Honestly, the moment Burnice White stepped into the New Eridu spotlight, the entire meta for Zenless Zone Zero shifted. You probably felt it too. There’s something about a flamethrower-wielding mixologist from the Sons of Calydon that just hits different than your standard slash-and-dash attacker. She isn't just another Fire agent; she’s the engine that makes the "Disorder" playstyle actually feel viable for the average player.
Burnice is a S-Rank Fire Anomaly agent. If you’ve been playing since launch, you know Anomaly units are the secret sauce for endgame content like Shiyu Defense. While traditional Attack units rely on raw crit stats, Burnice is all about that Burn. She cooks enemies from the inside out.
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But here is the kicker: she does most of her work while she’s not even on the screen.
What Makes Burnice White So Addictive?
Most characters in Zenless Zone Zero want to hog the field. They want the parries, the chain attacks, the glory. Burnice? She’s chill. Sorta. She applies her unique "Heat" mechanic to trigger the Afterburn state. Once she stacks enough Heat through her basic attacks or her EX Special Move—which, by the way, looks incredible as she dual-wields those fuel injectors—she can swap out.
While she’s tucked away in your back pocket, your active character will trigger Fire DMG follow-up attacks whenever they hit an enemy. It’s passive aggression in the best way possible.
The complexity comes from her "Double Espresso" and "High-Pressure Stirring." These aren't just fancy names. They dictate how she sprays fuel. If you just tap the button, you’re playing her wrong. You’ve gotta hold it, feel the vibration, and watch that Heat gauge skyrocket. It’s visceral.
The Sons of Calydon Synergy
You can’t talk about Burnice without mentioning Outer Rim politics. She’s part of the Sons of Calydon faction. This is huge for team building. Usually, you’re hunting for specific synergies to activate Core Passives. Pairing her with Caesar King or Piper creates a physical-fire blender that most bosses simply cannot handle.
Think about it. Piper spins to build Physical Anomaly (Assault), then Burnice’s off-field fire triggers Burn. When those two overlap? You get Disorder.
Disorder is a massive chunk of instant damage that happens when one elemental status overrides another. Before Burnice, timing Disorder felt like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. With her, it’s basically on autopilot.
Deep Dive into the Scorching Heat Mechanic
Let's get technical for a second because the game doesn't always explain this clearly. Burnice has a Heat gauge. 100 points is the max. When you use her EX Special, "Shaking Heat," she consumes energy to blast fire. If you have enough Heat, she enters the "Nitro-Fuel" state.
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This is where the magic happens.
Every time a teammate deals damage, Burnice consumes a tiny bit of Heat to deal Fire DMG. This counts as Anomaly buildup. If you’re running a team with Grace Howard, you’re now proccing Shock and Burn simultaneously. It’s chaotic. It’s loud. It’s effective.
Fueling the Fire: Best Engines and Disks
If you’re lucky enough to pull her signature W-Engine, Flamemaker Shaker, you’re set. It gives her a massive boost to Anomaly Proficiency and off-field Energy Regen. Without it? You’re looking at Roaring Ride or even the craftable Rainforest Gourmet.
For Disk Drives, don’t overcomplicate it.
- Chaos Jazz (4-piece set) is her bread and butter. It increases Fire DMG and, more importantly, boosts the damage of off-field attacks. It was basically forged in the Outer Rim specifically for her.
- Freedom Blues (2-piece set) for that extra Anomaly Proficiency.
Focus on these stats:
- Anomaly Proficiency: This is your "Crit" equivalent. Higher number = bigger Burn ticks.
- ATK%: Her fire damage scales off her base attack.
- Fire DMG Bonus: Self-explanatory.
Why People Get Burnice Wrong
A lot of players try to use Burnice as a Main DPS. You can do that, but it’s like using a Ferrari to haul mulch. She’s a "Quick-Swap" specialist. You bring her in, dump her energy bar to max out her Heat, and then get her out of there.
If she’s on the field for more than five seconds at a time, you’re likely losing DPS. Her value is in her "Afterburn" ticks.
Another misconception? Thinking she only works with Fire teams. Honestly, Burnice is the most flexible Anomaly unit in the game right now. Because her Fire application is so consistent and doesn't require her to be active, she fits into almost any composition that needs an extra "oomph" during the enemy’s stunned phase.
The Learning Curve
She isn't "easy" like Ellen Joe. Ellen is just: "See shark, hit shark." Burnice requires you to manage a resource bar that isn't just Energy. You have to keep an eye on that Heat gauge. If it drops to zero while she's off-field, your team's damage tanking.
You also have to be mindful of your positioning. Her flamethrower has decent range, but it’s a cone. If you’re fighting fast enemies like the Doppelganger bosses, you can easily whiff your EX Special and waste half your energy bar. It feels bad. Real bad.
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Real World Performance: Shiyu Defense
In the later stages of Shiyu Defense, specifically the nodes with Fire weakness, Burnice is a cheat code.
Take the "Thanatos" enemies—the ones that teleport everywhere and make you want to throw your controller. Burnice’s Afterburn keeps ticking even when they’re zip-zooming across the arena. It provides a steady stream of chip damage that eventually breaks their posture or just melts their health bar while you're busy dodging.
I’ve seen clears where Burnice accounts for nearly 40% of the total team damage despite only having 15% field time. That’s efficiency.
Comparing Burnice to Grace and Jane Doe
Jane Doe is the current queen of Anomaly, let's be real. She’s fast, she has i-frames for days, and her "Assault" procs are nuclear.
Burnice plays a different game.
Jane is a selfish carry. Burnice is the ultimate teammate. While Jane wants to be the star of the show, Burnice is the stage manager making sure the lights stay on and the pyrotechnics go off on cue. If you have both? You have arguably the strongest duo in the game. Jane triggers Physical Anomaly, Burnice triggers Fire from the sidelines, and the Disorder procs will delete even the beefiest bosses in seconds.
The Verdict on the Sons of Calydon Mixologist
Is she worth your Polychrome?
If you like seeing numbers pop up all over the screen without having to do much work, yes. If you enjoy the tactical layer of managing resources and swapping characters like a high-speed chess match, absolutely.
She brings a level of "set it and forget it" utility that Zenless Zone Zero desperately needed. Plus, her animations are some of the fluid in the game. The way she shakes her mixers during her ultimate—it’s just flavor. Pure HoYoverse polish.
Actionable Strategy for Burnice Users
To get the most out of her immediately, follow this rotation:
- Start with your Support (like Lucy or Rina) to drop buffs.
- Swap to Burnice and hold her EX Special until the Heat gauge is full (the UI will glow).
- Immediately swap to your Main DPS or another Anomaly unit.
- Only bring Burnice back in when her Heat gauge is about 20% or when you have enough energy for another full "Stir."
Don't ignore her Core Skill upgrades. The jump in Anomaly buildup percentage between Level 3 and Level 4 is significant. It’s the difference between proccing Burn in one rotation versus two.
Focus on getting her Anomaly Proficiency to at least 300. That seems to be the "sweet spot" where her damage scaling starts to outpace the natural resistance of Level 60+ enemies. Anything higher is a bonus, but 300 is your baseline goal.
Burnice White isn't just a "waifu" pull or a flashy set of animations. She is a foundational piece for anyone looking to master the Anomaly meta. She makes the game feel more dynamic, rewards smart play, and quite literally turns the heat up on the toughest content New Eridu has to offer.