ZZZ Chronicle of Simmering Flavors: Full Event Guide and Rewards

What is the Chronicle of Simmering Flavors event in ZZZ?

Chronicle of Simmering Flavors is the flagship event for Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.7, running from March 25 to May 5, 2026. The premise: the Simmer Hot Pot Restaurant in Lumina Square is drowning in negative reviews thanks to food critic Stephen, and it falls to you and Nangong Yu to rescue Blaze's restaurant by cooking the perfect hotpot. The event is part of the Ridu Chronicles system, meaning the story content stays accessible after the event ends. The limited-time rewards, including a free A-Rank W-Engine, do not carry over.

How do you unlock the event?

To participate, you need to reach Inter-Knot Level 20 and complete Main Story Chapter 1 - Intermission. Once those conditions are met, head to the video store on Sixth Street and watch the TV program with Eous to kick things off. According to the Fandom wiki, completing Main Story Season 2 Epilogue "New: Eridan Sunset (A)" beforehand is recommended for the best narrative experience, though it is not required to access the event.

How does the hotpot cooking gameplay work?

The event splits into two distinct stage types: Search for Freshness and Exquisite Tastes.

Search for Freshness

This is the main progression track. Nine stages unlock across three days (3 per day), starting March 25. Each stage asks you to build a hotpot order and hit a target Deliciousness score.

Here is how each round plays out:

1. Select your ingredients from the available pool. Each ingredient has a quality tier (common, rare, or legendary) and a unique effect. Higher quality means stronger effects. A thumbs-up icon marks the most recommended picks for that stage.
2. Add a Bangboo Ornament for a passive stage-wide bonus (more on these below).
3. Scoop ingredients using your mouse (left-click) or controller (joystick and X/A button) to collect them with your ladle before the countdown expires. Up to 25 items can be scooped per round, according to Icy Veins.

The key mechanic to understand: at the start of the cooking phase, each ingredient has a 10% chance to become a Premium Ingredient. Premium ingredients have their base Deliciousness score doubled and their effects enhanced.

Exquisite Tastes

After completing each daily chapter of three Search for Freshness stages, you unlock an Exquisite Tastes challenge. The core cooking loop is identical, but these stages introduce restrictions and require you to exploit ingredient interactions to push your Deliciousness score higher. For example, certain ingredient combinations specifically boost the score of meat items in the pot. The achievement "I, King of Hot Pot" requires hitting 60,000 Deliciousness in any single Exquisite Tastes stage, which is worth 5 Polychrome on its own.

What are Bangboo Ornaments and which ones are best?

Ornaments are passive items you attach to your hotpot before cooking. Each one applies a stage-wide effect. Based on the full list documented by Game8, here is a breakdown of the most impactful options:

What ingredients are available in each stage type?

Each of the four hotpot styles has its own dedicated ingredient pool. You cannot mix ingredients across pools within a single stage.

Classic Dishes ingredients: Beef Flank, Lettuce, Mushroom, Pork Balls, Corn, Cauliflower, Chrysanthemum Greens, Shrimp Balls, Potato, Grain-Fed Meat Rolls, Black Truffle, Brown Sugar Rice Cakes

Clear Soup and Beef ingredients: Carrot, Fish Balls, Marbled Beef, Rib Eye Beef, Handmade Beef Balls, Fresh Beef, Rice Noodles, White Radish, Premium Tender Beef, Lazuli Lettuce, Gloomy Squid Balls

Copper Hot Pot ingredients: Shrimp, Lamb Rolls, Lamb Shank, Sliced Lamb, Yam, Scallops, Fish Fillet, Sliced Cuttlefish, Cabbage Roll, Onion Lamb Rolls, Coral Grouper Fillet, Porcini

Signature Spicy ingredients: Crispy Pork, Noodles, Chicken Feet, Spicy Beef, Luncheon Meat, Wood Ear Mushroom, Enoki Mushroom, Seaweed, Bamboo Fungus, Beancurd Roll

What are all the Chronicle of Simmering Flavors rewards?

The event has a generous reward pool split between permanent and limited-time categories. According to Game8's full reward breakdown, the total haul across all stages and quests looks like this:

On top of that, completing the event's limited-time reward missions earns you The Simmering Pot, an exclusive A-Rank W-Engine for Stun-specialty agents, along with its overlock materials. This is the headline reward and the main reason to prioritize clearing all stages before May 5.

The Simmering Pot is time-limited

Event achievements worth chasing

Four achievements tied to this event each reward 5 Polychrome, totaling 20 Polychrome if you collect them all:

• Trial After Trial - Make glutinous rice cakes with help from Belobog Industries
• Cooking Meister - Learn about the past between Stephen and Meister
• Nothing Hot Pot Can't Solve - Complete all Search for Freshness stages
• I, King of Hot Pot - Reach 60,000 Deliciousness in any Exquisite Tastes stage

Completing all Search for Freshness stages also grants 1,600 City Fund EXP toward the New Eridu City Fund Battle Pass. Notably, the Fandom wiki confirms these tasks do not count toward the weekly 10,000 City Fund EXP cap, so you get the full benefit regardless of where you are in your weekly cycle.

Event schedule at a glance

All stage content is available immediately once unlocked and can be replayed for score improvement. The event is live now and runs until May 5, so there is still time to complete everything if you have not started yet.

For more ZZZ event guides and tips on getting the most out of every version update, browse more guides on GAMES.GG.