Withered Domain/Stages
Last updated 2025-09-07
Withered Domain
Available Zones in Hollow Zero as of v.1.0
Withered Domain is currently divided into 6 Zones, referring to the different areas that can be visited within the Hollow. Each Zone has its own unique features, gimmicks and enemies that require players to approach exploration differently. Zones are further subdivided into difficulty levels, which from easiest to hardest are known as Edge, Frontline, Interior, Heartland and Core. Each difficulty increases the danger of traps and enemies within, in exchange for providing better rewards.
Qualification Assessment
Qualification Assessment has two difficulty levels: Edge, and Frontline.
Edge
The Edge difficulty serves as a tutorial for the mechanics of Withered Domain, with a mostly fixed layout. The first floor consists of a looping square layout, with 5 tiles per side. Reaching the end of each side leads players to the next side of 5 tiles, with each tile intended to show the individual aspects of the game-mode.
- The first side has a Gacha event at the end where players can choose one of 3 random Resonia.
- The second side has an enemy encounter at the end, which rewards a Resonium when defeated.
- The third side has a Call For Support event to allow players to call for additional Agents.
- The final side has a Bangboo Merchant, and the floor's final boss encounter.
The second floor also has a fixed layout, consisting of two large rectangular areas connected at the middle by a single tile containing Special Area Area Codename: 7777. Players start out at the bottom left corner of the map, with the objective of reaching the boss encounter on the upper right corner. Crossing through the connecting tile leads players to an enemy encounter linked to locked tiles around it: players must defeat this enemy to unlock the tiles around it and access the boss.
During combat at the boss encounter, Harumasa and Tsukishiro Yanagi will occasionally appear when performing Quick Assists or Chain Attacks, dealing additional damage to enemies.
Frontline
The Frontline difficulty has a more complex level layout for players, and also introduces more of Withered Domain's unique mechanics, including Artifice Resonia, and the Temporary Partner event tile on the first floor.
This mission will also be the player's first encounter with a Frontline Supply Outpost between each level. This will also be the the player's first encounter with the Closed Gate - Challenge, which unlocks additional supplies if the player achieves an S-Rank rating during the previous floor's final battle; for this particular mission, Fairy will unlock the Closed Gate - Challenge for the player, allowing players to access the supplies even if they only achieve a B or A-rank previously.
Old Capital Metro
Unlocking Old Capital Metro requires Inter-Knot Level 21, completion of the Qualification Assessment stages, and also completion of Path of the Proxy I to unlock.
These stages consist of 2-3 floors of Array Mode gameplay, with a Frontline Supply Outpost resting area after having defeated the Gatekeeper of each major floor.
Starting from the Frontline difficulty, the player may encounter the Weird Student, Weird Detective, and Weird Scavenger, allowing them to start collecting Lost Items from the Old Capital.
Masked Scholar
The Masked Scholar will appear on Old Capital Metro from Frontline difficulty or higher.
On starting the mission, the Masked Scholar will greet players and give players the option to suffer 2 - 3 Corruptions (depending on difficulty level), in exchange for an equivalent number of Resonia.
On the first Frontline Outpost, the Masked Scholar will greet players at the entrance, and will then provide a number of supply opportunities based on the number of Corruptions the squad is suffering from.
The Masked Scholar can provide the following types of assistance options:
- Grab some Corrupted supplies - Randomly obtain 1 - 3 S-Rank Resonia. Sustain the same number of Corruptions.
- Help me catalyze my Resonium - Catalyze 3 Random Resonia.
- Restore health - Recover 30% HP.
- Slowdown Corruption - Lose 10% HP. Remove 1 Corruption.
- Medical Funds - Obtain 200 Gear Coins for each Corruption.
- Bangboo plug-ins - Obtain 1 bomb.
- Call for help - Obtain 1 Bangboo
- Combat supplies - Obtain 1 B-Rank Resonium
- Catalyst - Randomly catalyze 2 Resonia
- I want to go shopping - Obtain 1,000 Gear Coins. Generate 1 Store.
If the player has sustained 5 Corruptions on encountering the Masked Scholar, he will provide more generous supply options to the player, which can include:
- Take a big basket of bombs - Obtain 9 Bombs
- Replace - Encounter 2 "Call Agent" events
- Body Treatment - Recover 50% HP
- Claim Insurance - Obtain 2,500 Gear Coins
- Obtain Combat Supplies - Obtain 3 Resonia
When meeting the Masked Scholar at the second Frontline Outpost, he will again provide help based on the severity of the squad's corruptions. If the squad has no Corruptions, or has 5 Corruptions active, the Masked Scholar will immediately catalyze the (Research) Overload Distribution Resonium, before providing more supply opportunities for the squad.
Construction Ruins
Unlocking Construction Ruins requires Inter-Knot Level 28, completion of A Call From the Hollow's Heart (B) in Phaethon's Story, and also completion of Old Capital Metro: Edge to unlock.
These stages consist of 2-3 floors of Array Mode gameplay, with a Frontline Supply Outpost resting area after having defeated the Gatekeeper of each major floor.
The Opportunist
At the start of the mission, The Opportunist will allow players to loan Gear Coins, with 2 - 3 options of differing amounts available. The higher the mission's difficulty, the higher the possible number of coins that can be loaned per option. He will also freely give players the (Hollow) Piggy bank Resonium, which gives rebates at Bangboo Merchants the higher the player's debt is.
The Opportunist will appear again at the entrance of each Frontline Outpost to give players the same offer for loans. If players take a loan from him at the Outposts, The Opportunist will provide free support between the choice of restoring health to all Agents in the squad by 10%, or reducing Pressure by 20. Afterwards, players can choose to spend more Gear Coins for additional support and supplies, including but not limited to receiving and catalyzing Resonia, receiving Bangboo Plug-Ins, squad healing, etc., with repeated support becoming increasingly more expensive with each purchase.
Players can also choose to not take a loan, in which case The Opportunist will give players 100 Gear Coins as courtesy, and offer to provide one free support and the ability to purchase supplies as normal.
The final appearance of The Opportunist will be before the mission's final boss, where he will ask the player to repay their loan. Paying off the full loan will make him catalyze the (Research) Resource Conversion Resonium, as well as give players the opportunity to acquire more support for 2000 Gear Coins per purchase. If players are unable to make the payment, players will need give all their Gear Coins and discard one Resonium for every 800 Gear Coins that the player owes to make up the difference.
Abandoned Skyscraper
Unlocking Abandoned Skyscraper requires Inter-Knot Level 36, completion of The Midnight Pursuit (B) in Phaethon's Story, and also completion of Construction Ruins: Frontline to unlock.
These stages consist of 3 floors of Array Mode gameplay, with a Frontline Supply Outpost resting area after having defeated the Gatekeeper of each major floor.
Secret Doctor
Upon starting a mission, the Secret Doctor will ask to draw blood from your starting Agent, giving a choice of drawing a small amount of health (19% of Agent's Max HP) in exchange for 1 Concentrated Medicine, or a large amount of health for 3 Concentrated Medicine, and he will also give the player a random A-Rank (Shield) Resonium.
On the first Frontline Outpost, the Secret Doctor will greet players at the entrance, and will give 1 - 3 Concentrated Medicines depending on how heavily injured the squad's Agents are. Afterwards he will provide 2 Service requests, where each request can have the following combination of possible rewards available:
- Set 1
- Light purification: Clears 50 Pressure.
- Deep purification: Clears all Pressure at the cost of 2 Concentrated Medicine.
- Set 2
- Obtain normal supplies: Obtain 1 B-Rank Resonium
- Obtain rare supplies: Lose 20% HP. Obtain 1 S-Rank Resonium.
- Set 3
- Simple Recovery: Heal 10% HP
- Powerful Recovery: Recover all HP at the cost of 5 Concentrated Medicine.
- Set 4
- Explore a route: This area will no longer show any locations as Unknown.
- Explore for supplies: There are more Unknown areas, which will produce even more Resonia.
- Buy supplies directly: Lose 20% HP. Obtain 2 Resonia.
On the second Frontline Outpost, the Secret Doctor will also give 1 - 3 Concentrated Medicines based on squad injuries as before, and then offer players the choice of spending 2 Concentrated Medicine to catalyze the (Research) Trigger Instinct Resonium. Afterwards he will provide another 2 Service requests, with each request having the following possible available options:
- Set 1
- Catalyze a little: Catalyze 1 Resonium.
- Catalyze a lot: Use 2 Concentrated Medicines, Catalyze 3 Resonia.
- Catalyze all: Use 10 Concentrated Medicines, Catalyze all Resonia.
- Set 2
- Explore a route: This area will no longer show any locations as Unknown.
- Explore for supplies: There are more Unknown areas, which will produce even more Resonia.
- Buy supplies directly: Lose 20% HP. Obtain 2 Resonia.
- Set 3
- Mild catalyst: Catalyze 1 Resonium.
- Take supplies directly: Obtain 1 Resonium.
- Take catalytic supplies: Lose 2 Concentrated Medicines. Obtain 1 catalyzed Resonium.
- Set 4
- Take the small bag: Obtain 500 Gear Coins.
- Take the big bag: Lose 15% HP. Obtain 500-2,000 Gear Coins.
Withering Garden
The Withering Garden is split into 2 stages, both playing very differently from each other.
Withering Garden: Core
Withering Garden: Core, also known as "Withering Garden Exploration", is the first stage that players can unlock, provided they have reached Inter-Knot Level 42, have completed Old Capital Metro: Edge, and have also completed the Enchanting and Stunning, Withering Away Commission.
Withering Garden: Core is similar to most other Withered Domain stages, featuring Array Mode gameplay, with various Gatekeepers at the end of each floor. However, whereas other Withered Domain stages feature a single layout-type and only 3 floors, Withering Garden can use the layouts of any of the previous stages on a floor-to-floor basis, while also featuring more total floors to complete.
At the end of the final floor, players do not defeat a Gatekeeper and leave the commission, instead loading into a final Frontline Supply Outpost resting area, allowing last-minute healing and purchasing of supplies through a Bangboo Merchant.
After finalising their setup, players will load into the final fight against Symbiotic Ethereal Swarm - Code Name: Nineveh, the final boss of Withered Domain.
Withering Garden: Seedbed
Withering Garden: Seedbed, also known as "Withering Garden Blitz", can be unlocked after completing Withering Garden: Core with at least 3 Ether Activity multipliers. Unlike any other stage in Withered Domain, the "Blitz Mode" allows players to skip any and all Array Mode gameplay, instead allowing seamless progression from one enemy encounter, to the next, awarding Resonium after each group of enemies or boss is successfully defeated.
At the end of each floor, once the Gatekeeper has been defeated, instead of loading into a Frontline Supply Outpost resting area, the player will immediately begin the next floor, but will spawn with some HP-recovering capsules next to them, with a small distance to run before any enemies show up.
Much like in the Core stage, the final fight will be against Symbiotic Ethereal Swarm - Code Name: Nineveh.
Inferno Reap
Inferno Reap tasks players with dealing as much damage to Nineveh as possible within 180 seconds, i.e. 3 minutes.
At the beginning of the fight, Nineveh will appear in its invulnerable closed state, with Constricting Vines around the field. Killing the Constricting Vines will increase the upcoming fight's duration by 1 second per vine. After 10 seconds has passed, Nineveh will come out of its closed state, and the countdown timer will officially start, signaling that Nineveh can now be fought. Any vines still alive when Nineveh becomes active will be killed off, and will not provide additional time for the player.
Asides from vines, killing Nineveh's summoned Hornets will also increase the fight's duration by 3 seconds per kill.
When the countdown timer drops to certain intervals, Nineveh enters what's known as the Overload Activation state, which increases both her attack damage, and the damage it receives. As the timer reaches intervals closer to the end, the effect of Overload Activation increases.
- 120 Seconds - 30% DMG dealt and received
- 60 seconds - 60%
- 30 seconds - 90%
If players manage to deal enough damage to Nineveh to full deplete its health, it will reenter its 10-second invulnerable state, pausing the timer along with growing another batch of Constricting Vines, giving players the opportunity to extend the fight. After its invulnerable state expires, it will reactivate at full health, making it available to fight once more.
The fight automatically ends once the countdown timer reaches zero, with the player's rank based off the amount of damage dealt to Nineveh.
Resonium Kit
Resonium Kits are a set of select Resonia which players can use to fight against Nineveh within Inferno Reap.
Upon completing Foliage Hunt, players are given a pre-made kit consisting of 21 select Resonia to use. Players can create their own sets by doing missions at the Withering Garden: upon successfully clearing a run, players will be asked whether they want to save the Resonia they have collected from that run as a set. Player-made Resonia Sets can include (Research) Resonium and (Artifice) Resonium, and any Catalyzed Resonia will retain their upgrades as well.
Note that any saved (Hollow) Resonium and (Affinity) Resonium will not take effect within Inferno Reap, and any (Artifice) Resonia whose effects only affect the Monitor Array will become useless as well.
List of Stages
There are 17 stages:
