ZZZ Hugo 1.7 Guide: Master the Ice Judgment Nuke: Unleash 3400% multiplier damage with Hugo's unique "Judgment" mechanic! This concise guide covers:Best Weapons, Optimal Drivers,Key Portraits, Team comps!
Read now to dominate the battlefield with precision ice nukes!
▍Agent Analysis
Hugo is an Ice-attuned Striker Agent specializing as a burst-type quick-swap DPS, similar to Zhu Yuan's playstyle - dealing massive damage by entering combat after staggering enemies.
His unique Judgment mechanic allows him to convert remaining stagger duration into explosive damage by using [Enhanced Skill] or [Ultimate] during the staggered state.
This makes [Double Break] teams ideal for Hugo, as they increase stagger frequency to maximize his Judgment damage output.
The rotation is simple: Break units stagger enemies → Hugo swaps in → uses [Enhanced Skill]/[Ultimate] to trigger Judgment → repeats the cycle.
▍W-Engine Optimization
1.Myriad Eclipse
① Crit Rate bonus, reducing Hugo's crit requirement (only 6-9 crit substacks needed for max crit).
② Crit DMG boost, significantly increasing his damage.
③ After using [Enhanced Skill] / [Chain Attack] / [Ultimate], Hugo gains "Zero Execution Declaration" for 3s, making his attacks ignore DEF—perfectly timed for his [Judgment]burst.
2.Deep Sea Visitor
① Crit Rate bonus (6-9 crit substacks needed for max crit).
② Ice DMG boost, enhancing his overall damage.
③ The Normal/Plunge ATK Crit Rate bonuses are irrelevant for Hugo’s playstyle—ignore them when optimizing.
3. Marcato Desire
① Max stacks instantly, providing full passive benefits.
② Crit Rate bonus (9-11 crit substacks needed for max crit).
③ Using [Enhanced Skill] / [Chain Attack] grants ATK%, buffing his [Judgment] damage.
4. Cannon Rotor
① Crit Rate bonus (9-11 crit substacks needed for max crit).
② ATK% boost, improving overall damage.
③ High uptime on extra damage upon crit hits, ideal for Hugo’s high crit build.
5. Heartstring Nocturne
Primarily provides high Crit Rate/DMG, but lacks synergy with Hugo’s core mechanics.
▍Mindscape Cinema
NO.1：Child of Hatred (Recommended)
When triggering the Totalize effect in the Dark Abyss Reverb state, the skill's CRIT Rate is increased by an additional 12%, and CRIT DMG by 30%.
- During Abyssal Echo, [Judgment] gains increased CRIT Rate/DMG
- With this portrait, Hugo only needs 1-4 CRIT substats to reach cap
NO.2 The Child Within
When Ultimate: Blaspheme triggers Totalize, it will not end the enemy's Stunned state. Additionally, when Totalize is triggered, the skill will ignore 15% of the enemy's DEF.
- [Ultimate]no longer ends Stagger state, enabling QE double-[Judgment] combos
- Grants DEF Ignore during [Judgment], significantly boosting damage
NO.4 Dramatic Theory
After a Charged Shot hits an enemy, Hugo's attacks against that target will ignore 12% of that target's Ice RES for 15s, repeated triggers reset the duration.
- Charged shots (easily triggered) apply Ice RES Shred, enhancing Hugo's self-buff capability.
NO.6 Crown of Thorns
All shooting attacks that hit enemies trigger the Dark Abyss Reverb state, lasting up to 6s, and repeated triggers reset the duration. Additionally, whenever any skill triggers the Totalize effect, that DMG is further increased by 60%. The Finishing Move of EX Special Attack: Soul Hunter - Punishment also triggers the Totalize effect when hitting an enemy that isn't Stunned, boosting the DMG multiplier of the Finishing Move by a fixed 1,000 %.
- All ranged attacks maintain Abyssal Echo uptime (near 100% if fielding Hugo)
- All [Judgment] triggers deal bonus damage (higher damage floor)
- [Enhanced Skill]'s final hit can trigger [Judgment] even without Stagger (with +1000% multiplier), enabling on-field playstyle (synergizes with Portrait 4's RES shred)
▍Drive Disc Optimization
4pc Set: Hormone Punk
- 2-Pc: ATK +10%
- 4-Pc: Upon entering combat or switching in, its user's ATK increases by 25% for 10s. This effect can trigger once every 20s.
2pc Set: Branch & Blade Song/Woodpecker Electro/Polar Metal
- Branch-Cutter's Song/Polar Heavy Metal (if Crit Rate is sufficient)
- Woodpecker Electro (if needing more Crit Rate)
▍Team Composition
Hugo's passive compensates for lacking ATK buffs, making Double Break teams optimal. However, he can still work in Single Break + Support comps for sustained field time.
1. Double Break: Hugo + Lighter + Lycaon
- Lighter serves as Hugo's ultimate partner, providing both Ice Resistance reduction and Ice DMG boost while extending enemy Stagger duration by 3 seconds - perfectly timing for Hugo's Judgment to receive full damage bonuses.
- Lycaon offers the rare Resistance Penetration multiplier that perfectly complements Hugo's burst playstyle through quick-swap tactics. When paired with Lycaon, the optimal rotation requires Lycaon to first trigger Stagger, then Hugo enters with Chain Attack to activate Abyssal Echo before executing Judgment. This is because Lycaon's Stagger Vulnerability damage multiplier only activates against staggered enemies, and his Chain Attack has long animation with low returns - thus it's better to trigger all buffs after Lycaon's basic attacks induce Stagger.
- The Double Break team composition enables Hugo to fully benefit from his 900 ATK passive bonus while freeing up support agents like Astra Yao for deployment in other team
2. Double Break: Hugo + Lighter + Trigger
- Lighter stands as Hugo's optimal partner, delivering both Ice RES reduction and Ice DMG boost while extending Stagger duration by 3 seconds - perfectly timing Hugo's Judgment to receive full damage multipliers.
- A 0+1 Trigger proves most effective in this comp. With his signature weapon, Billy compensates for Hugo's missing DEF reduction multiplier while synergizing with Lighter to accelerate enemies entering Stagger state.
- Compared to Lycaon teams, this composition reduces ineffective damage windows and maintains consistent buffs even outside Stagger phases, resulting in higher overall DPS throughout the rotation.
3. Single Break: Hugo + Lighter + Astra Yao
▍Pulling Advice
0+0>0+1>1+1>2+1>6+1>6+5
▍Conclusion
Strengths
Settle Imbalance Mechanic: Hugo can use his enhanced special skill or ultimate to "settle" the remaining imbalance duration, dealing a powerful burst of damage when the enemy is in the imbalanced state.
Unique Team Synergy: Hugo gains an ATK boost based on the number of Break Agents in the team, reducing competition for universal supports like Jiyan and Nicole.
Weaknesses
Slow Start: At 0★ (no Eidolons), Hugo heavily relies on double-break speed to trigger imbalance. Without Lycaon and Lighter's quick-swap synergy, using other break agents will slow down imbalance application and reduce overall DPS. Even at 2★, while his playstyle improves, Hugo still needs time to fully stack his "Resonance" gauge.
Reliant on Burst Damage: Hugo's entire damage output is concentrated in his burst phase. If his "Final Accounting" doesn't crit or fails to kill the enemy, he must restart the entire imbalance cycle, making his rotation feel sluggish.
