NTE Tier List (October 2026): Best Characters Ranked
NTE Tier List (October 2026): Best Characters Ranked

Version 1.4 of NTE: Neverness to Everness brought Blackbird, and the meta moved again. Instead of giving you one more opinion, this tier list combines the three most-used NTE tier lists, Prydwen, Icy Veins and Kaiden.gg, all updated after Blackbird's release, into one ranking. You can see where each site puts every character, and where they disagree.

Quick answer: the best characters in NTE right now are Blackbird, Lacrimosa, Zankou, Linko, Zero, Iroi and Sakiri: all three sites put them in their top tier. Chaos, Shinku, Hotori, Nanally and Daffodil are just behind. If you are free-to-play, Chiz, Adler, Mint and Skia cost nothing and still have a place in teams.

NTE tier list (October 2026, version 1.4)

Tier Character Esper Rarity Role
S Blackbird Psyche S-Class Damage
S Lacrimosa Chaos S-Class Damage
S Zankou Incantation S-Class Damage
S Linko Anima S-Class Damage (hybrid)
S Zero Cosmos S-Class Damage (hybrid)
S Iroi Anima S-Class Support (survival)
S Sakiri Incantation S-Class Support (buff)
A+ Chaos Lakshana S-Class Damage
A+ Shinku Cosmos S-Class Damage
A+ Hotori Cosmos S-Class Hybrid (buff)
A+ Nanally Anima S-Class Damage
A+ Daffodil Chaos S-Class Hybrid (sub DPS)
A Haniel Psyche A-Class Support (buff)
A Baicang Incantation S-Class Damage
A Chiz Cosmos S-Class Damage
A Jiuyuan Anima S-Class Hybrid (damage)
A Hathor Lakshana S-Class Hybrid (damage)
A Fadia Psyche S-Class Hybrid (survival)
A Adler Incantation A-Class Support (survival)
B Aurelia Psyche A-Class Damage
B Mint Anima A-Class Damage
B Skia Lakshana A-Class Damage
C Edgar Cosmos A-Class Support (survival)

Roles follow Prydwen's categories. Not sure what the Esper types do? Our guide NTE Esper Types and Reactions explains every Esper Cycle.

How we built this ranking

Each site uses its own tier names, so we turned every placement into points: 5 points for a site's top tier, 4 for the second, 3 for the third, and so on down. Then we added the three scores together.

  • S tier: 15 points, top tier on all three sites.
  • A+ tier: 13 or 14 points, top tier on at least one site.
  • A tier: 10 or 11 points.
  • B tier: 6 to 8 points.
  • C tier: below 6.

The tier lists used: Prydwen (updated September 30, 2026), Icy Veins (September 28, 2026) and Kaiden.gg (September 30, 2026). Icy Veins rates S-Class characters with no duplicates (A0) and A-Class characters fully upgraded (A6), which is why some free A-Class characters look stronger there than you might expect.

Where each site ranks every character

Character Prydwen Icy Veins Kaiden.gg Our tier
Blackbird T0 S T0 S
Lacrimosa T0 S T0 S
Zankou T0 S T0 S
Linko T0 S T0 S
Zero T0 S T0 S
Iroi T0 S T0 S
Sakiri T0 S T0 S
Chaos T0.5 S T0 A+
Shinku T0.5 S T0 A+
Hotori T0.5 S T0 A+
Nanally T0.5 S T0.5 A+
Daffodil T0.5 S T0.5 A+
Haniel T0.5 A T1 A
Baicang T1 A T0.5 A
Chiz T1 A T0.5 A
Jiuyuan T1 A T0.5 A
Hathor T1 A T0.5 A
Fadia T1 B T0.5 A
Adler T1 B T0.5 A
Aurelia T1.5 B T1 B
Mint T1.5 C T1 B
Skia T1.5 C T2 B
Edgar T3 D T2 C

The sites agree almost completely at the top. The biggest disagreements are Haniel, a buffer Prydwen rates highly but Kaiden.gg places lower, and Fadia, a tank Kaiden.gg likes much more than Icy Veins does.

The S-tier characters

These seven are in the top tier of all three sites.

Blackbird

NTE character Blackbird in a wide witch hat, casting golden magic at night

Psyche · S-Class · Damage. The new limited S-Class character of version 1.4. Prydwen ranks Blackbird in its top tier, and the Blackbird Nova team is one of its four best teams. Icy Veins rates Blackbird both as a main DPS and as a support.

Lacrimosa

NTE character Lacrimosa with half black, half blue hair and a red jacket, city lights in the background

Chaos · S-Class · Damage. A damage-over-time DPS. PC Gamer calls Lacrimosa the S-Class character with the highest damage potential, mainly from DOT moves.

Zankou

NTE character Zankou with long silver hair and a scythe in a blue flower field at night

Incantation · S-Class · Damage. A main DPS at the center of two of Prydwen's top teams, including a Hexed team with Linko, Sakiri and Iroi.

Linko

NTE character Linko with pink hair and a backpack, pointing at the camera in a neon-lit studio

Anima · S-Class · Damage (hybrid). The second new S-Class character of version 1.3, used as a hybrid damage dealer in many top teams.

Zero

NTE character Zero with grey hair in a black leather jacket and tie

Cosmos · S-Class · Damage (hybrid). A sub DPS whose Skill has a 100 Cycle Rate and a 16-second cooldown, which makes it easy to keep Esper Cycles going.

Iroi

NTE character Iroi with green hair and curled horns, sitting on a giant yellow inflatable duck at sea

Anima · S-Class · Support (survival). A survival support who keeps the team alive. Iroi shows up in a large share of Prydwen's recommended teams, from the top tier down.

Sakiri

NTE character Sakiri with white hair, a peaked cap and a red jacket, sitting on a robot

Incantation · S-Class · Support (buff). A buffer: Sakiri's Ultimate boosts the whole team, and the passive makes Scorch teams stronger.

The A+ tier characters

Top tier on at least one site, and just behind the S tier overall.

Chaos

NTE character Chaos in a leather jacket holding a flaming scythe on a bridge at night

Lakshana · S-Class · Damage. Top tier on Icy Veins (S) and Kaiden.gg (T0), one step lower on Prydwen (T0.5). The best Lakshana damage dealer in the ranking.

Shinku

NTE character Shinku with long black hair and red horns, holding a lollipop and a clay pot

Cosmos · S-Class · Damage. Same placements as Chaos: S on Icy Veins, T0 on Kaiden.gg and T0.5 on Prydwen.

Hotori

NTE character Hotori in a red and black kimono holding a paper umbrella

Cosmos · S-Class · Hybrid (buff). A hybrid who also buffs the team. Icy Veins (S) and Kaiden.gg (T0) put Hotori in their top tier, Prydwen one step lower (T0.5).

Nanally

NTE character Nanally with red hair, cat ears and round glasses

Anima · S-Class · Damage. Top tier on Icy Veins (S), second tier on Prydwen and Kaiden.gg (both T0.5).

Daffodil

NTE character Daffodil with short black and blue hair in a dark uniform and white gloves

Chaos · S-Class · Hybrid (sub DPS). A sub DPS with the same placements as Nanally: S on Icy Veins, T0.5 on Prydwen and Kaiden.gg.

Best free characters

NTE: Neverness to Everness characters in an official collage: a singer with a guitar, a dark-haired character holding a glowing orb, and friends at a street market
Some of the NTE cast. Image: Hotta Studio / Perfect World (Steam).

You don't need to pull to build a decent team. Chiz can be unlocked for free through the Tycoon mode, and Adler, Mint and Skia are free A-Class characters. Chiz and Adler land in our A tier, which makes them the best value picks. Mint and Skia are easy to play and get much better once they are fully upgraded.

Who to pull right now

  • Until October 21, 2026: Blackbird (new) and Lacrimosa (rerun). Both are S tier on all three sites, so either is a safe pull.
  • October 21 to November 11, 2026 (expected): Akane Rin, a new S-Class damage dealer with the Lakshana Esper. Akane Rin isn't ranked yet: we'll add this character once the tier lists do.
  • Version 1.5: Elyms (Cosmos) and Exe (Chaos) are expected as the next limited S-Class characters. Dates are not announced yet.
NTE: Neverness to Everness, two characters run through a glowing blue flower field under a night sky
A glowing flower field at night. Image: Hotta Studio / Perfect World (Steam).

Playing NTE on PC?

NTE is free on Steam. Check if your PC can run it with our NTE Can I Run It checker, or read the full NTE PC system requirements. All our NTE guides are on the NTE game page.

FAQ

Who is the best character in NTE right now?

Seven characters are in the top tier of all three tier lists we compared: Blackbird, Lacrimosa, Zankou, Linko, Zero, Iroi and Sakiri. For a new damage dealer, Blackbird and Lacrimosa are both on the banner until October 21, 2026.

Who is the best free character in NTE?

Chiz, who you can unlock through the Tycoon mode, and Adler, a free A-Class support. Both are in our A tier.

Is Fadia still good?

Yes, but Fadia is no longer a top pick. Kaiden.gg still rates Fadia highly as a tank, while Icy Veins places Fadia in B tier.

Is Edgar worth using?

Not much. All three sites put Edgar in their lowest tier.

Where is Akane Rin on the tier list?

Not yet. The Akane Rin banner is expected to start on October 21, 2026, and we'll add the character once the tier lists are updated.

Rankings from Prydwen (updated September 30, 2026), Icy Veins (September 28, 2026) and Kaiden.gg (September 30, 2026). Teams from the Prydwen team tier list. Character details from PC Gamer and Beebom. Banner dates from Prydwen and GosuGamers. Character art: Hotta Studio / Perfect World. Last checked October 18, 2026.

John N.
John N.
Editor

Gaming writer at FpsGen. Guides and reviews are built on official sources, patch notes and real player data.

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