Ideal
CRIT Rate > CRIT DMG
Desire
Void DMG% > ATK%
Imagination
ATK%
Chaos Zero Nightmare (CZN)TressaBuild and Guide
Introduction
Best guide and build for Tressa from Chaos Zero Nightmare (CZN). Tressa is a 4✦ character from the Psionic class and Void attribute, who belongs to the Terrascion [Planet-Born] faction.
Disclaimer
Tressa has been fully reworked with the start of Season 2. Their guide/deck build are currently heavily outdated and we will update it as soon as possible.
Update tracker
Last review update
Season 2
Last build update
Season 2
Last profile update*
15.03.2026
*Profile update means updates done to reviews/builds/gear within a season - showing the last date we changed anything on this page.
To learn more about Tressa check the sections below. Use the tabs to quickly switch to the kind of information you're looking for.
Profile
Review
Epiphanies
Gear
Deck & Teams
Profile
Cards
Starting Cards:
1
Dagger Throw
100% Damage.
1
Touch of Darkness
Heal 100%.
Show Effects
1
Unsheathe Dagger
Create 2 Shadow Dagger.
Epiphany Cards:
0
Curse
For 1 turn, when using Attack Cards, 1 Agony.
Show Effects
1
Shadow Reload
Heal 100%.
Create 1 Advanced Shadow Dagger.
Create 1 Advanced Shadow Dagger.
Show Effects
2
Vital Attack
80% x 3 Damage
If the target is in Agony, +50% Damage.
If the target is in Agony, +50% Damage.
Show Effects
1
Cursed Gouge
Activates this unit’s Agony applied to the target.
Show Effects
Generated Cards:
0
Shadow Dagger
80% Damage. 1 Agony.
Show Effects
0
Advanced Shadow Dagger
2 Agony.
50% Damage, +10% Damage Amount for each Agony on target.
50% Damage, +10% Damage Amount for each Agony on target.
Show Effects
Ego Skill:
5
Wave of Darkness
Ego Skill
Create 2 Shadow Dagger.
Epiphany Variants:
Epiphany cards are special evolutions for the cards you can obtain while playing the roguelike mode. Only some cards in the character's deck can get Epiphany effects. Since there's quite a lot of them, we don't display them by default - press the button below to show them. There are also Divine variants of Epiphany cards, but we're still working on gathering them.
0
Unsheathe Dagger I
Create 2 Shadow Dagger.
1
Unsheathe Dagger II
Create 3 Shadow Dagger.
1
Unsheathe Dagger III
Create 1 Shadow Dagger.
At the start of the turn, create 1 Shadow Dagger.
At the start of the turn, create 1 Shadow Dagger.
1
Unsheathe Dagger IV
Create 2 Shadow Dagger.
Increase the Agony effect of the created Shadow Dagger by 2.
Increase the Agony effect of the created Shadow Dagger by 2.
Show Effects
1
Unsheathe Dagger V
Create 4 Shadow Dagger.
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0
Curse I
For 1 turn, when using Cards, 1 Agony to random enemies.
Show Effects
0
Curse II
For 2 turns, when using Attack Cards, 1 Agony.
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1
Curse III
4 × 2 Agony to random enemies.
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1
Curse IV
2 Agony to all enemies.
At the start of turn, 2 Agony to all enemies.
At the start of turn, 2 Agony to all enemies.
Show Effects
2
Curse V
When inflicting Agony with a card, add 1 Agony to the target.
Show Effects
1
Shadow Reload I
80% Damage to all enemies, 2 Agony.
Exhaust all Shadow Dagger in hand, repeat equal to that number
Exhaust all Shadow Dagger in hand, repeat equal to that number
Show Effects
0
Shadow Reload II
Heal 10%.
Create 1 Advanced Shadow Dagger.
Create 1 Advanced Shadow Dagger.
Show Effects
X
Shadow Reload III
Heal 100% × X.
Create X cards, each randomly chosen to be either Shadow Dagger or Advanced Shadow Dagger.
Create X cards, each randomly chosen to be either Shadow Dagger or Advanced Shadow Dagger.
Show Effects
1
Shadow Reload IV
Exhaust all Shadow Dagger, then create Advanced Shadow Dagger for each Exhausted.
Show Effects
1
Shadow Reload V
Discard all cards.
Create Shadow Dagger equal to that number.
Create Shadow Dagger equal to that number.
Show Effects
2
Vital Attack I
150% x 3 Damage.
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2
Vital Attack II
120% x 3 Damage
If the target is in Agony, +70% Damage.
If the target is in Agony, +70% Damage.
Show Effects
1
Vital Attack III
80% x 3 Damage.
2-6 Agony.
2-6 Agony.
Show Effects
2
Vital Attack IV
200% x 2 Damage.
If target's Agony is 3, or more, trigger 1 more time.
If target's Agony is 3, or more, trigger 1 more time.
Show Effects
2
Vital Attack V
150% x 3 Damage.
+10% Damage per target's Agony.
+10% Damage per target's Agony.
Show Effects
Potential
Epiphany Bonus
Potential 1
When entering Chaos, obtain 1 random Rare Card with an activated Epiphany.
Basic Card Upgrade
Potential 2
Increase Damage, Shield, and Healing Amounts of Basic Cards by 2/20%.
Common Card Upgrade
Potential 3
Increase Damage, Shield, and Healing Amounts of Common Cards by 2/20%.
Basic Card Proficiency
Potential 3-1
The Dagger Throw card gains the effect 2 Agony.
Unique Card Upgrade
Potential 4
Increase Damage, Shield, and Healing Amounts of Unique Cards by 2/20%.
Critical Chance Proficiency
Potential 5
+2/10% Critical Chance.
Basic Card Proficiency
Potential 5-1
+5% Damage for Tressa's Dagger Throw.
If Tressa’s Damage over Time is greater than 15% an additional +5% to that value.
If Tressa’s Damage over Time is greater than 15% an additional +5% to that value.
Divine Epiphany Adaptation
Potential 5-2
Increases the chance for a Divine Epiphany to appear by 25%.
Critical Damage Proficiency
Potential 6
+2.4/12% Critical Damage.
Unique Stat Upgrade
Potential 7
+4% Void Attribute Damage.
If Tressa's Damage over Time is greater than 30%, +4% to that value.
If Tressa's Damage over Time is greater than 30%, +4% to that value.
Manifest Ego (dupes)
Sleeping Memory
Manifest Ego 1
Decrease the cost of Cursed Gouge cards by 1.
Awakening Memory
Manifest Ego 2
When using the Shadow Dagger card on a target with Agony, damage is increased by +20%.
Vivid Memory
Manifest Ego 3
Increase the level of [Basic Card Upgrade], [Unique Card Upgrade], and [Common Card Upgrade] in Potentials by 3.
Inner Memory
Manifest Ego 4
The Wave of Darkness card increases Agony by 2.
Complete Memory
Manifest Ego 5
Increase the level of [Basic Card Upgrade], [Unique Card Upgrade], and [Common Card Upgrade] in Potentials by 3.
Liberated Memory
Manifest Ego 6
When defeating an enemy with Agony, create Shadow Dagger card x1.
Stats (level 60)
HP
333
DEF
158
ATK
414
Gallery
Review
Introduction
Tressa is a Void attribute Psionic Combatant who specializes in both dealing damage over time via Agony and high-frequency attacks achieved through Shadow Dagger generation and spam.
Shadow Daggers are 0-cost attacks with [Exhaust], which most of her abilities either generate, upgrade or scale. Generating and using maximum daggers per turn is the goal of most Tressa decks thanks to the fact that they scale well with buffs and each applies Agony, which is crucial for Tressa’s core game plan.
Agony itself is the heart of Tressa’s kit and deals its damage traditionally at the end of the turn, dealing 50% Fixed Damage per stack of Agony, unique to each Combatant - up to a maximum of 20 stacks. When Agony activates, half of the current stacks on the enemy unit will be removed, rounding down. So when played optimally, Tressa can inflict 1000% Fixed Damage each turn via Agony, assuming she max stacks it every turn.
Where Tressa makes her mark as an Agony specialist, though, is that she has a way to bypass the standard Agony activation requirements via her "Cursed Gouge" skill.
Outside of her own damage and Agony synergies, Tressa doesn’t bring much else to the team though. Meaning the main reason to bring Tressa is if you’re looking for a DPS to play.
When aiming to maximize Tressa’s power, she’s looking for Draw Power to churn through her deck and access all her Shadow Dagger generation. Tressa would also ideally like to play alongside a Morale or Additive Damage buffing support to boost the low damage but high hit count Shadow Dagger spam Tressa unleashes each turn.
Tressa stands out as one of the characters with the highest access to 0-cost attack skills in the game, making her synergistic with many other Combatant playstyles. That aside, Tressa is perfectly functional by herself. When playing Tressa with a focus on her own kit, your goal should be to maximize Agony application by aligning Shadow Dagger use with Curse if possible. Outside of this, leverage her high AP efficiency cards when available and use her Agony payoff cards when you can.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Applies frequent Agony (DoT) which deals Fixed Damage, ignoring Damage Reduction.
Generates an absurd amount of 0-cost Exhaust Attack Cards, which are beneficial for certain synergies
High hit count playstyle scales well with Morale and additive damage boosts
Cons
Very limited AoE only accessible via Epiphanies.
Agony damage is backloaded and takes time to deal its full damage.
Incredibly high action count can accelerate enemy actions.
Ratings
The ratings below are based on the Season Save Data modes and the Chaos Manifestation mode. Each of the modes values different mechanics, so some characters may shine in one of the, while being underwhelming in the other.
Key Mechanics
Agony: Where the majority of Tressa’s damage scaling stems from. Agony is a debuff applied to enemies that will deal 50% Fixed Damage per stack of Agony on the target at the end of the turn and will then half the amount of Agony the target has, that is 20 stacks will go to 10, 10 will go to 5 etc. Agony has a hard limit cap of 20 stacks per enemy, per Combatant. If you have 3 Combatants who can all apply Agony, you could reach up to 60 Agony stacks on each enemy.
Fixed Damage: Fixed Damage cannot be increased or decreased by the usual additive or multiplicative +% bonuses.
Shadow Dagge: The basic version of Tressa’s Shadow Daggers, which most of her abilities generate cost 0 AP to use, have [Exhaust], deal a small amount of damage, but most importantly, they also apply 1 Agony.
Advanced Shadow Dagger: A harder-hitting version of Shadow Dagger, which inflicts 2 stacks of Agony instead of 1. In addition, it also has the [Retain] tag, which allows you to save it between turns. Advanced Shadow Dagger gains a +10% additive damage multiplier per stack of Agony on the target. This does include all sources of Agony, including those from other Combatants, up to a theoretical maximum of +600%.
Potential
3-1: A must-have Potential Node when playing Tressa. Causes Dagger Throw to apply 2 Agony to the target on use. This is a huge upgrade to Tressa’s Basic Attack and gives them far more value in Chaos based game modes and even some play Potential in Save as well.
5-1: Adds +5% extra damage to Dagger Throw. Additionally, if Tressa’s Damage Over Time is greater than 15%, an additional +5% is added. A standard Base Damage increase to Tressa’s Basics is welcome, but not a game-changer like her 3-1 Potential. If you have the materials and you want a boost in Chaos or if you’re using Basics in Save Data game modes, you can pick it up, but it’s not a must-have node.
7: Grants +4% Void Attribute Damage when unlocked. If Tressa’s Damage Over Time is greater than 30%, another +4% is added. This is another must-have Potential Node for all Tressa builds.
Note: The Void Attribute Damage stacks additively with Void Attribute DMG% from Memory Fragments.
Dupes Review
E0
Base
E1
Ego 1
Tressa’s first Ego node reduces the cost of Cursed Gouge from 1 to 0. This is a solid first Ego node that removes some AP pressure on Tressa to be able to cycle through all of her cards in a turn.
E2
Ego 2
Her second Ego node provides a +20% additive damage buff to both her Shadow and Advanced Dagger cards to enemies when they're inflicted with Agony. This is also a decent node that provides a moderate damage increase to her Dagger cards.
E3
Ego 3
This node increases the base and maximum level of their [Basic Card Upgrade], [Unique Card Upgrade] and [Common Card Upgrade] Potentials by 3. Provides a small increase to damage and healing.
E4
Ego 4
Tressa's E4 increases the amount of Agony her Ego skill applies. It adds 2 Agony stacks to the target you use this skill on, which increases the total Agony applied from 4 to 8 total. This is a great 4th node for Tressa, which further enhances her ability to apply Agony to targets.
E5
Ego 5
This node again increases the base and maximum level of their [Basic Card Upgrade], [Unique Card Upgrade] and [Common Card Upgrade] Potentials by 3. Provides another small increase to damage and healing.
E6
Ego 6
Tressa's last Ego node now allows Tressa to create Shadow Dagger cards when defeating an enemy that is inflicted with Agony. This will also create a Shadow Dagger if you killed the target with a card that would inflict Agony if they had no prior Agony stacks inflicted. If an enemy is killed whilst they have Agony at the end of the turn, the dagger created will also stay in your hand until the next turn. A very good Ego node for Tressa.
Cards & Ego Skill
5
Wave of Darkness
Ego Skill
Create 2 Shadow Dagger.
Wave of Darkness
On use, Wave of Darkness costs 5 Ego Points, creates 2 Shadow Daggers and applies 2 stacks of Agony twice, for a total of 4. Not a game-changing Ego skill by any stretch, but still a solid damage cooldown to use when extra Agony generation or some extra attacks are needed.
Note: Becomes a lot stronger thanks to Ego Points that boost its capabilities.
1
Dagger Throw
100% Damage.
Dagger Throw
Tressa’s Basic Attack is mostly standard but becomes far stronger than most Combatants’ thanks to her Potential that allows it to apply Agony. Thanks to this, it becomes a serviceable tool for Tressa’s strategy, even though in the late game, you’ll likely still remove it.
1
Touch of Darkness
Heal 100%.
Show Effects
Touch of Darkness
Tressa’s basic heal is completely standard and doesn't have any extra synergy with her kit. Usually, the first target for removal.
1
Unsheathe Dagger
Create 2 Shadow Dagger.
Unsheathe Dagger
The highlight of Tressa’s Starting Deck. Costs 1AP and generates 2 Shadow Daggers on use, making it 1 cost for 2 hits and 2 Agony. This deal isn’t too impressive baseline, but with Epiphanies factored in, this card becomes much more potent.
0
Curse
For 1 turn, when using Attack Cards, 1 Agony.
Show Effects
Curse
A Skill card that after use causes any Attack Cards played to also apply 1 additional stack of Agony to the target. When combined with Tressa’s arsenal of 0-cost Shadow Daggers, this card allows her to easily reach the Agony stack limit quickly and efficiently.
1
Shadow Reload
Heal 100%.
Create 1 Advanced Shadow Dagger.
Create 1 Advanced Shadow Dagger.
Show Effects
Shadow Reload
A 1 AP Heal that also generates an Advanced Shadow Dagger on use. Baseline, nothing too crazy and just one more way to generate daggers with Tressa. But after Epiphanies, this card transforms and becomes a far more powerful card with many more possibilities. Before that though, it can be used to provide a touch of sustain and bolster Tressa’s Agony application.
2
Vital Attack
80% x 3 Damage
If the target is in Agony, +50% Damage.
If the target is in Agony, +50% Damage.
Show Effects
Vital Attack
A 2-cost Attack that hits three times for 80% damage per hit or for 130% per hit if the target has any Agony stacks. Most enemies you target with this will have at least one Agony stack, making it a powerful damage-dealing option if you have the AP for it and one of the major ways for Tressa to deal damage outside of her Daggers and Agony.
1
Cursed Gouge
Activates this unit’s Agony applied to the target.
Show Effects
Cursed Gouge
A 0-Cost Skill card that bypasses the end-of-turn requirement for Agony to activate. Cursed Gouge, when activated, will cause Agony to activate, dealing 50% Fixed Damage per Agony stack and then removing half of the stacks on the target, rounding down. While powerful, to fully take advantage of this card, you’ll need enough Agony generation to reach max stacks multiple times in a turn to reap maximum benefit.
Best Epiphanies
Best Epiphanies
Note
We have given a star rating for each Epiphany, showing how strong and useful it is - with 1★ being the lowest rating and 5★ the highest.
Card 1
Neutral Epiphany
Err
Err
Err
Err
Err
Epiphanies:
- Neutral - Target Neutral Epiphany: 1 AP.
With AP Neutral, you can get similar value as Divines without accruing higher save data point cost, which can be very valuable if the QoL of either of these features is more important than the higher damage/generation Unsheath Dagger II can provide in your Tressa team’s deck. - Err- Changes to 0-cost. This is essentially equivalent to Neutral Epiphany, as it can give some decent QoL, but will fall behind in potential compared to Unsheath Dagger II.
- Err- Now creates 3 Shadow Daggers. This is the go-to Epiphany for most Tressa builds that are used to drive Hugo, or other units that can thrive off 0-cost attack spam (like pre-nerf Cassius), as it can allow for her highest amount of consistent Shadow Dagger generation.
- Err- Becomes an Upgrade that makes 1 Shadow Dagger at the start of the turn. This can be a great option in builds that don’t care about making a lot of Agony, such as some Vital Attack IV builds, which only need 3 Agony for its additional effect.
- Err- The Shadow Daggers now give 2 additional Agony. This can help for hitting the 20-Agony cap a bit faster, but Tressa can already hit the Agony cap quite easily just via Curse; moreover, Agony-based builds tend to underperform compared to other playstyles post-nerfs (Season-2 Agony Changes that hard-capped it to 20-stacks).
- Err- Gains the [Exhaust] tag but now makes 4 Shadow Daggers. This is a great option for Hugo-Tressa OTK as it makes more attacks than any other option can for one turn. However, it will give no value after its first use, so it is not recommended outside of OTK.
Divine Epiphanies:
Which Divine Epiphany to go for will depend on what your team needs and which Epiphany you chose, but here are the main ones to look out for if you have spare Save Data: -1 Cost Reduction, Draw 1.
Card 2
Neutral Epiphany
0
Curse I
For 1 turn, when using Cards, 1 Agony to random enemies.
Show Effects
0
Curse II
For 2 turns, when using Attack Cards, 1 Agony.
Show Effects
1
Curse III
4 × 2 Agony to random enemies.
Show Effects
1
Curse IV
2 Agony to all enemies.
At the start of turn, 2 Agony to all enemies.
At the start of turn, 2 Agony to all enemies.
Show Effects
2
Curse V
When inflicting Agony with a card, add 1 Agony to the target.
Show Effects
Epiphanies:
- Neutral - Target Neutral Epiphany: N/A.
There is no target Neutral, but if you’re considering any option between I, II, III, or Neutral–odds are all of them will be able to hit Agony cap (20-stacks) in one turn, so a Neutral Epiphany is fine to take in circumstances you would take others. This is a decent Agony application and is worth considering if you want to apply more Agony quickly, but the Agony cap being only 20 means that most popular Tressa builds (post-nerfs) basically do not need to optimize their Agony a ton to reach the cap after 1-2 turns, even without options like this. - Curse I- Now works for all cards, not just Attack Cards. This is a decent Agony application and is worth considering if you want to apply more Agony quickly, but the Agony cap being only 20 means that most popular Tressa builds (post-nerfs) basically do not need to optimize their Agony a ton to reach the cap after 1-2 turns, even without options like this.
- Curse II- It is now a 2-turn duration instead of a 1-turn duration effect. This is a decent Agony application and is worth considering if you want to apply more Agony quickly, but the Agony cap being only 20 means that most popular Tressa builds (post-nerfs) basically do not need to optimize their Agony a ton to reach the cap after 1-2 turns, even without options like this.
- Curse III- Becomes 4 Agony x 2, essentially 8 Agony. This is a decent Agony application and is worth considering if you want to apply more Agony quickly, but the Agony cap being only 20 means that most popular Tressa builds (post-nerfs) basically do not need to optimize their Agony a ton to reach the cap after 1-2 turns, even without options like this.
- Curse IV- Changes to an Upgrade that adds 2 Agony at the start of the turn. This is by far the preferred option for Vital Attack IV builds, which are popular for Tressa carry (post-nerfs), as it allows you to hit the 3 Agony minimum for the Vital Attack IV condition with little effort. Even in other builds, it's still a great option since Tressa easily hits the Agony cap (20-stacks) with or without optimizing Agony a ton via Curse.
- Curse V- Now a 2-cost Upgrade that adds an additional 1 Agony when Tressa applies Agony. This is a great option for Unsheath Dagger builds used to drive units like Hugo, as it will passively guarantee max Agony stacks with little effort; however, its cost of 2 can make it harder to justify over Curse IV, which allows you to do the same but with a 1-cost Upgrade.
Divine Epiphanies:
Which Divine Epiphany to go for will depend on what your team needs and which Epiphany you chose, but here are the main ones to look out for if you have spare Save Data: Draw 1, Morale/Resolve (Curse IV, Curse V).
Card 3
Neutral Epiphany
1
Shadow Reload I
80% Damage to all enemies, 2 Agony.
Exhaust all Shadow Dagger in hand, repeat equal to that number
Exhaust all Shadow Dagger in hand, repeat equal to that number
Show Effects
0
Shadow Reload II
Heal 10%.
Create 1 Advanced Shadow Dagger.
Create 1 Advanced Shadow Dagger.
Show Effects
X
Shadow Reload III
Heal 100% × X.
Create X cards, each randomly chosen to be either Shadow Dagger or Advanced Shadow Dagger.
Create X cards, each randomly chosen to be either Shadow Dagger or Advanced Shadow Dagger.
Show Effects
1
Shadow Reload IV
Exhaust all Shadow Dagger, then create Advanced Shadow Dagger for each Exhausted.
Show Effects
1
Shadow Reload V
Discard all cards.
Create Shadow Dagger equal to that number.
Create Shadow Dagger equal to that number.
Show Effects
Epiphanies:
- Neutral - Target Neutral Epiphany: 1 AP.
Neutral Epiphanies on this can make it more worth keeping because they can make it more or less ‘free’ to use in many teams, and it's a decent additional damage, but simply 1 Advanced Dagger is nothing to write home about. - Shadow Reload I- Is now an AOE attack that [Exhausts] all Shadow Daggers in hand and hits equal to the number exhausted. While the AOE is a bit nice, it essentially is using a separate attack to [Exhaust] your Shadow Daggers for around the same value as just playing them. The AOE could be better in some niche scenarios, but it falls behind basically any actual AOE unit in potential use, so it’s not recommended to play around with it.
- Shadow Reload II- Changes to a 0-cost. Basically the same value as Neutral Epiphany–it makes the card ‘free’ to use and thus more justifiable as a keep rather than a remove.
- Shadow Reload III- Now, an X-cost that makes Shadow Daggers = to AP consumed, some will randomly be Advanced Shadow Daggers. This is a great card to take in optimized Tressa builds that will have additional AP leftover, since it's just a few more attacks and maybe some Advanced Shadow Daggers as well.
- Shadow Reload IV- [Exhaust] all Shadow Daggers and create Advanced Shadow Daggers = to the amount exhausted. This will exhaust Shadow Daggers that aren’t in hand, so it is by far the best way to generate Advanced Shadow Daggers, but it is still rather finicky to use.
- Shadow Reload V- Changed to: discard all cards and create a Shadow Dagger for each card discarded, [Exhaust 2]. This is a weird card since it has good potential as a set-up card for longer fights, yet also has the [Exhaust 2] tag. The anti-synergy between it being a set-up card that doesn’t work well in low-turn counts, but it exhausting itself makes it a low recommendation.
Divine Epiphanies:
Which Divine Epiphany to go for will depend on what your team needs and which Epiphany you chose, but here are the main ones to look out for if you have spare Save Data: Draw 1.
Card 4
Neutral Epiphany
2
Vital Attack I
150% x 3 Damage.
Show Effects
2
Vital Attack II
120% x 3 Damage
If the target is in Agony, +70% Damage.
If the target is in Agony, +70% Damage.
Show Effects
1
Vital Attack III
80% x 3 Damage.
2-6 Agony.
2-6 Agony.
Show Effects
2
Vital Attack IV
200% x 2 Damage.
If target's Agony is 3, or more, trigger 1 more time.
If target's Agony is 3, or more, trigger 1 more time.
Show Effects
2
Vital Attack V
150% x 3 Damage.
+10% Damage per target's Agony.
+10% Damage per target's Agony.
Show Effects
Epiphanies:
- Neutral - Neutral Epiphanies are not recommended since Vital Attack IV is substantially stronger than the base Epiphany and if you are not offered Vital Attack IV, it is probably better to consider removing the card altogether in many builds.
- Vital Attack I- Loses its previous damage buff but gains [Lead]. This falls behind in use-cases and damage compared to Vital Attack V, let alone Vital Attack IV, so it is not recommended. This is basically just a worse version of Vital Attack III.
- Vital Attack II- If there is any Agony on target, gain a 70% additive buff. This falls behind in use-cases and damage compared to Vital Attack V, let alone Vital Attack IV, so it is not recommended.
- Vital Attack III- Is now a 1-cost that applies 2-6 Agony but loses its previous damage buff. This falls behind in use-cases and damage compared to Vital Attack V, let alone Vital Attack IV, so it is not recommended; however, it does have the advantage of being 1-cost, so it’s easier to keep in your deck.
- Vital Attack IV- Changes to be a 2-hit with effect: If there is at least 3 Agony on the target, now *activate* one more time. The keyword here is ‘activate’ as an additional activation will also proc any additional effects attached to using the card, such as Divine Epiphanies like Vulnerable or Hugo’s Commence the Hunt. This is by far her go-to Vital Attack post-nerfs, as the double-activation effect has a lot of synergy with any attack-use effects and Divines.
- Vital Attack V- Now gains an additive 10% buff for every Agony on the target. Without Divine Epiphanies or many external buffs, this will perform similarly in damage (from itself) as Vital Attack IV. However, it is still not recommended as it falls behind with external buffers and does not have the double-activation synergies that IV can abuse.
Divine Epiphanies:
Which Divine Epiphany to go for will depend on what your team needs and which Epiphany you chose, but here are the main ones to look out for if you have spare Save Data: Vulnerable 2.
Gear
Memory Fragments
The Memory Fragments & Equipment suggestions below are based on calculations we did. If you want to check the damage formula and how scaling the damage works in CZN, check this guide.
Recommended Loadout
100%
[2-PC]: +25% Critical Damage.
[2-PC]: +12% Attack.
[2-PC]: Increases damage dealt to target inflicted with Agony by 10%
Tressa consistently applies Agony which activates 2P Cursed Corpse elevating 2/2/2 above all other damage options for her making it her clear best choice.
Main and sub-stats
In a lot of cases, flat sub-stats are better than percentage ones when it comes to HP, ATK and DEF. The reason behind this is that in CZN the characters stats are pretty low and you get more value from flat bonus rather than percentage one based on calcs.
Crit Variant
Substats:
CRIT Rate% = CRIT DMG% > ATK > ATK% = DoT DMG%
Pure Attack
Ideal
ATK%
Desire
Void DMG% > ATK%
Imagination
ATK%
Substats:
DoT DMG% > ATK > ATK% > CRIT Rate% = CRIT DMG%
Partners
Our best Partner recommendation try to balance both the raw damage boost they provide based on our calculations with the additional utility provided by the skill - combined with how it interacts with the characters's kit. We have rated each Partner based on how much additional damage and the utility they provide. Read the comments under each Partner to better understand our reasoning.
No calculations in Chaos Zero Nightmare are completely accurate for all scenarios, including the ones below. What team, decks, epiphanies, gear, equipment, and enemies you’re facing all impact them. Because of this, take the results as guidelines and combine them with the explanations to make your decisions. Calculations use endgame save data set-ups, including 5 turns of combat using the whole deck with all Ego skills unless otherwise stated.
1
Passive - Clairvoyance
Increase the assigned Combatant’s Attack, Health, and Damage Amount by 12–20%.
When the assigned combatant generates a card, +8/16% attack card damage for 1 turn.
Skill - Scholarly Measures - 2 EP cost
Deal 180% Damage to all enemies. Apply 1 Vulnerable.
-
2
Passive - Technical Support
Increase the assigned Combatant's Attack by 8/16%.
The combatant's attack card damage increases by 10/20%.
The first time the assigned Combatant either Exhausts a card or gains a Status Ailment card (includes cards that have been changed from Status Ailment cards), increases Damage Amount of Attack Cards by 12/24% for 1 turn.
Skill - Activate Defense Module - 3 EP cost
For 1 turn, when a card is Exhausted, apply 1 Weaken to a random enemy.
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3
Passive - Clairvoyance
Increase the assigned Combatant’s Attack, Health, and Damage Amount by 12–20%.
When the assigned combatant generates a card, +8/16% attack card damage for 1 turn.
Skill - Scholarly Measures - 2 EP cost
Deal 180% Damage to all enemies. Apply 1 Vulnerable.
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4
Passive - Technical Support
Increase the assigned Combatant's Attack by 8/16%.
The combatant's attack card damage increases by 10/20%.
The first time the assigned Combatant either Exhausts a card or gains a Status Ailment card (includes cards that have been changed from Status Ailment cards), increases Damage Amount of Attack Cards by 12/24% for 1 turn.
Skill - Activate Defense Module - 3 EP cost
For 1 turn, when a card is Exhausted, apply 1 Weaken to a random enemy.
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5
Passive - Fortune Telling
The assigned combatant's Attack is increased by 8/16%.
When Injured, at the end of battle, recover 4/8% Health.
Skill - Flower of Memory - 2 EP cost
Gain 200% Shield.
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Equipment
In the Zero System, it’s incredibly easy to access all items acquirable via the shop thanks to the five free refreshes you get each shop node - that's why the recommendations below are limited to them only. ATTENTION! Area-specific items can sometimes be more powerful than shop items, but are far less consistent to get or require running a specific world or giving up certain event options. Use the shop list as a starting point for building up your deck saves.
The equipment recommendations are based on items obtainable in Season 2’s Chaos - Burning Life. If you’re running content outside of Season 2, it’s possible some options may not be available for acquisition, or that other options not obtainable in Burning Life may be better.
DPS
- Intellect of Discord
![Equipment]()
- Tentacles of Chaos
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- RFS-17
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- Dagger That Tricked the Shadow
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- Sword Reflected in the Lake
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- Obsidian Sword
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Support
- -
DPS
- Fairy King's Crown
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- Mask of Flames
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Support
- Star-Lit Cloak
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- Vine Camouflage
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DPS
- Amorphous Cube
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- Quantum Collector
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Support
- Sphere of Randomness
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Comments - Weapons
- - Offers a huge 18% Combat Attack passively which for most Attack scalers makes this weapon the defacto best in slot weapon if you're able to acquire it alongside the correct save and don't have another better Mythic equipment options.Intellect of Discord
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- - Provides 8% Combat Attack to all operators in the team making it the go-to support weapon for most characters not acting as the main DPS when supporting Attack scaling carries providing the Mythic slot isn't required elsewhere.Tentacles of Chaos
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- - One of the strongest Legendary Weapons for any combatant that deals the majority of their damage via 0 cost abilities either naturally or as a result of discounts.RFS-17
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- - 12% Crit DMG is always a competitive option if you can find it in your runs and nothing better turns up or is required for your build.Dagger That Tricked the Shadow
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- - A generic weapon that provides a large 25% (Multiplicative) damage boost but only while you hold 6 cards or more. This is a strong legendary equipment providing you can satisfy its conditions while using the majority of your highest damaging abilities, but this is much easier said than done making it only situationally good in certain decks.Sword Reflected in the Lake
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- - Very easy to find and grants 12% (Multiplicative) damage to everything. It's never the best, but if you have nothing else you should definitely grab it.Obsidian Sword
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Comments - Armor
- - The Crit Rate this armour provides is almost always in demand and a competitive option making it a piece worth seeking out unless you're able to obtain better more specialized options.Fairy King's Crown
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- - Provides a 35% (Multiplicative) damage boost against enemies which are vulnerable. Powerful on characters that value multiplicative damage boosts (less so on those that don't) but only so long as you can consistently keep Vulnerable applied.Mask of Flames
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- - A generic defensive option usable by all combatants making it a fine supportive addition if no other options are found. However not generally as enticing as direct damage or more immediate utility options for most builds.Star-Lit Cloak
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- - An easy to get and nice inclusion for teams that have use for a powerful (but conditional) survival mechanic. Usually not the most optimal choice within the armor slot for most characters but if you miss no all other options is very easy to pick up as a fall-back.Vine Camouflage
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Comments - Trinkets
- - The go-to generic damage accessory for most characters that is trivially easy to use and always for the most part a solid addition for any character that can make use of additive damage. Wont beat out more specialized options but always a great fallback.Amorphous Cube
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- - Grants 20% (multiplicative) damage to the wearer any time any combatant uses an upgrade card (no limit) but only for 1 turn. In specific teams targetting low turn count kills this can be the best accessory available, but in longer fights, or low upgrade teams it loses a lot of its appeal.Quantum Collector
![Equipment]()
- - An exceptionally powerful generic support trinket that grants both 1 draw and 1 AP at the start of battle turbo charging your early game. Is a Mythic item meaning it wont be suitable for every character, but on those who can afford to run it and don't need other accessories in this slot is well worth slotting in if it comes up in your runs.Sphere of Randomness
![Equipment]()
Deck & Teams
Recommended Build
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Build Comments
- Vital Attack Multi-Hitter - After her rather extensive nerfs, one of Tressa’s most successful teams has been built around using her multi-activation 2 x 2 multihit (4 hits). Because it is a 2-hit activated a second time for another 2-hit, instead of a plain 4-hit, it actually benefits from Divine Epiphany and any other on-activation effect (like Hugo/Selena’s extra attacks) twice per-use. Moreover, a 4-hit card is capable of performing decently well with enough buffs, typically from additive buffers like Cassius or Rei.
- Hugo Driver - Following her nerfs, she is not able to drive Hugo to the same level she was previously, but she is still able to make a relatively high number of Attack Cards through skill cards, which can still drive Hugo’s Commence the Hunt very well.
Removal
- Dagger ThrowTouch of Darkness- Removed in basically any Tressa deck.
Conditional Removal
- Shadow ReloadCursed Gouge- In the multi-hit Vital Attack build, you do not need to make an excess amount of Agony, so it is typically removed. For more Agony-based playstyles, it can be kept, but these builds can be hard to utilize to a high degree after Agony nerfs.
Copying
- Vital Attack- Vital Attack will be her main source of damage, so it is one of her strongest dupes following her Agony nerfs.
- Unsheathe Dagger- The go-to choice when playing her to drive Hugo, as it doubles as a skill card use and 2-3 Attack Cards.
Best Synergies
- Through neutral Morale Epiphanies on cards like Devil Dice or Dice Trick, Cass can give high additive buffing with little cost.
- Cassius can also apply additional Agony through neutral Epiphanies, as well, should you orient yourself towards a more Agony-based playstyle instead.
- However, it’s worth noting that Cass can be difficult to play with her without Divine Epiphanies, as he generally wants cost-reduction on Devil Dice (with neutral Morale 2 Epiphany) so he can act as both draw and buffer together.
- Rei can give many different buffs that all work well with Tressa, including but not limited to: 1-cost card additive buffs, void card buffs, 4P Glory Reign and generic additive buffs (Morale).
- Tressa is able to do a relatively high number of attacks, allowing him to drive Hugo’s Extra Attacks well.
- Hugo is able to supplement her as a draw unit, on-top of using her as a driver for his own damage.
- Tressa makes her attacks primarily through skill cards, which activates Hunting Instincts Commence the Hunt effect for his Extra Attacks.
Best Teams
Chaos Teams
Generic - Chaos
DPS
Flex
Flex
Healer
Flex
Save Teams
Hugo Driver Tressa
Support DPS
DPS
Support
Tressa Hyper-Carry
DPS
Support
Support
Base performance of the character.