Who Tops the NTE Tier List Right Now? Best Characters by Role

The NTE tier list has shifted a lot since launch, with each new Esper pushing older picks down a little, but a core group of characters keeps holding the top spots. In Neverness to Everness, the right picks matter twice over, because characters swap in and out constantly and Cycle reactions only trigger when Esper types combine well.

This guide from gamemarket.gg ranks every playable character by how strong they are right now, explains the roles behind each placement, points out which free characters are worth building, and shows where the rankings are still shifting.

How the Rankings Work

Each character is rated on overall performance across general content and the Beyond the Rails endgame mode. Placements follow the majority of current community rankings rather than a single opinion, and S-class characters are judged without duplicate Awakenings, since most players will not own extra copies.

Roles are split into three groups:

• Main DPS: the character who deals most of the team's damage.
• Sub DPS and Buff: characters who add damage, set up reactions or boost the main DPS.
• Survival: healers and shield users who keep the team alive.

NTE Tier List by Rank

S tier: the strongest picks right now

• Nanally (Anima): a main DPS who sits at the very top almost everywhere.
• Lacrimosa (Chaos): main DPS and one of the most consistent damage dealers in the game.
• Sakiri (Incantation): the best buffer, and also the strongest pick from the free S-class selector.
• Chaos (Lakshana): main DPS with high damage output.
• Hotori (Cosmos): burst sub DPS who boosts the rest of the team.
• Zero (Cosmos): the free protagonist, a strong sub DPS whose free Awakenings add a team attack buff.
• Shinku (Cosmos): high damage, though harder to play without Awakenings.
• Zankou (Incantation), Akane Rin (Lakshana) and Blackbird (Psyche): the newest main DPS options, all placed in the top tier.
• Linko (Anima): a newer sub DPS.
• Iroi (Anima): a support and healer who ranks above every older survival character.

A tier: strong with the right team

• Chiz (Cosmos): damage dealer that can be obtained, along with his Awakenings, through Tycoon mode.
• Haniel (Psyche): an A-class buffer obtained by playing, and close to S tier.
• Daffodil (Chaos): burst sub DPS who works best with fast swapping between teammates.
• Baicang (Incantation), Jiuyuan (Anima) and Hathor (Lakshana): solid damage dealers.

B tier: situational

• Adler (Incantation): a free survival character.
• Fadia (Psyche): survival character who needs a good Arc to shine.
• Aurelia (Psyche): damage dealer that falls behind newer options.

C tier: replace when possible

• Mint (Anima) and Skia (Lakshana), both free damage dealers.
• Edgar (Cosmos), a healer outclassed by Iroi.

Several top picks have their own guides, including the Lacrimosa build breakdown and the Sakiri build and teams, while the Zankou guide shows how one of the newest main DPS fits into Scorch teams.

Where the Rankings Still Move

A few placements split community opinion, and these are the characters worth testing before investing heavily:

• Zero ranges from A tier to the very top depending on the ranking, largely because his value grows with the free Awakenings he receives.
• Chaos and Hotori dipped to A tier in some rankings before settling back at S in most.
• Haniel and Daffodil sit on the line between S and A, so either is a safe build even if neither is a clear top pick.
• Fadia ranges from S down to B, depending on how much weight is given to her need for a good Arc.

The newest characters, including Zankou, Blackbird, Linko, Iroi and Akane Rin, have had less time to be tested, so their placements are more likely to change. Elyms, arriving with version 1.5, has not been ranked yet.

Free Characters Worth Building

Not every useful character comes from a banner. Zero is given through the story and ranks near the top thanks to his free Awakenings, while Sakiri can be picked from the free S-class selector after your first 50 pulls. Chiz and Haniel are both free to obtain and sit in A tier, so a free player can build a capable team before spending anything.

Adler, Mint and Skia are also free, but all three fall into the lower tiers and are usually replaced once better characters arrive.

Building a Team From the Tier List

A tier list ranks characters individually, but team strength comes from how their Esper types combine. Reactions such as Scorch, Discord and Blossom only trigger when the right types are on the same team, so a well-matched A-tier character often outperforms an S-tier pick that does not fit. The usual approach is one main DPS, one sub DPS or buffer, and one survival character, built around a shared reaction.

Team members also grow closer through the Bond system, and the Bond system guide explains what those bonuses add. For pull decisions on current banners, the Chaos pull analysis weighs whether a top-tier unit is worth your pulls.

Start With the Top Tier

The safest plan is to build one S-tier main DPS such as Nanally or Lacrimosa, pair them with Sakiri or Hotori, and add Iroi for survival. Zero and Sakiri give every player two top-tier pieces for free, which makes NTE's early game far more forgiving than most gacha games.

If you would rather start with a strong roster already built, you can browse Neverness to Everness Accounts, hand dailies and farming to a verified player through Neverness to Everness Hourly Services, or clear endgame faster with Neverness to Everness Boosting.

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