As a battle-hardened player who's been grinding Zenless Zone Zero since day one, I can tell you the combat system is no walk in the park. It's similar to Honkai Impact 3rd with a lot of spam attacks and dodge mechanisms, but if you want to achieve success in 2026's endgame, you absolutely must master it. Conveniently, you can enter the VR Testing Machine to access VR Training and perfect those combat abilities. I spent hours there, and it's a total game-changer. No cap.

First things first: when your Agents' health is depleted, please evacuate from the Hollow immediately. Don't be a hero. Now, let's talk Energy. Agents gain Energy over time when they are on the field. Basic Attacks, Dodge Counters, and Dash Attacks also generate Energy. Additionally, breaking supply chests and picking up Energy matter dropped by defeated enemies increases Energy for the entire squad. When enemies are hit, they accumulate Daze. When Daze reaches 100%, enemies become Stunned, rendering them unable to move and more susceptible to damage. That's your window to unleash hell.

Press [Left-Click Mouse] to launch Basic Attack. Some Agents can also unleash alternative moves by holding [Left-Click Mouse] during a Basic Attack Combo. Press [E] to launch a Special Attack. Special Attacks have a Heavy Attack effect. Special Attacks are enhanced when your accumulated Energy exceeds the Energy Icon. Once you've gathered sufficient Energy, both the Special Attack button and the Energy Icon will light up, signaling that you may press [E] to expend Energy and launch an EX Special Attack. Billy's EX Special Attack is a sight to behold.

If there are 2 or more Agents in your squad, hitting a Stunned enemy with a Heavy Attack will trigger a Chain Attack. Pressing an Agent's avatar on the left or right before the countdown at the bottom of the screen ends will trigger the Agent's Chain Attack. When your squad is full, hitting a Stunned Normal Enemy triggers 1 Chain Attack, while hitting a Stunned Elite Enemy triggers 2 Chain Attacks, and hitting a Stunned Boss Enemy triggers 3 Chain Attacks.

Hitting enemies, using Chain Attacks and Dodge Counters, and triggering Assist Follow-Ups build up Decibel Rating. When your Decibel Rating reaches 3000, the Ultimate button will light up, signaling you may press [Q] to clear the Decibel Rating and unleash an Ultimate. Press [Right-Click Mouse] to Dodge. Using a Basic Attack while dodging will launch a Dash Attack.

When an Agent is about to be attacked, tap [Right-Click Mouse] to launch a Perfect Dodge. After a successful Perfect Dodge, immediately tap Basic Attack to launch a Dodge Counter with a Heavy Attack effect. When there are 2 or more Agents in the squad, pressing [Space] will replace the Agent on the field with the next Agent to its right on the Agent bar in the top-left corner.

When the Agent on the field is knocked back, another Agent's Assist Attack window will trigger. Switching Agents during this window triggers a Reactive Assist. Reactive Assists have a Heavy Attack effect. When the Agent in combat is about to get hit, press Switch Agents to switch out, consume Assist Points, and activate a Perfect Assist. There are two types of Perfect Assists:

• Defensive Assist: Parry the enemy's attack and inflict Daze.

• Evasive Assist: Dodge the enemy's attack and trigger Vital View.

You can activate up to 3 Perfect Assists in a row within a certain period. You can trigger Chain Attacks to regenerate Assist Points. When you do not have Assist Points, the Agent switching in will automatically Perfect Dodge instead.

After a successful Perfect Assist, click Basic Attack or Special Attack to launch Assist Follow-Up.

The flashing prompt before enemy attacks signals which moves can activate a Perfect Assist. A golden flash indicates a Perfect Assist can be triggered. A red flash indicates you do not have enough Assist Points, or the requirement for this type of Perfect Assist are not met. An attack without a flash indicates a Perfect Assist cannot be triggered.

All Agents are categorized into five Attributes: Fire, Electric, Ice, Physical, and Ether. In addition, Agents can specialize in three different fighting styles: Slash, Strike, and Pierce. Before starting a commission, it's best if you select Agents of corresponding specialties based on the commission's combat requirements to provide your squad with an advantage in battle.

Impact determines the rate at which you apply Daze to your enemies. PEN allows your Agents to penetrate a certain amount of the enemy's DEF when attacking. Energy Regen determines the amount of Energy per second Agents automatically gain in battle. Certain Hollows may grant a bonus Energy Generation Rate, which allows your Agents to gain more Energy through automatic regeneration and attacking enemies.

Dealing elemental damage also accumulates Anomaly Buildup that inflicts various Attribute Anomalies on enemies! Once a certain level of buildup is reached, the enemy will be afflicted with an Attribute Anomaly Debuff of the corresponding Attribute. Additionally, exploiting enemies' weakness to certain Attributes to trigger Attribute Anomaly will intensify the Anomaly effect.

Attribute	Counters	Anomaly Effect
⚡ Electric	Robotic enemies	Shock: intermittent Electric damage, interrupts actions; robots cannot move.
🔥 Fire	Organic enemies	Burn: continuous Fire damage; organics cannot move.
🌌 Ether	Ethereal enemies	Corruption: extra Ether damage when attacked; corrupted Ethereals attack friend and foe.
💪 Physical	—	Assault (interrupt + massive Physical damage) and Armor Break (reduced Physical Resistance).
❄️ Ice	—	Freeze (prevents action, triggers Shatter at end) and Frostbite (reduced Ice Resistance).

In 2026, these fundamentals remain the bedrock of high-level play. New agents and gear have arrived, but the core loop hasn't changed. So get in that VR machine, practice your Perfect Assists, and watch your Daze. Trust me, once you master this, you'll be styling on enemies like a pro. Git gud, and I'll see you in the Hollows.