Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ) Hollow Zero Exploration and Gameplay Guide

This section provides both a basic and detailed overview of the exploration system in Hollow Zero. The following sections will outline how different TV monitors work, and what to expect from different TV areas.

To explore Hollow Zero, players will control a Bangboo that can move around a series of television (TV) monitors. The game will show you the TV monitors you can take to fulfil your objective.

Accelerated Playback Mode allows the players to accelerate the pacing of text, voice, and animations on the TV monitors. To enter Accelerated Playback Mode, press the following:

• Left-Click on your mouse
• Left-Shift on your keyboard

Players can not only view their current floor progress, but also this session's current Badges, Coins, Inventory, and available Agents. Players can also use Bangboo Plug-Ins. Its effects will vary from each plug-in. For example, one plug-in can provide restorative items, Gear Coins, a Resonium, or a deadly trap.

At this time, only a description of the TV monitors can be provided. Images and official names will be added following the game's release. Please look forward to it!

After players select a Challenge, players can choose 1-6 Agents and 1 Bangboo to bring with them to the exploration. The squad will only consist of 3 active Agents at most, while the remaining Agents will need to be called through the Call Monitor.

Before beginning the Challenge, players can use this time to configure their Agents' stats, skills, and builds. Afterwards, players may deploy the squad and begin the commission.

To complete the Hollow Zero Challenge, players must fulfil the main objective displayed in the upper corner of the screen.

Players will have to explore several Challenge floors before successfully completing the objective.

Upon entering the Challenge, players must choose 1 of 3 random Resonia. A Resonium can provide combat bonuses, such as DMG increases and HP restoration, when the condition is fulfilled.

Your initial progression of any Hollow Zero session will only have your first Agent in your squad available. This Agent is designated as your squad's Leader, while the other Agents are considered as your squad's Backup Agents. Further progression will unlock the Backup Agents that you selected previously in Squad Formation. Through the Call Monitor, players can replace any Agents within the squad as needed.

You will also begin Hollow Zero with some Gear Coins, enabling you to purchase Resonium bonuses for the current Challenge session whenever you encounter a Shop Monitor.

The game will also provide a Guided by Fate scenario, where players will choose 1 of 3 Permanent Effects to have for the current Challenge session. These permanent effects can have both positive and negative effects, so players should choose their effects wisely.

Whenever the Bangboo enters a TV monitor, players may encounter an event that can vary from beneficial or adverse scenarios, combat areas, and more.

Once a monitor greys out, the Bangboo can no longer activate the TV monitor's effects anymore. The TV monitor will either stay greyed out, or turn off. This enables the Bangboo to travel freely across the TV monitors.

Some examples of general TV monitors are:

Monitor Screen	Description
Greyscale Bangboo Net	Bangboo Monitor: This is your Bangboo!
Moving Directional Arrows	Accelerated Monitors: A new path route for the Bangboo to take. The monitor indicates the Bangboo's movement direction. The movement direction can be changed with certain Button Monitors.
"Unknown"	Unknown Monitor: May provide good, bad, or no effects at all.
Red "Unlock"	Unlock Monitor: These TV monitors' effects are disabled until the Player clears the Combat Monitor.
Gold Safe	Safe Monitor: Allows the Player to take on debt, exchange Gear Coins, and access the Bank Monitor.
SOS	SOS Monitor: The area could be risky. Entering may result in a negative or beneficial Event Scenario.
Red Triangle with Weird Squares	Challenge Monitor: Players can start a Challenge Event.
Bangboo Recruitment Channel	Recruit Monitor: Recruits a Support Bangboo to the squad. You can pick 1 of 3 Random Bangboos, Ranging from A to S Rank.
Call Phone	Call Monitor: Players may choose to receive a Support Agent from your pool of Backup Agents.
Bangboo Climbing a Set of Stairs	Return Monitor: Returns the Bangboo back to its original Zone.
Bangboo Walking Through TV Monitors	Random Monitor: Moves the Bangboo to a temporary Zone with random TV monitors.
Conveyer Wormhole	Delivery Monitor: Moves the Bangboo to a new Zone on the same Floor.
Red Brick Wall	Wall Monitor: Your Bangboo cannot pass through this TV monitor. Some Wall Monitors are breakable if you continuously try to pass through, giving rewards upon breaking.
Static Image of a Location	Scenario Monitor: Grants an Event Scenario to interact with. Players may receive rewards, negative side-effects, or nothing.

In addition, there are item-related monitors that can be both good, bad, or unpredictable:

Monitor Screen	Description
Coins	Coin Monitor: Adds only Coins to your Inventory. In Hollow Zero, these coins are only Gear Coins.
Red S	Supply Monitor: To unlock the Supply Outpost, you need an S-Rank from the previous Combat Area. If the requirement is met, the Bangboo can move through to access the beneficial TV monitors locked behind it.
Welcome to the SHOP: Gold	Shop Monitor: Exchange or Catalyse Resonium. Only accepts Gear Coins. Sometimes players may encounter a Risky Transaction, which can give Corruptions upon purchase. Players may also receive a discount.
Welcome to the SHOP: Blue	Bank Monitor: Players can obtain, deposit, withdraw, and view Bank Points and its rewards. You can exchange Gear Coins, HP, and Pressure for Bank Points.
Chemistry Kit	Catalyse Monitor: Allows players to pick 1 of 3 random Resonium to catalyse.
Random Items	Item Monitor: Randomly gives you a usable item for the Challenge.
Med Kits, Gear Coins, and Sedative	Benefit Monitor: Players can choose to recover HP, obtain Gear Coins, or reduce Pressure.
Question Mark Blue Gashapon Machine	Resonium Monitor: Choose 1 of 3 random Resonium. The Resonia is only beneficial.
Question Mark Purple Gashapon Machine	Strange Monitor: Choose 1 of 3 random Artifice Resonium.

If you obtain any debt due to Gear Coin transactions, you can receive a percentage back whenever you purchase something at the Shop. You will also earn Bank Points whenever you encounter the Bank, or conduct any transactions at the Bank.

If you are unable to pay back your debt before leaving the Hollow Zero Challenge, you will receive a guaranteed adverse effect, such as losing your Resonia as collateral.

If players encounter an Event Scenario, such as a Fate or Scenario Monitor, they may choose options that can have varying effects on the following:

• Combat Supplies
• Gear Coins
• Squad's Stats and HP

If the effect is beneficial, unpredictable, or has both good and bad effects, the option's icon will have a normal colour (ie. Gear Coin icon is normally yellow). However, if the effect is guaranteed to be detrimental to the player, such as a Risk Effect, the icon will be red instead.

Players can encounter beneficial TV monitors that can provide rewards and restoration, such as:

Monitor Screen	Description
Hard Construction Helmet with Bangboo Ears (Blue)	Relax Monitor: Reduces Pressure. The monitor will turn off after one use.
Sleeping Bangboo (Green)	Rest Monitor: The squad can recover their HP at these TV monitors. The monitor will turn off after one use.

Players can also encounter adverse TV monitors, which aim to cause gameplay troubles, such as:

Monitor Screen	Description
Vertical Stripes labelled "Danger Area"	No Signal Monitor: Adds a random amount of Pressure to your Bangboo. If your Pressure hits 100, you will receive a Corruption.
Red Gas Mask	Invasion Monitor: Injures the squad and makes them take HP damage. If your Agent's HP hits 0, they will be out of combat.

If players encounter an Encrypted Area, the Bangboo will fall down to a secret zone, surrounded by an assortment of TV monitors. Called the "Entertainment Zone," Players may choose to test their luck and win additional prizes or coins, take HP damage, recover the squad's HP, encounter random events, analyse data about the Encrypted Area, or leave.

Upon completing the data analysis for the Encrypted Area, the Bangboo can enter a Special Area, where they can choose several monitors to benefit from:

• Resonium Monitor: Pick 1 of 3 random Resoniums to collect. The selection will randomize up to 3 times, allowing players to select 3 Resoniums to keep before the Monitor turns off.
• Relax Monitor: A Blue monitor that will reduce your current Pressure level to 0.
• Rest Monitor: A Green monitor that will recover your current squad's HP to full.
• Gear Coin Monitor: Adds Gear Coins to your inventory. These can be used for Resonium-related activities on Shop Monitors.

Players may choose to benefit from all monitors if they wish, or leave whenever by entering the Return Monitor.

Whenever the player lands on a Combat Monitor or Critical Monitor, the monitor will break and the Bangboo will lose its signal. To fix the TV monitor, the deployed squad will have to complete a combat challenge that involves wiping out the enemies.

Monitor Screen	Description
Red Triangle	Combat Monitor: The TV monitor will encounter a 404 Error and lose signal. Players must finish combat to continue exploration.
An Assortment of Colourful Triangles and Z.Z.Z. Logos	Critical Monitor: From this monitor, players can enter the critical stage of the commission. Once started, you can no longer explore freely and must proceed.

If players encounter a Critical Monitor, the deployed squad must wipe out the enemies in order to exit the floor or the Challenge completely. The Critical Monitor will be labelled as "To Be Continued" if the area can proceed to the next floor upon successful completion.

If players fail to complete the Combat Area, they may choose to Retreat or Retry. If players choose to Retreat, the Challenge will end early; otherwise, choosing to Retry will grant players another chance of succeeding and proceeding with the commission.

After completing combat and fixing the TV monitor, players will be rewarded with Bangboo Upgrade Materials, Investigation Points, Withering Crystals, and Dennies. If players received an S-Rank score, they can access the Frontline Supply Outpost through the Supply Monitor, which is a series of beneficial TV monitors, such as the Coin, Resonium, Catalyst, and Gold Shop Monitors. Players can also receive an S-Rank Resonia when they reach certain Score tiers for the session.

They will also receive Gear Coins. In addition, upon entering the next floor, players can choose 1 of 3 random Resonium. If players are exiting the Challenge, they will receive a session exploration summary and total rewards instead.

This is the currency used during Hollow Zero gameplay. Its main function is to purchase Resonium bonuses at the Shop Monitor. These bonuses include purchasing up to 3 random Resonia, as well as catalyzing Resonium to make them stronger.

Players may also encounter Scenario Monitors or Coin Monitors, which either use or provide Gear Coins.

Over time, the Bangboo will accumulate Pressure, tracked on the bar at the bottom of the screen. Every time the Bangboo enters a non-restorative TV Monitor, it will generate 10 Pressure, up to a maximum of 100.

Players can reduce Pressure by entering a blue TV Monitor labelled "Relax Area," or known as a Relax Monitor. This monitor will help reduce the Bangboo's Pressure.

When the Pressure reaches 100, a random Corruption can occur in the Challenge. This can be tracked at the bottom of the screen.

Corruptions will help remove all Pressure from the Bangboo, but they will also give players negative effects during combat and exploration. Players can learn more about the Corruption effects by viewing its details during gameplay.