Zenless Zone Zero's best Hugo build and combat guide

The game's newest Ice Agent is not one to sleep on, especially if you're building more than one Ice team. Here's how to maximise Hugo in ZZZ.

Another ice agent has arrived in Zenless Zone Zero Version 1.7. Hugo, an Ice Attack agent from the Mockingbird faction is a strong DPS unit with a decent daze output.

His kit thrives in team compositions that include two stun-focused agents, enhancing both his buffs and crowd control. Although this setup can restrict team-building flexibility, it works exceptionally well in battles where frequent stuns are advantageous.

Here’s a quick guide on how to play him, plus the best builds, teams, and tips to maximise Hugo in the game.

Hugo’s combat kit:

Charged Attack

Let’s start with his Basic Attack. The first three hits deal physical damage, while the fourth and fifth inflict Ice damage. During the fourth and fifth attacks, you can hold the Basic Attack button to perform a Charged Attack. While charging, Hugo gains increased resistance to interruption, takes 40% less damage, and the Charged Attack inflicts about twice the damage and Daze as a regular one.

You can skip the first three hits and go straight into the fourth and fifth ice-based attacks after using any of the following: Dodge Counter, Quick Assist, Ex-Special Skill, Defence Assist, or Ultimate. These fourth and fifth attacks can also be charged when used in this way.

Core passives

Now, onto Hugo’s key core passive for combat. When his Chain Attack lands on an enemy, or when he puts an enemy into the Daze state, he gains a buff called “Dark Abyss Reverb” that lasts for 6 seconds. This buff provides four effects:

• Increases crit rate by 12% and crit damage by 25%.
• If there’s one Stun teammate in the party, Hugo’s ATK goes up by 300; with two, it increases by 900.
• While the buff is active, if his Ex-Special Skill or Ultimate hits an enemy in the Imbalance state, it can trigger an extra damage effect known as “Totalize”. The less time left on the Imbalance, the lower the Totalize damage; the longer it lasts, the higher it goes, up to a maximum of 3400%.
• After Totalize is triggered, the enemy immediately exits the Daze state. However, part of the next Daze value is carried over depending on how much time was left on the Imbalance: 5% per second, up to a cap of 25%, helping to set up the next Daze state more quickly.

These are the four benefits of the “Dark Abyss Reverb” effect. Also, while his Ex-Special Skill won’t activate Totalize against enemies who aren’t Dazed, it does increase the rate at which Daze is built up by 20%. So if Hugo is close to maxing out his energy, it’s still worth using this skill on enemies who aren't in the Imbalance state.

He also has another passive bonus: when there are Stun-type or same-attribute allies in the team, his Chain Attacks deal 15% more damage, damage to standard enemies is increased by 35%, and Totalize hits 40% harder. If his Ex-Special Skill triggers Totalize on a regular enemy, it also restores 20 energy. This can occur once every 30 seconds.

How to play Hugo

Hugo’s rotation is straightforward. First, use a Stun ally to push an enemy into the Daze state. Then, bring in Hugo with a Chain Attack and use his Ultimate or Ex-Special Skill to activate Totalize.

Once that’s done, you can swap him out and let other Stun characters continue breaking the enemy.

If Hugo still has nearly full energy after Totalize, consider using his Ex-Special Skill again to build more Daze without wasting energy. You can also follow up with his fourth and fifth Basic Attacks to further boost the Daze meter. You can skip upgrading Hugo's Dodge since he will only be used when the enemy is already stunned.

Skill priority

To get the most out of Hugo, it's best to focus on upgrading his Core Skill first. This enhances both the ATK bonus and the damage multiplier of Totalize. Since Hugo's Skill is frequently used when enemies are stunned, it should take top priority in your upgrade path.

Next, consider levelling up his Ultimate. It serves as a reliable alternative when his EX Special Attack is on cooldown or not available. After that, you can turn your attention to his Basic Attack. While it's not the centrepiece of his kit, improving it can still benefit certain combos, though it comes after his Special and Chain Attacks in terms of importance, as Hugo is mainly on-field to perform those.

Then, his Assist can be upgraded next as it has the least impact on his overall damage output, so it can safely be left for later. Finally, the last skill to upgrade is Dodge.

Best W-Engine

Myriad Eclipse (Best W-Engine)

To get the best performance out of Hugo, Myriad Eclipse is the ideal choice. As his signature W-Engine, it comes with Crit Rate as its ascension stat and provides extra Crit DMG and DEF whenever Hugo uses his EX Special Attack, Chain Attack, or Ultimate. While the DEF ignore effect is conditional, it enhances the impact of his most powerful moves, making this weapon highly effective overall.

Deep Sea Visitor

If you’re looking for alternatives, Deep Sea Visitor (Ellen’s signature W-Engine) is another solid pick. It also features Crit Rate as its ascension stat but instead increases Ice DMG and grants extra Crit Rate through its passive. This allows players to prioritise Crit DMG and ATK when building Hugo, since meeting his Crit Rate needs becomes much easier with this equipped.

Heartstring Nocturne

Another viable option is Heartstring Nocturne, Evelyn’s signature W-Engine. It shares key stats with Hugo’s own signature weapon, offering Crit Rate and Crit DMG. However, its secondary effect of Fire RES doesn’t benefit Hugo, which makes Deep Sea Visitor a more suitable S-Rank substitute in most cases.

Severed Innocence

For those focusing purely on Crit DMG, Severed Innocence can also be considered. That said, the previously mentioned W-Engines generally provide more value to Hugo’s overall kit.

Other viable options

Marcato Desire

Marcato Desire boosts ATK whenever an EX Special Attack or Chain Attack hits an enemy. It increases ATK by 6% for eight seconds, and this effect rises by another 6% if the target is affected by an Attribute Anomaly.

Cannon Rotor

Cannon Rotor provides a flat 7.5% boost to Crit Rate. In addition, when a critical hit lands, it deals an extra 200% of ATK as damage. This effect can trigger once every eight seconds.

Gilded Blossom or Starlight Engine

Lastly, Gilded Blossom and Starlight Engine serve as A-Rank alternatives. Both focus purely on ATK, similar to Brimstone, so players will need to fine-tune Hugo’s Crit Rate and Crit DMG through his Drive Discs to maintain a balanced and effective build.

Drive Disc recommendations

Woodpecker Electro (4-pc) and Branch and Blade Song (2-pc)

Woodpecker Electro is the top pick for Hugo overall, offering Crit Rate and boosting his ATK each time he uses a Basic or Special Attack. For the two-piece bonus, Branch and Blade Song is the strongest option, thanks to the Crit DMG increase it provides.

When it comes to routine farming content, Woodpecker Electro is the more practical choice. It enables Hugo to make full use of his Ex-Special Skill, not just for damage, but also for gathering enemies and offering utility.

Hormone Punk (4-pc) and Woodpecker Electro (2-pc)

Another strong alternative is Hormone Punk, which grants a significant ATK% boost when Hugo enters the field. However, using this set reduces Hugo’s adaptability during combat. In terms of numbers, the damage output difference between a two-stack Woodpecker Electro setup and Hormone Punk is minor, sitting at around 4%.

Main stats:

• Slot 4: Crit Rate/Crit DMG
• Slot 5: Ice DMG Bonus
• Slot 6: ATK%

Substats priority:

• Crit Rate/Crit DMG (Aim for 100% Crit Rate with passives)

Best teams

Double Stun Team (best)

• Hugo (Attack)
• Lighter (Stun)
• Lycaon (Stun)

Bangboo: Robin, Sharkboo or Penguinboo

Hugo’s Core Skill works best when paired with two Stun units on the team. Both Lighter and Lycaon support a quick-swap playstyle that helps build Daze efficiently, enabling faster rotations and more frequent Totalize triggers. Lycaon provides buffs by reducing enemies’ Ice Resistance and increasing the Daze multiplier. At the same time, Lighter lowers Ice Resistance, enhances teammates’ Ice damage, and extends the duration of enemies’ Daze state, making him highly compatible with Hugo’s abilities.

If Lighter or Lycaon aren’t available, any other Stun-type agent can fill in as a substitute. However, without these key picks, Hugo will miss out on the additional buffs they provide.

Double Stun Team 2

• Hugo (Attack)
• Qingyi (Stun)
• Koleda (Stun)

Bangboo: Robin, Sharkboo or Penguinboo

With an Attack unit like Hugo in the lineup, Qingyi can activate her core passive, Eternal Seasons, which boosts the Stun DMG Multiplier on enemies she targets. When she finishes with her Basic Attack: Enchanted Moonlit Blossoms, it applies a debuff called Subjugation that can stack up to 20 times. Each stack raises the enemy’s Stun DMG Multiplier by 1.5%. Since Qingyi needs to stay on the field for longer durations, it’s better to pair her with a Stun character that can be swapped in quickly, like Koleda, to keep the rotation efficient.

Astra Hugo Team

• Astra (Support)
• Lighter (Stun)
• Hugo (Attack)

Bangboo: Robin, Sharkboo or Penguinboo

If you're short on Stun agents, Astra makes a solid support partner for Hugo when paired with Lighter. Astra Yao's powerful buffs help make up for the lack of a double Stun setup. Even though this arrangement doesn't fully activate Hugo’s attack bonus, the final damage output still remains competitive thanks to her strong utility.

F2P Team

• Hugo (Attack)
• Anby (Stun)
• Nicole (Support)

Bangboo: Robin, Sharkboo or Penguinboo

If you’re still building your team and don’t have many premium characters, you can run the standard Cunning Hares core team, with Hugo replacing Billy. Anby takes care of stuns while Nicole offers solid debuff support. Once you unlock another Stun agent, it’s a good idea to swap Nicole out in order to activate Hugo’s full ATK bonus.

Hugo’s kit offers strong damage potential, especially when paired with stun-focused allies. Whether you have access to premium characters or are building a free-to-play roster, there are solid team options to maximise his effectiveness. With the right gear and strategy, Hugo can become a powerful asset in your ZZZ lineup, and potentially lead a new team for Shiyu Defense, Deadly Assault and other content, in case your Miyabi or Ellen teams have already been used up.