How Hollow Zero Works in Zenless Zone Zero

One of the endgame modes available in Zenless Zone Zero, Hollow Zero, builds on the systems set down in Honkai: Star Rail‘s Simulated Universe, but with this newer title’s personal spin on things. Here’s how it all works.

How to Play Hollow Zero in Zenless Zone Zero

You unlock Hollow Zero during the main story quest when you reach Inter-Knot level 20. The first two worlds introduce the basic systems you’ll engage with in the mode, and if you’re familiar with the SImulated Universe from Honkai: Star Rail, things are similar here but not identical. Here’s the rundown:

At the core of Hollow Zero’s gameplay loop are 2 mechanics: Resonium and Pressure.

• Resonium are the rogue-lite elements of Hollow Zero, with each granting a moderate buff to your character. Collecting four and eight Resonium from the same effect tree triggers Fusion, which provides a fifth, free, and much more powerful buff based on the effect line. You can earn Resonium either by interacting with certain TV nodes or by completing combat challenges, as well as by buying them at a shop. Defeating the end boss of a Hollow Zero level always rewards an S-Rank Resonium.
• Pressure accumulates whenever you interact with a TV node that has an effect. By default, a single movement to an occupied node builds up 10 Pressure, and when you reach 100 Pressure, your party will receive a debuff, and sometimes enemies will receive a buff or debuff that pairs with the one your party received.

Additionally, you’ll only be able to take a single Agent into Hollow Zero at the start, but you can call for the support of two Agents of your choice at specific TV nodes while exploring. Each node has a different effect when interacted with, with effects like:

• Flag with Checkers or arrows point to a dot: exit point.
• Green Rest Area: Restore HP.
• Blue Rest Area: Reduce Pressure by 30, or to 0 for four-square nodes.
• Purple Danger Area: Increase PRessure by 30.
• Gear Coins: Get Gear Coins.
• Gachapon Machine: Pick a Resonium.
• Bangboo using a phone: Add a chosen Agent to your team.
• Welcome to the Shop: Buy Resonium or Catalyze Resonium.
• Bangboo walking through TVs: Random rewards following a small minigame.
• Rotating Medkit, Gear Coin, and Blue Arrow device: Choose between a heal, 500 Gar Coins, and reduce pressure by 30.
• Soldiers standing about: Event.
• Guy in a trenchcoat with a magnifying glass: Mild lore.
• Red gas masks: damage to the whole party.
• Double red triangle: difficult, multi-stage combat challenge.
• Showerhead: Remove one Pressure Corruption.
• Green logo: Random Resonium reward.
• Z-Merit Icon: Get Z-Merits.
• Blue Shop: Bank Zero, bank points for increasing rewards.
• Chemicals: Catalyze chosen Resonium.
• Wandering Bangboo: Choose Support Bangboo.

How Combat Configuration Works in Zenless Zone Zero

Combat Configuration is the second rogue-lite system in Hollow Zero, taking place outside of the activity. Rather than being random buffs, you can earn while playing, Combat Configuration is your set of permanent upgrades that make the mode easier. It works similarly to how you’d expect if you’ve played games like Hades, Dead Cells, or especially Simulated and Divergent Universe in Honkai: Star Rail.

When you start playing Hollow Zero, none of the Combat Configuration nodes are active. As you explore the various areas of Hollow Zero, you’ll earn upgrade currencies keyed to those zones. Early on, you’ll only have a consistent way to farm Withered Crystal, Heaven’s Azure, which you can use to unlock nodes near the start of the Configuration screen.

As you increase your Inter-Knot level and progress through the main story of Zenless Zone Zero, you’ll unlock additional areas that award Withered Crystal: Ink Yellow and Iron Red, which will let you unlock additional Configuration nodes.

There are also larger nodes that will only activate when you unlock all the smaller nodes that surround them. Where the smaller nodes increase your base stats in Hollow Zero by 10 or 20 points or give you a small percentage bonus, these Mod Feature notes grant much greater stat improvements and additional effects like more Gear Coins, access to additional Resonia, and more.

Hollow Zero Rewards in Zenless Zone Zero

Hollow Zero is one of the more rewarding modes in Zenless Zone Zero, with more than 2,000 Polychrome available for playing and doing specific tasks within the mode, as well as a small but still significant amount of other gacha currencies and upgrade materials.

Rewards are spread across four areas:

• License Level: Based on the amount of Hollow Zero reputation you build up by playing the mode, you can earn up to 24 Boopons one at a time on the second and fourth nodes of each row of the reward tree. You also get Polychrome every third and fifth node, with Inter-Knot and Bangboo XP offered every first.
• Bounty Commissions: Weekly tasks you can complete by playing Hollow Zero, including collecting specific numbers of Resonium, clearing specific difficulties, etc. You can earn up to 100 Polychrome, three Boopons, and 100 E-Merits per week through these bounties.
• Research for Ray: The main NPC you’ll interact with at Hollow Zero is researcher Ray. She has 130 challenges you can complete, labeled Research Progress, for at least 2,160 Polychrome if you do absolutely everything. I’m unsure if these refresh, though I’d expect more challenges to come online as more Hollow Zero areas unlock through story progress or updates.
• Outpost Logistics: Available from the Casper NPC just outside Ray’s tent, you can spend the E-Merits you earn by exploring Hollow Zero to purchase a few materials, currencies, and other items. The most valuable are, of course, the two Master Tapes and five Boopons, all of which cost 400 E-Merits apiece. Other items include 30 Bangboo System Widgets for 25 E-Merits each, 15 Senior Investigator Logs for 15 E-Merits, and 10 W-Engine Energy Modules for 10 E-Merits. When you exhaust those rewards, you can spend any E-Merits on Dennies, should you choose to. Outpost Logistics rewards refresh monthly, so any you don’t pick up are lost.

Hollow Zero gets significantly more difficult the deeper you go into it, and you’ll need to invest a lot of time and resources into your favorite Agents to truly master the mode. No one expects you to do so with any degree of speed, as the endgame of Zenless Zone Zero is a marathon, not a sprint.

For more content on the game, check out our Zenless Zone Zero guides hub.