Developer Note (2026/01/20): Season 2

Chaos Zero Nightmare
 
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Developer Note (2026/01/20) Analysis: Galactic Disaster Season 2 – Planet Verne & The Tier 15 Meta

Developer Note 2026/01/20 Hero Banner — CZN | Tiertactix
The developers of Chaos Zero Nightmare have unveiled the roadmap for Season 2, shifting the game to Speitz Slave Arena and the highly contaminated Planet Verne. This update focuses on "Deterministic Strategy"—giving players tools to fix bad RNG and push into the new Tier 15 endgame.
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The Three Tiers of Season Power


Unlike Season 1, Season 2 introduces three distinct "Season Powers" tied to equipment and combat progression:
  • Season Power 1: Arena Equipment
    This introduces a new class of gear featuring "conditional trigger options." These effects can grant Arena Cards mid-battle, allowing you to temporarily boost your hand's power with cards that aren't part of your permanent deck.
  • Season Power 2: Refinement
    Win Arena battles in Chaos regions to gain the ability to "Refine" equipment. You will be presented with one of three random options (from a pool of ~20) to add permanent stat or utility affixes to your gear during the run.
    • Refinement (Season Power 2), Developer Note 2026/01/20 — CZN | Tiertactix
  • Season Power 3: God’s Hammer
    A high-tier item dropped by powerful Interior Bosses. Using the hammer on a refined piece of equipment wipes the existing refinement but allows you to roll for any effect in the game, including ultra-rare Mythic-grade effects.
    • God’s Hammer (Season Power 3), Developer Note 2026/01/20 — CZN | Tiertactix

Zero System Overhaul: Deterministic Deck Building


Two major features have been added to the base game systems to reduce "restart fatigue":
  • Targeted Card Duplication (Zero System Upgrade):
    The "Select and Duplicate Combatant" feature is no longer a random pool. You can now designate a specific Combatant first, ensuring the cards offered for duplication only come from that character.
  • Meditation (Safe Zone Rerolls):
    A new function in Safe Zones (unlocked via upgrade). You can spend Credits to re-roll an Epiphany on a card that already has one. The cost scales per attempt, making Credits a vital resource for late-run optimization.
  • Environmental Variables (Seasonal Skill Tree)
    A seasonal skill tree system that resets at the end of each cycle. Active only for the duration of the season, this system reinforces core mechanics by supporting deck building, unlocking rare Fates, and providing extra Refinement opportunities. It also enables encounters with hidden bosses and introduces unique variables to enhance seasonal gameplay.
    • Environmental Variables, Developer Note 2026/01/20 — CZN | Tiertactix

The New Frontier: Tier 15 & Mythic Codices


With the launch of Season 2 on February 4, the Zero System power ceiling officially rises to Tier 15. This update introduces a new tier of optimization, allowing players to push their Save Data to a maximum of 170 FM (Faint Memory) Points.
Accessing this new frontier requires the acquisition of Mythic-Grade Codices, which can be obtained through two primary methods:
  • Chaos Orb Merging: Combining resources to craft higher-tier challenges.
  • Codex Clearance: Upgrading existing lower-tier codices upon successful completion.

High Risk, High Reward: The "Divine Intervention" Modifier

Mythic-Grade Codices introduce the Divine Intervention modifier. While these missions offer the game’s most lucrative rewards, they carry significantly heavier penalties and monster stat inflation, demanding a perfectly optimized deck.
Notably, Divine Intervention runs do not allow you to acquire Save Data, making them dedicated "farming and feat" runs rather than progression-saving journeys.
Divine Intervention Effects:
  • God Encounters: Replaces the standard Divine Delegate with a God. Success grants a Divine Fate and exceptionally powerful starting choice rewards.
  • Economic Boost: Provides a major increase in the acquisition of both Chaos Orbs and Crystals of Discord.
  • Divine Restrictions: Specific, crushing restrictions are added based on the personality of the intervening God.
  • Stat Inflation: Global increase to all monster stats.

New Combatant: Nine & The Exhaust Archetype


Combatant Nine, Developer Note 2026/01/20 — CZN | Tiertactix
The first combatant of Season 2 leans heavily into Exhaust synergies, Nine.
  • New Character [Nine]: An Order-attribute Vanguard who specializes in Shield generation and scaling damage based on Defense stats.
    • “Designed to have great synergy with Narja”, Devs’ said — Prepare to open your wallets Narja-fans.
New Memory Fragments catered for the Exhaust Archetype:
  1. Beast and Aspiration: Buffs Justice/Order attribute Exhaust Attack Cards.
  1. Reign of Glory: Increases total ally damage when generating or using Exhaust Skill Cards.

Additional QoL & Technical Updates


Season 2 is a massive quality-of-life victory. By separating the Season Powers (Arena gear and Hammers) from the Zero System improvements (Targeted Duplication), the devs have created a much more stable environment for high-tier theorycrafting.
  • Zero System Rework: * Stage 1 (Accessibility): Increases base steps and Epiphany rates.
    • Stage 2 (Authority): Introduces Divine Representatives and higher Rare Unidentified Area spawns.
  • Protos Sync System: A new mode allowing you to deploy any Combatant into Chaos with their level and stats temporarily scaled, perfect for testing Nine or Narja without prior investment.
  • Spiral Tower: Expansion to Floor 75 and the total removal of weekly entry limits.
  • Controller Buffs: To handle the Tier 15 difficulty spike, Nia, Rei, Orlea, and Cassius are receiving significant buffs to their healing throughput.
  • Season Board & Customization: Track seasonal goals to earn Season Medals, which can be used as stickers to decorate your Captain ID Card.
    • ID Customization, Developer Note 2026/01/20 — CZN | Tiertactix