How to Get Free Polychrome in Zenless Zone Zero

Polychrome is Zenless Zone Zero's premium currency: it's used for Signal Searches (the game's gacha system) to get S-Rank and A-Rank agents and their W-Engines. Unlike Dennies (the base currency earned through almost any activity), Polychrome can only be obtained by completing specific content or buying it with real money, so playing F2P means squeezing every available source. This guide covers the verified methods for getting free Polychrome: Daily Errands and the Compendium, end-of-season content like Shiyu Defense and Deadly Assault, the roguelike Hollow Zero mode, achievements, rewards from leveling up your Inter-Knot city level, temporary events, and redemption codes. It also includes a realistic monthly estimate based on community sources, useful for planning how many Signal Searches you can afford without spending a euro.

What's the fastest way to get Polychrome in Zenless Zone Zero?

We've gathered and verified every real method for getting free Polychrome, ranked from most to least profitable based on the time they take and what you can actually earn from each. No tricks, no generators — just the game's own mechanics.

~60/day (~1,800/month) Daily

Daily Errands and Compendium trials

Completing Daily Errands (short story, combat and exploration missions) and Compendium trials earns engagement points that translate into 60 Polychrome a day if you finish them all. It's the most consistent, lowest-effort source in the game, taking just a few minutes a day. Over a month, this routine adds up to around 1,800 Polychrome. It's recommended to pair it with the daily HoYoLAB check-in, which adds extra rewards without even opening the game.

~720 per cycle (~1,440/month) Fortnightly

Shiyu Defense

Shiyu Defense is one of the endgame combat modes and resets every 14 days. Completing the floors and clearing this tower's nodes grants up to 720 Polychrome per cycle. Being a fortnightly cycle, in a normal month (two resets) that comes out to about 1,440 Polychrome. It's the second most important recurring source after Daily Errands.

~300 per cycle (~600–650/month) Fortnightly

Deadly Assault

Deadly Assault is the other end-of-season combat mode, also resetting every 14 days, with up to 9 stars available per fight. You only need 6 of those 9 stars to unlock the maximum rewards, which include 300 Polychrome per cycle (50 for each star up to the sixth), plus Investigation Points and Dennies. That's roughly 600-650 Polychrome a month.

~160/week (~640/month) Weekly

Hollow Zero

Hollow Zero is the game's roguelike mode and hands out weekly rewards for completing its objectives and missions. According to the community, this mode delivers around 160 Polychrome a week, adding up to about 960 Polychrome over a six-week patch cycle. Though the exact pace varies by active version, it's a reliable weekly source worth not skipping.

5, 10 or 20 per achievement (up to ~3,975 total) Variable

Achievements

Zenless Zone Zero has hundreds of achievements ranked Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each Bronze achievement grants 5 Polychrome, each Silver 10, and each Gold 20. It's not a recurring source but a stockpile that unlocks naturally while playing, exploring and completing missions, and it can add up to several thousand Polychrome over the account's lifetime.

200 per milestone (up to 1,200 total) Once

Inter-Knot city level (Proxy Network)

The Inter-Knot city level is the equivalent of the game's adventure rank. Reaching levels 3, 13, 23, 33, 43 and 53 earns you 200 Polychrome per milestone, up to a maximum of 1,200 Polychrome spread across your character's progression. It's a one-time reward per milestone, so it runs out once you reach the maximum reward level.

~1,000–1,500 per patch event / variable for codes Every patch

Events and redemption codes

Every patch brings temporary events that, once completed, usually grant between 1,000 and 1,500 extra Polychrome. On top of that come the redemption codes HoYoverse publishes in livestreams and announcements (redeemable from the More > Redemption Code menu), though their amount varies and they tend to expire within hours or days, so it's worth redeeming them as soon as they're announced. Neither source is fixed or guaranteed month to month.

How much free Polychrome can you get per month?

Source	Estimated amount	Frequency
Daily Errands and Compendium	~1,800	Daily
Shiyu Defense	~1,440	Fortnightly
Deadly Assault	~600–650	Fortnightly
Hollow Zero	~640	Weekly
Estimated total	~4,480–4,530 Polychrome a month	—

An estimate based on community figures (Game8, Dexerto, lootbar) for a player who completes all available weekly and fortnightly content; it doesn't include achievements, Inter-Knot city level milestones, or events/codes, which are one-off or irregular and can add several thousand extra Polychrome in months with a major patch. HoYoverse doesn't publish official figures, so the real result varies based on your play pace and the active version.

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Frequently asked questions

How much Polychrome do I need for a Signal Search (pull)?

As with the rest of HoYoverse's games, each Signal Search costs 160 Polychrome, so a 10-pull requires 1,600 Polychrome.

Do Zenless Zone Zero's redemption codes expire?

Yes. Codes published in livestreams, social media or events usually have a very short validity window, sometimes just a few hours, so it's worth redeeming them in the More > Redemption Code menu as soon as they're announced.

What's the difference between Polychrome and Denny in Zenless Zone Zero?

Denny is the game's base currency, easy to earn through almost any activity and used for upgrades and everyday purchases. Polychrome is the premium currency, much more limited, and it's specifically used for Signal Searches (the gacha for agents and W-Engines).

How to get free Polychrome in Zenless Zone Zero