Zenless Zone Zero: How to Beat The Hound Ulidim

To defeat The Hound Ulidim in Zenless Zone Zero, you must adapt your combat stance as the boss shifts between phases. Maintain outer-arena spacing and save stamina while the boss circles in its Hunting phase, then switch to defensive spacing and perfect-dodge timing when it transitions into its rapid Nightfall State inside the Hound Domain.

Managing the Initial Hunting Phase

During the opening Hunting phase, Ulidim uses wide circular movement patterns to force frequent camera turns and trick players into over-committing. Chasing the boss across the arena exposes your squad to sudden directional counter-attacks.

Follow these tactical rules to manage the field:

Maintain Perimeter Spacing: Stay near the outer edge of the arena to keep the boss in your primary field of view and prevent sudden off-screen strikes.
Track Audio Cues: Listen closely to shifts in movement audio and soundtrack intensity, which signal an impending leap, dash, or slam.
Conserve Stamina: Avoid using dodge charges while the boss is merely circling. Save your evade meter for when Ulidim actively commits to an attack animation.

Surviving the Nightfall State Transition

When the fight transitions into the Hound Domain, Ulidim enters the Nightfall State. This phase drastically increases the boss's mobility, attack frequency, and aggression. The boss frequently uses environmental positioning to leap directly onto your position.

Immediately reset your combat priorities upon seeing the transition:

Keep Camera Lock: Keep your camera centered on the boss's silhouette to anticipate sudden lunges.
Back Off During the Initial Leap: Shift from offensive combos to defensive spacing. Stepping in during the transition animation results in unnecessary chip damage.
Wait Out the Primary Combo: Allow the boss to finish its opening leap sequence before triggering heavy attacks or chain combinations.

Team Composition Trade-Offs in the Hound Domain

The Hound Domain test favors sustained defensive stability over glass-cannon burst damage. Characters with long animation locks can leave your squad exposed during Ulidim's rapid strike windows.

Strategy Focus	Key Advantage	Main Limitation
Aggressive Carry Focus	Clears initial adds quickly; provides high short-term burst.	Heavy attack animations risk getting locked into Ulidim's rapid multi-hit counters.
Defensive Support Focus	Shields, damage mitigation, and steady energy generation keep the team stable.	Slower overall fight clear time, requiring consistency across multiple attack cycles.

If your carries are repeatedly interrupted by Nightfall strikes, swap in a support character capable of shielding or energy regeneration. This allows your team to absorb unexpected hits and pool ultimate abilities for the post-combo vulnerability windows.

Timing Perfect Dodges Against Nightfall Strikes

Ulidim's strikes in the Nightfall State are fast, but they follow consistent wind-up telegraphs. Mastering your evasive timing is the primary method for taking back control of the encounter.

Watch for the subtle charge or tension in the boss's posture prior to a leap. Executing a perfect dodge during these telegraphs activates a slow-motion window, neutralizing the boss's speed advantage and opening a safe retaliatory window for your primary damage dealer. Focus on defensive timing until the full attack sequence resolves, then execute your main damage rotation.