Code reports read October 18 — source test dates and conflicts shownBlackbird playable · Akane Rin announced for October 21Limited-character budget: count the remaining 90-roll guaranteeEndgame tiers: preserve the original A0 / A6 assumptionsDiscord requires Nova and Scorch togetherCode reports read October 18 — source test dates and conflicts shownBlackbird playable · Akane Rin announced for October 21Limited-character budget: count the remaining 90-roll guaranteeEndgame tiers: preserve the original A0 / A6 assumptionsDiscord requires Nova and Scorch together
NTE Codes Hub

Team Compositions

Best NTE Team Comps

Seven operating examples for different tasks: learn a free starter loop, protect a boss burst, clear groups, record Hotori’s replay, or maintain Charge, Scorch and Discord. These are reaction and field-time plans with failure checks, not simulated DPS rankings.

UpdatedOct 18, 2026 7 compositions
F2P Starter · EasyLearn a short, protected Mint window using story and progression characters.Protected Boss Burst · MediumGive Nanally a protected, uninterrupted burst rather than maximizing a theoretical damage score.Blossom Group Clear · MediumUse Jiuyuan’s marks and enhanced Vita Buds to support damage against groups.Hotori Replay Setup · HardPlan a Hotori recording window around short allied actions and a separate Nanally field window.Charge Energy Loop · MediumUse all three upper-Cycle attributes to feed an Ultimate-focused Chiz rotation.Scorch Continuing Damage · MediumMaintain Chaos / Incantation Scorch while protecting Baicang’s HP-cost actions.Discord Break Setup · MediumKeep Nova and Scorch on the same target to deduct Break, with an explicit Psyche / Chaos / Incantation route.

Each example below is this site’s suggested operating sequence, based on published kits and the reaction requirements. It is not a measured DPS score or a promise to clear every encounter. Use the linked character guides for equipment conditions and source profile dates. Original Esper Cycle mechanics · April 23, 2026.

Rotation

  1. Prepare Hootie with Haniel. Use the Ultimate when available before the attacker’s field time; do not assume the full-copy bonus on an early account.
  2. Use Adler’s Skill for protection. At A1, Ultimate before Skill supplies the Karma opener. His shield is DEF-based.
  3. Use Zero’s Skill to fill the Cycle Gauge, then switch to Mint for Blossom. Confirm the highlighted portrait / reaction before starting a long attack.
  4. Attack with Mint, dodge an incoming strike and land Critical Riposte for the A1 Redirect reset. Use the held spin when the target is broken or safely disabled.
  5. Refresh the shield and buffs when needed. Adler and Mint also permit Hexed; this lineup has no Chaos, so it does not create Scorch.

If the sequence fails

If the reset does not occur, check Critical Dodge → riposte hit, not the appearance of a critical damage number. If the shield breaks, inspect Adler’s DEF and refresh timing. Do not try to repair both issues by leveling a second attacker.

Tradeoffs and replacements

The roster has shielding but no dedicated healer. Replace a non-essential slot with Edgar when damage persists across encounters. Recheck the reaction route after a substitution.

Rotation

  1. Prepare Fadia’s damage redirection and Adler’s shield before Nanally’s field window. Watch Fadia’s own HP because redirected damage still has to be recovered.
  2. For a Break setup, use Psyche Fadia with Chaos Daffodill to establish Nova, then connect Incantation Adler for the Scorch / Discord route when the Cycle state permits.
  3. Confirm the target’s actual Break state. Do not assume a fixed number of swaps breaks every boss.
  4. Give Nanally her uninterrupted sequence: Skill → Ultimate → normal / charged chain. With Raging Flames, use the Arc-specific Ultimate → Skill opener instead.
  5. Leave the damage window when the boss threatens a lethal attack or protection expires. Rebuild the setup after the mechanic rather than forcing the remainder of a combo.

If the sequence fails

A moving or invulnerable boss can waste the setup. Learn one repeatable safe window first. Switching away ends Nanally’s Authority, so refresh support before entering it rather than halfway through.

Tradeoffs and replacements

Two defensive slots trade damage for safety. Once the encounter is reliable, compare replacing one with a buffer. Fadia and Adler are not a guarantee of immunity; preserve dodges for attacks that overwhelm protection.

Rotation

  1. Set Hootie and any ready Haniel Ultimate before the main field window.
  2. Use Jiuyuan’s Skill to mark and gather nearby enemies. Use Ultimate when ready to settle targets; the Skill-based setup avoids relying on an uninterrupted fifth normal hit.
  3. Use Zero’s Skill and switch to an Anima character to trigger Blossom. Confirm the Cycle rather than simply alternating characters on cooldown.
  4. Use Nanally’s equipped-Arc opener and finish the enhanced attack sequence while the group is still in range.
  5. Rotate back for marks and energy. Count Jiuyuan as a source of team healing only with the relevant A2 effect active and settlements actually occurring.

If the sequence fails

This team contains no Incantation, so it cannot supply Hexed. If a target leaves the group, compare a shorter setup against trying to gather it again. More damage stats do not increase a missed Vita Bud hit’s range.

Tradeoffs and replacements

Without Jiuyuan A2 it has no dedicated sustain. Replace Haniel with a healer when survival is the limiting factor; the damage tradeoff is preferable to repeatedly abandoning Nanally’s window to avoid death.

Rotation

  1. Before combat, decide which three different teammates’ short Support / Redirect actions you intend Hotori to record. Avoid actions whose long animations consume the recording window.
  2. Set support effects, then activate Present Replay. Execute the chosen allied actions during its five-second recording window.
  3. Use the replay / Time Stop window once the desired actions are recorded. Hotori’s Timepiece is a special resource; ordinary attack-energy assumptions do not establish its readiness.
  4. Give Nanally a separate Authority window after the necessary support setup. Use the appropriate opener for Ready Ready or Raging Flames.
  5. Repeat only after resources and support effects are ready. Sakiri’s grouping does not suppress bosses, so plan around buffs in those encounters.

If the sequence fails

If replay misses an intended action, simplify the switches before adding more steps. This is an operating example based on the published kit, not a measured Version 1.4 damage-optimal script.

Tradeoffs and replacements

The lineup has no dedicated shield or healer. Replace a damage or buff slot with survival when needed. Every replacement changes the actions available to record; rehearse the revised three-action plan.

Rotation

  1. This four-character example supplies Cosmos (Chiz / Zero), Anima (Mint) and Lakshana (Skia). Removing the only Lakshana or Anima slot removes the full Charge route.
  2. Use Zero’s Skill to complete the Cycle Gauge and connect to Skia for Remora. Watch the target state and prepare the Anima / Cosmos Blossom connection.
  3. Trigger Blossom while the target is affected by Remora. The Vita Bud hit interaction supplies Charge energy; merely owning three elements is not enough.
  4. Use Chiz’s Ultimate when ready, watch the Grain Market indicator and settle at a favorable point. Keep the one-million-Fons reserve for Contemplative Cat’s full wallet condition.
  5. Refresh the Cycle states before repeating. Check the energy gained in the actual encounter rather than assuming a fixed percentage reduction in Ultimate cooldown.

If the sequence fails

If the loop produces no energy, inspect whether Blossom hits landed during Remora. A stationary training target and a moving boss can produce different uptime. Skia’s mark and Ultimate should be used in range.

Tradeoffs and replacements

This lineup prioritizes the reaction lesson and lacks a dedicated healer. Edgar can replace a Cosmos slot for healing while preserving all three attributes. Replacing Mint or Skia needs another source of that missing attribute.

Rotation

  1. Prepare Adler’s Blessing and Sakiri’s available support effects. Watch Base ATK / Ultimate conditions rather than reading a generic ATK% piece as the same team buff.
  2. Connect Chaos Daffodill and an Incantation teammate with a completed Cycle to apply Scorch. Confirm the effect before expecting Sakiri’s DoT utility.
  3. Apply Baicang’s Power Words and rotate through short teammate actions. His HP cost and the enemy’s execute threshold are separate mechanics.
  4. Use Daffodill’s support-driven Resonance and a successful Phantom Step parry when available; do not assume an Ultimate refill after a missed parry.
  5. Refresh Scorch and protection as needed. Near the end, Baicang’s Ultimate checks enemy HP: ordinary-enemy and boss thresholds differ.

If the sequence fails

There is no Psyche character here, so this particular lineup does not produce Nova or Discord. If those are the goal, use the Discord lineup rather than treating any Chaos switch as both reactions.

Tradeoffs and replacements

Baicang can spend HP while an enemy is attacking. Delay the action or refresh protection instead of intentionally approaching a low personal-HP threshold. Jiuyuan’s attachment is not classified as DoT for Sakiri’s passive.

Rotation

  1. Set Haniel’s Hootie and refresh Adler’s protection. Haniel supplies Psyche, Daffodill Chaos, and Adler / Baicang Incantation.
  2. With a completed Cycle, connect Psyche and Chaos for Nova. Confirm the target carries the state before continuing.
  3. Connect Chaos and Incantation for Scorch while Nova is still active. Their simultaneous presence produces Discord; Stain is not its prerequisite.
  4. Use the resulting Break opening for damage, then refresh the states. A single Discord does not guarantee every enemy becomes Broken.
  5. If an enemy moves or the first state expires, rebuild the short setup. Do not continue a memorized sequence after the prerequisite has disappeared.

If the sequence fails

This is a reaction-first operating example, not a fixed-turn or infinite-control claim. Watch state timing and the actual Break bar. Daffodill’s parry and Baicang’s finishing Ultimate remain separate damage tools.

Tradeoffs and replacements

A surviving support slot is essential for repeated attempts. Blackbird can replace Haniel as a Psyche enabler with an instant-Cycle Skill and coordinated attacks; that changes buffing and field time, so recheck the sequence rather than assuming identical output.

Esper Cycle reaction quick reference

A reaction plan begins with the actual attributes and Cycle Gauge. Six elements form a closed ring: Lakshana → Cosmos → Anima → Incantation → Chaos → Psyche, and adjacent pairs trigger a duo reaction. Charge combines Blossom with Remora; Discord combines Nova with Scorch. A full gauge and the receiving character’s compatible attribute are required for the switch.

Original mechanics reference · April 23. Character enhancements can change the baseline effects.

Esper Cycle

Element reaction map

6 elements / 8 reactions
Lakshana

pairs into Cosmos

Cosmos

pairs into Anima

Anima

pairs into Incantation

Incantation

pairs into Chaos

Chaos

pairs into Psyche

Psyche

pairs into Lakshana

High-value chains

Charge Discord

Charge supplies energy when Blossom hits during Remora. Discord deducts Break when Nova and Scorch overlap; neither is guaranteed by simply putting three attributes on a team.

  • Blossom Anima + Cosmos AoE turret
  • Hexed Anima + Incantation qualifying follow-up damage
  • Scorch Chaos + Incantation 15s DoT
  • Nova Chaos + Psyche delayed Mental burst
  • Charge tri-element ult-energy regen
  • Discord Nova + Scorch Break deduction