EllenBuild and Guide

Character
Introduction

Ellen is an
S Rank
rank character with the Ice attribute who belongs to the
Attack
Attack Specialty and who is part of the
Victoria Housekeeping Co.
Victoria Housekeeping Co. faction.

Less Is More, Simple Is Key. Complexity has no place here. Just keep everything simple. Work Smart and Rest More. Take breaks at the right time... to minimize the annoyance of working. Work With Focus, Prevail With Caution. Whether she takes it too seriously or not seriously enough, it's her enemy who ends up suffering from it. Unleash Sweet Delight, Unwrap and Indulge. Savoring the lollipop and concealing her true thoughts.

To learn more about Ellen check the sections below. Use the tabs to quickly switch to the kind of information you're looking for.

Video guide

Ellen has at least one video guide available, so if you prefer this sort of medium to learn more about a character, check it out:

Last updated

Ellen profile has been last updated on November 6th, 2024.

To learn more about Ellen check the sections below. Use the tabs to quickly switch to the kind of information you're looking for.

Profile

Review

Build

Shiyu Defense

Rotation & Teams

Calculations

Profile

Core skills
Core

Core Passive Sharp-Toothed

Lv. 1

When Ellen launches a charged scissor strike during Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush, or consumes a Flash Freeze Charge to activate Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming, the skill's CRIT DMG is increased by 50%.

CRIT Rate: 0

BASE ATK: 0

Core

Additional Ability Rising Storm

When another character in your squad shares the same Attribute or Faction:

When Ellen deals Ice DMG, subsequent Ice DMG increases by 3% for 10s. This effect can stack up to 10 times, and repeated triggers reset the duration.

Skills
Basic
Basic
Dodge
Dodge
Assist
Assist
Special
Special
qte
Chain
Core

Basic Attack: Saw Teeth Trimming

Press to activate. Unleashes up to 3 slashes, dealing Physical DMG. Press repeatedly or hold during the 3rd attack to extend the skill duration.

Lv. 1
1st-Hit DMG Multiplier
48.80%
1st-Hit Daze Multiplier
24.40%
2nd-Hit DMG Multiplier
111.10%
2nd-Hit Daze Multiplier
86.80%
3rd-Hit DMG Multiplier
297.30%
3rd-Hit Daze Multiplier
240.40%
Core

Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming

While Flash Freeze is in effect, press to activate. Launch up to 3 attacks at enemies in front, dealing Ice DMG. Each attack consumes 1 Flash Freeze Charge. Press repeatedly or hold during the 3rd attack to extend the skill duration.

Lv. 1
1st-Hit DMG Multiplier
99.60%
1st-Hit Daze Multiplier
48.80%
2nd-Hit DMG Multiplier
184.00%
2nd-Hit Daze Multiplier
90.20%
3rd-Hit DMG Multiplier
496.20%
3rd-Hit Daze Multiplier
245.50%
Core

Dodge: Vortex

Press to activate. A rapid dash dodge. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. When Perfect Dodge is triggered, Ellen gains the Quick Charge effect, reducing the charge time of Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush, lasting up to 5 seconds or until it triggers once.
Core

Dash: Roaming Hunt

Hold or double-tap to activate. Enter the Roaming state, allowing dashing movement. In the Roaming state, drag the joystick to control Ellen's direction, and release to stop. Ellen is invulnerable for a brief time after activation.
Core

Flash Freeze

When Ellen has Flash Freeze Charges, the Flash Freeze effect is activated. Once Flash Freeze activates, Basic Attacks and Dash Attacks expend Flash Freeze Charges, dealing massive Ice DMG. Ellen can have up to a maximum of 6 Flash Freeze Charges.
Core

Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush

While in the Roaming state, press to activate. Delivers a spinning slash to enemies before opening her scissors for a Swift Scissor strike, dealing Ice DMG. Gain 1 point of Flash Freeze Charge when the Swift Scissor strike hits. While in the Roaming state, hold to activate. Perform a spinning slash against the enemy, then pull apart the scissors to unleash a Charged Scissor strike, dealing massive Ice DMG. Gain 3 points of Flash Freeze Charge when the Charged Scissor attack hits. If the enemy is Frozen, it always triggers Shatter. Anti-Interrupt level is increased while charging the skill, and DMG taken is reduced by 40%. Ellen becomes briefly invulnerable during the skill.

Lv. 1
Spinning Slash DMG Multiplier
62.30%
Spinning Slash Daze Multiplier
62.30%
Swift Scissors DMG Multiplier
127.60%
Swift Scissors Daze Multiplier
98.20%
Charged Scissors DMG Multiplier
158.20%
Charged Scissors Daze Multiplier
121.70%
Core

Dash Attack: Monstrous Wave

Press during a dodge to activate. Launch a dashing slash attack at enemies in front, dealing Physical DMG.

Lv. 1
DMG Multiplier
77.00%
Daze Multiplier
38.50%
Core

Dash Attack: Cold Snap

While Flash Freeze is active, press during a dodge to activate: Launches a dashing slash attack at enemies in front, dealing Ice DMG. Consumes 1 Flash Freeze Charge.

Lv. 1
DMG Multiplier
145.70%
Daze Multiplier
78.80%
Core

Dodge Counter: Reef Rock

Press during a Perfect Dodge to activate. Rapidly move through enemies with open scissors for a cutting strike, dealing Ice DMG. Character is invulnerable during the attack.

Lv. 1
DMG Multiplier
152.60%
Daze Multiplier
227.40%
Core

Special Attack: Drift

Press to activate. Use a quick tail sweep attack in front, dealing Ice DMG. Anti-Interrupt level is increased while using this skill.

Lv. 1
DMG Multiplier
50.50%
Daze Multiplier
50.80%
Core

EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe

With enough energy, press to activate. Perform a forceful tail whip attack that deals massive Ice DMG. Gain 1 Flash Freeze Charge upon striking an enemy. After executing the move, you can directly follow up with the 3rd-hit of a Basic Attack. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1
DMG Multiplier
377.20%
Daze Multiplier
405.10%
Energy Cost
40
Core

EX Special Attack: Sharknami

After activating EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe, with enough Energy, press to activate: Unleash a series of powerful slashes forward, dealing massive Ice DMG. Gain 1 Flash Freeze Charge upon hitting an enemy. After executing the move, you can directly follow up with the 3rd-hit of a Basic Attack. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1
DMG Multiplier
553.30%
Daze Multiplier
371.70%
Core

Chain Attack: Avalanche

When a Chain Attack is triggered, press the character icon to activate. Crash down from above and unleash an ice storm, dealing massive Ice DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1
DMG Multiplier
794.60%
Daze Multiplier
355.70%
Core

Ultimate: Endless Winter

When Decibel Rating is at Maximum, press to activate. Crash down from above and unleash an ice storm before a powerful scissor strike, dealing massive Ice DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1
DMG Multiplier
1890.80%
Daze Multiplier
185.20%
Core

Quick Assist: Shark Sentinel

When the character on the field is knocked back, press to activate. Speedily move through the enemy with open scissors for a cutting strike, dealing Ice damage. Character is invulnerable while using this skill. When the character on the field is launched, drag and press to activate. Enter the Roaming state, enabling dashing movement. While in the Roaming state, use the joystick to change directions and release to stop. Character is invulnerable briefly when triggering the skill. Upon triggering a Quick Assist, Ellen gains the Quick Charge effect, shortening the charging time of Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush, lasting up to 5s or until it triggers once.

Lv. 1
DMG Multiplier
121.10%
Daze Multiplier
121.10%
Core

Defensive Assist: Wavefront Impact

When the character on field is about to be attacked, press to activate. Parries the enemy's attack, dealing massive Daze. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1
Light Defensive Daze Multiplier
271.30%
Heavy Defensive Daze Multiplier
342.80%
Chain Defensive Daze Multiplier
166.80%
Core

Assist Follow-Up: Shark Cruiser

Press after a Defensive Assist to activate. Charge and slash enemies in front, dealing Ice DMG. Press repeatedly or hold during the attack to extend the skill duration. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Lv. 1
DMG Multiplier
437.90%
Daze Multiplier
384.80%
Mindscapes
M1

Glacial Omen

Mindscape 1

Upon hitting an enemy with a Swift Scissors during Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush, the obtained Flash Freeze Charges are increased to 3. Upon hitting an enemy with a Charged Scissors strike during Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush, the obtained Flash Freeze Charges are increased to 6. For each Flash Freeze Charge consumed, Ellen's CRIT Rate is increased by 2% for 15s, stacking up to 6 times. The duration of each stack is calculated separately.
M2

Arctic Ocean Predator

Mindscape 2

The 3rd hit of Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming can be directly followed up with EX Special Attack: Sharknami. When using an EX Special Attack, each Flash Freeze Charge increases the current attack's CRIT DMG by 20%, up to a max of 60%.
M3

Overtime-Intolerant

Mindscape 3

Basic Attack, Assist, Dodge, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2
M4

Endless Hoarfrost

Mindscape 4

Whenever a squad member Freezes or Stuns an enemy, Ellen gains 6 Flash Freeze Charges and the Quick Charge effect. She also recovers 4 Energy. The Energy recovery effect can trigger once per 10s.
M5

Adequate Sleep

Mindscape 5

Basic Attack, Assist, Dodge, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2
M6

The Feast Begins

Mindscape 6

When Ellen uses an EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or gains Quick Charge, her PEN Ratio increases by 20% for 6s. She also gains 1 stack of The Feast Begins, up to a maximum of 3 stacks. With 3 stacks of The Feast Begins, using a Charge Scissor Strike during Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush consumes all stacks, increasing the DMG of the current attack by 250%.
Stats (Level 60)

Ellen Stats at level 60 (including Core passive bonuses).

Stat
HP
7674
Stat
DEF
607
Stat
ATK
938
Stat
CRIT Rate
19.4%
Stat
CRIT DMG
50%
Stat
PEN Ratio
0%
Stat
Impact
93
Stat
Anomaly Mastery
93
Anomaly Proficiency
94
Stat
Energy Regen
1.2
Voice Actors
ENG
-
JPN
Wakayama Shion (若山 詩音)
CN
Xiāoqīngyuán (萧清源)
KR
-
Gallery

Ellen images aren't available yet. They will be added soon!

Review

Pros & Cons
Pros

  • Has the highest damage output in the game at the time of her release,

  • Is part of the best team in the game at the time of her release (Mono-Ice),

  • Has incredible mobility while in the Roaming state, which allows for quick movement through levels and repositioning around bosses,

  • Many abilities have movement and dodging components built into them, making Ellen more challenging for enemies to hit.

  • Has the strongest self-buffs built into her kit in the game at the time of her release,

  • Only Ice damage dealer at the time of her release.

Cons

  • Is a combo-based character with a variety of attack sequences that are all viable. This means Ellen has a slight learning curve compared to other characters,

  • Has small moments of vulnerability unless played carefully when executing charged attacks or her fairly long Basic Attack part 3,

  • Ellen's Chain Attack is notable for its extended cast time compared to other characters, which can potentially sacrifice valuable opportunities during the enemy's Stun window.

Review

Ellen is an S-Rank Ice Combat Agent specializing in delivering high amounts of pure Ice damage through her unique burst rotation and her ability to execute EX combos with the team’s Ultimate. Additionally, she maintains a consistent damage output against less formidable foes using a powerful sustained combo.

Ellen boasts high mobility, thanks to her signature sprinting state, which positions her as one of the fastest characters in the game. Her gameplay is centered around managing Flash Freeze charges, a resource exclusive to her, which powers her Enhanced Basic Attacks. Mastering this allows Ellen to achieve one of the highest damage outputs in the game, cementing her status as a top-tier DPS in the endgame mode, Shiyu Defense.

Due to nuances of her kit, Ellen is considered one of the more complex characters ingame.

Ellen’s Basic Attack is a 3-hit combo integral to both her standard and burst rotations. It features two variants: a standard form dealing Physical damage and an enhanced form consuming Flash Freeze charges to deal Ice damage instead (requiring 3 Flash Freeze for a full 3-hit combo). In both forms, the first and second strikes are swift and relatively weak, while the third strike is a lengthier attack that can be extended further with continuous tapping. The third hit deals the majority of the combo's damage and triggers Ellen's teleportation behind her current or a new target if the original is eliminated or moves.

Ellen possesses standard Dodge, Dodge Counter, and Dash attacks common among characters. Unique to her is the ability to hold down her Dodge to enter a special sprinting state known as the Roaming State. This state allows her to remain indefinitely sprinting and transforms her standard Basic Attack into Arctic Ambush, a critical component of her kit. Activating Arctic Ambush exits the Roaming State, delivering a chopping attack with her scissors that generates 1 Flash Freeze charge on hit. Alternatively, holding the Basic Attack button charges Arctic Ambush, increasing its damage and generating 3 Flash Freeze charges (ideal for executing a full Enhanced Basic Attack combo). Charging Arctic Ambush costs Ellen considerable field time, but executing a Perfect Dodge grants her the "Quick Charge" buff, significantly speeding up her next Charged Arctic Ambush from roughly 2 seconds to about 1.5 seconds.

Ellen’s Defensive Assist, Assist Follow-Up, and Quick Assist are standard attacks among melee characters, dealing Ice damage and/or inflicting Daze. Notably, when she performs a Quick Assist, she also gains the "Quick Charge" effect mentioned before, in addition to the usual Perfect Dodge bonus.

Ellen possesses 3 Special Attacks: 1 Standard Special and 2 EX Specials. She utilizes her Standard Special sparingly, focusing instead on her EX Specials during burst rotations and situational use within her standard combo. The first EX Special can be activated when having sufficient energy, dealing Ice damage ahead of her, generating 1 Flash Freeze charge, and allowing an immediate Follow-Up with the third Basic Attack of her Basic Attack combo. This sequence allows Ellen to quickly deal damage, generate a Charge, and then immediately use it via her powerful Basic combo, making her entire rotation go in a concise sequence. Ellen’s second EX functions similarly but with increased damage and the ability to induce Daze, requiring immediate use after her first EX. This choice gives Ellen flexibility: she can opt for EX1 followed by a Basic 3 or EX1 + EX2 followed by a Basic 3.

Ellen’s Chain Attack and Ultimate, smilar to her Assists, deliver substantial Ice damage and Daze. However, her Chain Attack requires more time to execute compared to other characters.

Ellen’s Core Passive is very strong, making it a nice incentive to approach 100% Critical Hit Rate without damaging her other stats. This passive grants up to 100% Crit damage to Arctic Assault, all her Flash Freeze-Enhanced attacks, including her Basics. Her Additional Ability is also formidable and should be activated as a priority. It grants a buff increasing her Ice damage by 3% each time she deals any Ice damage, stacking up to 10 times for 10 seconds. This ability is easily maintained, effectively providing a consistent 30% boost to Ice damage.

Ellen is unquestionably at the frontline of the meta upon her release as a DPS. Once mastered, she proves to be invaluable both in present and in future gameplay. For optimal strategies for combining all of Ellen’s abilities, refer to the Rotation & Teams section of this guide.

Ratings

This tier list assesses characters based on their combat potential in Zenless Zone Zero’s current most demanding content, Shiyu Defense (SD). SD is a mode similar to Genshin Impact’s Spiral Abyss or Honkai Star Rail’s Memory of Chaos and requires multiple teams, Disk Drives and good W-Engines. This mode offers a reasonable mix of Boss encounters (single target) and Elite packs (2-3 targets), allowing multiple characters to find a niche but in the end, there is a bias toward single target focused characters at the top-end and tier list ratings will reflect that.

Please keep in mind Zenless Zone Zero is a skill-based game and each character has a different playstyle, difficulty level and even special tricks and combos. Zenless Zone Zero is also a team based game and it's only by combining both these factors to the highest level a character can reach optimal performance.

T0.5

Shiyu Defense

Build and teams

Best W-Engines

The W-Engines are listed in order of priority. Sometimes the percentages appearing near them won't reflect their performance as pure damage or Stun output isn't the only thing we're looking at - the utility of the W-Engine might be more important than the calculations imply.

The top number shows the performance of the W-Engine in the Burst rotation while the bottom number in the Standard rotation. You can find more information about them in the Calculations tab.

100%

100%

Increases Ice DMG by 25/31.5/38/44.5/50%. Upon hitting an enemy with a Basic Attack, the equipper's CRIT Rate increases by 10/12.5.15/17.5/20% for 8s. When dealing Ice DMG with a Dash Attack, the equipper's CRIT Rate increases by an additional 10/12.5.15/17.5/20%for 15s. The duration of each effect is calculated separately.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713
Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%
Ellen's Signature W-Engine and an excellent choice for any Ice Attack Agents. Grants 24% CRIT Rate and 25% Ice DMG unconditionally, 10% additional CRIT Rate after hitting an enemy with a Basic Attack for 8 seconds and a further 10% CRIT Rate after hitting an enemy with an Ice DMG Dash Attack. This Engine is the top choice for all Ice Agents including Ellen herself but requires the user to ensure they keep both conditional CRIT Rate buffs up at all times, especially before any Burst Damage Combos.

79.53%

93%

Upon hitting an enemy with a Basic Attack, Dash Attack, or Dodge Counter, the equipper's ATK increases by 3.5/4.4/5.2/6/7% for 8s, stacking up to 8 times. This effect can trigger once every 0.5s. The duration of each stack is calculated separately.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 684
Attack (Lv 60): 30%
Soldier 11's Signature W-Engine and a good choice for any character with a focus on using a lot of Basic Attacks or even just a few long lasting ones. Grants 30% Standard Attack unconditionally but also a stacking Combat Attack% buff lasting 8 seconds every time the wearer hits with a Basic Attack, Dash Attack, or Dodge counter (you can gain multiple stacks per single attack if it's long enough). This buff grants the wearer 3.5% Combat Attack per stack and can stack up to 8 times for a massive total buff of 28%. The catch is each buff stack has its own duration and only 1 buff can be gained every 0.5 seconds, making maintaining max stacks of this buff require constant Basic Attacks. This Engine is a good choice for Agents spamming Basic Attacks but will require you to ensure you get a few stacks before using any big-damaging moves or else you will waste its potential.

80.04%

81.62%

Launching a Dodge Counter or Quick Assist increases the equipper's ATK by 12/13.8/15.6/17.4/19.2% for 12s.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 594
Attack (Lv 60): 25%
A solid all-around Free To Play accessible option for all Attack Agents. Grants 25% unconditional Standard Attack and a further 19.2% (At S5) Combat Attack buff after performing a Dodge Counter or Quick Assist lasting 12 seconds. This buff is reasonably easy for all Attack Agents to achieve in both their standard and burst rotations, assuming a Support character is present on the team. When executing your standard rotation ensure you weave in at least 1 Dodge Counter every 12 seconds and when executing your burst rotation, ensure your Support is the last Chain Attack in the sequence so you can perform a Quick Assist right after and proceed into your burst combo during the enemy stun window.

81.87%

82.36%

Increases Physical DMG by 20/25/30/35/40%. The equipper's DMG increases by 25/31.5/38/44/50% when attacking the enemy from behind.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 684
Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%
Nekomata's Signature W-Engine - a strong option for Physical Attack Agents and also a usable option for others but with the requirement for both being that the player must actively aim to attack from behind targets wherever possible in order to get good performance compared to alternatives. Grants 24% CRIT Rate and 20% Physical DMG unconditionally but also an additional bonus to the wearer when hitting enemies from behind granting a further 25% generic DMG increase. This W-engine is a top choice without even considering the conditional behind bonus but only becomes even stronger with it. For non-Physical agents this W-engine is only competitive if you can attack from behind at least 50% or more of the time - especially with your highest value abilities like your Ultimate. This W-engines rating assume's you'll achieve 50% uptime on the behind bonus, if you can't you should consider its rating lower.

77.33%

80.12%

Increases ATK by 7.5/8.6/9.7/10.8/12%. Attacks that land a CRIT on an enemy will inflict an additional 200% of ATK as DMG. This effect can only be triggered once every 8/7.5/7/6.5/6s.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 594
Crit Rate (Lv 60): 20%
The Combat battle pass W-engine - an expensive engine to acquire which while incredibly consistent still only performs similarly to other W-Engine's with similar investment. At S5 grants 20% CRIT Rate and 12% Combat Attack unconditionally with an additional effect that triggers when the wearer lands a CRIT on an enemy. This additional effect will deal damage equal to 200% of the wearers ATK to the target hit with a cooldown of 6 seconds (at S5). The catch with this activated ability is that the damage is Physical and cannot CRIT meaning for non-physical characters you'll be losing all elemental DMG% boosts on this damage and for all characters not CRITing is a big downside making the damage from this unimpactful. Cannon Rotor's abilities will always be active without you having to do anything at all in both standard and burst rotations but it has little to no edge over W-engines outside of that making it a steep investment just for that consistency.

79.79%

70.20%

Whenever a squad member launches a Chain Attack, the equipper gains a Charge stack, stacking up to 3 times. Upon activating their own Ultimate, the equipper consumes all Charge stacks, and each stack increases the skill's DMG by 15/17.2/19.5/21.7/24%.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 594
Attack (Lv 60): 25%
A decent but somewhat niche Free To Play accessible option for all Attack Agents. Grants 25% unconditional Standard Attack and has an additional effect that grants the wearer a Charge every time any squad member performs a Chain Attack with a limit of 3. Each Charge will grant the wearer 24% increased ultimate DMG (at S5) and after an Ultimate is performed all Charges will be consumed. Against bosses you can guarantee 3 Chain Attacks every time you Stun them, meaning this W-engine's effect essentially grants 72% Ultimate damage. These bonuses allow it to be a competitive option during burst rotations with the ultimate available, but when the ultimate isn't available or executing a standard rotation this W-engine falls behind.
Best Disk Drives Sets

The top number shows the performance of the Disk Drive in the Burst rotation while the bottom number in the Standard rotation. You can find more information about them in the Calculations tab.

100%

100%

(2)
CRIT Rate +8%.
(4)
Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack increases the equippers ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately.

Great option for all direct damage dealers that make use of some form of Basic ATK and EX frequently. The set grants 8% permanent CRIT RATE% from the 2-PC and a 9% increased combat ATK% buff for 6 seconds when triggering a CRIT with each a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack from the 4P. Each buff belongs to an attack type so you'll need to CRIT with each type every 6 seconds to maintain 3 stacks. You can expect 2 stacks of this set most of the time one from basics and one from either EX's during a burst window or Dodge Counters during downtime granting 18% combat ATK% that multiplies all ATK stats like FLAT ATK and ATK% ((Base ATK * (1 + ATK%)) + Flat ATK) * (1 + Combat ATK%).

Despite all this, the set has ramp-up time and can quickly fall off without access to energy for EX's making it most suitable for characters with cheap EX's, frequent Dodge Counters or concentrated burst damage windows.

Best combined with your choice of 2-PC Set:

  • Puffer Electro (Recommended)
  • Hormone Punk
  • Polar Metal

90.11%

101.38%

(2)
Ice DMG +10%.
(4)
Increases the DMG of Basic Attack and Dash Attack by 20%. When any squad member inflicts Freeze or Shatter, this effect increases by an additional 20% for 12s.

Reasonable option for direct Ice damage dealers specializing in Dash Attacks and Basic attack specifically. The set grants 10% permanent Ice DMG% from the 2-PC and 20% increased DMG with Basic and Dash Attacks from the 4P. Upon Freezing or Shattering an enemy, the bonus from the 4P increases from 20% to 40% for 12 seconds. Due to the very specific nature of the buffs of this set it can fall behind other more powerful damaging options.

Best combined with your choice of 2-PC Set:

  • Woodpecker Electro (Recommended)
  • Hormone Punk
  • Puffer Electro

102.63%

83.87%

(2)
PEN Ratio +8%.
(4)
Ultimate DMG increases by 20%. Launching an Ultimate increases the equippers ATK by 15% for 12s.

A top option for burst damage characters aiming to deal most of their damage in a short window following their Ultimate. The set grants 8% permanent PEN Ratio% from the 2-PC, 15% increased combat ATK% for 12 seconds after using an Ultimate and 20% increased Ultimate DMG from the 4P. When evaluating this set we assume you'll gain and save your damaging Ultimate for the enemy Stun window and use it before executing the rest of your combo. If you're unable to gain your Ultimate every stun window, this sets value will drop compared to its listing.

Important! If this set's damage numbers are larger than sets ranked higher than it, it's because our team doesn't consider the damage increase to be worth the restriction of requiring your Ultimate to gain the bonus. Use this set if you consider the increase to burst damage to be worth it for you.

Best combined with your choice of 2-PC Set:

  • Woodpecker Electro (Recommended)
  • Hormone Punk
  • Polar Metal
Best Disk Drives Stats
Disk 4
CRIT DMG
CRIT DMG%
=
CRIT Rate
CRIT Rate%
Disk 5
Ice DMG
Ice DMG%
>
ATK%
ATK%
Disk 6
ATK%
ATK%

Substats: CRIT RATE = CRIT DMG > ATK% > PEN = ATK

Best Endgame Stats (Level 60)
  • ATK: 2700-3100+

  • HP: 9500+

  • DEF: 780+

  • CRIT RATE: 75-100%

  • CRIT DMG: 120-180%+

Skill priority
Core

Chain Attack

Core

Special Attack

Core

Basic Attack

Core

Dodge

Core

Assist

Video guides

Rotation & Teams

How to play

Ellen, like most combat characters, has a Burst Rotation she aims to execute while the boss is Stunned and a Standard Rotation she uses against smaller enemies not worthy of her full burst potential or to use during any downtime she has (waiting to Stun the enemy again, dealing with foes who die even before being Stunned or to fill extra time during a Stun window if you don’t have enough energy to execute a full combo).

In both rotations, you’ll be using Ellen’s Basic Attacks a lot and it’s imperative you only do so when you have Flash Freeze charges to consume to empower them. Here is a comparison of what 3 un-enhanced Basic Attacks deal against an enemy compared to 3 Enhanced Basic Attacks both with a full endgame build.

Standard rotation

Ellen’s standard rotation doesn’t require the use of any energy or your team's Ultimates, making it ideal for building and conserving energy when you have downtime and are getting ready for your next burst rotation while you build Daze to Stun the enemy. Ellen’s most optimal standard rotation consists of a fully charged Arctic Assault to generate 3 Flash Freeze charges followed by 3 Enhanced Basic Attacks, repeat. Your sequence of attack should look like this:

  • Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush: Spinning Slash
  • Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush: Charged Scissors
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P1
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P2
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3

While executing Ellen’s standard rotation if you find yourself full on energy don’t waste it by over-capping it. Instead spend it on an EX Special followed by a Basic 3. This is also a valid tactic against enemies close enough to death as Stunning them again would be slower than taking them out earlier with the use of Ellen’s energy.

  • EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3
Burst rotation

Ellen’s Burst Rotation comes into play after you Stun an enemy and is what we recommend you save your team's Decibels and Ellen’s energy for in order to deal maximum damage. As the enemy is only Stunned for a short while, charging Arctic Assault and executing a full sequence of Basic Attack 1, 2 and 3 isn’t time efficient. Instead we want to make full use of Ellen’s EX + Basic 3 combo and string together as many of these alongside her Ultimate as possible. Assuming Ellen has a full energy gauge (120 energy) and 3000 Decibels available an optimal burst combo should look similar to this:

  • Chain Attack: Avalanche
  • EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3
  • Ultimate: Endless Winter
  • EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe
  • EX Special Attack: Sharknami
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3

Or alternatively, if you’re okay with your burst combo being longer but dealing more damage (higher overall damage, lower dps) you can also utilize a combo similar to this one instead:

  • Chain Attack: Avalanche
  • EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3
  • Ultimate: Endless Winter
  • EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3
  • EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3

In each of these combos, Ellen is dealing the maximum possible damage in the shortest possible time by burning through her and her teams resources, but if you go in without enough energy to unleash a full combo or without Ellen’s Ultimate, skip what you can’t do and revert to Ellen’s standard rotation for the remaining time the enemy is vulnerable.

It’s important to note that depending on the W-engine and Disc Drive set you’re using you may want to re-order the use of certain abilities when executing Ellen's Burst rotation. A good example of this would be you would want to use Ellen’s Ultimate as fast as possible while using Puffer Electro to activate its buff but would want to delay the Ultimate until after using an EX and a Basic attack when using Woodpecker Electro.

As you continue to play Ellen more you’ll learn when to save her resources for a big burst combo or burn them all early to take out higher priority smaller enemies. Ultimately the best Ellen players make full use of her kit by combining both her rotations using all or parts of each as the situation demands it.

Synergy

Ellen and Lycaon have two of the most powerful Additional Abilities in the game so having them mutually activate it is incredible. However, that’s only the beginning of the synergies between these two character’s. Perhaps the biggest one is Lycaon’s absurdly broken 25% Ice Resist Shred debuff that he can keep up near permanently on enemies, allowing Ellen's damage to skyrocket far beyond what a dedicated Stunner should be able to do. True to his role Lycaon dishes out incredible amounts of Daze causing Stuns to enemies incredibly quick thereby allowing Ellen to unleash her full EX empowered Basic Combos better than any other character. On top of this Lycaon also increases the Stun multiplier on enemies from 150% to 185% further increasing Ellen’s burst damage. Finally Lycaon and Ellen both deal Ice Anomaly allowing for Freezes to occur more frequently locking up enemies and when lucky even extending Stun durations.

Soukaku is Ellen’s best support, offering her strong damage gains throughout her kit. The biggest benefit Soukaku offers Ellen is her amazing 500-1000 flat ATK buff which she gains but can transfer to another character via a Chain Attack or Quick Assist. If setup right, it’s incredibly easy to grant Ellen a full powered 1000 ATK bonus right as she begins her burst combo, massively boosting her damage. Soukaku offers Ellen yet more buffs though thanks to her Additional Ability which when played around coorectly will grant Ellen an additional 20% Ice damage on top of all this. Finally Soukaku contributes an excellent amount of Ice anomaly while performing her standard supportive duties, leading to faster and more frequent enemy Freezes.

Teams

If a column has multiple characters, the bigger one is the priority choice for the team while the smaller ones are alternatives. If they are the same size, either of them can be used.

Mono-Ice

F2P Team

Calculations

Damage output

Important! Ellen's Mindscape 4 has very little impact on her burst damage capabilities, and only minor/situational benefits for her standard rotation - both of which are difficult to account for in calculations. For these reasons we haven't included it in our calculations. Please note that doesn't mean this Mindscape is useless - just that it's value is difficult to represent in realistic and useful way.

Ellen in 1 Target scenario - Burst and Standard rotations

Rotation time: 14.14s for Burst and 10.26s for Standard (8.36s post M1).

Details about the calculations

Here are the rotations used in the calculations.

Burst rotation (During Stun)
  • Chain Attack: Avalanche
  • Quick Assist: Shark Sentinel
  • EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3
  • Ultimate: Endless Winter
  • EX Special Attack: Tail Swipe
  • EX Special Attack: Sharknami
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3
M0 Standard rotation (Downtime)
  • Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush: Spinning Slash
  • Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush: Charged Scissors
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P1
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P2
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3
  • Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush: Spinning Slash
  • Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush: Charged Scissors
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P1
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P2
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3
M1+ Standard rotation (Downtime)
  • Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush: Spinning Slash
  • Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush: Charged Scissors
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P1
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P2
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P1
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P2
  • Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming P3

And here are the W-Engines and Disk Drives used in the calculations.

Increases Ice DMG by 25/31.5/38/44.5/50%. Upon hitting an enemy with a Basic Attack, the equipper's CRIT Rate increases by 10/12.5.15/17.5/20% for 8s. When dealing Ice DMG with a Dash Attack, the equipper's CRIT Rate increases by an additional 10/12.5.15/17.5/20%for 15s. The duration of each effect is calculated separately.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713
Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

(2)
CRIT Rate +8%.
(4)
Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack increases the equippers ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately.

(2)
ATK +10%.
(4)
Upon entering combat or switching in, its user's ATK increased by 25% for 10s. This effect can be triggered once every 20s.
Disk 4
CRIT DMG
CRIT DMG%
Disk 5
Ice DMG
Ice DMG%
Disk 6
ATK%
ATK%

Substats: ATK (27%), CRIT Rate (26.4%), CRIT DMG (67.2%)

Damage output (including team buffs)
M0 Ellen damage output including team buffs

Shiyu Defense

Shiyu Defense

This section contains information about Ellen performance in the latest Shiyu Defense cycle (1.3.1). The page will be automatically updated every patch once enough data is gathered.

  • The data has been last updated on 15/11/2024,
  • 6581 players shared their 1.3.1 Shiyu Defense clear data with us (1269 of the sample are self-reported players that filled our form, 5312 are from random UIDs that we scanned).

If you want to share your clear information with us, you simply need to fill the form below and provide us with your UID and make your Hoyo profile public - we will automatically parse the Shiyu Defense clear information from your profile after that!

Shiyu Defense Stats Form
Usage rate

Characters are ranked with appearance rate, which is how often a character was used in Shiyu Defense by the players who we have scanned, regardless of whether they own the character or not. Ownership rate currently cannot be obtained.

Common partners

This section lists the characters that were most commonly paired with Ellen in the current phase of Shiyu Defense.

Teams

This section lists most popular teams featuring Ellen in the current phase of Shiyu Defense.

Rank 2

App. rate: 14.89%

Avg. Score 2.8

Ellen
Lycaon
Soukaku

Rank 9

App. rate: 5.81%

Avg. Score 2.82

Ellen
Qingyi
Soukaku

Rank 14

App. rate: 3.52%

Avg. Score 2.96

Ellen
Soukaku
Caesar

Rank 16

App. rate: 2.33%

Avg. Score 2.89

Ellen
Lycaon
Caesar

Rank 20

App. rate: 1.87%

Avg. Score 2.75

Ellen
Anby
Soukaku

Rank 29

App. rate: 1.24%

Avg. Score 2.8

Ellen
Koleda
Soukaku

Rank 40

App. rate: 0.76%

Avg. Score 2.56

Ellen
Soukaku
Rina

Rank 41

App. rate: 0.68%

Avg. Score 2.71

Ellen
Qingyi
Rina

Rank 42

App. rate: 0.66%

Avg. Score 2.76

Ellen
Lycaon
Rina

Rank 70

App. rate: 0.31%

Avg. Score 2.56

Ellen
Soukaku
Nicole
Mindscapes

Mindscapes data comes from 1693 players we have scanned who used Ellen in the current Shiyu Defense.

72.12%

2.8 score

Mindscape 0

15.36%

2.93 score

Upon hitting an enemy with a Swift Scissors during Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush, the obtained Flash Freeze Charges are increased to 3. Upon hitting an enemy with a Charged Scissors strike during Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush, the obtained Flash Freeze Charges are increased to 6. For each Flash Freeze Charge consumed, Ellen's CRIT Rate is increased by 2% for 15s, stacking up to 6 times. The duration of each stack is calculated separately.

7.91%

2.94 score

The 3rd hit of Basic Attack: Flash Freeze Trimming can be directly followed up with EX Special Attack: Sharknami. When using an EX Special Attack, each Flash Freeze Charge increases the current attack's CRIT DMG by 20%, up to a max of 60%.

1%

2.94 score

Basic Attack, Assist, Dodge, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2

0.18%

3 score

Whenever a squad member Freezes or Stuns an enemy, Ellen gains 6 Flash Freeze Charges and the Quick Charge effect. She also recovers 4 Energy. The Energy recovery effect can trigger once per 10s.

0.06%

3 score

Basic Attack, Assist, Dodge, Special Attack, and Chain Attack Lv. +2

3.37%

3 score

When Ellen uses an EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or gains Quick Charge, her PEN Ratio increases by 20% for 6s. She also gains 1 stack of The Feast Begins, up to a maximum of 3 stacks. With 3 stacks of The Feast Begins, using a Charge Scissor Strike during Dash Attack: Arctic Ambush consumes all stacks, increasing the DMG of the current attack by 250%.
W-Engines

W-Engines usage data comes from 1693 players we have scanned who used Ellen in the current Shiyu Defense.

71.77%

2.87 score

Increases Ice DMG by 25/31.5/38/44.5/50%. Upon hitting an enemy with a Basic Attack, the equipper's CRIT Rate increases by 10/12.5.15/17.5/20% for 8s. When dealing Ice DMG with a Dash Attack, the equipper's CRIT Rate increases by an additional 10/12.5.15/17.5/20%for 15s. The duration of each effect is calculated separately.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 713
Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%

9.69%

2.61 score

Launching a Dodge Counter or Quick Assist increases the equipper's ATK by 12/13.8/15.6/17.4/19.2% for 12s.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 594
Attack (Lv 60): 25%

6.32%

2.76 score

Upon hitting an enemy with a Basic Attack, Dash Attack, or Dodge Counter, the equipper's ATK increases by 3.5/4.4/5.2/6/7% for 8s, stacking up to 8 times. This effect can trigger once every 0.5s. The duration of each stack is calculated separately.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 684
Attack (Lv 60): 30%

4.43%

2.71 score

Increases ATK by 7.5/8.6/9.7/10.8/12%. Attacks that land a CRIT on an enemy will inflict an additional 200% of ATK as DMG. This effect can only be triggered once every 8/7.5/7/6.5/6s.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 594
Crit Rate (Lv 60): 20%

3.43%

2.6 score

ATK increases by 6/6.9/7.8/8.7/9.6%, and DMG dealt by EX Special Attacks increases by 15/17.2/19.5/21.8/24%.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 594
Attack (Lv 60): 25%

2.89%

2.83 score

Increases Physical DMG by 20/25/30/35/40%. The equipper's DMG increases by 25/31.5/38/44/50% when attacking the enemy from behind.

Base ATK (Lv 60): 684
Crit Rate (Lv 60): 24%
Disk Drives

Disk Drives usage data comes from 1693 players we have scanned who used Ellen in the current Shiyu Defense.

56.82%

2.78 score

(2)
Ice DMG +10%.
(4)
Increases the DMG of Basic Attack and Dash Attack by 20%. When any squad member inflicts Freeze or Shatter, this effect increases by an additional 20% for 12s.

(2)
CRIT Rate +8%.
(4)
Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack increases the equippers ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately.

12.11%

2.87 score

(2)
CRIT Rate +8%.
(4)
Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack increases the equippers ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately.

(2)
Ice DMG +10%.
(4)
Increases the DMG of Basic Attack and Dash Attack by 20%. When any squad member inflicts Freeze or Shatter, this effect increases by an additional 20% for 12s.

10.22%

2.79 score

(2)
CRIT Rate +8%.
(4)
Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter or EX Special Attack increases the equippers ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately.

(2)
PEN Ratio +8%.
(4)
Ultimate DMG increases by 20%. Launching an Ultimate increases the equippers ATK by 15% for 12s.

9.81%

2.9 score

(2)
Ice DMG +10%.
(4)
Increases the DMG of Basic Attack and Dash Attack by 20%. When any squad member inflicts Freeze or Shatter, this effect increases by an additional 20% for 12s.

(2)
PEN Ratio +8%.
(4)
Ultimate DMG increases by 20%. Launching an Ultimate increases the equippers ATK by 15% for 12s.

3.19%

2.87 score

(2)
Ice DMG +10%.
(4)
Increases the DMG of Basic Attack and Dash Attack by 20%. When any squad member inflicts Freeze or Shatter, this effect increases by an additional 20% for 12s.

(2)
ATK +10%.
(4)
Upon entering combat or switching in, its user's ATK increased by 25% for 10s. This effect can be triggered once every 20s.

2.01%

2.88 score

(2)
Ice DMG +10%.
(4)
Increases the DMG of Basic Attack and Dash Attack by 20%. When any squad member inflicts Freeze or Shatter, this effect increases by an additional 20% for 12s.
Flex
Stats

Ellen stats aren't available yet. They will be added soon.