I remember staring at my Annulith counter after three wasted banners and feeling the game tilt away from me. You’ve felt that pull—every character looks tempting until your resources evaporate. I learned to stop chasing every star and start investing in the few that actually clear endgame.
Neverness to Everness Tier List: Best Characters Ranked (May 2026)
On launch day the community map on Discord filled with pull screenshots and debates over who matters most.
I’ll cut to it: build for meta impact first. You can chase art and flavor later, but if you want to clear the hardest content you need a lean roster of winners. Below is the snapshot for May 2026 — a practical guide to where to spend Annulith and banner pulls.
| Tier | Characters |
|---|---|
| SS | Nanally, Jiuyuan |
| S | Sakiri, Chiz, Baicang, Haniel |
| A | Adler, Mint, Esper Zero, Fadia, Daffodill, Hathor |
| B | Skia, Edgar |
Best NTE SS Tier Characters
At the same time, the beta testers were already charting damage comparisons in Google Sheets.
These are the characters I tell new players to prioritize. They carry teams through the hardest fights and justify spending limited Annulith on targeted rerolls or banners.
Nanally
- Rarity: S-class
- Esper Type: Anima
- Arc Type: Plasma
- Combat Roles: Damage, Main DPS, Follow-up Attack
Nanally sits above everyone in raw output. Her summon provides reliable follow-up attacks and her kit shreds multiple targets while offering light crowd control. If you build one character for boss windows and top leaderboard times, make it her — she hits like a jackhammer inside a clockwork.
Jiuyuan
- Rarity: S-class
- Esper Type: Anima
- Arc Type: Solid
- Combat Roles: Damage, Burst DPS, Control
Jiuyuan is the best standard-banner DPS on release. Fast rotations, explosive burst windows, and strong AoE control make her indispensable as a rotating sub-DPS or primary damage dealer depending on the encounter.
Best NTE S Tier Characters
Streamers and content creators on YouTube and X were already testing S-tier comps within the first weekend.
S-tier characters are excellent role players. You shouldn’t chase every S unit, but these will fill gaps in most competitive teams.
Sakiri
- Rarity: S-class
- Esper Type: Incantation
- Arc Type: Gas
- Combat Roles: Buff, Control, DMG Boost
Sakiri is the most valuable support on launch. Her Ultimate gives a teamwide ATK buff and her crowd control keeps fights manageable. If your roster needs a consistent damage amplifier, Sakiri is the safest pick.
Chiz
- Rarity: S-class
- Esper Type: Incantation
- Arc Type: Gas
- Combat Roles: Damage, Main DPS
Chiz is handed to players for free with full awakening copies via the main missions. With practice she obliterates content, but her kit demands timing — she rewards skilled play.
Baicang
- Rarity: S-class
- Esper Type: Incantation
- Arc Type: Synthesis
- Combat Roles: Damage, Main DPS, DoT
Baicang runs DoT comps exceptionally well. His ultimate adds heavy burst while stacking lingering damage — perfect for prolonged encounters or stagger strategies.
Haniel
- Rarity: A-class
- Esper Type: Psyche
- Arc Type: Solid
- Combat Roles: Buff, DMG Boost
Haniel is a highly efficient support in an A-class shell. She offers teamwide ATK buffs via Skill and Ultimate and is cheap to raise — a pragmatic pick if you need consistent boosts without spending hard resources.
Best NTE A Tier Characters
I tracked thousands of early missions and these characters repeatedly showed up as reliable carries for free-to-play rosters.
A-tier units fill specific roles well and are excellent value — especially if you’re conserving Annulith for a single SS target.
Adler
- Rarity: A-class
- Esper Type: Incantation
- Arc Type: Synthesis
- Combat Roles: Survival, Shield, DoT
Adler is the safest sustain option. Shields, debuffs, and incidental DoT make him a solid defensive pillar for many team builds.
Mint
- Rarity: A-class
- Esper Type: Anima
- Arc Type: Liquid
- Combat Roles: Damage, Main DPS
Mint is your free starter DPS. She won’t outpace the S- and SS-class legends later, but she handles the campaign and early boss fights without drama.
Esper Zero
- Rarity: S-class
- Esper Type: Cosmos
- Arc Type: Solid
- Combat Roles: Damage, Instant Cycle, Burst DPS
The protagonist is free and flexible. Esper Zero thrives as a fast-cycling sub-DPS and scales well with modest investment.
Fadia
- Rarity: S-class
- Esper Type: Psyche
- Arc Type: Synthesis
- Combat Roles: Survival, DMG Redirection
Fadia doesn’t heal but she redirects incoming damage and can return part of it to attackers. Her self-heal on ultimate keeps her in fights longer, making her a specialist sustain pick.
Daffodill
- Rarity: S-class
- Esper Type: Chaos
- Arc Type: Liquid
- Combat Roles: Damage, Burst DPS, Break Boost
Daffodill excels after breaking enemy stances and in plunge-focused play. Her passive reduces enemy break caps, which speeds up stagger strategies.
Hathor
- Rarity: S-class
- Esper Type: Lakshana
- Arc Type: Plasma
- Combat Roles: Damage, Burst DPS
Hathor is mobile and strong in AoE. She’s a reliable main DPS for maps that reward movement and aerial play.
Best NTE B Tier Characters
When I filtered damage logs, these names lagged slightly behind the meta staples.
B-tier characters are not bad — they simply don’t impact the meta as strongly right now. Use them until stronger units appear or as niche alternatives.
Skia
- Rarity: A-class
- Esper Type: Lakshana
- Arc Type: Gas
- Combat Roles: Damage
Skia is stylistically strong but mechanically average. He’s a fine early pick if you want a free shadow-tech aesthetic without spending Annulith.
Edgar
- Rarity: A-class
- Esper Type: Cosmos
- Arc Type: Liquid
- Combat Roles: Survival, Healing
Edgar is the only pure healer on release. He’s useful if you need a dedicated medic until other sustain options arrive, but he lacks extra utility compared to Adler or Fadia.
Best DPS Characters in Neverness to Everness
I watched a content creator bench-compare Nanally and Jiuyuan across dozens of encounters to build this list.
Focus your pulls on characters that mesh with your team plan — raw power matters, but synergy wins battles.
| Tier | Character | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| SS | Nanally | Incredibly high raw damage output, and can utilize follow-up attacks from the summon. |
| SS | Jiuyuan | Very strong burst damage output and provides crowd control for easy AoE clear. |
| S | Chiz | Serious damage output, but requires a higher skill level. |
| S | Baicang | Strongest DoT DPS in the game with very high damage output. |
| A | Hathor | Good mobility and high raw damage. |
| A | Daffodill | Good mobility and increased break damage. |
Best Support Characters in Neverness to Everness
I saw a streamer switch Sakiri into multiple teams and suddenly runs became less punishing.
Support choices determine how fast your DPS windows convert to kills. Prioritize utility over flair when your resources are limited.
| Tier | Character | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| SS | Sakiri | Buffs ATK for all allies and provides crowd control. |
| S | Haniel | Consistently buffs ATK for all allies using Skill and Ultimate. |
| A | Adler | Applies debuffs on enemies. |
Best Sustain Characters in Neverness to Everness
I tested endurance runs where healers or shields made the difference between a wipe and a clear.
Sustain is not glamorous, but it keeps your team alive long enough to finish fights. These names are the ones I reach for when survival matters.
| Tier | Character | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| S | Adler | Provides shields to keep the active character alive. |
| A | Fadia | Mitigates damage from allies to herself and can redirect damage taken to enemies. |
| A | Edgar | A good, dedicated healer. |
Who are the best characters in Neverness to Everness right now?
Nanally and Jiuyuan. They clear the hardest content and scale with investment. If you can only aim for two names this month, those are them.
Who should I reroll for in NTE?
Reroll for Nanally or Jiuyuan if you want long-term value. If you prefer a support-first path, prioritize Sakiri for banner trades and early stability.
How should I spend Annulith early on?
Spend on one meta carry or save for a guaranteed copy event. I advise building a single SS alongside a reliable support rather than spreading resources thin across many characters.
I based this tier list on kit reviews, damage logs shared across Discord and YouTube testing, and direct playthroughs of the main missions. Names and ranks will change as Hotta Studio releases new patches and balance updates, so treat this as a working map, not a sacred text. Which character are you chasing next?