How to Get Free Polychromes in Zenless Zone Zero
Every Zenless Zone Zero player asks the same question: where does the free Polychromes actually come from? Here are the 10 sources ranked by size, with the exact monthly numbers behind each one.
The monthly total
A committed F2P player earns ~59 pulls per month (≈9440 Polychromes) from the sources below. The Zenless Zone Zero Income Calculator lets you toggle each source to match your playstyle.
Ranked sources
1. Events (biggest) — every patch ships 1-2 events worth 2,000-4,000 Polychromes. Always complete them; they're time-limited income.
2. Dailies — 60 Polychromes/day = 1,800/month. Ten minutes a day, the most reliable source in the game.
3. Endgame modes — weekly/rotating content (abyss-style, simulated universe-style, total war, etc.). Full clears add 1,200-1,600/month.
4. Free battle pass — the no-purchase track pays ~800 Polychromes equivalent (5 pulls) per patch. It's free, so just play it.
5. Maintenance & stream compensation — servers break, devs pay: ~900 Polychromes/month in global server apologies and live-stream codes.
6. Exploration / story — one-time but massive: new regions ship 2,000-5,000 Polychromes in chests, quests and puzzles. Save these for when you're short.
7. Redeem codes — the official codes (see the Zenless Zone Zero Redeem Codes page for the current list) add a few hundred Polychromes every patch. Check it weekly.
8. Shop exchange — stardust/starglitter-style shops convert pulls' 4★ duplicates back into currency. ~200-400/month, scales with pulling.
9. Achievements — permanent Polychromes in the codex. Browse the achievement list once a month and clean up stragglers.
10. Web events & mini-games — anniversary and collab periods add 500-1,500 Polychromes in one-off web events. Watch the official channels during patches.
The strategy: stack the reliable ones
The first five sources are predictable (~80% of your monthly income) — plan around them. Sources 6-10 are bonuses — treat them as top-ups for banner windows, not baseline.
What the total buys you
- ~59 pulls/month ≈ **0.95 5★ per month** at average luck
- One hard pity every ~1.5 months
- A guaranteed featured character every ~3.1 months
See Is Zenless Zone Zero F2P Friendly? for the full analysis, and check the Zenless Zone Zero Banner Countdown to time your spending windows.
Summary
- Events + dailies + endgame = ~80% of F2P income — never skip them
- Free battle pass and maintenance compensation are free money — collect automatically
- Codes and one-time exploration rewards are the emergency fund
- ~59 pulls/month ≈ 0.95 5★ per month