Neverness to Everness Tier List: 2026 Version 1.0 Rankings for Every Esper

The Neverness to Everness Tier List ranks every launch Esper from S+ to C tier. The top three picks are Nanally, Sakiri, and Daffodil.

This Axeetech guide covers reroll priority, F2P picks, the full reaction matrix, and the best teams for the global launch on April 29, 2026 (Version 1.0). Meanwhile, do check NTE Codes here.

Master Neverness to Everness Tier List (Version 1.0)

The rankings below score every Esper across boss damage, AoE clearing, team flexibility, and reaction value.

Therefore, an S+ pick wins in nearly every team, while a C pick still works inside a focused F2P plan. Use this master table as your single reference point.

Tier	Character	Rarity	Element	Role	Notes
S+	Nanally	5-Star	Anima	DPS	Strongest launch DPS, wall-running, Underboss summon
S+	Sakiri	5-Star	Incantation	Buff	Best buffer, 30% team ATK, AoE crowd control
S+	Daffodil	5-Star	Chaos	DPS	Top break specialist, 20% break cap reduction
S	Chiz	5-Star	Cosmos	DPS	Free at City Tycoon 18, all Awakening copies free
S	Jiuyuan	5-Star	Anima	DPS	Premier Anima sub-DPS, Blossom synergy
S	Baicang	5-Star	Incantation	DPS	Power Word rotation, 5% execute on Ultimate
S	Hotori	5-Star	Cosmos	Buff	Cosmos-side buffer, second limited banner
A	Hathor	5-Star	Lakshana	DPS	Plasma arc, niche AoE
A	Lacrimosa	5-Star	Chaos	DPS	Trash-dog form, Scorch enabler
A	Fadia	5-Star	Psyche	Survival	Strong sustain anchor for Nova teams
A	Adler	4-Star	Incantation	Survival/Support	75% shield uptime, debuff utility
A	Aurelia	4-Star	Psyche	DPS	High AoE ceiling, weak vs aggressive bosses
B	Mint	4-Star	Anima	DPS	Reliable Liquid arc, mid-tier baseline
B	Skia	4-Star	Lakshana	DPS	Wolf shadow form, niche role
B	Edgar	4-Star	Cosmos	Survival	F2P healer, replaceable mid-game
B	Haniel	4-Star	Psyche	Buff	Pre-registration reward, fits Discord teams
C	Zero	5-Star	Cosmos	DPS	Main protagonist, instant Esper Cycle filler, F2P starter

Heads-up: Zero sits in C tier as a tier-list ranking, not a story criticism. Zero is the free starter and remains useful as a team utility piece even after you upgrade.

S+ Tier Breakdown (Meta-Defining Espers)

The S+ tier is the meta core. Each S+ Esper either tops the damage chart, locks down team buffs, or breaks bosses faster than anyone else. Therefore, pulling any of these three sets your account up for endgame Beyond the Rails and High Risk Commission runs.

Nanally (Anima, DPS)

Nanally is the strongest DPS in the launch roster. Her kit summons an Underboss that triggers automatic follow-up attacks alongside her own strikes. Stack attack buffs from Sakiri, and her output becomes overwhelming. She also has an exclusive anti-gravity wall-running mechanic for mobility. Her limited banner, The Ichi-daime, runs April 29 to May 13, 2026.

Sakiri (Incantation, Buff)

Sakiri provides a team-wide attack buff equal to 30% of her base attack for 20 seconds after her Ultimate. Her skill, Devour Whole, groups enemies and creates AoE damage windows. She pairs perfectly with the Speedy Hedgehog Cartridge. Therefore, Sakiri is the strongest support at launch and fits every team comp.

Daffodil (Chaos, DPS)

Daffodil is the top break specialist. Her passive reduces the enemy’s max break bar by 20% over 30 seconds. She destroys the white stagger bar fast, creating long stagger windows for your DPS to unload. Daffodil is also the centerpiece of the meta Discord composition, which stacks Scorch and Nova on the same target.

Also on Axeetech: Download NTE Guide

S Tier Breakdown (Strong Picks With Minor Limits)

S tier covers four Espers who hit hard but carry small drawbacks. Each one anchors at least one strong team. Therefore, an S-tier pull from any banner is a meaningful account boost.

Chiz (Cosmos, DPS). You receive Chiz free at City Tycoon level 18, with all Awakening copies free as you progress. She is a Cosmos main DPS who buffs the Charged reaction. Therefore, every player gets a guaranteed S-tier carry without spending pulls.

Jiuyuan (Anima, DPS). Jiuyuan is the best support pairing for Nanally and the strongest Anima sub-DPS. He fits Blossom and Hexed lanes equally well. Furthermore, he fills the gap when Sakiri is unavailable.

Baicang (Incantation, DPS). Baicang runs Power Word rotations that drain his own HP, so he needs Fadia or another healer. His Ultimate carries a 5% execute threshold, which makes him a finisher against high-HP bosses. Save his Ultimate for stagger windows.

Hotori (Cosmos, Buff). Hotori headlines the second limited banner, Misty Tipsy Style, from May 13 to June 3, 2026. She buffs Cosmos-leaning teams and fills the support hole for Chiz and Zero. Pull her if you missed Sakiri.

A Tier Breakdown (Strong Situational Picks)

A tier holds five Espers who shine in the right team but lose value outside their lane. Each one solves a specific problem, so build around their strength.

Hathor (Lakshana, DPS). Hathor uses a Plasma arc and excels in Lakshana-anchored AoE clears. She slots well into Charged and Stain reaction lanes. However, her single-target damage falls behind S-tier carries.

Lacrimosa (Chaos, DPS). Lacrimosa transforms into a trash-dog form that breathes fire on enemies. She enables Scorch reactions consistently, so she fits Discord teams alongside Adler. Pull her only if you lack Daffodil.

Fadia (Psyche, Survival). Fadia is the premier sustain anchor for Nova-focused teams. She heals through her Bose arc and supports Baicang’s HP-cost rotations. Therefore, she is essential for any Incantation Scorch composition.

Adler (Incantation, Survival/Support). Adler holds 75% shield uptime and applies debuffs that shred enemy Esper resistance. He is a 4-star with S-tier utility in Discord teams. Furthermore, his Ultimate hits the highest single-target break in the game.

Aurelia (Psyche, DPS). Aurelia carries the highest AoE damage ceiling among A-rank Espers. However, she handles aggressive bosses poorly. Use her for mob clearing and farming runs, not for endgame bossing.

B and C Tier Breakdown (Niche or Filler Picks)

B and C tier covers the budget options and the starter Esper. They still work, but they lose head-to-head value comparisons against S-tier picks. Therefore, treat them as bridge characters until your roster grows.

Mint (Anima, DPS). Mint uses a Liquid arc and dual blades to deal tornado-style AoE damage. She offers a reliable mid-tier baseline for new accounts. However, her overall ceiling sits below Nanally and Jiuyuan.

Skia (Lakshana, DPS). Skia transforms into a shadow wolf and passes through enemies. Her niche role fits Stain reaction teams. Furthermore, she stays useful as a budget Lakshana pick when Hathor is unavailable.

Edgar (Cosmos, Survival). Edgar is a free Cosmos healer perfect for early-game teams. He becomes replaceable once you pull Fadia. Therefore, lean on him during your first 30 levels and rotate him out at endgame.

Haniel (Psyche, Buff). Haniel is the 30 million pre-registration reward and fits Discord lineups thanks to her Psyche element. She buffs Nova and Stain reactions effectively. Use her as a budget alternative to Fadia in F2P comps.

Zero (Cosmos, DPS). Zero is the main protagonist with both male and female options. The starter fills the Esper Cycle meter instantly with their skill. However, Zero’s overall damage falls behind S-tier carries, so move them to a utility role after you pull Nanally or Chiz.

Heads-up: B and C tier does not mean unplayable. Mint, Skia, and Edgar all fill specific roles in F2P teams. They simply lose to S-tier Espers in head-to-head value comparisons.

Reroll Priority for Neverness to Everness

Rerolling resets your account to chase a stronger starting pull. Therefore, follow a clear decision tree to avoid wasting time. Use the steps below in order.

1. Aim for Nanally first. She is the strongest DPS, and her banner closes May 13, 2026.
2. If you also pull Jiuyuan from the standard pool, stop rerolling. Anima Blossom is locked in.
3. If you do not get Nanally but pull Sakiri or Daffodil, that is also a strong launch start.
4. The Selector after the gacha tutorial gives one free S-Class. Pick Daffodil if you have Nanally.
5. Pick Sakiri if your account lacks a buffer. Pick Jiuyuan if you have Nanally and Daffodil.
6. Avoid rerolling for Zero. The starter is fixed and not part of the gacha pool.
7. Casual players should skip rerolling and use free pulls plus Chiz from City Tycoon.

Quick Tip: Rerolling takes about 20 minutes per account. Make a written log of each roll so you can compare three or four runs side-by-side.

For meta analysis on a similar live-service competitive game, our Valorant agents’ tier list for 2026 breaks down the same kind of role-based ranking system.

F2P Tier List for Neverness to Everness

Free-to-play players still build strong teams in NTE. Six A-rank Espers come free, plus Chiz, Zero, and the Selector. The table below ranks every F2P-accessible Esper by value.

F2P Tier	Character	Source	Role
S	Chiz	City Tycoon level 18	DPS
A	Adler	Standard pool / starter	Survival/Support
A	Aurelia	Day 3 free A-rank	DPS
A	Haniel	30 million pre-registration milestone	Buff
B	Mint	Starter	DPS
B	Skia	Standard pool	DPS
B	Edgar	Standard pool	Survival
C	Zero	Main protagonist	DPS

Quick Tip: A clean F2P start uses Zero plus Mint plus Adler for a Blossom plus Hexed reaction baseline. Add Chiz when you reach City Tycoon level 18.

Elements and Reactions in Neverness to Everness

The Esper Cycle is a circle of six elements: Cosmos, Anima, Incantation, Chaos, Psyche, and Lakshana. Adjacent pairs trigger reactions when you swap between Espers mid-fight. Furthermore, the Esper Cycle meter fills through normal attacks, skills, and parries (parrying is the fastest free source).

The reaction matrix below shows every pairing and its primary effect. Therefore, build your team around at least one consistent reaction lane before you worry about raw stats.

Reaction	Element Pair	Effect
Blossom	Anima + Cosmos	Burst damage on swap
Scorch	Incantation + Chaos	Damage over time and break
Nova	Chaos + Psyche	Multi-hit AoE damage
Stain	Lakshana + Psyche	Debuff and bleed
Hexed	Anima + Incantation	Bonus reaction damage
Charged	Cosmos + Lakshana	Stored damage burst
Remora	Cosmos + others	Drain effect
Discord (advanced)	Scorch + Nova on same target	Rapid break bar drain

The top three elements (Lakshana, Cosmos, Anima) and the bottom three (Incantation, Chaos, Psyche) form trio combinations for advanced compositions. Therefore, locking your team to one half of the cycle keeps your reaction chain clean.

Best Teams Built From the Tier List

The teams below pair S+ and S-tier picks with role-specific support. Each composition targets one or two reactions, then fills the fourth slot with a utility pick. Use Ultimates inside stagger windows for the highest damage multiplier.

Discord Endgame Team

Daffodil + Adler + Fadia + Nanally. Use Discord (Scorch + Nova) for break bar shredding, then unload Nanally as the heavy DPS finisher. Best for Beyond the Rails and High Risk Commission.

Anima Blossom Team

Nanally + Jiuyuan + Sakiri + Zero. Stack Blossom and Hexed reactions, with Sakiri as the buffer and Zero filling the Esper Cycle quickly. This team scales hardest with Sakiri’s 30% ATK buff windows.

Incantation Scorch Team

Baicang + Daffodil + Fadia + Adler. Baicang anchors the DPS, Daffodil enables Scorch into Discord, and Fadia heals the HP loss from Power Word. Adler covers shielding and debuff utility.

Chaos Nova Team

Daffodil + Lacrimosa + Aurelia + Edgar. Maximize Nova reactions across multiple Chaos and Psyche sources. Edgar serves as the budget healer until you pull Fadia.

F2P Progression Team

Zero + Mint + Adler + Aurelia. This roster covers Blossom, Hexed, and Stain reactions on a fully free roster. Add Chiz once you reach City Tycoon level 18 for a major DPS upgrade.

Quick Tip: Always save Ultimates for stagger windows. A well-timed Ultimate during stagger doubles or triples its effective damage.

Tier List Changes From Beta to Launch

The beta tier list put Mint slightly higher and underrated Sakiri’s team-wide ATK buff. After launch, however, the meta crystallized around break-bar damage and reaction stacking. Therefore, Daffodil rose into S+, Sakiri locked her S+ slot as the top buffer, and Mint slipped to B tier as a baseline DPS.

Adler also gained a “Watchlist” tag from data-mining sites because of his unique debuff utility. Furthermore, the Discord reaction (Scorch + Nova) emerged as the central endgame mechanic, which pulled Daffodil and Adler higher than their pre-release rankings suggested.

Banner Pull Priority by Tier List Value

Banners decide where to spend pulls. Therefore, match each one to the tier table above before committing. The recommendation column gives you a quick decision shortcut.

Banner	Featured Esper	Window	Recommendation
The Ichi-daime	Nanally (S+)	Apr 29 – May 13, 2026	Pull. Top reroll target and meta DPS.
Misty Tipsy Style	Hotori (S)	May 13 – Jun 3, 2026	Pull only if you have spare gems and lack a Cosmos buffer.
Standard Board	Rotating S-Rank pool	Permanent	Save Selector for Daffodil if you missed her.

For inspiration on layered daily-routine optimization, our how to maximize Microsoft Rewards points guide breaks down stacking strategies that map well to NTE login bonuses.

Gameplay Term Glossary

NTE uses several systems unique to Hotta Studio’s design. Therefore, the table below defines every key term so the tier list reads cleanly even for new players.

Term	Meaning
Esper	A playable character in NTE
Esper Cycle	Shared meter that fills with attacks, skills, and parries
Esper Meter	Personal meter that powers Ultimates
Awakening	Duplicate-pull power upgrade, ranges A0 to A6 for A-Class
Arc	The weapon system that defines each Esper’s kit
Cartridge	Console-style gear with 2-piece and 4-piece suit bonuses
Module	Shape-based gear piece that fits a Console Grid
Console Grid	Personal gear puzzle layout per Esper
Hunter Level	Account level that gates content
Appraisal Level	Caps Esper level and weapon level
City Tycoon	Side progression that unlocks free characters like Chiz
Beyond the Rails	Endgame combat mode
High Risk Commission	Endgame combat challenge
Stagger window	Period after break bar shatter when bosses take extra damage

For a parallel example of a competitive ranking system, our guide on Valorant ranks in order explains how Riot’s tier ladder mirrors the same kind of meta logic. While you grind early NTE login rewards, you can also stack entries for the Microsoft Rewards prize giveaway on the side.

Common Issues and Tier List Caveats

Tier lists are guidelines, not rules. Each item below shapes how you read the rankings.

Tier lists shift after the first major patch. Microsoft and Hotta Studio release balance changes regularly. Therefore, keep checking back for updates over the first three months.

Awakening levels matter. An A0 S-Class may rank lower than an A6 A-Class in some matchups. Bookmark the master table, but adjust your real-world picks once Awakening copies stack up.

Player skill closes the gap. A B-tier Esper played with perfect rotations beats a misplayed S-tier. Therefore, learn one main DPS deeply before chasing the next limited banner.

Region-specific patches differ. Chinese servers tested updates that may not yet be in the global build. Watch patch notes for both regions to spot upcoming meta shifts.

Limited banner FOMO is real. Reddit r/NTE threads confirm Nanally is meta-defining. Furthermore, do not skip her if you can pull during the Ichi-daime window.

Tier list bias toward DPS is normal in launch metas. Survival and Buff Espers gain value as endgame content matures. Therefore, expect Hotori, Fadia, and Haniel to rise in rankings once Beyond the Rails introduces tougher boss mechanics.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is the best character in Neverness to Everness?

Nanally is the best character in NTE at launch. She tops the DPS rankings with her Underboss summon and exclusive wall-running mobility. Sakiri (best buffer) and Daffodil (best break specialist) round out the top three.

2. Should I reroll for Nanally in Neverness to Everness?

Yes, if you want the strongest DPS at launch. Nanally is a limited-banner Esper available only until May 13, 2026. Rerolling takes about 20 minutes, so it is worth the time for serious players.

3. Is Sakiri better than Nanally in NTE?

They serve different roles. Nanally deals the most serious damage as the main DPS, while Sakiri provides the strongest team buff (30% ATK for 20 seconds). Therefore, the optimal team uses both together.

4. Who is the best F2P character in Neverness to Everness?

Chiz is the best F2P character. You receive her free at City Tycoon level 18, and every Awakening copy is free as you progress. She is a Cosmos main DPS who buffs the Charged reaction.

5. Is Daffodil worth pulling in NTE?

Yes. Daffodil is S+ tier and the centerpiece of the meta Discord composition (Scorch + Nova). Her passive reduces enemy max break bar by 20% over 30 seconds, which lets the rest of your team unload damage faster.

6. What are the elements in Neverness to Everness?

NTE has six elements: Cosmos, Anima, Incantation, Chaos, Psyche, and Lakshana. The top three (Lakshana, Cosmos, Anima) and the bottom three (Incantation, Chaos, Psyche) form trio combinations. Adjacent pairs trigger reactions on swap.

7. How do reactions work in NTE?

Reactions trigger when you swap between two Espers whose elements pair on the Esper Cycle. The shared Esper Cycle meter fills through attacks, skills, and parries. Discord (Scorch + Nova on the same target) is the most powerful advanced reaction.

8. What is the strongest team in Neverness to Everness?

The Discord Endgame Team (Daffodil + Adler + Fadia + Nanally) is the strongest team at launch. It stacks Scorch and Nova for break bar shredding, then unleashes Nanally during the stagger window. This composition dominates Beyond the Rails and High Risk Commission.

9. Will the Neverness to Everness tier list change after launch?

Yes. Tier lists shift after every major patch, typically every 4 to 6 weeks. Therefore, expect Hotori to rise after her banner, plus support and survival Espers gaining value as endgame content matures.

10. Is Hotori worth pulling on the second banner?

Hotori is S tier and worth pulling if you lack a Cosmos buffer or already missed Sakiri. Her banner, Misty Tipsy Style, runs May 13 to June 3, 2026. Skip her if you already have Sakiri and want to save gems for the next limited Esper.