Which Free S-Class Standard Character Should You Pick in NTE?

TL;DR

• After 50 pulls on the Standard Board, NTE lets you pick one free S-Class character.
• There are 6 choices: Sakiri, Daffodil, Jiuyuan, Hathor, Fadia, and Baicang.
• Sakiri is the safest pick for most players — she works in almost every team.
• Daffodil and Jiuyuan are top picks if you want strong damage output.
• Do NOT use your selector right away — wait until you pull your first natural S-Class from the banner.
• F2P players should pair this selector choice with who they get from regular pulls.

Neverness to Everness is one of the most generous gacha games out there when it comes to free characters. After completing 50 pulls on the Standard Board (which costs only 40 Fabricated Dice thanks to a 20% beginner discount), you get to choose any one S-Class character for free. No RNG. No hoping. Just a clean pick.

The problem? There are 6 options, and picking the wrong one can hurt your team-building for a long time. This guide breaks down every choice so you know exactly who to pick for your playstyle, team, and goals.

How the Free S-Class Standard Character Selector Works in NTE

The Standard Board in Neverness to Everness has a permanent pool of six S-Class characters: Sakiri, Daffodil, Jiuyuan, Hathor, Fadia, and Baicang. These characters never leave the pool and are always available through normal pulls.

When you first start pulling on the Standard Board, your first five 10-pull multi-banners come at a 20% discount. That means instead of needing 500 pulls worth of currency, you only need 400 to hit the 50-pull threshold. Once you cross it, a selector unlocks letting you choose any one of those six S-Class characters for free.

One important thing that makes NTE stand out from other gacha games: there is no 50/50 system on Limited Banners. Every time you hit pity on a Limited Banner, you are guaranteed the featured rate-up character — no chance of getting a random standard character instead. This makes limited-banner pulls more reliable and means your Standard selector choice is less likely to be “wasted” on a character you could have gotten elsewhere.

Important tip for F2P players: Do not use your selector immediately. Wait until you pull your first natural S-Class character from the Standard Board first. If you pick Daffodil with your selector and then get Daffodil again from a regular pull, that is a wasted opportunity. Use the selector after your first natural pull so you can guarantee a character you do not already have.

Also, do not spend Annulith on the Standard Banner. You can earn Fabricated Dice (the Standard Banner currency) through regular game progression and from the Fair Exchange shop. Save your Annulith for Limited Banners. Check out our Scarborough Fair gacha system guide for a full breakdown of how NTE’s banner system works.

All 6 Free S-Class Standard Characters in NTE — Quick Overview

Before we get into recommendations, here is a quick look at what each character does:

• Sakiri (Incantation / Gas) — A generalist buffer and crowd control unit. She restrains enemies and buffs the whole team’s ATK after using her Ultimate.
• Daffodil (Chaos / Liquid) — A Chaos damage dealer who specializes in Break and Esper Cycle reactions, including Scorch (Chaos + Incantation). Great burst Sub-DPS and boss killer — and the only Chaos character in the Standard pool.
• Jiuyuan (Anima / Solid) — An off-field Sub-DPS who deals ranged Anima damage. Works as a burst damage dealer with fast rotations, crowd control, and mark-based burst windows.
• Hathor (Lakshana / Plasma) — A Burst DPS who gains stacks by killing enemies or triggering critical ripostes. Has strong AoE damage, some self-buffing, and unique out-of-combat utility.
• Fadia (Psyche / Liquid) — A tanky HP-scaling DPS who can absorb a portion of the damage her teammates take and redirect it back to enemies.
• Baicang (Incantation / Solid) — A main DPS who specializes in Damage over Time using Incantation. His Ultimate applies burst damage and more DoT stacks. Requires a Chaos support (Daffodil) to reach his full potential.

Best Free S-Class Standard Character to Pick in NTE

1. Sakiri — Best Overall Pick (Safest Choice)

If you are unsure who to pick and just want the best long-term value, pick Sakiri. She is the only dedicated S-Class buffer in the standard pool, and she fits into almost every team in the game.

Her main job is crowd control and team-wide ATK buffing. Her Skill gathers enemies together and holds them in place, which makes clearing groups extremely easy. Her Ultimate fires off a team-wide ATK buff that benefits every character on your roster regardless of their element or role. This makes her incredibly flexible — you never have to worry about whether she will fit your team, because she almost always does.

DPS characters often get powercreeped over time in gacha games. Buffers and support characters tend to hold their value much longer because good utility never really goes out of style. Sakiri is a smart investment for that reason. Her Incantation element also enables the Hexed reaction (Anima + Incantation), which is one of the strongest reaction setups in the game when paired with Jiuyuan or Nanally.

She also has excellent traversal utility in Hethereau. Her ability to ride Onimaru and move through obstacles makes getting around the open world genuinely faster and more fun. To see how she works in practice, our Sakiri build guide covers her best Arc, Cartridges, and team compositions.

Pick Sakiri if: You want a flexible, future-proof pick. You like support-style gameplay. You already have a strong DPS from pulls or Limited Banners.

2. Daffodil — Best DPS Pick (Boss Killer and Reaction Anchor)

Daffodil is one of the strongest damage dealers in the game right now. She is a Chaos-type Sub-DPS who specializes in Break damage and Esper Cycle reactions. Her kit revolves around Entry Attacks and triggering reactions with low field time, meaning she does huge damage without hogging the team rotation.

One critical reason to pick Daffodil that goes beyond raw damage: she is the only Chaos-element character in the Standard pool. Without her, you are locked out of Scorch (Chaos + Incantation), Nova (Chaos + Psyche), and the triple-element Discord reaction — three of the most impactful reactions in the game. Baicang in particular cannot reach his full damage potential without a Chaos support, and Daffodil is the easiest way to fill that slot for free.

What makes Daffodil especially strong against bosses is her ability to trigger the Scorch reaction, which shreds enemy Break bars faster than almost anything else in the game. She pairs well with Nanally, Baicang, Sakiri, Haniel, and Fadia.

Another bonus: her dedicated support Haniel is available for free as part of launch rewards. So you can have a strong Daffodil team going without spending anything extra. Learn more about how she fits into the meta in our Daffodil build guide.

Pick Daffodil if: You want strong boss-killing power. You plan to run Baicang (he needs her for Scorch). You enjoy reaction-based gameplay. You have Haniel already (or plan to grab her for free).

Want to understand how break mechanics work with Daffodil? Check out our guide on how to break enemies in NTE and our Esper Cycle reaction guide.

3. Jiuyuan — Best Pick If You Have Nanally

Jiuyuan is considered the strongest Standard Banner DPS in NTE by many tier lists. She is a burst Sub-DPS who deals ranged Anima damage through her mark-based Lethal Rose Pact mechanic, with very fast rotations. Her kit also provides crowd control, pulling enemies into her range and making her useful across many team configurations.

She works best in Blossom teams and pairs excellently with Esper Zero (the main character), which makes her a fantastic option for F2P players who want to build around the protagonist. She also pairs exceptionally well with Nanally — their Anima elements stack for Blossom reactions, and if you are planning to pull Nanally from a Limited Banner, Jiuyuan is arguably the best selection pick you can make.

One extra note: if you ever get a second copy of Jiuyuan (her Awakening 2), she gains a team-wide healing ability, which effectively turns her into a Sub-DPS/Support hybrid and makes her significantly more versatile. This is not something to chase, but worth knowing. Our Jiuyuan build guide has everything you need for her best setup.

Pick Jiuyuan if: You are pulling for Nanally or already have her. You want the strongest Sub-DPS from the standard pool. You enjoy fast-paced, mark-and-burst style gameplay.

4. Hathor — Underrated Long-Term Value

Hathor does not get as much praise as the top three picks, but she has something the others do not: an out-of-combat perk that compounds over time. If you own Hathor and buy the Eden Apartment (for 1,000,000 Fons), you can unlock the Hamster Ball item. This gives you one free Module every single day. Over weeks and months, that adds up to a significant amount of upgrade materials.

She also has a Level 5 Life Skill perk that gives you one free City Delivery per day, plus extra delivery points. For players who care about long-term efficiency and resource farming, Hathor has a surprisingly strong case.

In combat, she is a solid Lakshana Burst DPS who pairs well with Chiz, Nanally, and Zero. She works best on Charge teams that extend the Remora reaction duration — her Delay Warning passive extends Remora by 2 seconds and grants the team +10% Crit Rate against Remora-marked targets, which is particularly powerful in Jiuyuan and Nanally compositions. To learn about her combat toolkit in depth, visit our Hathor build guide.

Pick Hathor if: You are a long-term player who values daily resource gains. You want a self-sufficient DPS with good AoE. You do not need Sakiri’s team-buff utility right now.

5. Fadia — Best for Survival and Casual Play

Fadia is a tanky Psyche-type HP-scaling DPS who absorbs a portion of incoming damage from her teammates, marks enemies with that damage, and redirects it back at them. This is a genuinely unique niche in NTE — she both tanks hits and punishes enemies for dealing damage.

She is also one of the easiest characters to play. Newcomers and casual players can get a lot of value out of Fadia’s kit without needing to master complex rotations. Her self-heal synergizes well with her tanking role, and her All Eyes on Me ability lets her protect allies as long as she stays above 1 HP.

Fadia is not a top meta pick, but she is reliable and approachable. For her optimal build, check out our Fadia build guide.

Pick Fadia if: You are newer to action RPGs or gacha combat. You want a character who can handle tough fights without dying. You enjoy tank-style gameplay.

6. Baicang — Solid DoT DPS, But Has Caveats

Baicang is a strong Incantation-based main DPS who deals damage through Damage over Time effects. His Ultimate delivers a burst of damage while applying more DoT stacks, making him consistent in both sustained and burst scenarios. He also has some self-sustain built into his kit.

There are two important caveats. First, Baicang’s damage is heavily tied to having a Chaos support — specifically Daffodil — to enable his Scorch reaction. If you pick Baicang with your selector, you also need Daffodil on your team to realize his full potential, which means you may need to get her separately from pulls. Second, powercreep is a real concern for Standard DPS characters — and now that Lacrimosa has released in Version 1.1 as a Limited Chaos DoT DPS, players who want a DoT damage dealer may find her a stronger investment if they are willing to spend their Solid Dice.

That said, if you love Incantation characters and Baicang’s playstyle, there is nothing wrong with picking him — especially if you already have Daffodil. Our Baicang build guide covers how to maximize his damage output.

Pick Baicang if: You specifically love DoT/Incantation playstyles. You already have Daffodil to enable Scorch. You do not plan to pull Lacrimosa from Limited Banners.

Which Free S-Class Character Should You Pick? — Quick Decision Guide

• Not sure? Play it safe: Pick Sakiri. She fits almost any team and holds long-term value.
• Want strong DPS for bosses or need Chaos reactions unlocked: Pick Daffodil. Pair her with Haniel (free) for instant team synergy — and she enables Baicang’s full kit too.
• Pulling for Nanally or want the strongest Sub-DPS: Pick Jiuyuan.
• Want daily free Modules and long-term resource gains: Pick Hathor.
• New to gacha, want easy and durable: Pick Fadia.
• Love DoT gameplay and already have Daffodil: Pick Baicang.

What to Do Before Using Your Selector

Before you lock in a choice, follow these steps:

1. Pull until you get your first natural S-Class character from the Standard Board. This way your selector pick will not duplicate what you already have.
2. Try out characters using the Character Trials feature in NTE before committing. This lets you test their skills before you decide.
3. Check which characters you are planning to pull on Limited Banners. If you are going for Nanally, Jiuyuan becomes a much stronger pick. If you want Lacrimosa, she covers the Chaos DoT niche — which changes how you should weigh Baicang and Daffodil.
4. The selector does not expire. You can wait weeks or months. There is no rush.

For more guidance on building your early account, read our NTE daily and weekly routine guide and our full NTE character tier list to see how all characters rank in the current meta.

Tips to Get the Most From Your Free S-Class Pick

• After picking your S-Class character, check the Awakening System guide to understand how duplicate copies improve your characters over time.
• Use the Arc weapon tier list to find the best weapon for your chosen character.
• Learn about how to get Annulith fast to keep saving for Limited Banners.
• Make sure you check the NTE redeem codes page for free Annulith and other rewards to help grow your roster.
• Build out your team synergies using our best team compositions guide.

Where to Play NTE — Download Links

You can play Neverness to Everness on PC via the official NTE website, on mobile through the Google Play Store, and on console via the PlayStation Store.

Final Thoughts

The free S-Class selector in NTE is one of the best new-player gifts in any gacha game right now. The key is not rushing it. Wait for your first natural pull, try the characters in trials, think about your team goals, and then decide.

For most players — especially beginners — Sakiri is the pick that will give you the most mileage across the most situations. Daffodil is arguably the smartest pick from a pure team-building perspective since she unlocks Chaos reactions for your whole account. Jiuyuan is excellent if you are building around Nanally.

Whatever you pick, you are getting a free S-Class character. That is a win.