ZZZ March Shop Reset: Master Tape vs W-Engine Priority Guide

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Understanding March 1st Shop Reset Mechanics

Access the Signal Search Shop via Store Button in Main Menu or lower-left corner of Signal Search screen. The shop operates across three tabs using different currencies from Signal Search pulls.

What Resets on March 1st

Residual Signal Tab:

• Unlimited Encrypted Master Tapes (20 Residual Signals each)
• Unlimited Master Tapes (20 Residual Signals each)
• 6 S-Rank W-Engines (600 Residual Signals): Fusion Compiler, Hellfire Gears, The Restrained, Steel Cushion, The Brimstone, Weeping Cradle
• Immediate Invitation Gift (140 Residual Signals) - select one A-Rank Agent

Fading Signal Tab (Limited Monthly):

• 5 Encrypted Master Tapes
• 5 Master Tapes
• 50 units each: Advanced Physical/Burn/Freeze/Shock/Ether Chip
• 80 Official Investigator Log
• 80 W-Engine Power Supply
• 80 Crystallized Plating Agent
• Denny (80 stacks, then unlimited)

Bangbuck Tab:

• 5 Boopon (then unlimited)
• 1 Marcel Modified Part
• 10 Concentrated Cooling Fluid
• 25 Bangboo System Widget
• 1 Collaboorator Invitation Gift (A-Rank Bangboo selection)

Currency Acquisition

Residual Signals:

• S-Rank Agent pull: 40
• S-Rank W-Engine pull: 40
• A-Rank Agent/W-Engine pull: 8

Fading Signals:

• B-Rank W-Engine: 20

Total Requirements: 900 Fading Signals clears all limited items in Fading Tab.

Encrypted Master Tape Value Analysis

Shop vs Direct Purchase Economics

Residual Signal Tab offers unlimited tapes at 20 Residual Signals each. Each S-Rank pull (40 Residual Signals) = 2 Encrypted Master Tapes worth of currency. A-Rank pulls need 2.5 pulls per tape.

Fading Signal Tab's 5 monthly tapes are irreplaceable. Over one year, this compounds to 60 pulls—nearly enough to guarantee an S-Rank through pity.

Pity System Integration

Limited Banner guarantees S-Rank within 90 pulls. Shop tapes directly contribute to this counter. At 70-80 pulls, shop tapes can reach guaranteed S-Rank without additional Polychrome.

Pull Probability:

• 0-30 pulls: ~0.6% S-Rank chance per tape
• 60-80 pulls: Each tape = 3.3-10% of guaranteed S-Rank
• 5 Fading Signal tapes = 3% S-Rank probability at low pity

Banner Usage Strategy

Prioritize Limited Banners over Standard. Limited features exclusive S-Rank Agents/W-Engines unavailable elsewhere. Save shop tapes for Limited Banner rotations with meta-defining characters.

Standard Banner usage only when Limited targets are exhausted or need Standard-exclusive items.

W-Engine Chip Upgrade Economics

Leveling Requirements

S-Rank W-Engines require several hundred Advanced Chips for max level. Shop's 50-unit monthly allocation per element = 10-15% of total requirements for one S-Rank W-Engine.

Each damage type needs dedicated chips. Physical teams need Advanced Physical Chips exclusively. Multi-element teams must distribute limited purchases or focus farming.

Farming Alternatives

Hollow Zero and Combat Commissions provide lower-tier chips requiring conversion. Conversion rates and energy costs make farming less efficient than shop purchases for advanced chips.

Hollow Zero: Most consistent but weekly-limited Combat Commissions: Daily but lower quantities

Neither matches shop's immediate 50-unit injection.

Power Spike Breakpoints

Level 50→60 on S-Rank W-Engines provides largest damage increase relative to investment. Shop chips become highest priority when sitting below these breakpoints before time-sensitive content.

Shiyu Defense rotations create urgency. When rotation favors specific damage types, having corresponding W-Engine at optimal level = higher scores and better rewards.

ROI Calculator

Compare guaranteed upgrade value vs probabilistic pull value. 50 Advanced Physical Chips = guaranteed progress toward known power spike. 5 Encrypted Master Tapes = 5.5% S-Rank chance.

For players not near pity, guaranteed value often exceeds probabilistic value.

Master Tape vs W-Engine Chip Priority

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Account Value Formula

New Agent Value: Only when filling roster gap or enabling new team compositions. Complete teams for multiple damage types gain minimal value from A-Rank duplicates.

Existing Team Optimization: Linear, predictable value. Each chip directly contributes to measurable damage increases.

Progression Stage Matrix

Early Game (1-2 months): Prioritize Encrypted Master Tapes for roster diversity. Without sufficient Agents, W-Engine upgrades provide limited value.

Mid-Game (3-6 months): Most complex decisions. Shift based on gaps:

• Missing key S-Rank Agents → prioritize tapes
• Core roster complete, W-Engines lagging → prioritize chips

Late Game (6+ months): Prioritize W-Engine Chips. Established rosters make additional pulls yield diminishing returns. Guaranteed chip value outweighs low probability pulls except when saving for specific Limited Banners.

Mathematical Comparison

At 0-30 pity: 1 in 167 tapes produces S-Rank. 5 tapes = 3% S-Rank probability.

At 60-80 pity: Each tape = 3.3-10% of S-Rank acquisition. Guaranteed progression often exceeds uncertain chip value.

W-Engine Chips: 100% value certainty. 50 chips = exactly 50 chips of upgrade progress, zero variance.

F2P Optimal Purchase Path

Priority Ranking

1. Fading Signal: 5 Encrypted Master Tapes - Monthly limit makes these irreplaceable

2. Fading Signal: 5 Master Tapes - Same scarcity principle
3. Fading Signal: W-Engine Chips (element-specific) - Only your strongest team's element
4. Residual Signal: Encrypted Master Tapes - Only when approaching pity on valuable Limited Banners
5. Fading Signal: Supporting Materials - If Fading Signals remain

Skip Immediate Invitation Gift (140 Residual Signals) = 7 Encrypted Master Tapes, more valuable than guaranteed A-Rank with existing roster diversity.

Monthly Budget Allocation

F2P accumulates ~8,000-12,000 Polychrome monthly = 50-75 pulls with free Master Tapes. Shop purchases complement this, not replace Limited Banner spending.

Dedicate all Fading Signals to 5 Encrypted Master Tapes first, then evaluate chips. Accumulate Residual Signals until 70+ pity on desired Limited Banner, then convert.

When to Skip Master Tapes

Skip when three conditions align:

• Complete roster for current content
• W-Engine levels significantly below Agent levels
• No valuable Limited Banner within 2 months

Guaranteed power increase from chips exceeds speculative pull value yielding unwanted duplicates.

Light Spender Strategy

Monthly Pass Optimal Route

Monthly Pass provides consistent Polychrome, reducing shop pressure for gacha currency. Prioritize W-Engine Chips more heavily than F2P.

Purchase order:

1. All 5 Encrypted Master Tapes (Fading Signal)
2. Remaining Fading Signals → chips matching two strongest teams
3. Residual Signals → Encrypted Master Tapes only when targeting specific Limited Banners

Immediate Invitation Gift viable if selected Agent enables new team composition (140 Residual Signals = 7 pulls worth).

Battle Pass Integration

Battle Pass provides substantial W-Engine materials, reducing shop chip urgency. Safely prioritize Encrypted Master Tapes more heavily.

Strategy:

• Clear Fading Signal tapes and Master Tapes
• If Battle Pass incomplete, skip shop chips, prioritize supporting materials
• If Battle Pass complete and chips exhausted, shop fills gap

Roster vs Team Balance

New accounts (first 3 months): Prioritize roster expansion through tapes, building 2-3 complete teams.

Established accounts (4+ months): Shift toward team strengthening through chips. Transition when clearing current Shiyu Defense but struggling for top scores due to damage limitations.

Whale Recommendations

Why Deprioritize Shop Tapes

Whales acquire tapes primarily through direct Polychrome purchases. 5 Fading Signal tapes still warrant purchase (monthly limit), but Residual Signal conversions provide minimal value.

600 Residual Signals = 30 Encrypted Master Tapes OR one S-Rank W-Engine. For extensive pullers, S-Rank W-Engine provides more value than 30 pulls yielding duplicates.

W-Engine Chip Bottlenecks

Extensive pulling generates numerous S-Rank W-Engines requiring simultaneous upgrades, creating chip demand exceeding farming capacity.

Whale priority: Purchase ALL W-Engine Chip types monthly (all 5 elements, 50 units each). Broad roster requires diverse chips for equipment flexibility.

Time-Gated vs Purchasable Resources

Optimize around time-gated resource acquisition, purchase everything else directly.

Time-gated: W-Engine Chips (monthly shop limits, daily farming caps) = primary shop priority Purchasable: Encrypted Master Tapes (on-demand via Polychrome) = low shop priority

Common Mistakes

'Always Buy Gacha Currency' Trap

Reflexively purchasing all Encrypted Master Tapes regardless of needs creates chip shortages bottlenecking progression. Particularly affects mid-game players needing W-Engine upgrades for Shiyu Defense.

Converting Residual Signals to tapes without clear banner targets often yields less value than saving for future W-Engine or Immediate Invitation Gift purchases.

Ignoring W-Engine Bottlenecks

Realizing chip shortages only when facing Shiyu Defense damage thresholds creates deficits taking multiple resets to correct. Proactive chip purchasing maintains steady progression.

New S-Rank W-Engines from Limited Banners sit unused without chips to level them, negating pull value. Strategic chip stockpiling before major pulls ensures immediate deployment.

Poor Currency Saving Timing

Limited events occasionally introduce special shops. Exhausting all currency at monthly reset lacks reserves for event shops.

Optimal approach: Maintain ~200 Fading Signals and 100 Residual Signals reserve. Purchase highest-value items (Fading Signal Encrypted Master Tapes), defer lower-priority until mid-month. If no event by day 15, complete remaining purchases.

Buying Without Team Planning

Purchasing chips without considering team composition creates mismatched element stockpiles. Buying Advanced Physical Chips while running Shock teams wastes currency.

Immediate Invitation Gift without identifying which A-Rank fills specific team gap often selects Agents never deployed. 140 Residual Signal cost justifies only when enabling new composition or significantly strengthening existing.

March-Specific Considerations

Banner Schedule Impact

Research banner schedules before March 1st reset. High-value Limited Banners with meta-defining S-Ranks = prioritize tape purchases. Reruns or lower-priority releases = W-Engine Chips provide better long-term value.

Planning 50+ pulls on March Limited Banners: Purchase all available Encrypted Master Tapes (Fading + Residual Signal Tabs) Skipping March banners: Minimize tapes, maximize chip stockpiling

Shiyu Defense Rotation

Check rotation before purchases. If March heavily favors Physical damage, Advanced Physical Chips become highest priority.

Clearable with existing levels: Purchase chips for future rotations Current rotation challenging: Immediate chip deployment enables score improvements

Event Shop Overlap

Major version updates (every 6 weeks) have higher event shop probability. Mid-version periods rarely feature additional shops.

March 1st shortly after major update: Lower event probability, justify immediate purchases Mid-version approaching next update: Maintain currency reserve

Long-Term Planning

3-Month Projection

Project next 3 months based on account goals:

• Targeting S-Rank 2 months away → maximize Encrypted Master Tapes across March + April
• Focused on Shiyu Defense → prioritize W-Engine Chips across same period

Estimate Fading/Residual Signal accumulation based on planned pull volume, allocate across multiple resets.

Sustainable Monthly Plan

Balance multiple resource types without bottlenecks:

1. Fading Signals → Encrypted Master Tapes first
2. Distribute remaining between chips and supporting materials based on bottlenecks
3. Accumulate Residual Signals until reaching thresholds (600 for S-Rank W-Engine, 140 for Immediate Invitation Gift, or convert when approaching pity)

Account for all sources. Active Hollow Zero farming reduces shop chip needs. Extensive pulling generates more Residual Signals.

Permanent Priority Shift

Around 6-9 months, W-Engine Chips permanently become higher priority than Encrypted Master Tapes. Occurs when roster completion reaches critical mass.

Manifests as consistently skipping Residual Signal tape conversions, accumulating toward S-Rank W-Engine purchases. Excess tapes but insufficient chips = reached transition point.

March 1st Checklist

Pre-Reset Calculations

Complete before March 1st:

1. Current pity count on all banners
2. Fading Signal total
3. Residual Signal total
4. Current W-Engine levels by element
5. March banner schedule review
6. Shiyu Defense rotation check

Takes 10-15 minutes, prevents impulsive misaligned purchases.

Purchase Order by Account Type

F2P/Light Spenders:

1. 5 Encrypted Master Tapes (Fading Signal)
2. 5 Master Tapes (Fading Signal)
3. 50 Advanced [Element] Chips (one element, strongest team)
4. If remaining: Official Investigator Log, W-Engine Power Supply
5. Convert Residual Signals to tapes only if within 20 pulls of pity
6. Otherwise save Residual Signals

Dolphins/Monthly Pass:

1. 5 Encrypted Master Tapes (Fading Signal)
2. 5 Master Tapes (Fading Signal)
3. 50 Advanced [Element] Chips for top 2 teams (two elements)
4. Remaining supporting materials
5. Evaluate Immediate Invitation Gift if specific A-Rank fills gap
6. Convert excess Residual Signals if pulling March Limited Banners

Whales:

1. 5 Encrypted Master Tapes (Fading Signal)
2. All W-Engine Chips (all 5 elements, 50 each)
3. All supporting materials (Fading Signal)
4. S-Rank W-Engines (Residual Signal) if needed for collection
5. Immediate Invitation Gift + Collaboorator Invitation Gift for collection
6. Skip Residual Signal tape conversions—purchase Polychrome directly

Post-Purchase Allocation

Deploy acquired resources immediately. Encrypted Master Tapes → current/upcoming Limited Banners within month. W-Engine Chips → immediate upgrade targets, pushing to next breakpoints.

Don't hoard for the perfect moment. Resources provide value only when deployed. Consistent immediate deployment outperforms hoarding for theoretical optimal scenarios.

FAQ

What should I buy first in ZZZ March shop reset?

Always purchase 5 Encrypted Master Tapes from Fading Signal Tab first—monthly-limited and irreplaceable. Then evaluate W-Engine Chips based on team element needs. F2P: one element only. Spenders: multiple elements.

Is Encrypted Master Tape worth buying every month?

Yes for 5 limited Fading Signal tapes—irreplaceable monthly value. For unlimited Residual Signal tapes, buy only when approaching pity (70+ pulls) on desired Limited Banner or excess Residual Signals with no better use.

Should F2P prioritize Master Tapes or W-Engine materials?

Prioritize 5 limited Encrypted Master Tapes (Fading Signal), then W-Engine Chips matching strongest team element. Skip Residual Signal conversions unless within 20 pulls of pity. Guaranteed chip upgrade value often exceeds low probability pull value for complete core rosters.

How many W-Engine Chips needed to max upgrade?

S-Rank W-Engines require several hundred Advanced Chips for max level. Shop's 50-unit monthly allocation = 10-15% of total requirements for one S-Rank. Combine shop purchases with Hollow Zero farming.

When should I stop buying Master Tapes from monthly shop?

Stop buying Residual Signal tapes when roster complete for current content and W-Engine levels lag significantly behind Agent levels. Typically 6-9 months into progression. Always continue buying 5 limited Fading Signal tapes—permanently valuable.

How does shop reset affect pity counter?

Shop purchases don't reset pity—they contribute to it. Every Encrypted Master Tape adds one pull toward pity counter on whichever banner you use it. Strategically valuable when approaching 90-pull S-Rank guarantee.