Hugo Vlad in ZZZ: Best Build Assembled and Squad Guide

Guide to Hugo in Zenless Zone Zero With a breakdown of the rotation and the best squads for an agent capable of removing stuns from enemies to deal additional damage. The agent's signature ability is the "Outcome" effect, which depends on the remaining time on the stun timer and can reach the level of a super ability's damage. Therefore, Vlad is predisposed to rarely enter the arena, quickly unleashing a series of his strongest abilities, and the rest of the time, he alternates with stun fighters or stays "in the pocket."

He relies heavily on the support of his stun-class allies, who quickly fill his stun meter and trigger a chain of attacks. With two Intimidation-class allies on his team, Hugo receives a massive ATK boost while stunned. Like any classic Offense damage dealer, he develops his personal damage output through a balance of critical chance and damage, as well as bonuses in passive gear effects.

Hugo Vlad is the flamboyant leader of the Mockingbirds, a faction of phantom thieves who frequently make headlines and are hotly debated online. At first glance, this charming young man in luxurious clothes may give the impression of a gallant gentleman, but behind this mask lies a cunning man with yet another plan to steal the jewels of deceitful rich men. His keen intellect, skillfully set traps, and, of course, close friends help him successfully evade justice.

How to get Vlad Hugo in Zenless Zone Zero

In a limited time event banner, Hugo can be dropped during the period May 13 to June 5, 2025. In the search for the amplifier signal, which is carried out in parallel, the signal "Thousand eclipses" is available for knocking out.

To avoid missing the rerun of Hugo and his weapons, keep an eye on banner schedule in a special guide with all the latest information.

Features

As you level up, the values ​​of basic stats that affect defense, HP, and attack power increase. Exact level data is included in the table:

Upgrading your abilities will increase your critical chance 5% until 19,4 %, which will have a positive effect on the frequency of critical hits.

How the skills work

In ZZZ, Vlad Hugo is a damage dealer with a unique mechanic for instantly removing an enemy from a stun state. When a super ability or skill hits stunned target, then a huge explosive damage is inflicted by the effect "Totalize!!". The damage from the status invocation increases depending on the remaining time of the stun, and after it is triggered, the enemy comes out of the stun and his stun scale is immediately filled by a value from 5% to 25%, which also depends on the timer.

The young man isn't short on personal buffs either: after triggering the "Fate Focus" skill or performing a stun, Hugo gains the "Abyssal Echo" buff, which increases his critical chance and damage for six seconds. Also, landing an energy-consuming skill on an enemy not in a stun instantly refills the stun bar by 20%. The hero's other abilities focus on quickly transitioning to the fourth stage of his basic attack and two types of ice shots: long-range and charged.

Makings

Main Passive Skill "Final Verdict"

If the skill "Fate's Focus" hits a stunned enemy or the young man puts a stun on the enemy, he goes into state of "Echo of the Abyss" for 6 seconds. The following effects are active while in the stance:

• Critical chance increases by 12% and critical damage by 25%;
• If there is 1 Intimidation character in the squad, then ATK increases by 25-300 units depending on the level of inclinations;
• If there are 2 Intimidation characters in the squad, then ATK increases by 75-900 units.

When the second hit of Soul Reaper - Punishment or the Godslayer super hits a stunned enemy, the multiplier of that hit is increased by 500-1000% and the Outcome effect is triggered. Further damage increases depend on remaining time of the camp, the maximum multiplier can reach 1700-3400%.

After the effect is activated, the enemy leaves the stun state and accumulates 5-20% of the stun bar, which also depends on the timer. Hitting an unstunned target with the Soul Reaper - Punishment skill fills 20% of the stun bar.

Additional ability "Prelude to the Finale"

The skill is active if there are agents in the squad. intimidation or with ice attribute:

• damage of the skill "Focus of Destiny" increases by 15%;
• damage to normal enemies increases by 35%;
• When "Result" is triggered, the damage of the enhanced skill increases by 40%;
• If "Soul Reaper - Punishment" activates the "Result" effect on normal enemies, an additional 20 units of energy are restored. The effect can occur no more than once every 30 sec.

The order of leveling skills

Prowess = Chain Attack (QTE) = Skill (EX) > Basic Attacks > Evasion = Assist.

When leveling up your skills, you should prioritize those skills that will be used most often in combat:

1. First of all, resources are spent on developing Prowess, C/A and Ult, as well as the skill that interacts with the main method of dealing damage - the Totalize!! effect.
2. If the young man is actively fighting on the field with his allies, then you can invest in b/a to deal damage with shots.
3. Skills from the evasion and assistance section are developed last and only when necessary.

How to play as Hugo

As a damage dealer with an explosive rotation, the young man prefers to rarely enter the field to replenish his energy reserves and accumulate decibels, and deals his primary damage within six seconds of the central attack. After stunning an enemy, Hugo enters the "Echoing Abyss" state with a slight boost to critical hits and can activate the "Result" effect, dealing massive total damage from his skill or ultimate.

In addition, the rotation of the young man is built in such a way as not to lose a second on the stun timer:

1. During the preparatory phase, alternate the Phantom Thief with Intimidation or Support allies, in order to not only stun the enemy, but also accumulate decibel points and energy for the skill.
2. Before starting the C/A, make sure Vlad has his ult or enhanced special skill ready. Without wasting a second, use Heavy Strike to activate the team skill: skill, last hit of a b/a combo, or ult.
3. If a stunner or support quickly completes the central attack, you can call them in before Vlad's appearance. And in the case of Sokaku, for example, it's best to immediately resume the damage rotation and not waste valuable seconds on the oni girl.
4. Immediately deal increased damage with the "Result" effect by using the ult or the enhanced special skill. In this case, the stun state will be removed from the target - return to step number 1.
5. If you have enough energy for several uses of the Soul Reaper - Punishment skill, then use the ability to accumulate 20% of the stun bar.

If you are aiming for high numbers from a single Outcome status, you can skip the chain attack call: wait until the stun bar lights up orange and use a skill or ult for increased one-time damage. The overall DPS may decrease due to the exclusion of Focus of Destiny from the rotation.

The best eidoses

As you acquire duplicates, a mental picture will fill up, containing the following buffs:

Hugo's best consts are the second, fourth and sixth:

• M2 allows you to include two consecutive activations of explosive damage in the rotation: it becomes possible to use the ult and then use the skill with the inevitable removal of the stun. Thanks to this, the inflicted DPS directly increases, and in addition there is a useful ignoring of the effect's defense.
• M4 useful against bosses, and also helps to fight more effectively on the field against non-stunned enemies by ignoring resistances. Charged Shot, in turn, is easy to use after a counterattack.
• M6 makes the young man a full-fledged damage dealer on the field, because with the acquisition of the const, the status can be caused to enemies outside the stun, and for the "Echo of the Abyss" stance, it is not necessary to call "Focus of Fate" - any shot will do.

F2P players who are planning to spin a character with cons should aim straight at M2. If you choose between M1 and the "Thousand Eclipses" signature, then preference is given to weapons.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Based on the agent's skills and gameplay, it is possible to identify strengths and weaknesses.

Leveling

The materials for leveling up the Mockingbird leader include tokens for leveling up the agent, ice chips for skills, and resources from elite enemies for inclinations. Most of the materials, including denny, can be obtained in VR club, "Expert Challenge" and "Relentless Hunt" from the corresponding enemies.

Leveling	Materials	Cost
Level	×4 Entry Level Attack Token ×32 Top Level Attack Token ×30 Pioneer Token	×800 000
Skills	×25 Basic Freeze Chip ×75 Advanced Freeze Chip ×250 Specialized freezing chip	×2 491 000
Makings	×60 High Dimensional Data: Obituary ×9 Last Dance	×405 000

Best Hugo Builds in ZZZ

The young man is a classic damage dealer who plays from critical hits. Therefore, when assembling Vlad, it is enough to focus on the development ATK and balance Crit chance и crit damageWhen choosing a build, it's important to consider the bonuses of potential Drive Disc and Amplifier kits to balance stats with the bonuses from the Echo of the Abyss effect. Defensive stats, however, aren't a priority for this build, despite its low health pool and defense.

Rating of amplifiers

The best weapon for Hugo will be an amplifier with increases to critical damage and critical chance. Signature equipment "Thousand Eclipses" fully satisfies this condition, and also provides the damager with a useful effect of ignoring defense. If there are no guns for crits, then you should consider equipment with increases to ATK and bonuses for an enhanced special skill.

Amplifier	The effect
A Thousand Eclipses (5⭐️) Base ATK: 48-713 CRIT Rate: 9,6-24%	CRIT damage increases by 45-72%. When an EX skill, chain attack, or super ability is used and the enemy is dealt ice damage, the owner will gain a buff for 3 seconds. While this effect is in effect, the owner ignores 25-40% protect the target during your attack.
Man-made heart (5⭐️) Basic ATK 48-713 CRIT Rate 9,6-24%	CRIT chance increases by 15-23%. When a Basic or Empowered Special Attack deals damage, 1 stack of the buff is granted. Each level increases the Electricity damage by 12,5-20% for 30 sec, the effect can be stacked twice. With two stacks, the character's basic attack and ultimate are ignored 20-32% of enemy defense.
Guest from the Depths (5⭐️) Basic ATK 48-713 CRIT Rate: 9,6-24%	Increases Ice Damage by 25-50%. Hitting an enemy with a basic attack increases crit. chance for 10-20% for 8 seconds. When a dash attack deals ice damage, crit. the owner's chance increases by additional 10-20% for 15 seconds. The duration of the effects is calculated separately.
Strings of the Night (5⭐️) Base ATK: 48-713 CRIT Rate: 9.6-24%	CRIT damage increases by 50-80%When the owner enters the battlefield, activates a chain attack, or activates a super ability, they gain 1 stack of "Heartstrings." This effect can stack up to 2 times. Each stack allows you to ignore 12.5-20% resistance to fire damage to the target during hits from a chain of attacks or the ultimate. The buff lasts for 30 seconds, and repeated activations refresh the duration.
Zanshin first aid kit (5⭐️) Base ATK: 48-713 CRIT DMG: 19-48%	Crit chance increases by 10-16%, and the electrical damage for dash attacks gets a bonus of 40-64%. When any squad member casts an attribute anomaly or stuns an enemy, the weapon owner's critical chance increases by another 10-16% for 15 sec.
Sulfur (5⭐️) Basic ATK 46-684 ATK: 12-30%	If a basic attack, dash attack, or counter attack hits an enemy target, the owner's attack power increases by 3,5 - 7% for 8 sec. The effect stacks up to 8 times and occurs every 0,5 sec. The duration of each level is calculated separately.
Marcato reverb (4⭐️) Base ATK: 40-594 CRIT Rate: 8-20%	Whenever an enhanced special attack or chain attack hits an enemy, the agent with this item gains increased attack power by 8 sec. 6-9,6%. Attack power is increased by an additional 6-9,6%, if the target is in an attribute anomaly state.
Goldenflower (4⭐️) Basic ATK 40-594 ATK: 10-25%	ATK is increased by 6-9,6%, and the damage from enhanced special attacks is 15-24%.
Artillery rotor (4⭐️) Basic ATK 40-594 CRIT Rate: 8-20%	Attack power is increased by 7,5-12%. When dealing a critical hit to an enemy, additional damage is dealt in the amount of 200% of the attack power. Does not occur more than once every 8-6 sec.
Star engine (4⭐️) Basic ATK 40-594 ATK: 10-25%	When performing a counterattack after dodging or quickly assisting, the attack power of an agent with this item increases by 12-19,2% for 12 sec.

What drives to install

To achieve overall stat balance, the choice of artifact set should depend on whether the Phantom Thief is equipped with a crit-based or attack damage-based weapon. As for passives, they force a more focused playstyle on the field or a more careful reload timing, which doesn't mesh well with the young man's focus.

Set and its effects	Features
Dyatlokor-electro 2 Piece: Crit. chance +8%. 4 Piece: Every time a basic attack, a counterattack after dodging, or a boosted special attack scores a crit. damage, the wearer receives 1 level of enhancement. For each stack, ATK increases by 9% for 6 sec. The buff duration differs for different skills.	Provides a base boost to critical chance when any ability deals critical damage to an enemy. With a standard rotation, the stack gained through counterattacking can be an issue, so it's not always possible to fully utilize this set.
Hormone punk 2 Piece: attack power +10%. 4 Piece: When the wearer enters a state of combat readiness or comes out as a replacement, his attack power increases by 25% for 10 sec. Fires once every 20 seconds.	A full set of discs is suitable for a standard rotation, where Intimidation allies occupy the majority of the field. The ATK boost has a 10-second cooldown, which can significantly reduce DPS during this period.

We recommend taking the remaining two disks depending on the required characteristics:

• Polar Heavy Metal — ice damage +10%;
• "Dyatlokor-electro" — critical chance +8%;
• "The Song of the Branch and the Blade" — critical damage +16%;
• "Hormone Punk" or "Astral Voice" — attack power +10%.

Recommended Stats

The table below lists the characteristics to look for in each drive slot:

The final value of the characteristics for a comfortable game:

• Crete. damage: 150-190%;
• Crit. chance: not less than 68%;
• Attack Power: 2-450 units;
• health: 9 and above.

Which banbu is suitable?

The best banbu assistant for Hugo will be a faction partner RobinBunny increases the effectiveness of stuns when Intimidation allies are on the field, and deals additional damage when an Assault agent is active. In their absence, a Knight or Baroba with buffs is suitable, as well as Ice Minions if the team has a support who reduces enemy ice resistance.

Robin	Akulabu	Pingwibu	sumobu
Knighthood	Barobu

Hugo's Squad Guide

The team composition for the Phantom Thief is primarily influenced by the specific gameplay style with the stun timer reset and the condition of the passive skill "Final Verdict" - if there are two Intimidation heroes in the team, the ATK buff can reach 900 units. And if you also take into account the element, then the first place goes to premium squad with Lycaon, Lighter, or Dialin, which are not only stunners, but also supports for the ice DD.

If one of the characters is missing, it can be replaced by Norma, Ju Fufu or Trigger, attacking from the "pocket" alongside the active unit and applying an additional vulnerability multiplier. In scenarios where only one of the available heroes is available, or none at all, a combination of a stunning Intimidator and a Support should be used to compensate for the lost passive buff.

Which characters are suitable?

The table shows characters that have effects and mechanics that are useful for the Phantom Thief.

Character	Features
Dialing (Intimidation, Phys.)	It has very high stun multipliers and extends the stun for several seconds. Its ability to trigger a super ability ensures Vlad has it available during every stun window.
Lighter (Intimidation, Fire)	A very useful stunner for the Phantom Thief: it grants bonus ice damage and reduces resistance to it. Additionally, using the signal, it increases critical damage and extends the monster's stun on M1.
Norma (Intimidation, Fire)	He has high personal damage and the ability to attack from the "pocket." Vlad won't need the stun extension, but he'll appreciate the increased damage and vulnerability multiplier against stunned enemies.
Lycaon (Intimidation, Frost)	A standard agent that cuts ice resistances and increases stun multiplier, making it a top choice in a group alongside Lightyear.
Ju Fufu (Intimidation, Fire)	A useful stun-buffer that boosts his team's critical damage. He doesn't take up much time on the field, primarily dealing damage from the pocket. He also increases his decibel limit, allowing him to build up his ultimate and hold it until a favorable moment to use it on a stunned target.
Trigger (Intimidation, Electro)	Strikes enemies and inflicts a stun from within the pocket, increasing the vulnerability multiplier for all enemies, even those not yet stunned. With the signal, begins to chip away at enemy defenses.
Qingyi (Intimidation, Electro)	Qingyi specializes in countering bosses, which is similar to Vlad's focus. Like Lycaon, he increases the vulnerability multiplier of a stunned target.
Sanna (Support, Phys.)	Unlike other supports, in addition to increasing damage, it also increases the stun multiplier of allies, which turns out to be a useful buff for any squad with Phantom Thief.
Astra Yao (Support, Ether)	A versatile support with a ton of useful buffs for the Assault hero: ATK, general DPS bonus, and crit boosts. Only inferior to stunners in terms of stun generation and prefers to stay in the pocket the entire fight.
Sokaku (Support, Ice)	Grants a large ATK buff to the next ally, but has a mercilessly long cast time, including C/A.

Best team samples

Due to gameplay specifics, Hugo Vlad's preferred squads are those featuring Intimidation heroes. Many good squads for him consist of two Intimidation agents.

Character 1	Character 2	Character 3	Features
Hugo	Dialing	Normal valueLightyearLycaon	The best units currently include Hugo. Dialin stuns quickly and allows for the use of a super ability during each stun window. In the third slot, Norma will deal massive damage herself and increase damage to stunned enemies. Lightyear and Lycaon will reduce enemy ice resistances.
Hugo	Lightyear	Normal valueLycaon	Equally good teams, but without Dialing, Lightyear becomes the main stunner.
Hugo	DialingLightyearLycaon	SannaAster	Groups with Support agents, if there's no way to deploy another Intimidate. Sanna is the best choice, thanks to her buffs to stun multiplier and damage.
Hugo	TriggerQingyi	Aster	Groups with shock stunners. If you need increased survivability, it's best to use Caesar in the third slot to provide backup for vulnerable teammates. Astra allows you to swap characters on the battlefield and boosts the entire squad's stats. Qingyi excels at solo bosses, and when combined with her stun, she applies an increased vulnerability multiplier.
Hugo	Lycaon	Sokaku	A budget team for Vlad. Lycaon is difficult to replace with another, epic stunner due to its reduced ice resistance and ice damage. We recommend replacing Sokaku with Astra at the first opportunity.

Is it worth knocking out Hugo?

Hugo is an atypical primary damage dealer with a short, explosive rotation, handling all of the team's DPS. After stunning an enemy, he triggers the "Consequence" effect, which deals significant damage but immediately removes the enemy from the stun. Therefore, the frequency of enemy stuns directly impacts the Phantom Thief's DPS potential.

As a damage-dealing agent, Vlad is not as good at accumulating stun on monsters as his Intimidation class comrades - he trusts the stun application to his squad members. He shows himself best in premium packs with event legendaries, which, along with stun, offer him powerful buffs. In budget squads and with F2P gear, in turn, he shows himself much worse, so he is unfriendly to beginners.

Despite the challenges of team building, he demonstrates impressive stats in battles against crowds of enemies and shines in boss battles. Accordingly, he's a worthwhile pick for those aiming to complete the endgame modes Shiyu Defense and Dangerous Assault, and who are willing to invest additional resources in their squad, constellations, and signature.

Hugo Vlad trailer

Demo "Apocalypse Creator":

YouTube VK.Video

EP "My Curse, My Destiny":

YouTube VK.Video

We hope this guide helped you put together a build for Hugo Vlad from Zenles Zone Zero. If you have any questions about the hero's rotation and team compositions, ask them in comments. In the special section of our website, see builds in ZZZ on all characters.