Best Nekomata Zenless Zone Zero build: W-Engine, Drive Disc, team comp & more

While Nekomata is one of the strongest units in Zenless Zone Zero, you need to learn about her W-Engine, Drive Disc, and team comps to make the most of her kit.

From July 4 to July 23, 2024, Ellen will be featured as the S-rank for the game’s first limited banner. However, apart from Ellen, you can also pull in the permanent banner for one early S-rank. Among them, one of the best characters you can get is Nekomata.

If you got her from the banners, you are in luck, as our guide will help you build her most optimally.

Best Nekomata build in Zenless Zone Zero

W-Engine	Drive Disc	Stat Preference	Team Comp
Steel Cushion	Woodpecker Electro Fanged Metal	Slot 4: Crit Rate or Crit DMG Slot 5: Physical DMG or Pen Ratio Slot 6: ATK Substats: Crit DMG, Crit Rate, ATK%, Pen	Nekomata, Lycaon, Nicole

While this gives you an overview of how to build Nekomata, the following section will dive deep into the respective components of the full setup.

Best W-Engines for Nekomata

Steel Cushion

The best W-Engine for Nekomata in Zenless Zone Zero is the S-rank Steel Cushion. This W-Engine increases Nekomata’s Physical DMG by 20% and her DMG output by 25% when attacking the enemy from behind.

Starlight Engine

A great A-rank alternative W-Engine for Nekomata is Starlight Engine. This W-Engine improves Nekomata’s ATK by 12% for 12 seconds after using a Dodge Counter or Quick Assist. Starlight Engine benefits Nekomata as she frequently launches Dodge Counters.

Best Drive Disc for Nekomata

The best Drive Disc for Nekomata in Zenless Zero is Woodpecker Electro. The set bonus for this Drive Disc is as follows:

Set	Set Bonus
Woodpecker Electro	2-piece: Increases CRIT Rate by 8%. 4-piece: Triggering a critical hit with a Basic Attack, Dodge Counter, or EX Special Attack increases the equipper’s ATK by 9% for 6s. The buff duration for different skills are calculated separately.

For the final two spots, we recommend using Fanged Metal for Nekomata. The set bonus for this Drive Disc is found below:

Set	Set Bonus
Fanged Metal	2-piece: Increases Physical DMG by 10%.

Nekomata promotion and skill enhancement materials

Promotion

You will need to gather Basic Offense Certification Seal, Advanced Offense Certification Seal, and Pioneer’s Certification Seal for Nekomata. Here is the exact number of required materials:

• x4 Basic Offense Certification Seal
• x32 Advanced Offense Certification Seal
• x30 Pioneer’s Certification Seal
• 800,000 Dennies

Skill Enhancement Materials

Nekomata in Zenless Zone Zero needs Basic Physical Chip, Advanced Physical Chip, Specialized Physical Chip, Hamster Cage Pass, Ferocious Grip, and Higher Dimensional Data: Crimson Awe. The exact number of required materials is below:

• Hamster Cage Pass x5
• Ferocious Grip x9
• Higher Dimensional Data: Crimson Awe x60
• Basic Physical Chip x25
• Advanced Physical Chip x75
• Specialized Physical Chip x250
• 2.9 million Dennies

Best Nekomata team comp

HoYoverse

We recommend placing Nekomata on a team focused on stunning opponents. Therefore, Nekomata would be excellent alongside Lycaon and Nicole to inflict Daze through Lycaon’s Basic Attack. This, combined with Nicole’s ability to lower an enemy’s DEF, can cause massive damage to be dealt.

As for your Bangboo, we suggest running Avocaboo to recover HP using juice bullets that fail to hit an opponent.

Nekomata abilities

Basic Attack

Ability Name	Description
Kitty Slash	Press Basic Attack to activate. Unleashes up to 5 slashes, dealing Physical DMG. On the last hit, there is a 33.33% chance to repeat this hit 3 times.
Crimson Blade	Hold down Basic Attack during the first 3 hits of Nekomata’s Basic Attack to activate. Slashes enemies in front and passes through them, dealing Physical DMG. Upon activation, there is a 33.33% chance to repeat this attack 3 times.

Dodge

Ability Name	Description
Can’t Touch Me-ow	Press Dodge to activate. A rapid dodge. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Over Here!	Press Dodge during a dodge to activate. Slashes enemies in front, dealing Physical DMG.
Phantom Claws	Press Dodge during a Perfect Dodge to activate. Slashes enemies in front, dealing Physical DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Assist

Ability Name	Description
Cat’s Paw	When the on-field character is launched, press Assist to activate. Slashes enemies in front, dealing Physical DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Desperate Defense	When the character on the field is about to be attacked, Press Assist to activate. Parries the enemy’s attack, inflicting massive Daze. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Shadow Strike	Press Special Attack after a Defensive Assist to activate. Charge and slash enemies in front, dealing Physical DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Special Attack

Ability Name	Description
Surprise Attack	Press Special Attack to activate. Unleashes a downward strike, dealing Physical DMG. Anti-Interrupt level is increased while using this skill.
Super Surprise Attack!	When Nekomata has enough Energy, press Special Attack to activate. Unleashes a powerful falling slash that deals massive Physical DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Chain Attack

Ability Name	Description
Claw Swipe	When a Chain Attack is triggered, select the character to activate. Unleashes a powerful slash at enemies ahead in a large area, dealing massive Physical DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.
Claw Smash	When Decibel Rating is at Maximum, press Chain Attack to activate. Unleashes powerful slashes at enemies ahead in a large area, dealing massive Physical DMG. Character is invulnerable while using this skill.

Core Skill

Ability Name	Description
Stealthy Paws	When Nekomata’s Dodge Counter or Reactive Assist hits an enemy, her DMG increases by 30% for 6s.
Catwalk	When another character in your squad shares the same Attribute or Faction: After any character inflicts Assault, increases the DMG of Nekomata’s next EX Special Attack by 35%, stacking up to 2 times.

Core Skill Enhancements

Ability Name	Description
A	Crit Rate increases by 4.8%, Stealthy Paws skill level +1.
B	Base attack increases by 25, Stealthy Paws skill level +1.
C	Crit Rate increases by 4.8%, Stealthy Paws skill level +1.
D	Base attack increases by 25, Stealthy Paws skill level +1.
E	Crit Rate increases by 4.8%, Stealthy Paws skill level +1.
F	Base attack increases by 25, Stealthy Paws skill level +1.

Mindscape Cinema for Nekomata

If you want duplicate copies of Nekomata, you need to pull for her Mindscape Cinema. The buffs for each of Nekomata’s MC levels can be found below:

• Level 1- Bird Hunter: When Nekomata hits an enemy from behind, she ignores 16% of her target’s Physical Resistance. If the enemy is Stunned, all of Nekomata’s attacks are considered back attacks.
• Level 2- Cat and Mouse: When there’s only one enemy on the field and Nekomata is in combat, her Energy Generation Rate is increased by 25%.
• Level 3- Curious Left Tail: Basic Attack, Dodge, Assist, Special Attack, and Chain Attack levels increase by two.
• Level 4- Sharpen Claws: When Nekomata uses her EX Special Attack, her Crit Rate increases by 7% for 15 seconds, stacking up to two times, with each stack’s duration being calculated separately.
• Level 5- Lucky Right Tail: Basic Attack, Dodge, Assist, Special Attack, and Chain Attack levels increase by two.
• Level 6- Predator Lineage: When Nekomata launches a Chain Attack or uses her Ultimate, her Crit Damage increases by 18%, stacking up to three times. The effect expires when she’s no longer in-combat. This effect gains maximum stacks immediately on defeating an enemy.

Nekomata pros and cons

While Nekomata is a powerful S-rank unit, she has a few disadvantages. Here is what you need to know:

Pros	Cons
AoE damage is activated through Nekomata’s Skills	Nekomata is not a straightforward agent to play due to her fast playstyle.
Quick Assist and Dodge Counters improve Nekomata’s DMG output	Requires Physical support units to synergize with in a team comp

Zenless Zone Zero Nekomata trailer

On March 21, Zenless Zone Zero posted Nekomata’s official character demo ahead of the game’s release. You can watch the video below:

For more coverage of HoYoverse’s latest gacha game, read our guides for Zenless Zero codes and controller support. You can also check out our build guides for Grace and Lycaon.