ZZZ Shadow Chase Showdown: Stages, Scoring & Rewards

Shadow Chase Showdown runs from 16 September at 10:00 to 5 October at 03:59 (server time) — nine VR combat stages built around a scoring system that punishes the obvious approach.

Raw damage isn't enough. Special Offensive stages score you on Damage, Technique and a Time Coefficient together, which means hitting hard while ignoring the stage's mechanic scores worse than hitting less hard and playing it properly.

It also hands out a Tuning Calibrator — and gives you Claret to play for free.

The short version

• Runs 16 September, 10:00 – 5 October, 03:59 (server time).
• Requirements: Inter-Knot Level 20 and Main Story Chapter 1 – Intermission.
• Nine stages total: 6 Alliance, 3 Special Offensive.
• A new themed stage unlocks each day — you can't clear it all on day one.
• Special Offensive scoring: Damage Score + Technique Score + Time Coefficient.
• Claret is playable in the high-difficulty mode.
• Rewards: Tuning Calibrator, Polychromes and event materials.

How to enter

1. Reach Inter-Knot Level 20 and clear Main Story Chapter 1 – Intermission.
2. Talk to Nangong Yu in Lumina Square to find out what's going on.
3. Head to the HIA and find Lyla to open the VR Challenge stages.

A mysterious collaborator has supposedly prepared a new set of combat challenges — which is the framing for a purely virtual event rather than a Hollow exploration route.

Two stage types, two rule sets

The nine stages split into two categories that play very differently.

Alliance stages — six of them:

• Each stage has its own Buff Effect mechanic.
• You choose from the available trial Agents and Bangboo for the challenge.

Special Offensive stages — three of them:

• Each has a Tactical Buff mechanic instead.
• You can only use the trial Agents provided — no substitutions.
• They use a brand-new scoring system.

The practical difference is how much control you have. Alliance stages let you pick a lineup that suits the Buff Effect. Special Offensive stages hand you a team and expect you to work with it.

Both provide trial Agents, which means your own roster doesn't gate this event. A newer account can clear the same content as an established one — the constraint is execution, not investment.

The scoring system is the whole event

This is where players will lose points without understanding why.

Special Offensive stage score combines three things:

• Damage Score
• Technique Score
• A Time Coefficient based on how long you took to complete the stage

So the three pull against each other. Maximising damage output often means ignoring technique chains. Taking time to execute cleanly hurts your Time Coefficient. Rushing for speed costs both damage and technique quality.

The stage mechanics are the resolution. Each stage's Buff Effect or Tactical Buff exists to let you get more out of one axis without sacrificing the others — which is why reading them before you start matters more than your gear does.

Four things that follow:

• Read the Buff Effect or Tactical Buff first. It tells you which axis the stage wants you to lean on.
• Don't chase raw damage if it breaks the mechanic awarding Technique Score. A high-damage run with no technique chain scores worse than a balanced one.
• Maintain Technique Combos by rotating between different techniques rather than repeating the strongest one.
• Repeat a stage after learning the enemy pattern. First attempts lose time to unfamiliarity, and the Time Coefficient punishes that directly.

Claret is free to play here

The high-difficulty mode features Claret as a playable character.

That's a genuine test drive. Claret is Version 3.2's headline S-Rank — the game's first Armorer, built around Maim, multi-CRIT and Counter Assist, with damage scaling from DEF rather than ATK.

Playing her here costs nothing and tells you more than any guide can. DEF-scaling and multi-CRIT are unusual enough mechanics that whether they suit you is a question of feel rather than numbers — and her banner is running right now.

If you're undecided about pulling, clear the high-difficulty stages before you spend Polychromes. The event is free; the banner isn't.

The Tuning Calibrator is the standout reward

Rewards are Polychromes, a Tuning Calibrator, and additional event materials.

The Tuning Calibrator is the one to notice. It's used for crafting custom Drive Discs, and it's deliberately scarce — HoYoverse doesn't distribute them freely. A guaranteed event source is worth more to an established account than the Polychromes are.

Polychromes matter more to newer accounts, where pulls are the bottleneck. Established accounts with a built roster generally need the crafting material more than the currency.

One caution: HoYoverse hasn't published which specific mission awards the Tuning Calibrator. Clear the event objectives rather than stopping after a few stages, because the reward may sit behind a completion threshold rather than an early one.

One stage per day

A new themed stage unlocks each day, and Special Offensive stages become available over time rather than all at once.

You cannot finish this event on day one, regardless of skill. That's by design.

Two consequences:

• Check in daily rather than planning a single long session. The content isn't there to be binged.
• But don't panic if you fall behind. The event runs nearly three weeks and stages stay open once unlocked, so catching up is possible — it just means a heavier final stretch.

Note the end time specifically. The event closes at 03:59 server time on 5 October, not at the end of the 5th. That's a morning cutoff, and it catches people out.

What isn't published

• Which mission awards the Tuning Calibrator.
• Exact reward quantities, including total Polychromes.
• Score thresholds for each stage's ratings.
• The full trial Agent lineup for Alliance stages.
• Which stages feature Claret beyond the high-difficulty mode.

Check the event panel in-game for the stage list and reward path as it unlocks.

What to do

Clear the entry requirements first if you're behind. Inter-Knot 20 and Chapter 1 – Intermission is a low bar, but being locked out on day one costs you daily unlocks.

Play the high-difficulty Claret stages before deciding on her banner. Free trial, live banner.

Read every stage's Buff Effect before starting. The scoring system rewards it more than gear does.

Use the trial Agents provided rather than forcing a personal team into an unsuitable stage.

Don't stop once you've got the Polychromes. The Tuning Calibrator's specific mission isn't published, so partial completion may leave it behind.

Diary 5 October at 03:59, not the end of the day.

Building the account behind it

Trial Agents make this event accessible to any roster, but the Drive Discs you craft with that Tuning Calibrator only matter on Agents worth equipping — and gear, W-Engines and Skill levels are the slow half of Zenless Zone Zero. Browse verified Zenless Zone Zero accounts if you'd rather play 3.2 from a developed roster, keep dailies and event progress moving with Zenless Zone Zero hourly services, or push Shiyu Defense and Deadly Assault clears through Zenless Zone Zero boosting while the event runs.

GameMarket.gg is a trusted digital marketplace for everything gaming-related. We serve the gaming community by providing secure access that enhances every gaming journey.