Guide
How the kit works
Use a teammate to Stun the enemy, then select Hugo for Chain Attack: Trick of Fate when a Chain Attack is triggered. Its shot counts as a charged shot. When the attack hits, Core Passive: Terminating Verdict gives Hugo Dark Abyss Reverb for 6 seconds: 12% CRIT Rate and 25% CRIT DMG. Hugo can also trigger it by Stunning an enemy himself.
Follow quickly with EX Special Attack: Soul Hunter - Punishment (Special), provided Hugo has enough Energy, or Ultimate: Blaspheme at maximum Decibel Rating. Their Finishing Moves trigger Totalize against a Stunned target. With another Stun or Ice character in the squad, Additional Ability: Prelude to Finality increases the damage of the skill that triggers Totalize by 40%.
Totalize adds 1,000% to the Finishing Move's DMG Multiplier, plus more based on remaining Stun time, up to a total increase of 3,400%. It normally ends Stun immediately, but gives the enemy 5% of its maximum Daze for each second remaining, up to 25%. On a target that is not Stunned, the EX Special Attack instead accumulates 20% more Daze.
After the EX Special Attack or Ultimate, go straight into the fourth hit of Basic Attack: Dark Abyss Quartet. Hold during the shot to charge it, then use Basic Attack: Dark Abyss Concerto for another slash and shot. You can charge that shot too.
After a Perfect Dodge, Dodge Counter: Phantasm - Slash can fire a chargeable shot and lead into the fourth Basic Attack hit. Quick Assist: Elegy offers the same follow-up when the active character is launched. Both shots count as Basic Attack DMG.
Build and why
Use four pieces of Hormone Punk. Its two-piece bonus gives 10% ATK, and switching Hugo in during combat gives him another 25% ATK for 10 seconds, once every 20 seconds. Add two pieces of Woodpecker Electro for 8% CRIT Rate, or Branch & Blade Song for 16% CRIT DMG. These are the game's recommended combinations.
Four pieces of Puffer Electro are another option: they increase Ultimate DMG by 20%, and launching an Ultimate gives 15% ATK for 12 seconds. Its two-piece bonus gives 8% PEN Ratio. Two pieces of Woodpecker Electro can fill the remaining slots.
For disc 4, choose CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG. For disc 5, use Ice DMG Bonus or Percent ATK; use Percent ATK on disc 6. Look for CRIT Rate first in substats, followed by CRIT DMG and Percent ATK. Remember the CRIT bonuses Hugo already gets from Dark Abyss Reverb when balancing his stats.
Myriad Eclipse is the first weapon choice. It gives 45% CRIT DMG, and dealing Ice DMG with an EX Special Attack, Chain Attack or Ultimate lets Hugo ignore 25% of enemy DEF on hits for 3 seconds. Deep Sea Visitor is next: it gives 25% Ice DMG and, after a Basic Attack hits, 10% CRIT Rate for 8 seconds. Its other CRIT effect requires Ice DMG from a Dash Attack, while Hugo's Dash Attack deals Physical DMG.
Heartstring Nocturne is another option for its 50% CRIT DMG. Its Heartstring stacks let Chain Attack and Ultimate ignore Fire RES, which does not help Hugo's Ice attacks.
Leveling priority
Follow the game's order: raise Core Passive: Terminating Verdict first, then the Special Attack line, Chain Attack, Basic Attack, Assist and Dodge. The Core Passive contains Totalize, while the EX Special Attack and Ultimate supply the Finishing Moves that trigger it. Basic Attack follows for the attacks and shots between those opportunities.
For maximum ascension, gather 800,000 Denny, 4 Basic Attack Certification Seal, 32 Advanced Attack Certification Seal and 30 Pioneer's Certification Seal.
To raise all skills to their maximum, you need 2,905,000 Denny, 25 Basic Freeze Chip, 75 Advanced Freeze Chip, 250 Specialized Freeze Chip, 5 Hamster Cage Pass, 9 Finale Dance Shoes and 60 Higher Dimensional Data: Murderous Obituary.
Mindscapes worth it
Crown of Thorns is a major upgrade to consider: shooting attacks can activate Dark Abyss Reverb, Totalize deals 60% more DMG, and the EX Special Attack's Finishing Move can trigger Totalize against an enemy that is not Stunned. Against that target, it gets a fixed 1,000% DMG Multiplier increase.
The Child Within is another strong option. It makes Totalize ignore 15% DEF, and Totalize from Ultimate: Blaspheme no longer ends the enemy's Stun. Child of Hatred adds 12% CRIT Rate and 30% CRIT DMG to a Totalize skill used during Dark Abyss Reverb.
Dramatic Theory is worth considering if you use charged shots: after one hits, Hugo's attacks ignore 12% of that target's Ice RES for 15 seconds. Fruit of the Poisonous Tree and Nirvana each add two levels to several skill categories; you can leave them out if you are not aiming for later upgrades.
Common mistakes
Do not wait until the end of the Stun window to use a Finishing Move. Totalize gains more multiplier from remaining time and normally ends Stun, so plan the rest of the team's attacks around that. The Ultimate exception requires the second Mindscape.
Do not assume every shot gives invulnerability. Some ranged phases instead raise Anti-Interrupt and reduce damage received by 40%. Also check weapon conditions before counting their bonuses: Hugo's Physical Dash Attack does not meet Deep Sea Visitor's Ice Dash Attack condition.
