The Debt Collector is the 5th main quest in Neverness to Everness and the final story mission available at version 1.0 launch. To start it, you need to have reached Hunter Level 24 and completed the 4th main quest, Deal? Deal! The quest begins in Bridge Crossings and takes you through a surprisingly layered mystery involving puppets, a haunted manor, timeline-switching mechanics, and two back-to-back boss encounters. Clearing it earns you Hunter EXP x1000, Annulith x120, Expansion Core x10, Fons x80,000, and Beetle Coin x100,000.
Part 1: Look into the mysterious puppet
This opening section covers a lot of ground across two districts before the first boss fight.
How do you start the Debt Collector quest?
Teleport to Eibon and enter the building to trigger a cutscene. From there, head to the Bureau of Anomaly Control by using the ReroRero Phone Booth in the area. Inside, approach Nelly, then follow Hotori up the stairs and into the elevator. Once the elevator sequence ends, follow Nelly through the door and across the bridge into the restricted section.
Enter the room and talk to Chaos and Lavinia, then move to the large containers at the back and interact with the three puppets inside. Before leaving the Bureau, unlock the phone booth here if you haven't already — it saves a significant amount of backtracking later.
Return to Eibon, then head north to Food First on Ironheart 9th Avenue. Access it from the river sidewalk to the south of the building and speak to the woman in the white dress inside.
Unlock every ReroRero Phone Booth you pass during this quest. The objectives jump between Eibon, Bridge Crossings, and Miguel District frequently, and fast travel points cut down travel time considerably.
How to beat the Debt Collector (first encounter)
After leaving Food First, head west-by-southwest to the on-street parking area nearby. A cutscene plays and you drop straight into the first Debt Collector fight.
This fight uses a pre-built level 50 team, so your own character progression doesn't factor in here. The Debt Collector has a relatively low HP pool compared to bosses from earlier Episodes, but it fully regenerates once you drain it the first time.
Key things to know for the first round:
- The boss relies on wide sweeping attacks that it chains together. Dodge through them rather than trying to keep distance.
- It has a parry attack, but it appears as a standalone move — watch for the tell and counter it.
- Daffodil is excellent for breaking the enemy's break bar quickly. Once broken, switch to Nanally and Zero to deal heavy damage.
- Cosmos espers deal bonus damage against the Debt Collector, so prioritise them if your team allows.
The second round begins immediately after you deplete the health bar. The Debt Collector returns with the same moveset plus extra sweeping attacks. Watch for the moment it anchors to the ground and starts spinning — this triggers a chain of parry attacks in a row. Stay mobile and keep dodging.
After the second defeat, follow the quest marker to the Witch's House in Bridge Crossings. Teleport to the Wertheimer Tower in Hankaku Plaza, then head southwest to the orange glowing house in the small forest. This is where Blackbird the Witch resides.
Return to Eibon after the Witch's House visit, then travel northeast to Miguel District to reach the address on the card. The location sits at the very edge of the version 1.0 map and is accessed via a dirt path off Whitetail Ridge Road. Follow the path to an old tree and approach it to trigger a cutscene.
Part 2: Explore the anomaly
This section shifts the quest into the abandoned manor and introduces the perspective-switching mechanic that defines the rest of the episode.
How does the timeline switching work?
You can press the Touch Pad to toggle between two versions of the manor — a present-day abandoned state and a past version where the banquet is still in full swing. Several objectives require you to switch views to interact with NPCs or objects that only exist in one timeline.
Here's the sequence:
- Defeat 4 level 38 Bulb Anomalies when they appear. These enemies throw out a pollen mist that deals passive damage while you stand in it — keep moving.
- Interact with the main gate and enter the manor.
- Talk to all 4 banquet guests scattered around the Banquet Hall.
- Find and speak to Bella (left of the grand staircase) and Dolores (seating area near the center).
- Switch to the other timeline and climb the stairs to interact with the clock.
- Defeat another wave of 4 Bulb Anomalies in the empty hall.
- Switch back and return to Dolores to continue her conversation.
- Follow the quest marker through the corridor to the Flower House and approach the large cherry blossom tree to meet Renee.
- Switch timelines again, defeat the final Bulb Anomaly group, then run to the cherry blossom tree.
The Bulb Anomaly groups each contain exactly 4 enemies and appear three times during the Anomaly section. They are not difficult individually, but the pollen mist can chip away at your health if you stay stationary. Keep attacking and repositioning.
Part 3: Find out the truth about the Constantine family
This is the longest section of the quest and ends with both boss fights back-to-back.
Where are all the diary pages and dolls?
Head past the clock in the Banquet Hall and up the stairs to reach the study. Switch to the past timeline inside and collect the 4 torn diary pages scattered through the upper floor rooms. After reading the ledger on the study table — with the Debt Collector standing motionless in the room, harmless for now — switch to the other timeline to begin finding Renee's siblings as little dolls.
After collecting all 6 dolls, find Young Renee hiding in a wooden cabinet at one of the Banquet Hall seating areas. Follow the quest marker out through the corridor and into the dining hall to catch up with Renee, then backtrack to Dolores's room to trigger the boss sequence.
The Debt Collector appears in the study room during the ledger objective but will not attack you. Do not waste time trying to engage it — this is a story beat, not a fight.
How to beat Zankou
Zankou is a level 48 boss who fights with a large sword and attacks far more slowly than the Debt Collector. You control a pre-set version of Zero for this fight.
- Her fiery swings are telegraphed and easy to read. When she fires flames at you, you can attack the projectiles to reflect them back at her.
- She has a parry attack in the first half — watch for the tell and counter it.
- At roughly 50% HP, she jumps away and spawns four red shadow clones of herself. These cannot be damaged, so dodge their attacks until they vanish and Zankou returns.
- In the second half, she swaps fiery blasts for fiery tornadoes and eventually charges a massive attack that extends her sword to an extreme length. Dodge this and stay patient.
- A cutscene triggers when she reaches approximately 10% HP, ending the fight.
Incantation characters deal bonus damage against Zankou. Parrying her attacks and landing Critical Ripostes is the most efficient damage strategy given how predictable her moveset is.
How to beat the Debt Collector (second encounter)
Immediately after Zankou's cutscene, you face the Debt Collector again using the same pre-built team from the first fight. This version is noticeably more aggressive with a larger HP pool and an expanded moveset.
New attacks to watch for:
- Spinning blades launched at range in the second half — dodge sideways.
- Massive sweeping attacks with an enlarged weapon that leave energy blasts on the ground. These attacks are heavily telegraphed, so you have time to reposition. Crucially, you cannot parry them — dodge through and move behind the Debt Collector to deal free damage while it finishes the animation.
The core strategy remains the same as the first fight: stay close, dodge the sweeps, parry when the opportunity appears, and use Cosmos characters for the damage bonus. After defeating it, the quest wraps up with a final conversation with Daffodil outside your dorm near the entrance to Eibon.
Quest Rewards
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