Nicole Demara: All Materials for Ascension, Skills, and Talents in 2026

As the sassy ringleader of the Cunning Hares, Nicole Demara has been a staple freebie agent in Zenless Zone Zero since day one, and heading into 2026 she still hasn’t lost her spark. That A-rank Support tag belies a sneaky ability to manipulate the battlefield with both melee smacks and a gravitational energy field that sucks enemies in for concentrated Ether damage. Before anyone can tap into her full potential, though, they’ve got to roll up their sleeves and gather the right materials. This guide breaks down every scrap needed for Nicole’s character promotion, skill upgrades, and core talent enhancements—no stone left unturned.

Nicole won’t cost you a single Polychrome. She’s handed out on a silver platter during the introductory commission “Business x Strangeness x Justness,” right after players get the lowdown on General Chop and Susie. That’s a real steal, because her support kit—buffs for the team, crowd control via that energy field, and consistent Ether application—makes her a solid pick even in 2026’s endgame modes like Shiyu Defense and Hollow Zero. The catch? She needs a proper build, and that means farming materials until the cows come home.

Before diving into the nitty-gritty, a quick look at how ZZZ displays material requirements gives a clearer picture. The layout is consistent across all agents—players can preview needed items in the Agent menu under “Promote,” “Skill,” and “Core Skill.” The following snapshot features Koleda Belobog’s full material spread, but Nicole’s interface follows the exact same blueprint, just with her own faction-specific goodies.

🛡️ Nicole Character Promotion Materials

Leveling Nicole up past her initial plateau demands Ether-specific ascension items, Investigator Logs, and Dennies. The table below lays out the full journey from level 20 to 60.

Level Cap	Materials Required (per step)	Dennies
20→30	4x Broken Ether Prism	24,000
30→40	12x Broken Ether Prism	56,000
40→50	20x Broken Ether Prism, 5x Ether Coil	120,000
50→60	10x Ether Coil, 2x Pristine Ether Core	200,000

To ascend Nicole all the way to level 60, Proxies need to stockpile a total of 36 Broken Ether Prisms, 15 Ether Coils, 2 Pristine Ether Cores, and a cool 400,000 Dennies. Broken Ether Prisms are the bread and butter of early ascension—they drop from Ether-based VR training sessions and the “Hollow Thresher” expert challenge. Ether Coils and Pristine Ether Cores are rarer, usually rewarded for higher-difficulty H.I.A. Club missions or synthesized at the logistics terminal once the player reaches Inter-Knot level 40. Don’t sleep on the H.I.A. Club’s weekly reset; it is a safe bet for gathering these without burning excessive batteries.

⚡ Skill Level-Up Materials

Nicole’s skillset includes her Basic Attack: “Loaded Dice,” Special Attack: “Hustle,” Chain Attack: “Dealer’s Choice,” and her Ultimate: “The House Always Wins.” Each skill can be honed all the way to level 12, and the resource climb gets steep in a hurry.

Skill Level Range	Key Materials (per skill)	Notable Drops
1→6	9x Cracked Ether Chip, 35x Circuit Board	Ether-chip cache
7→9	4x Ether Processor, 22x High-Grade Circuit Board	Expert HIA challenges
10→12	6x Advanced Ether Core, 1x Hamster Cage Pass	Weekly boss, limited events

In total, maxing out all five of Nicole’s active skills chews through a mountain of materials: 45 Cracked Ether Chips, 20 Ether Processors, 30 Advanced Ether Cores, roughly 170 Circuit Boards of various rarities, and 5 Hamster Cage Passes (one per skill for that final push). Circuit Boards and their better versions come from the “Supply Depot” VR simulation; they are also a common event reward. Ether Processors and Advanced Ether Cores drop from the “Ether Activity – Thunderous Manifestation” expert stage. The Hamster Cage Pass is the real McCoy—it is a bottleneck item obtainable only from the Inter-Knot reputation shop and select limited-time events. Seasoned players know to hoard these like gold dust.

🔷 Core Talent Enhancement Materials

Nicole’s Core Passive, “Rigged Odds,” amplifies the damage taken by foes caught in her energy field and provides a team-wide Ether DMG bonus. Upgrading this passive is non-negotiable for anyone wanting to squeeze every drop of support value out of her.

Core Level	Materials Required	Enemy Drop
1→2	5,000 Dennies, 2x Broken Ether Prism	-
2→3	12,000 Dennies, 4x Broken Ether Prism	-
3→4	28,000 Dennies, 8x Broken Ether Prism, 1x Dancer’s Shadow	Sacrifice - Bringer
4→5	60,000 Dennies, 15x Ether Coil, 2x Dancer’s Shadow	Sacrifice - Bringer
5→6	100,000 Dennies, 5x Pristine Ether Core, 3x Dancer’s Shadow, 1x Finale Movement	Dead End Butcher

The “Dancer’s Shadow” token comes from the weekly boss “Sacrifice - Bringer,” available in the H.S.O.S. chamber. Starting from Core level 4, a rare “Finale Movement” drop from the Dead End Butcher weekly boss is required. That puts a hard cap on how quickly anyone can max Nicole’s talents—two weekly boss runs per week without refreshing. The wise move is to prioritize Nicole’s Core passive early, as the team-wide buffs are a real game-changer.

🗺️ Best Farming Routes and Pro Tips

• Daily routine: Spend the first 120 batteries on H.I.A. Club’s “Ether Domain” to stock up on Broken Ether Prisms and Ether Coils simultaneously. Any surplus can be routed into VR training for skill chips.

• Weekly lockout: Always defeat “Sacrifice - Bringer” and “Dead End Butcher” before the Monday reset. The drop rates for rare materials feel stingy, but never skip a week; luck will turn eventually.

• Doubling down: Keep an eye out for “Material Drop Rate Up” events. In 2026, the Void Hunters arc introduced a double-reward period every two patches, which is a perfect time to go all-in on farming.

• Cunning Hares synergy: While farming, bringing other Cunning Hares members (like Billy or Anby) doesn’t provide direct drop bonuses, but the thematic satisfaction is through the roof. And who knows, future agent bond systems might reward faction-based squads with extra loot—a rumor that keeps the community buzzing.

• Code redemption: Occasionally, HoYoLAB still dishes out free supplies via promo codes. One such campaign from 2024 was immortalized in the image below; similar giveaways pop up for anniversaries and version milestones. Even a few free Ether chips can accelerate Nicole’s growth without spending a single battery.

🎯 Final Assessment

For a freebie agent, Nicole Demara punches well above her weight class. Her crowd control and offensive buffs stay relevant across all content, from grinding commissions to the toughest boss rushes. The material road to a fully maxed Nicole is no walk in the park—those Hamster Cage Passes and weekly boss drops demand persistence—but the payout is well worth the grind. As the Zenless Zone Zero meta evolves in 2026, a built Nicole remains one of the most efficient investments a Proxy can make, keeping both enemies and the team’s damage numbers firmly under her thumb.