Neverness to Everness Tier List October 2026: Best Espers to Pull and Build Right Now

Important Notes Before Diving In:

• Rankings follow the Version 1.4 meta and will move again when Akane Rin is live and when 1.5 banners drop.
• S-tier Espers are the highest long-term value for most accounts. A high Awakening can push a lower name up a tier. Zero at A6 and Haniel at A6 are the clearest examples.
• Blackbird is ranked from the Chinese-server kit. Akane Rin is ranked from the official preview and should be rechecked after October 21.
• Pull for the reaction core you are missing, not for every S-tier name. Pity carries between limited boards, and there is no 50/50.

Quick Neverness to Everness Tier List Overview

S-Tier Espers – Highest Priority Pulls & Investments

These characters from this NTE tier list define the current meta. They deliver exceptional damage, utility, or both across most content.

Esper	Role	Description
Blackbird	Main DPS / quick-swap sub-DPS – Psyche Version 1.4 Phase 1 limited on Foretold Finale	First limited Psyche carry. Netherplume Rite marks a target with Forsaken Feather.   Ally hits on that mark trigger Forsaken Bird, an AoE Psyche coordinated attack, so she keeps dealing damage after you swap. Ultimate Requies Animarum turns her into Witch of Deliverance for a projectile burst and a team ATK buff.  Blackbird can on-field as the carry or sit as a quick-swap buffer who still does real damage. Best early home is Blackbird + Lacrimosa + Zankou + Sakiri. Later she is the Psyche half of a Stain team with Akane Rin. Weakness: she wants a second reaction partner. A solo Psyche team wastes the kit. Pull if you need a second carry or a Psyche core. Skip only if Zankou and Shinku are already finished and you are saving specifically for Akane Rin
Zankou	Main DPS – Incantation	The 1.3 Phase 1 limited and the biggest meta shake-up since launch. She swaps Reality (spreads Heartwrench DoT) and Illusion (turns attacks into follow-up damage), and can play Break DPS, DoT DPS, hyper carry, or even a DoT support next to Lacrimosa. Zankou made Hexed (Anima + Incantation) a real archetype instead of a neglected reaction. F2P-friendly premium teams exist, and she scales hard with investment (A5 Break spike is notable). Weakness: state swaps punish sloppy play. Pull if you want a new main carry.
Linko	Sub-DPS / Hexed booster – Anima	1.3 Phase 2 limited (banner: Surfing All Channels!, Sep 9–30, 2026). First dedicated Hexed enhancer. Synced Strikes deal off-field follow-up damage, Weakness Radar buffs follow-up / Hexed, and Precision Tuning shreds resistance in the synced ally’s element. Very little field time. Best home is Zankou + Linko; second best is Nanally (Underboss follow-ups). Also works as a short-rotation RES shredder on mixed teams. Highest pull value if you already own Zankou or Nanally.
Iroi	Support / Healer – Anima	Best all-purpose support in 1.3. Healing, ATK buff, DEF ignore, off-field damage, unique revive, and a Blossom enhancement that clones Vita Buds past the normal cap. She is not locked to one reaction but Iroi makes Blossom, Charge, and general hypercarry teams safer and stronger.  Replaced Nanally as the preferred partner in many Shinku teams. Pull if you lack a premium sustain slot.
Shinku	Main DPS – Cosmos	On-field Charge carry. Builds Defiant Spirit into Surging Crimson for huge close-range burst. Charge enhancement feeds Ultimate energy to off-field allies and stacks ATK as charge is generated. Ceiling is among the highest in the game when Zero + Hathor + Iroi (or Nanally) are in place. More setup-heavy than Zankou. Pull if you want the Charge / Cosmos hypercarry.
Chaos	Main DPS – Lakshana	Still a top on-field carry. Crime / Guilt gauge into empowered Final Verdict, Warrant mark, and Remora enhancement that detonates instead of only slowing. Best with a Cosmos battery (Zero) and Hathor. Competes with Nanally / Shinku for the same premium supports, so he is slightly less efficient if Nanally is already your main. Damage ceiling remains elite in a built Remora team.
Lacrimosa	Main DPS / DoT support – Chaos	Still the easiest high-ceiling DoT carry. Nightmare stacks, melee/ranged stance swap, copies enemy techniques. Flexes Mono Scorch, Discord, or Nova. At A0 she is a clean S-tier; with Zankou (and especially with a dupe) she jumps into the absolute top of the lower Esper Circle. Natural partner for Zankou’s Scorch / Hexed cores. Phase 1 reruns her on Fading Reverie next to Blackbird. She is the best Chaos partner for both Zankou Scorch and the new Blackbird Psyche core. If you skipped Lacrimosa at launch, this rerun is higher priority than a Blackbird dupe.
Akane Rin	Main DPS – Lakshana Version 1.4 Phase 2 limited on Dazzling Star	Mid-to-long-range guitar carry. Basic attacks build String Energy. Rhythm   Wave either marks one target with Overtone, so basics channel into that target from range, or holds a Reverb Field that channels into every enemy inside it. Full String Energy spends into Synced Resonance, a heavy single-target or field blast.  Akane Rin is the ranged Lakshana option next to Chaos, not a replacement for him. Stain (Psyche + Lakshana) is her best new line with Blackbird. Remora (Lakshana + Cosmos) still works with Zero and Hathor.   Treat this as expected S until Phase 2 numbers are in. Pull if you want ranged Lakshana and already have Blackbird, or if you skipped Blackbird and still need a new on-fielder.
Hotori	Sub-DPS / Burst support – Cosmos	Still the unique time-stop recorder. Ultimate replays ally Skills / Cycles while the stage timer freezes which is invaluable on timed Beyond the Rails floors. Enables Mono Blossom and several Charge / Discord lines that feel worse without her. Hotori is still S for timed Beyond the Rails because her Ultimate freezes the stage clock, but she is no longer the default first pull. Linko, Iroi, and Blackbird are higher leverage for most accounts. Pull her on a later rerun unless Mono Blossom is the team you are finishing. She is still S for long-term account value, and her rerun currently shares the Phase 2 window with Linko.
Nanally	Main DPS – Anima	Launch hypercarry that refused to fall off. Follow-up kit, Ichi-daime’s Authority, Underboss summon, flexible team building. Linko buffs her follow-up damage, Iroi buffs her Blossom teams, and she can even support Shinku. In some cases, Nanally is placed at T0.5 instead of T0 because newer limiteds have higher dedicated ceilings but she is still the safest, least restrictive S-tier DPS on the roster. Some 1.4 lists drop her to the top of A because Blackbird and Zankou have higher dedicated ceilings. She stays S here. She is still the least restrictive on-field DPS, and Linko plus Iroi did not make her worse.
Sakiri	Support / CC – Incantation	Still the best general buffer + vacuum. Eating Mode, grouping, team damage buffs. Core in Zankou Scorch / Hexed and Lacrimosa Scorch. Permanent / standard-adjacent value; build her even if you skip limited banners. Still the default fourth slot in Zankou Scorch and in the early Blackbird team. Do not skip building her for a limited support you do not own.

Note: These characters are hard to earn but if you want more currencies to pull them more, just top up through Enjoygm. There are discounts for currency packs there so take your chance.

A-Tier Espers – Strong & Versatile Options

These A tier characters perform very well and can carry content effectively, especially with good team support or investment.

Esper	Capability
Baicang	Still a strong Incantation hybrid (ST / AoE / self-sustain), but Lacrimosa + Zankou took his old Scorch throne. Use him as a quick-swap extra DoT, not as a first-priority limited replacement.
Hathor	A-tier overall, S-tier in Charge / Remora teams. Feather stacks and off-field energy make her a staple next to Shinku and Chaos. Vulnerable if you force her as a main carry. Still the Charge and Remora staple for Shinku and Chaos. She is not a Blackbird or Akane Rin requirement.
Jiuyuan	Gathering, extra Vita Buds, and some healing. Best-in-slot Anima flex for many Blossom teams (with Iroi she can push Bud caps). Slightly outclassed as a pure DPS by Nanally / Linko.
Esper Zero (Protagonist)	Still the best free battery on the top half of the Esper Circle. Instant Cycle refill is meta-defining for Blossom, Remora, and Charge. A0 is A-tier on an overall list; A6 Zero plays like S-tier Sub-DPS. Do not bench him. A0 stays A. A6 Zero is a real sub-DPS and is the free piece that keeps Remora and Charge teams in S-tier clears. Build Esper Zero even if you pull Blackbird.
Daffodil	Best Break specialist. Parry / swap and Insight Break damage. Pairs extremely well with invested Zankou (A5) for fast Beyond the Rails clears. Niche but high impact. Still the Break specialist. Linko’s Hexed teams and invested Zankou are where he spikes. He is not required for Blackbird.
Chiz	Still the high-skill Cosmos rhythm carry. Ceiling is real; consistency is the problem. 1.3 power creep (Shinku / Chaos / Hotori) pushed him out of “must-pull” territory. Great if you already mastered him.

B-Tier & C-Tier Espers

B-Tier characters are playable and can work in specific teams or for early progression but are B-Tier units still clear story and mid-endgame, but they are outclassed in optimized Beyond the Rails:

• Fadia — damage-share and face-tank on Scorch. Also a Psyche applicator if you run Akane Rin Stain before you own Blackbird.
• Haniel — A0 is a generic ATK buffer and stays B. A6 Haniel is a permanent buffer and plays like high A on Zankou Scorch and Chaos Remora.
• Mint — usable Anima on-fielder. Still behind Nanally, Iroi, and Linko.
• Adler — best free shielder. Still the sustain piece on F2P Lacrimosa Scorch.

C-Tier — do not invest unless you like the character:

• Skia, Aurelia, Edgar (pure heal is covered better by Iroi / Jiuyuan)

Best Characters in Version 1.4 (Quick Priority)

1. Blackbird — new default limited pull if you do not already have two finished carries.
2. Lacrimosa — rerun in the same phase. Pull her if she is missing. She anchors Scorch and the new Psyche core.
3. Zankou — still the best Incantation and Hexed carry if you do not own her.
4. Iroi — best universal sustain, ATK buff, and Blossom amplifier.
5. Linko — still the Hexed and follow-up piece for Zankou or Nanally. Lower priority than Blackbird if those two are already built.
6. Sakiri — free-to-build buffer and grouper. Core in Scorch and in the early Blackbird team.
7. Shinku or Chaos — pick one Charge-side or Remora on-fielder, not both, unless the account is already stacked.
8. Akane Rin — expected Phase 2 pull if you want ranged Lakshana or a Stain partner for Blackbird. Wait for live numbers if crystals are tight.
9. Hotori and Nanally — still S. Pull on rerun only after the 1.4 limited you actually need.
10. Esper Zero — build him on every account.

Best Teams for NTE  Version 1.4

Teams are 4-Esper. Swap the last slot to taste (sustain vs. extra DPS).

Pull Value — Version 1.4

Phase 1 runs until October 21, 2026 with Blackbird (new, Foretold Finale) and Lacrimosa (rerun, Fading Reverie). Phase 2 is from October 21–November 11 with Akane Rin (new, Dazzling Star). All limited boards share the S-rank pity counter. There is no 50/50. And if you want to plan further, these are your pull values to go with:

Conclusion

That is the Version 1.4 Neverness to Everness tier list. Finish one reaction core before you spread pulls across every S-tier name. The current cores are Blackbird Psyche with Lacrimosa, Zankou Hexed-Scorch with Linko, Blossom with Nanally, Iroi, and Hotori, and Charge or Remora with Shinku or Chaos. Akane Rin is the Phase 2 ranged Lakshana add and should be treated as expected S until October 21. Use the pull table to match the banner to the roster you already own.