ZZZ Chronicles of the Hobbling Crow: Event Guide & Rewards
By Sir Ayup 4 October 2026, 02:00 WIB
Zenless Zone Zero Chronicles of the Hobbling Crow brings back Hobble and Crowe of the Hobbling Crow Detective Agency for a new five-part investigation, running from October 3 to October 19, 2026, and the way it unlocks is what decides how you should play it. Each commission only opens after the previous one is finished and a set amount of time has passed, so you cannot clear the whole event in one sitting. That makes it a short event in playtime but a long one on the calendar, and the players who collect every Polychrome are simply the ones who check in as each case opens. This guide covers the schedule, requirements, all five commissions, how the detective diary works and what the event rewards.
Event Schedule and Requirements
Chronicles of the Hobbling Crow is part of Version 3.2 Phase II, "Their Secret Histories." According to the official event listing, it runs on the following schedule:
- Start: October 3, 2026, at 10:00 (server time).
- End: October 19, 2026, at 03:59 (server time).
- Requirements: reach Inter-Knot Lv. 20 and complete Main Story Chapter 1 - Intermission.
Some coverage of Phase II listed the event as starting on September 30, the day the phase launched, but the official listing gives October 3. Either way, the end date is the same, and it is the date that matters most. The event closes in the early hours of October 19, so treat October 18 as your last full day to finish any remaining commissions.
The requirement is worth checking on newer accounts. Inter-Knot Lv. 20 and the Chapter 1 Intermission are early milestones, but if you have not reached them yet, the event will stay locked. Because the commissions open one after another over time, an account that unlocks the event late still has a chance to finish, but each day of delay reduces your margin.
Who Are Hobble and Crowe?
Before diving into the cases, it helps to know who you are working with, especially if you missed the first event.
The Hobbling Crow Detective Agency first appeared in Tales of the Hobbling Crow, which ran from July 3 to July 20, 2026. That event introduced Hobble, a Bangboo detective with a green scarf who first appears trying to arrest the Proxy, and Crowe, the detective who works alongside Hobble and treats the Bangboo as his boss. After the misunderstanding is cleared up, the two recruit the Proxy to help solve cases for local residents.
Chronicles of the Hobbling Crow is a new version of that event rather than a rerun. The cases, story and diary entries are new, so even players who completed the July event have fresh content to work through. If you missed the first event, you will not be locked out, because this run tells its own self-contained story.
The Five Commissions
This time, the agency is investigating a Carrot smuggling case. The investigation is split into five commission incidents, which unlock in order:
- Secret Contact
- Logistics Spy
- Port of Entry Investigation
- Boo-Controlled Arrest
- Pins and Truth
The key rule is how the next case opens. You need to complete the previous commission and wait until the specified unlock time before the following one becomes available. So the event is paced over several days by design, and logging in once at the start will not be enough to finish it.
This pacing has a practical consequence. Since the event lasts about 16 days and only has five commissions, you have plenty of buffer, but the gating means falling behind adds up. If you skip several days, the commissions you missed still need to be completed one by one, each with its own wait. The simplest approach is to check the event every day or two and clear whatever has unlocked.
The individual commissions themselves are short. Each involves following Hobble and Crowe through the case, talking to the people involved, gathering clues and then writing up what you found. That makes the event easy to fit around other daily activities.
How the Detective Diary Works
Each commission ends with paperwork, and this is the part that sets the Hobbling Crow events apart from standard story quests.
At the end of every case, you return to the agency and fill in a detective diary that summarises what you found. In the first event, this took the form of a Truth Journal, where you completed the case summary by choosing the right keywords from the clues you collected. The new event uses the same idea of filling in your detective diary at the end of each mission.
The most useful thing to know is that, in the first run, there was no penalty for getting an answer wrong. If you picked the wrong keyword, you could simply try again. So even if a case leaves you unsure, you will not lose rewards by guessing.
That said, reading the conversations carefully makes the diary much faster. The keywords you need usually come directly from what the client and the other characters say during the investigation. Paying attention during the dialogue means you can fill in the diary in one attempt instead of cycling through options.
Event Rewards
With the structure clear, the reason to finish all five cases is the reward list. According to the official event details, completing the commissions grants:
- Polychromes: the premium currency you exchange for Master Tapes and Encrypted Master Tapes to make Signal Searches.
- Boopons: used for Bangboo searches.
- Upgrade materials: used to level Agents and other progression systems.
The exact amounts for each commission have not been listed in the details published so far. For reference, the first Hobbling Crow event also rewarded Polychromes, Boopons and upgrade materials, with an extra 5 Boopons and 1,200 City Fund EXP for completing every commission. The City Fund EXP is especially useful because it advances your battle pass level, which unlocks its own rewards. Check the event page in-game to confirm the full reward list for this run.
Because the Polychromes are spread across the commissions, finishing all five is the only way to collect everything. That makes the time gating important again: the rewards are not difficult to earn, but they are easy to miss if you forget to return before October 19.
The timing also fits nicely into the rest of Phase II. Roxy and the other Phase II banners are live during the same window, so the Polychromes from this event can go straight toward your next pull. Our Version 3.2 tier list breakdown explains where Claret and Roxy fit if you are deciding where to spend.
How It Fits Into the Rest of October
Chronicles of the Hobbling Crow is one of several events running through October, so it helps to plan around the others rather than treat each one separately.
The Diary of an Orbie Parent event, covered in our Orbie Parent event guide, is also running during Phase II, and Data Bounty: Combat Simulation doubles Combat Simulation rewards from October 14 to October 19. That means the final days of the Hobbling Crow event overlap with the double-drop window. Since both close on October 19, it makes sense to clear your remaining commissions early, so the last few days can go toward spending Battery during Data Bounty.
Our Version 3.2 overview covers the full version and its other activities if you want the complete picture.
Your Chronicles of the Hobbling Crow Checklist
To collect everything without rushing at the end, follow this short routine:
- Check eligibility now: Confirm you have Inter-Knot Lv. 20 and have completed Main Story Chapter 1 - Intermission.
- Start the first case early: Open the event as soon as possible after October 3 and clear Secret Contact, so the unlock timer for the next case starts running.
- Return every day or two: Clear each new commission as it unlocks, since every case depends on the previous one.
- Read the dialogue: Pay attention during each investigation so you can fill in the detective diary quickly, and remember that wrong answers carried no penalty in the first run.
- Finish before Data Bounty peaks: Aim to complete Pins and Truth before October 14, leaving the final days for double-drop farming, and make sure all rewards are claimed before October 19 at 03:59.
The core idea is simple. Chronicles of the Hobbling Crow is a light, story-driven event, but its time-gated commissions reward regular check-ins rather than one long session. Start early, keep up with each case and you will collect every Polychrome before the agency closes its books on October 19.
If you would rather start with a stronger roster for Phase II, you can explore trusted Zenless Zone Zero Accounts, keep your events and daily progress on schedule with reliable Zenless Zone Zero Hourly Services, or push Shiyu Defense and Deadly Assault clears through dependable Zenless Zone Zero Boosting.
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