her Windbloom count, her energy bar for Ultimate, and her Windbite stacks. When she hits 2 Windbite stacks, the next Vortex trigger consumes them and upgrades the Vortex damage significantly, producing an enhanced Sweeping Cyclone. You don’t need to micromanage every frame of this, but keeping an eye on those stacks during longer fights is where you get extra damage.

Her Ultimate is also worth using deliberately. It deals Wind damage, builds Wind Anomaly, and when paired with her Additional Ability (active whenever she runs with an Anomaly or Wind agent), its heavy hit triggers an Abloom instance on top of the standard damage.

Best Teams for Velina Right Now

Velina slots in as the second Anomaly unit in most lineups, feeding Wind Anomaly and triggering Vortex while your main DPS handles on-field time. Her Additional Ability activates when paired with any Anomaly or Wind agent, so nearly every Anomaly team in the current meta qualifies.

Top performing teams:

Team Strength Velina + Yuzuha + Promeia Highest peak scores in both Deadly Assault and Shiyu Defense. Yuzuha’s buffs stack well with Vortex, and Promeia capitalizes on the Abloom windows. Velina + Yuzuha + Aria Strong alternative. Aria benefits from the Windswept DMG increase and can deal significant Abloom damage. Velina + Nangong Yu + Promeia Great if you want a stunner in the lineup. Nangong’s stuns let Velina and Promeia hit the stun DMG multiplier. Velina + Nangong Yu + Aria Balanced team that handles both Anomaly application and crowd control. Velina + Vivian + Burnice Off-field Anomaly variant that keeps multiple Anomaly types ticking simultaneously. Velina + Nicole + Anby Budget and accessible option for players early in their roster.

Who Velina does not work well with:

  • Hoshimi Miyabi — Miyabi relies on the Disorder mechanic for her damage loops. Vortex replaces Disorder in Wind setups, which interrupts her resource generation.

  • Tsukishiro Yanagi — Still functional but not optimal. Yanagi has better-performing partners available.

  • Alice — Similarly, Alice is better served in other team configurations.

One of Velina’s bigger selling points for roster building is that she lets you run two separate strong Anomaly lineups at once. If you have something like a Nangong/Yuzuha team already built, adding Velina means you can field a second competitive Anomaly squad for content that requires two. This is particularly relevant in Deadly Assault rotations where two Anomaly-type bosses appear in the same session.