ZZZ Operation Bagel Guide Spooky Trial, Hound & Extraction

GamsGo Team

By GamsGo Team

2026/11/02

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Ever since Enigma of the Labyrinth: Operation Bagel arrived in Version 3.1, plenty of Proxies have gone into Papago Hollow with the same slightly unreasonable goal: to become a legendary investigator and fill every last slot in the collectible catalog. That usually means one more run, then somehow another one after that.

I know the feeling. I finally got Sunna cat ears collectible recently, while Remielle's mask is still nowhere to be found. Collecting valuables is not just about completing the catalog. Expanding it also earns Polychromes and other rewards, while many of the items themselves are small windows into the characters, places, and odd corners of New Eridu.

After two seasons of Operation Bagel, this guide brings together what I have actually found useful for both new investigators entering Papago Hollow and experienced runners trying to get more value out of every extraction, including Agent picks, routes, keycards, Ulidim, and when it is finally time to leave.

If you want a smoother time pushing deeper into Enigma of the Labyrinth: Operation Bagel, you can top up ZZZ on GamsGo to round out your teams and prepare for the future Sunbringer version.

zzz top up

Spooky Trial Guide: Rewards, Candle Cores & Spookies Recycling

ZZZ Version 3.3 introduces Spooky Trial to Operation Bagel, adding three-round combat challenges, special red-rarity Valuables, and a new way to earn extra Season Coins. It's worth prioritizing during your investigations, especially if you're hunting rare collectibles or want useful combat buffs before tackling tougher areas.

How to Find Spooky Trial and Get Spookies Power Candles

Spooky Trial locations

Spooky Trial locations are marked with a special icon on the investigation map. Before heading there, prepare Spookies Power Candles by purchasing them from the Limited Spookies section of Boojee's Store or searching Spookies Carrot Containers, the distinctive carrot-shaped containers found during exploration.

These containers can also drop Candle Cores, so they're worth checking even if you already have enough candles. Once you reach the marked location, submit your candles at the Spookies Tactics Table to begin a trial.

Spooky Trial Rewards: Buffs and Red-Rarity Valuables

Spooky Trial Rewards

Each Spooky Trial features three consecutive combat rounds with increasing difficulty. You can choose your trial rewards, earn buffs that remain active during the investigation, and collect Valuables and Candle Cores. You can also claim your accumulated rewards after an earlier round instead of pushing through all three.

Pay special attention whenever a red-rarity Valuable appears among the reward options. The new collectibles include Trinket: Angelboo, Trinket: Devilboo, Trinket: Timidboo, and Trinket: Quirky Carrot.

These are particularly valuable for players working toward a complete collection. Prioritize rare collectible opportunities when they appear, but don't assume every trial guarantees one.

For regular farming, clearing Spooky Trial early is often worthwhile. Its combat buffs can make the rest of your investigation easier, while rare Valuables give collectors another reason to return.

Spookies Recycling: Sell Candle Cores for More Season Coins

Spookies Recycling

Candle Cores are primarily used to earn additional Season Coins. You can obtain them from Spooky Trial rewards and Spookies Carrot Containers, then sell the cores you successfully extract at Spookies Recycling in Omond Research Station.

The trick is that different players have different buyback prices. The recycling interface lets you compare offers from friends, so check the highest available price and visit that friend's Recycling shop before selling. You can also visit shops belonging to Outpost members or use another player's share code.

There's no reason to accept a lower offer when a friend is paying more. Comparing prices before selling is one of the easiest ways to increase your Season Coin earnings without running another investigation.

Spooky Trial Shop Rewards

Spooky Trial Shop

The Limited Spookies section of Boojee's Store includes Polychromes, Spookies Power Candles, and the exclusive Full Moon Homecoming Proxy accessory. Check these limited rewards alongside the seasonal items available through Season Coins, and prioritize anything you don't want to miss.

These limited-time offers are only available during Version 3.3, which ends on December 2, 2026. Make sure to claim your preferred rewards before the update.

Mimic Substance Synthesis

ZZZ Version 3.3 adds Mimic Substance Synthesis to High-Risk investigations in Operation Bagel. Collect three different substances, Mimic Substance X, Y, and Z, and they will automatically combine into a Valuable. Among the rewards are the new Bangboo Card: Angel and Bangboo Card: Devil, making this system especially worth farming if you're working on your Collections.

How to Farm Mimic Substance X, Y, and Z

Mimic Substance Synthesis

Mimic Substances can appear in regular containers, drop from specific enemies, or be obtained through featured Investigation Events. From my own runs, container drops are fairly reasonable, but getting all three different types is another story. You can easily end up with multiple copies of X or Y and never find that last Z before extraction.

The most reliable approach is to follow the marked Mimic Substance targets on your investigation map. These special elite enemies are clearly marked, so plan your farming route around them instead of relying entirely on random containers.

Bringing a featured UP Agent makes things more consistent. Remielle, Jane, and Phoenix are among the current UP options. Their featured Investigation Event lets you choose a Mimic Substance, which is particularly useful when you're missing just one type.

UP Agent

You can still complete a set without an UP Agent, but having that extra choice removes some of the RNG. The featured Agent lineup may change in future rotations.

Bangboo Card: Angel and Devil Synthesis Rewards

Bangboo Card

Once X, Y, and Z are together in your inventory, synthesis happens automatically. You don't need to visit a crafting station, and you can repeat the process multiple times in a single investigation if you collect enough substances.

The two standout rewards are Bangboo Card: Angel and Bangboo Card: Devil. Player reports suggest that the Devil Card is harder to obtain, although official synthesis rates have not been published. Neither card is individually guaranteed, so don't expect every completed set to give you the one you're missing.

I managed to collect both cards within just a couple of runs, but other players have needed far more attempts. As usual with rare Valuables, a lucky start doesn't mean everyone will have the same experience.

Extract Spare Mimic Substances for Collection Rewards

Already have both Bangboo Cards? You can switch your focus to the substances themselves. Any Mimic Substance you extract without synthesizing becomes its corresponding Inert Substance X, Y, or Z. These can no longer be combined, but they can be stored or sold.

If you're missing those entries in your Collections, bringing out each type is worth doing for the one-time Polychrome rewards. Just remember that X, Y, and Z will automatically synthesize if all three are in your inventory at the same time, so leave out at least one type when collecting the inert versions.

There's also a familiar catch: picking up Mimic Substances causes Corruption, and collecting more increases the chance of severe Corruption. The effects last only for the current investigation, but they can make the rest of your run much harder.

Remember the old Hollow Zero TV-grid days, when one more pickup could turn a perfectly good run into a mess? Yeah, that feeling is back. If you've already found the collectibles you need, sometimes extracting safely is better than chasing one more synthesis.

How to Get the Break-Even Beacon in ZZZ Operation Bagel

ZZZ Operation Bagel

The good news is that you can farm the Beacon while picking up Gear Boxes and other useful loot at the same time. Here is what to look for and how to make each run count.

What Does the Break-Even Beacon Do?

The Break-Even Beacon lets you secure part of your loot before the run is over. When used, it summons Booji to take selected supplies out of the Hollow early.

Those supplies are kept even if you fail to extract later, and they still count toward the run's earnings. This makes the Beacon especially useful when you have already picked up valuable items but still want to keep exploring instead of extracting immediately.

Where Does the Break-Even Beacon Drop?

The Break-Even Beacon can randomly drop from Briefcases on Hard or High-Risk difficulty. It is not a guaranteed drop, so you may need to check several Briefcases across multiple runs before finding one.

If the Beacon is your main target, short repeat runs are usually more efficient than clearing the entire map. Check the real Briefcases you can reach quickly, then reset and run them again.

Real Briefcases vs Search Supply

Not every case that looks like a Briefcase uses the same loot pool.

After opening one, check the name shown above the loot. A real container is labeled "Briefcase." If it is labeled "Search Supply," it is a fake Briefcase and cannot drop the Break-Even Beacon.

This matters most in Janus Illusion, where both types can appear. If you have been opening every case-shaped container but never seeing a Beacon, you may be spending part of each run on Search Supply instead of real Briefcases.

zzz bagel Real Briefcases vs Search Supply

Before You Start: Bring Some Basic Gear

I do not recommend going into Janus with no gear at all. A zero-gear run limits which Gear Boxes you can safely reach, and avoiding every nearby enemy can actually make the farm slower.

Give your main Agent a piece of S-Rank [Fragile] High-Grade Gear around Lv.45-50. That is already enough to clear the easier enemies guarding some Gear Boxes, so you can sweep all of the Janus Gear Box locations in just a few minutes.

If the Hound has not forced you out by then, use the extra time to check a few Strongboxes and fill your Safe before extracting. Otherwise, just end the run and start the next loop.

This setup costs very little in practice. Gear Boxes regularly give you [Fragile] Gear while you farm them, so you can replace what you use without spending much on the route.

Fast Janus Briefcase + Gear Box Farming Route

Fast Janus Briefcase + Gear Box Farming Route

Six Dusk Street Station Spawn

If you spawn on the Six Dusk Street subway platform, run straight ahead first and check whether a Strongbox has spawned on the first floor. Then take the stairs on your left up to the second floor and loot the Gear Box there.

From here, keep heading north toward the Briefcase at the northern corner. You can loot this one without aggroing the nearby Ethereals. Continue forward, loop south to the Gear Box in central Six Dusk Street, then move into Dove Street Construction Site and check the two Gear Boxes there.

Dove Street Construction Site Elevator Spawn

If you spawn by the elevator in the middle of Dove Street Construction Site, start with the two nearby Gear Boxes.

After that, head toward the Gear Box in central Six Dusk Street. From there, you can run Route A in reverse, checking the northern Briefcase before finishing around Six Dusk Street Station.

Extra Briefcase and Strongbox Checks Between 141 and Random Play

After looting the Gear Box in central Six Dusk Street, you can also make a short detour toward 141 Convenience Store. A Strongbox always spawns on your left along this path. Keep going farther in and you will reach another Briefcase.

There is also a shutter on the right side a short distance ahead. The area behind it can spawn up to two Strongboxes, but this part is RNG. You may find two, one, or none at all.

Operation Bagel Maps and Best High-Risk Routes

SUBURBS ILLUSION

SUBURBS ILLUSION

Suburbs Illusion combines areas styled after Fantasy Beach, Windworn Highway, Bunless Bae Town, and Bahamut Warehouse, giving you plenty of room to rotate between different loot areas. The red route above only shows the general direction of a full-map run, so use it as a reference rather than something you need to follow exactly.

One advantage of the route shown above is the rotation from Bunless Bae Town toward Bahamut Warehouse. This section lines up well with Pyrois' rail running, letting you cover the distance much faster and spend less of the run simply moving between loot areas.

I would only take the Windworn Highway → Fantasy Beach route if I am aiming for a quick extraction. For a longer loot run, it usually creates unnecessary backtracking later. That extra travel time lets Cacophony keep eating into your team's HP and gives Ulidim more chances to force you to bail early.

Compared with Janus Illusion, Suburbs Illusion puts much more weight on routing. Janus is smaller and denser, with less downtime between loot spots. Suburbs is larger, so poor rotations cost more time and resources are more spread out. In return, longer runs can pay off if you route well and make good use of its Keycard rooms and high-value events.

JANUS ILLUSION

JANUS ILLUSION

Janus Illusion does not really have one fixed route. Your spawn and random high-value events often matter more than any preset path. A Data Recovery event, for example, can send you across the map, and it is not unusual to finish the last investigation point in Lumina Central only to find the final objective back near Six Dusk Street.

The subway gives Janus much more flexibility. If you spawn near Dove Street Construction Site, you can work your way through Six Dusk Street, then use the nearby transit connection to rotate back toward Lumina Central for the later part of the run and extraction.

This is one of the map's biggest advantages: even when an event pulls you away from your original plan, you have ways to cut out a lot of the return trip.

Janus is also more compact than Suburbs Illusion, and community players often use it for short, efficient Gear Box runs because several boxes can be checked without covering much ground. My own tip for a top-side spawn is to push a little farther forward and pull the Twin Marionettes together to save time.

SUBURBS ILLUSION Special Event - Starlight Billy

Starlight Billy can randomly appear in the large elevator between Fantasy Beach and Windworn Highway in Suburbs Illusion. On the map, look for the elevator in the lower-left section, marked by a rectangular icon with three white horizontal lines. Starlight Billy is a random encounter, so he will not appear in every run.

The elevator locks you into a special Doppelganger Starlight Billy fight and limits your usual Etheric Phantom options. Defeating him can reward rare Z-Rank Transmorpher Valuables, making the detour worthwhile if you are filling the Collection, but risky on expensive High-Risk runs.

SUBURBS ILLUSION Special Event - Starlight Billy

Operation Bagel Gear Box Locations and Blueprint Farming

All Gear Box Locations in Janus Illusion

Gear Boxes and Blueprints
Six Dusk North Station Gear Box
Random Play North Corner Gear Box
Dove Street Site Gear Box
Unfinished Site Gear Box

A. Six Dusk North Station, South 2F Platform

B. Random Play North Corner

C. Dove Street Site, North Side

D. Unfinished Site, 3F

Janus Illusion has several Gear Boxes that are easy to check during short farming runs. The map and locations above mark four useful locations from A to D.

Which Blueprints Should You Farm First?

Farm what the shop cannot solve for you. Your main Gear Box targets should be Bangboo Big Inventory, High-Grade Blade of the Other series, and High-Grade Anti-Corruption Device.

  • [Blueprint] High-Grade Anti-Corruption Device: This is one of the biggest upgrades for longer High-Risk runs. It reduces squad Corruption gain by 55% and Agent damage taken by 45%, giving you much more room to keep looting instead of cutting a route short.
  • [Blueprint] High-Grade Blade of the Other: The S-Rank Blade variants improve Perfect Block, Phase Dash, and Powerful Slash, making fights faster and giving you better tools against elites, bosses, and Cacophony Shields.
  • [Blueprint] Bangboo Big Inventory: The S-Rank version adds 30 Inventory slots, which has a direct impact on almost every run. More space means fewer forced drops, more high-value loot carried to extraction, and less time spent deciding what to leave behind.

Other blueprints are still useful, especially for your main Agents or favorite Etheric Phantoms. However, many Tactical Prism blueprints can be bought from Boojee's Store, and Phantoms can be restocked directly, so they are usually lower-priority farming targets than the three equipment blueprints above.

Best Agents and Teams for Operation Bagel

The best Operation Bagel Agents are not always the strongest Agents in Shiyu Defense or Deadly Assault. Mobility, survivability, i-frames, healing, and Tactical Prism effects matter much more during long loot runs.

Best Ye Shunguang Teams

Best Ye Shunguang Teams
Team 1
Ye Shunguang
Ye Shunguang
Sunna
Sunna
Zhao
Zhao
Best For
Long loot runs / Lower-cost teams
Team 2
Ye Shunguang
Ye Shunguang
Sunna
Sunna
Dialyn
Dialyn
Best For
High-Risk / Boss fights

Ye Shunguang is arguably the most dominant all-around Agent in Operation Bagel right now. Her mobility, generous i-frames, and massive burst damage make long loot runs unusually comfortable, while still giving her more than enough firepower for High-Risk fights and bosses.

Sunna + Zhao is the smoother, lower-cost option, helping Ye maintain her Qingming Sword Force cycle and reach Enlightened Mind more consistently. Sunna + Dialyn instead pushes her burst ceiling higher by giving Ye more Ultimate-based entries into Enlightened Mind.

Best Yixuan Teams

Best Yixuan Teams
Team 1
Yixuan
Yixuan
Lucia
Lucia
Dialyn
Dialyn
Best For
High-Risk / Higher damage ceiling
Team 2
Yixuan
Yixuan
Lucia
Lucia
Ju Fufu
Ju Fufu
Best For
Stable runs / Reliable combat

Yixuan is a very strong Operation Bagel pick thanks to how well her kit handles long, messy fights. Her EX Special can enter a Parry stance and trigger a Perfect Block, which gives her strong defensive utility, while her two Ultimates make clearing tougher enemy groups and bosses much easier without sacrificing too much safety.

Lucia + Dialyn is the higher-damage option, giving Yixuan stronger Stun pressure and more aggressive Ultimate cycles. Lucia + Ju Fufu is the steadier alternative, with reliable off-field Daze and team buffs, making it a better fit for safer, more consistent runs.

Best Miyabi Teams

Best Miyabi Teams
Team 1
Miyabi
Miyabi
Yuzuha
Yuzuha
Nangong Yu
Nangong Yu
Best For
High-Risk / Fast Disorder and Stun
Team 2
Miyabi
Miyabi
Yuzuha
Yuzuha
Vivian
Vivian
Best For
Stable runs / Extra off-field damage

Miyabi is a very comfortable pick for Operation Bagel thanks to her wide attack coverage, fast movement, and plenty of i-frames. She clears groups quickly, rotates around the map well, and her flexible team options make her easy to fit into both safer loot runs and more aggressive High-Risk setups.

Yuzuha + Nangong Yu is the stronger premium setup, with faster Anomaly buildup, more frequent Disorder triggers, and quicker Stun windows. Yuzuha + Vivian is a flexible alternative that adds reliable off-field Abloom damage, but Nangong Yu generally offers the higher overall ceiling for Miyabi.

Best Remielle Teams

Best Remielle Teams
Team 1
Remielle
Remielle
Velina
Velina
Aira
Aira
Best For
Mechanic Synergy / High Stun Burst
Team 2
Remielle
Remielle
Velina
Velina
Promia
Promia
Best For
EX Special Dodge / Safer skill windows

Remielle is a strong Operation Bagel pick because her Lumiflux and Luminize can inherit different Attributes from her teammates, letting the same core adapt to bosses with different weaknesses. As a Void Hunter, she also brings excellent mobility, long i-frames, heavy burst damage, and strong off-field contribution.

Velina is basically the core partner, while Aria and Promeia are two of the strongest current choices for the third slot. Phoenix is also shaping up as a natural partner in Version 3.3 if her current kit direction holds, but Velina remains the hardest piece of the team to replace.

The catch, from my own Bagel runs, is that Remielle still spends a lot of the fight building resources off-field, so your on-field Agent has to survive the dangerous part of the run. Neither her Talent nor Tactical Prism fully makes up for that weakness.

Remielle herself has long i-frames and absurd burst windows, but once Cacophony stacks up and Ulidim lands a few clean hits, a fragile driver can disappear very quickly. That makes Remielle teams powerful, but noticeably more demanding on your frontline play than something like Ye Shunguang.

Best Starlight Billy Team

Best Starlight Billy Team
Best Team
Starlight Billy
Starlight Billy
Lucia
Lucia
Dialyn
Dialyn
Best For
High-Risk / Strong Stun Windows

Starlight Billy has quickly become one of the strongest new picks for Operation Bagel. His HP-based Rupture kit gives him strong damage and a naturally bulky stat line, while his many i-frames and built-in healing make long High-Risk runs much more forgiving.

Season 2 pushed him even further with a new Tactical Prism that reduces damage from bosses and Ulidim as you collect more Red Valuables. It fits the mode extremely well, giving Billy even more room to survive the long, punishing fights that usually end weaker frontline Agents.

Let Starlight Shine!

Which Keycards Are Worth Using in Operation Bagel?

You finally find a Keycard in a Briefcase, only to realize the room it opens is completely off your planned route. Turning back could mean several extra minutes of travel, more Cacophony buildup, and a much higher chance of running into Ulidim before extraction.

That is where Keycard value really matters: some rooms are worth changing your route for, while others are better left for a run that naturally passes nearby.

Below is my shortlist of the most worthwhile Keycards on both Operation Bagel maps, ranked by how much loot value they offer compared with the time and detour they usually cost.

T0
Bahamut Warehouse 2F
Bahamut Warehouse 2F
Lumina Central Top-Floor Conference Room
Lumina Central Top-Floor Conference Room
T1
Phantom Aquarium West Gate
Phantom Aquarium West Gate
Lumina Central 1F Lounge
Lumina Central 1F Lounge
Lumina Central 2F Reception Room
Lumina Central 2F Reception Room
T2
Bunless Bae Town Storage Center 2F
Bunless Bae Town Storage Center 2F
Cheezburg Bistro
Cheezburg Bistro
Random Play 1F
Random Play 1F
Dove Phase II Project Top Floor
Dove Phase II Project Top Floor

T0 Must Open

The two Z-Rank Keycard rooms, Bahamut Warehouse 2F and Lumina Central Top-Floor Conference Room, stand out because they are more than just rooms full of strongboxes.

Red Valuables can spawn directly on tables or the floor, so sometimes the jackpot is sitting there before you even open a Strongbox. I have personally found Boo-rick Phones and the Crispy Pan-Fried Dumpling Ornament sitting directly on tables or the floor.

If one of these cards drops during a High-Risk run, I am either heading straight there or getting out safely and coming back in another High-Risk run just to open it. If I find one in a lower difficulty, I simply save it for High-Risk.

Bahamut Warehouse 2F Keycard Room Location and drops

Bahamut Warehouse 2F is the Z-Rank Keycard room in Suburbs Illusion. Once you reach Bahamut Warehouse, head to the second floor and look for the locked Control Room. You need the Bahamut Warehouse, 2F Keycard to open it.

The room contains several high-value loot checks, including Electronic Strongboxes and other Supplies. Do not leave after opening the boxes. Check the tables and floor as well, since Valuables can also spawn loose inside Keycard rooms. The exact loot is random, so a Red Valuable is possible but not guaranteed.

If you are saving Keycards between runs, I would keep this one for High-Risk rather than spend it on Hard. Some Valuables are limited to High-Risk, which gives the room a better ceiling there. A Golden Bangboo is also useful if you have one, since it lets you clear the Electronic Strongboxes much faster.

T1 Worth Opening

Phantom Aquarium West Gate is one of the few non-red cards I would actually change my route for. The Aquarium is already a strong loot stop, and if you follow a route similar to the one above, you will probably pass through it again before extraction anyway.

The room also packs several high-value loot spots into a small area, so it is usually worth opening when you have the card.

Lumina Central 1F Lounge and 2F Reception Room are strong mainly because they are so easy to chain together. If you are already clearing Lumina Central, opening both costs very little extra travel, especially when you also have the Top-Floor Conference Room card. That efficiency is what pushes them into T1.

Best Etheric Phantoms for 3M High-Risk

T0
Thracian
Thracian
Primordial Nightmare
Primordial Nightmare
Scorched Horizon
Scorched Horizon
T0.5
Golden Bangboo
Golden Bangboo
Haytor
Haytor
Scorpse
Scorpse
T1
Heretic Jester
Heretic Jester
Mutant Formicarrier
Mutant Formicarrier
Sobek
Sobek
Unfathomable
Unfathomable
T1.5
Sanguine Sweeper
Sanguine Sweeper
Rampant Brute
Rampant Brute

T0 is for Phantoms that can directly swing a High-Risk fight. Thracian stands out for shredding Ulidim’s Cacophony Shield, while Primordial Nightmare brings huge damage and Scorched Horizon brings strong Daze.

T0.5 is led by Golden Bangboo, one of the best utility picks for faster looting. Haytor and Scorpse are both strong options, but their impact is less decisive than the T0 picks.

How to Deal with Ulidim the Hound

The Hound Ulidim is spotted, hot on your trail.

Once this warning appears, Ulidim has started hunting you. From here, you need to know when the Hound can appear, how its phantoms are connected to the real Ulidim, how to drive it away, and what can pull you into its Night Domain.

When Does Ulidim Spawn?

Ulidim does not spawn on a fixed timer. During a run, the Hound is mainly triggered as the total value of the loot you are carrying crosses hidden earnings thresholds. Community testing puts the first natural spawn at roughly 350K–400K Gear Coins worth of supplies, although the exact breakpoint can vary between runs.

After you drive Ulidim away, there is usually a short cooldown of around three minutes before another natural spawn can occur. Keep looting during this window and, once the cooldown ends, crossing another earnings threshold can bring the Hound back. This is why high-value runs often see Ulidim several times rather than just once.

Ulidim Phantoms and the Real Hound

Ulidim Phantoms appear inside Cacophony Soundscapes, which are easy to spot from the cyan-green screen filter. These smaller Hounds are projections of Ulidim that can trigger the real Hound to materialize.

A Phantom-triggered Ulidim is less relentless than a naturally spawned Hound. If you break line of sight and keep your distance for a while, it can eventually give up the chase.

Ulidim

It also feels somewhat weaker in practice. While no exact value is confirmed, its Cacophony Shield appears thinner than that of a naturally spawned Ulidim, making it easier to drive away.

Besides, only one real Ulidim can be active at a time. If the Hound is already chasing you, any Phantom you encounter will stay in Phantom form instead of materializing.

How to Drive Away Ulidim

Outside of Nightfall, Ulidim cannot be killed. Your goal is to break its Cacophony Shield. Once the shield is depleted, the Hound gives up the pursuit and disappears on the spot. Normal attacks work, but parrying the purple flash and using Etheric Phantom: Thracian will break the shield much faster.

If you are using Ye Shunguang, watch your timing during Enlightened Mind. Her long i-frames can cause Ulidim's attacks to pass through you and throw off your purple parry timing. Follow her normal Basic > EX rotation, but do not force the full string when a parry window is coming.

How to Enter Ulidim's Night Domain and Beat the Hound

When Ulidim uses the long purple startup shown below, it is preparing its Control Skill. After charging, it disappears, then reappears with a two-claw grab. This move appears randomly, and you must stand still and let it hit you to enter the Night Domain. 

The grab itself does not deal damage, but Astra Yao's M1 Song of Protection or healing items that negate the next hit can cancel it, so avoid using either while waiting for the grab.

Night Domain

Inside the Night Domain, Ulidim gains new attacks and takes reduced damage from Etheric Phantoms, so the fight can be resource-heavy. 

The simplest approach is to dump several high-rank damage Phantoms into it and pair them with Ye Shunguang's Z-Rank Tactical Prism, which lets Etheric Phantom: Primordial Nightmare convert her incoming Chain Attack into an Ultimate for repeated burst damage.

Defeating Ulidim unlocks the achievement Changing Sides and can also drop its exclusive red collectible. The fight can cost a lot of Phantoms or leave your squad low on HP, so if you barely survive it, extracting through the Hound is usually safer than pushing on to the Final Battle for one more gamble.

Operation Bagel Tips for Faster Routes and Higher-Value Runs

1. Complete Season Commissions First

Prioritize Season Commissions for Season Coins, which unlock Safe expansions and Z-Rank Tactical Prisms. These upgrades are some of the biggest progression boosts before you start pushing consistent 3M runs.

2. Keep One Ulidim Phantom for Nightfall

Save one Phantom until Nightfall so you can trigger Ulidim when needed instead of waiting for a natural spawn.

3. Don't Rush Into 2M or 3M Runs

Build up your R&D, gear, and Gear Coin reserve first. Higher investments are much easier to sustain once your runs are already stable.

4. Replace Materials with High-Grade Valuables

Swap common materials for gold-quality Valuables when your inventory fills up. Their higher value per slot directly increases extraction value.

5. Skip Fights That Do Not Pay for the Time

Avoid unnecessary fights that do not block your route or reward valuable loot. Less combat means faster runs and more time for high-value areas.

6. Protect Your Run After a Costly Hound Fight

If Ulidim drains your Phantoms or leaves your squad low on HP, extract through the Hound instead of risking everything at the Final Battle.

Once your runs are stable, the rest is up to you: complete the Collection, or keep farming for that one rare Valuable that refuses to drop.

Operation Bagel

Conclusion

This guide covers the key parts of running Operation Bagel efficiently, from map routes and Gear Box farming to Agent teams, Keycards, Etheric Phantoms, and dealing with Ulidim. Once you know where to go and what is worth bringing, even High-Risk runs become much easier to plan.

The main rule is simple: build for consistency before chasing higher returns. Learn the route, secure your core Blueprints and Tactical Prisms, and only raise your investment when you can reliably handle the run. A clean extraction is always worth more than a greedy run that ends with everything lost.

If you want to get more out of your ZZZ budget, you can top up Zenless Zone Zero on GamsGo and get more Polychromes for the same budget, with savings of up to 25%.

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ZZZ Bagel FAQ

Do Normal Agent Builds Matter in Operation Bagel?

Not much. Operation Bagel shifts most of your power into Tactical Prisms, Squad Equipment, and R&D upgrades. A strong normal build helps less here than good Bagel-specific progression.

Do You Need 2M or 3M Investment to Get Z-Rank Valuables?

No. Rare Z-Rank Valuables can appear at 0 investment, though some are tied to specific maps, events, or bosses. Higher investment mainly improves Hematite potential, not access to every rare Valuable.

What Carries Over Between Operation Bagel Seasons?

Gear Coins, Season Coins, learned Blueprints, equipment, and purchased Safe expansions carry over. Seasonal commissions reset, while items marked Seasonal, such as the Inventory Expansion Plug-In, do not persist.

What Do You Lose If You Die or Retreat in High-Risk?

You lose the items carried outside your Safe slots. Put Blueprints, rare Valuables, and other irreplaceable drops into the Safe before taking risks or retreating.

Does Higher Investment Increase Blueprint Drop Rates?

There is currently no confirmed evidence that 2M or 3M investment improves Gear Box Blueprint rates. If Blueprints are your goal, faster Gear Box resets are more efficient than raising investment just for drop chance.

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GamsGo Team

By GamsGo TeamGaming Deals Specialists

2026/11/02

Gaming Deals Specialists

GamsGo is a trusted subscription platform, and this guide covers practical Operation Bagel strategies, including efficient routes, pre-run setups, Agent picks, keycards, Ulidim the Hound, extraction decisions, and useful tricks for high-value runs. Written by an Operation Bagel investigator who's run 3M Operations more times than they can count and still hasn't seen Remielle's mask drop.