Open Play → Create Lobby → Zodiac Trials. Choose Nightmare for Frost Heron, then finish all six areas. Follow each area’s wave counter, spin the Zodiac Wheel when prompted and parry the Great Beast’s attacks to break posture. Nightmare clears also give 3 Artifacts and 3 Tempering Dust per player.
How to start Zodiac Trials
This is a different mode from the older Trials floor climb. Reaching a floor milestone there does not count as clearing Nightmare Zodiac Trials.
- 01
Open Play and Create Lobby. Select Zodiac Trials in the raid list, then Act 1.
- 02
Choose a difficulty before inspecting Rewards. Frost Heron’s unlock route is Nightmare, so a lower-difficulty clear is a different farming choice.
- 03
Open VIEW POOL on the Artifact reward to inspect that difficulty’s payouts and pity. Select any material you want to target separately.
- 04
Set party options, equip a developed main and start. Check Potential and Artifacts on the weapon you will actually use.
The six-area route and Zodiac Wheel
Follow the wave counter for the current area rather than assuming every area has the same number of waves. The Nightmare footage shows both two-wave and three-wave counters during the run.
- 01
Follow the first ambush marker. Clear the enemies shown by the area’s wave and enemies-left counters.
- 02
When the objective changes to reach or spin the Zodiac Wheel, move to the marked wheel and interact. The prompt can appear after the enemies are already gone.
- 03
Read the sign announcement before attacking. The footage shows Pig and Dragon rolls; the selected sign changes the encounter and enemy family.
- 04
Defeat the Great Beast and continue to the next area. Keep checking Area x/6: a wheel spin or an intermediate area is not the full clear payout.
- 05
Finish area six and inspect the result rewards before restarting the farm.
Parry to break posture, then use the opening
The Great Beast has a separate Posture bar. Its on-screen instruction tells you to parry attacks to break it. A normal damage rotation does not replace that defensive input.
Watch the wind-up, parry the hit, then use a short skill sequence during the break. Avoid spending every cooldown immediately before the stun. When the opening ends, return to movement and the next parry instead of finishing an unsafe animation.
| What stops the run | What to change |
|---|---|
| Posture barely moves | Time a parry against the boss’s attack. Check the Posture bar, not just its HP. |
| You are hit during your longest skill | Wait for the boss’s recovery or a posture break before starting it. |
| The area is empty but nothing progresses | Read the objective at the top and move to the Zodiac Wheel when it asks you to spin. |
| A Frost Heron attack still gets you hit | Her passive covers only the first half of M1 swings in PvE. Dodge or parry during the uncovered gaps. |
Nightmare rewards: Frost Heron and Artifacts
The Artifact payout and pity are shown in the Nightmare pool at 2:10. The guide does not treat those per-drop Artifact percentages as Frost Heron’s drop chance.
| Goal | What to farm | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Frost Heron | Nightmare Zodiac Trials | Keep your current main for farming, then set up the new unit’s own Potential and Artifacts. |
| Artifacts | 3 per Nightmare clear; separate 25% bonus Artifact chance from the boss | Open the pool for the featured group and per-drop pity. |
| Tempering Dust | 3 per Nightmare clear | Save it for the Refine action whose price you want to pay. |
| A specific Artifact family | Nightmare’s featured group includes Loopback, Aftershock and six other entries | Read the full Artifact pool and pity rules before counting runs. |
A practical preparation order
- Redeem ZODIAC and ARTIFACTS before spending spins or refining materials.
- Bring the main weapon you already know. Learn the parry window before replacing a developed build with a fresh drop.
- Fill all four accessory slots, then select the same fighter in Artifacts and choose one Core plus three Supports.
- Match path effects to that fighter’s Potential. Use the Build Planner to keep both fighters’ choices together.
- For a failed attempt, record the attack or area that ended it in the Run Notebook. Change one part of the setup and try the same difficulty again.
Menus and video chapters
Frequently asked questions
Where is Zodiac Trials in Anime Zero?+
Open Play, Create Lobby and select Zodiac Trials from the raid list. Choose the difficulty on the right before starting.
How do I get Frost Heron?+
Frost Heron is a LYTH drop from Zodiac Trials on Nightmare. It is separate from Arsenal summons and the older Trials floor-unlock classes.
How many areas are in Zodiac Trials?+
The raid has six areas. Follow the current wave and area counters, use the wheel when prompted and finish the run for the clear rewards.
Why is the boss’s Posture bar not breaking?+
Use timed parries against its attacks. The Posture mechanic creates a stun opening; dealing ordinary damage to its HP is a different task.