If you play Zenless Zone Zero—or ZZZ, as most of the community calls it—you know how quick its update cycle can be. One week you’re clearing Hollow Raids; the next, a limited Agent, a new Bangboo, and a city-wide fashion event drop all at once. Missing a five-star Agent because you ran out of Polychrome feels bad, and watching a payment spin while the banner timer blinks is even worse. After that happened to me during the Belle Peppers rerun, I rebuilt my prep routine around three simple goals: spend less money, waste less time, and never miss a pull window.
Below are the habits that work for me—plus a quick note on why I top up through the Zenless Zone Zero top-up page on Manabuy instead of the in-app store.
1. Farm Only What My Next Agent Needs
Daily stamina in ZZZ disappears fast, and not every run pays off. Before I burn tickets, I check leaks and livestream hints to see which element or weapon type is coming. If the next five-star looks like a Physical DPS, I farm Stun Modules; if it’s an Ether support, I focus on Catalyst parts. Targeted farming means I have usable gear on day one instead of spending the banner’s first week underpowered.
2. Keep a 3,500 Polychrome “Safety Net”
Hard pity in ZZZ costs about 7,000 Polychrome, so I keep at least half of that in reserve. Any currency above 3,500 is fair game for single pulls, outfit tokens, or the Proxy Pass. Anything below triggers an immediate top-up. That buffer turns impulse spending into a planned expense and stops me from panic-buying at awkward hours.
3. Top Up Early—And for Less—via Manabuy
Payment holds are real: the app store once left my charge “pending” for fifteen minutes, and the banner ended while I waited. Now I refill through Manabuy, which has been faster and cheaper:
- Open the ZZZ page—no login needed.
- Type my UID, pick a Polychrome bundle (I like 3,280 + bonus).
- Pay with Apple Pay or PayPal; currency appears in-game within two minutes.
Because the price already includes tax, I pay exactly what I see. Typical bundles run 10–20 percent below the app-store total, and those small savings cover an extra pull or two by the end of each patch.
4. Lock in Calendar Milestones
HoYoverse drops its preview livestream roughly two weeks before every update. As soon as the stream ends, I check three things: my Polychrome balance, my gear stash, and my weekend schedule. If I’m under my 3,500-currency floor, I top up that same day. I also add double-drop weekends to a shared calendar, so I never waste stamina farming the wrong chips when better rates are around the corner.
5. Treat Redeem Codes as Bonus, Not Income
ZZZ occasionally releases redeem codes for 60–100 Polychrome, but they appear without warning and expire fast. I pop them in when I see them and move on. Counting on codes encourages sloppy budgeting; treating them as “extra” keeps the main plan intact.
How These Habits Pay Off
Since adopting this routine, I haven’t missed a single limited Agent. Over Version 1.1, topping up exclusively through Manabuy saved me about $30 compared with the in-app store—enough to fund a full Proxy Pass. More important, I stopped stressing over last-minute payments. When Ellen Joe’s banner went live, I had Polychrome ready, gear pre-farmed, and zero checkout delays. I spent the first night actually playing, not refreshing a payment page.
Final Thought
Zenless Zone Zero—sorry, ZZZ—rewards quick moves and clear plans. Focused farming, a fixed Polychrome buffer, and early, lower-cost top-ups through Manabuy remove the friction that used to sabotage my pulls. If you’ve ever lost a banner to slow payments or surprise fees, try this approach before the next patch preview. A little prep work now can save money, time, and frustration when the next limited Agent hits New Eridu.
