Neverness to Everness launched with 16 playable Espers across damage, buff, and survival roles, and pull resources are tight enough that spending on the wrong character can set you back for weeks. This tier list ranks every Esper available in Version 1.0 based on boss performance, mob clearing, team synergy, and ease of use, drawing from multiple community sources and hands-on evaluation.
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Who should you pull first in NTE?
If you are starting fresh, the answer from every source is consistent: Nanally first, then work toward Sakiri or Jiuyuan depending on your playstyle. Nanally sits atop the damage rankings in GameWith's evaluation and is the featured S-rank unit on the limited Ichi-daime banner at launch.
Daffodil appears on the Standard Banner, so you can reroll for her without waiting on a limited rotation. If you miss Nanally's banner, Daffodil is your next best damage priority.
Full Version 1.0 Esper roster
S Tier Espers
Nanally (Anima / Plasma / Damage) is the highest-priority pull in the game right now. Her follow-up attacks trigger automatically whenever a teammate hits an enemy, which means she keeps generating damage even while sitting off-field. She has excellent ability uptime and synergizes with any team composition, making her both beginner-friendly and effective at high-level play. She performs best when paired with Esper Zero, who accelerates Esper Cycles and amplifies her follow-up output.
Sakiri (Incantation / Gas / Buff) is the top support option in the game. She excels at grouping enemies for AoE setups, applies an ATK buff to the team through her Ultimate, and triggers Scorch to enhance damage-over-time effects. If you are not chasing a damage dealer, Sakiri is the support worth targeting.
Jiuyuan (Anima / Solid / Damage) rounds out SS tier with a self-sufficient damage kit built around Pact and Settlement mechanics for powerful single-target hits, plus sustained damage through Rose Pact Bullets. She also has solid enemy-gathering for crowd control, though she falls short of Sakiri specifically in AoE damage output.
Nanally's passive follow-up trigger
A Tier Espers
Daffodil (Chaos / Liquid / Damage) is the standout boss specialist. Her kit revolves around white bar damage that fills the boss stagger meter fast, and when that bar breaks, your entire team gets a window to unload maximum damage. She can swap allies mid-combo to maximize team damage during stun phases. She possesses a long-range dodge usable mid-combo, letting you reposition during hectic boss AoE attacks.
Esper Zero (Cosmos / Solid / Damage) is the protagonist and a reliable all-rounder. A single Skill cast triggers Esper Cycles instantly, and a passive self-heal improves survivability that most damage characters lack. As a free unit, Zero fits into most teams without costing pull resources.
Baicang (Incantation / Synthesis / Damage) has the highest damage ceiling in the game but demands precise execution. He switches between martial arts and ranged spell modes, with Power Word bonus effects during his Ultimate. The tradeoff is constant HP management and tight timing requirements. Baicang is versatile but not excelling in any single role compared to specialists. For most players, Nanally or Daffodil are safer first investments.
Chiz (Cosmos / Gas / Damage) is the best free-to-play damage option. She becomes obtainable at 6 dupes through the permanent gacha, earns Fons directly through Basic Attacks, and deals massive damage with her chart-reading Ultimate mechanic. Her rhythm mechanics make her harder to use than other damage dealers, but the payoff is excellent for a no-cost unit.
Haniel (Psyche / Solid / Buff) is a pure team buffer who raises ATK through her Ultimate and inflicts DoT via Hootie's follow-up attacks. Haniel places at S rank for the Buff role with C6 investment. She applies buffs and swaps out, which is her entire function, but she does it reliably in any lineup.
Adler (Incantation / Synthesis / Survival) provides a team-wide shield with a single button press, which is genuinely rare in the current roster. He also boosts damage by accumulating and consuming Karma stacks and inflicts random debuffs through Support Skills.
B Tier Espers
Fadia (Psyche / Synthesis / Survival) is an excellent tank whose passive lets the team share incoming damage, preventing any single ally from being eliminated alone. She also has a damage reflection mechanic and can trigger her Ultimate instantly at a set HP threshold. Her offensive output is limited, but in content where keeping the team alive matters, she earns her slot.
Hathor (Lakshana / Plasma / Damage) delivers high burst damage by consuming Express Delivery Power stacks, but requires careful timing since the charging animation leaves her exposed to hits. She must unload damage during her buff window to realize her full potential. She fits into most teams as a secondary support-DPS without needing specific setups.
Hathor's feather stack charging leaves her vulnerable. Avoid using her charge animation against bosses with frequent AoE patterns unless you can time the windows reliably.
C Tier Espers
Edgar (Cosmos / Liquid / Survival) is a dedicated healer whose skills prioritize low-HP allies and continuously heal through his Ultimate. His healing area is stationary, making him significantly less effective in fast-paced fights against mobile bosses.
Skia (Lakshana / Gas / Damage) has some synergy with Light-element characters like Chiz through his Lakshana element and provides decent AoE crowd control, but his damage output is low compared to other dealers.
Mint (Anima / Liquid / Damage) has a low-cooldown Redirect Skill and can pull enemies in with a held Basic Attack. She has solid single-target and AoE parry potential, but she is quickly outclassed when higher-tier DPS characters are available.
Aurelia (Psyche / Plasma / Damage) deals damage through Jellyfish Blasts that stack ATK buffs on hit and pulls enemies in with her Ultimate. Her crowd control through the Ultimate is decent, her overall damage is relatively low and her mobility, particularly in dodging and aerial movement, lags behind the rest of the roster.
Building your three-Esper team
What is the best team composition in NTE?
The core recommendation across all three sources is consistent: Nanally as your primary damage dealer, Daffodil for boss stagger breaking, and Adler or Sakiri as your third slot depending on whether you need shields or AoE setup.
Nanally performs best when paired with Esper Zero, who accelerates Esper Cycles and feeds into her follow-up attack frequency. If you have Zero at C3, the Nanally and Zero pairing becomes one of the strongest damage cores available in Version 1.0.
For players who pulled Jiuyuan, she compresses the healer slot since she can attack at range and heal teammates simultaneously, removing the need for a dedicated survival unit in most content.
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