Neverness to Everness: Best S-Rank Standard Banner Pick – Daffodil, Sakiri, Baicang, Jiuyuan, Hathor, and Fadia

Daffodill – The chaos keystone

 

Daffodill is a break quick‑swap DPS who excels at building break damage while spending short time on the field. She’s also the only chaos Esper in the standard‑banner pool at launch, which directly ties into several key esper‑cycle mechanics.

Why Daffodill

From a support‑synergy perspective, Daffodill unlocks the full value of certain support characters who need chaos to trigger their strongest passives or buffs.

 

 

For example, some top‑tier buffer Espers at launch are built around Scorch or Nova esper cycles that require a chaos Esper to activate, so picking Daffodill now means you won’t have to double‑dip later if one of those supports becomes your core team‑leader.

 

On the DPS side, she functions as a high‑burst “pop‑in” character who drops break damage, then swaps out so another Esper can follow‑up. This makes her very comfortable in break‑focused teams that want to stagger enemy action and lock down bosses, while still dealing meaningful damage in the process.

Who should pick Daffodill

• Players leaning into incantation or Scorch‑based teams (with Bai Lian, Eidolon, or similar DOT‑focused builds).
• Anyone who wants to future‑proof their roster for esper‑cycle‑dependent supports and doesn’t mind a quick‑swap style.

 

If you see yourself running a lot of DOT‑heavy or Scorch‑oriented damage, Daffodill is basically the cheapest “gate‑pass” into those comps.

Sakiri – The flexible support anchor

 

Sakiri is an incantation support whose main value comes from a combination of crowd control against weaker enemies, a generic attack buff for the whole team, and a passive that amplifies damage‑over‑time effects. She’s often described as a “carry‑all” support that can plug into many different team types.

How Sakiri plays

 

Her crowd‑control tools are mostly aimed at mobs rather than bosses, so in pure boss‑only content she’s weaker on that front. However, her attack buff still applies to the active Esper, which helps anima or main DPS characters like Nanally, Mint, or Ye Xuan that benefit from raw attack scaling.

 

Where she truly shines is in DOT‑centric teams: she boosts the effectiveness of damage‑over‑time effects that are tied to esper cycles such as Scorch, Hexed, or similar forward‑looking systems. This makes her a strong partner for Bai Lian, Eidolon, and other Esper sets that rely on stacking debuffs and persistent damage.

 

Who should pick Sakiri

• New players who want to keep their options open and avoid locking into a single DPS archetype.
• Players who plan to run DOT‑oriented Esper teams or generic anima DPS builds that can benefit from both attack buffs and DOT amplification.

 

If you’re still figuring out whether you prefer burst, DOT, or anima‑style damage, Sakiri is a very safe anchor that dovetails with multiple directions.

Baicang – High‑skill DOT main DPS

 

Baicang is an incantation DOT main DPS with a kit that depends on attack‑branching logic and careful combo management. His whole job is to stack up damage‑over‑time on enemies and then detonate it efficiently, which makes him a high‑skill‑floor but high‑reward character.

Kit and playstyle

 

His kit is built around different attack branches triggered by what you did last, plus an ultimate that stacks DOT, a low‑level execute, and some self‑preservation tools like short‑duration death immunity and self‑healing. This self‑sustain helps him survive in longer fights, but the core loop is about chaining the right inputs to maximize DOT uptime and coverage.

 

 

Because he’s incantation and DOT‑focused, he synergizes very well with Scorch‑triggering teams where Daffodill enables the esper cycle and other supports buff DOT and debuffs. When combined with a good buffer and a chaos Esper, Baicang can become the primary DPS engine in area‑of‑effect scenarios.

Who should pick Baicang

• Players who enjoy intricate, timing‑based DPS playstyles and don’t mind reading enemy patterns.
• Accounts planning to commit to DOT‑heavy incantation teams where Baicang can be the main damage engine.

 

If you’re comfortable with rhythm‑style combos and want to lean into Scorch‑ and DOT‑focused clear comps, Baicang is a strong long‑term investment.

Jiuyuan – The PvE clear monster

 

Jiuyuan is described as an anima DPS tailored for early PvE content, with simple mechanics and high clear speed in the early game. While he may not be a centerpiece of late‑game “meta” builds, he excels in straightforward, early‑game farming and story progression.

Why Jiuyuan stands out early

 

His kit is designed to be easy to pilot while still delivering strong AoE and burst, which helps you power through early exploration, quests, and farming nodes without needing complex rotations. This makes him ideal for players who want to catch up in content, farm resources, or just clear content quickly before committing to more niche builds.

 

Because he’s not tied to esper‑cycle mechanics or complicated synergies, he’s also a good “bridge” DPS while you lock in whether you want to invest time in Scorch, chaos, or DOT‑focused teams.

 

Who should pick Jiuyuan

• New players who value faster progression and want a simple, reliable DPS for the first few weeks.
• Players on a tight time or grind budget who want to push story and daily content without worrying about optimizing every Esper cycle.

 

If immediate PvE power trumps long‑term theory‑craft, Jiuyuan is one of the most practical early picks.

Hathor – Ultimate‑driven burst DPS

 

Hathor is an on‑field quick‑swap DPS with a playstyle centered around building stacks and then cashing them in with a powerful ultimate. She’s very burst‑oriented and performs best when she can unload her enhanced state after accumulating enough resources.

Stacking and burst rhythm

 

Her kit revolves around a unique resource that stacks when specific conditions are met: defeating enemies, after a short delay when entering combat, and through critical reposts (dodge‑counter‑style procs). Each time she gains a stack, she also gains some ultimate energy, which means her uptime is tightly tied to both enemy density and enemy attack patterns.

 

 

This makes her shine in AoE scenarios where you can generate stacks quickly and safely, but in boss fights with fewer safe openings she can feel starved and lose a lot of value. Outside of PvE clearing, she demands precise timing around enemy attacks to maximize stack generation.

 

Who should pick Hathor

• Players who enjoy high‑risk, high‑reward burst gameplay and like managing resources and timing.
• Accounts planning to focus on AoE‑heavy content (exploration, large mob groups, or PvE farming) where she can constantly stack.

 

If you like technical off‑field DPS who can “pop” a big burst and then drop out, Hathor is a solid choice that rewards good reads of enemy patterns.

Fadia – Psyche damage and pseudo‑shielding

 

Fadia is a psyche Esper who functions as an HP‑scaling sub DPS with mechanics that lean into redirecting damage taken by teammates into her own damage output. This creates a pseudo‑shielding role where she absorbs incoming damage on behalf of a teammate and then uses that redirected damage to hit marked enemies.

 

Damage and survivability mix

 

Her ultimate pushes her into an enhanced state where she can fire up to five follow‑up attacks that deal mental‑type damage, which often ignores common enemy resistances. Because of that, she ends up as a very universal single‑target cleaner who struggles less against enemies tuned to resist certain elements.

 

 

However, her single‑target, “one‑target‑only” design means she’s naturally weaker in pure AoE scenarios unless you awaken her to level six, where she can redirect damage from multiple allies. Until then, she’s best slotted into teams that focus on boss‑only or tightly controlled encounters.

 

Who should pick Fadia

• Players who prefer boss‑fight content and want a flexible, mental‑type sub DPS that can punish enemy survivability.
• Accounts that expect to awaken characters early and want to shape Fadia into a more general‑purpose sub once she reaches six‑star.

 

If you gravitate toward boss‑only or raid‑style fights, Fadia is a strong sub‑DPS who can adapt to many synergy setups later.

How to choose the best character for your account

When deciding which S‑rank to lock, the smart move is to think about three layers: current playstyle, near‑future content, and long‑term roster planning.

 

1. Think about your preferred content

• If you want to speed‑run early PvE and story, prioritize Jiuyuan for immediate clear power and simpler mechanics.
• If you plan to farm exploration, side‑quests, and AoE nodes, Baicang or Hathor can offer strong, skill‑based DPS that scales with your gear.

2. Line up with esper cycles you like

• If you’re drawn to Scorch‑based DOT teams or chaos‑linked supports, Daffodill is practically mandatory as the only chaos Esper in the standard pool.
• If you like support‑centric or DOT‑amplifying builds, Sakiri becomes one of the most flexible “any‑team” picks you can grab early.

3. Consider your preferred playstyle

• For low‑skill, high‑impact early PvE: Jiuyuan.
• For high‑skill, high‑reward DPS: Baicang or Hathor.
• For universal, support‑friendly options: Sakiri or Daffodill.
• For boss‑focused, single‑target focus: Fadia.

 

If you’re still unsure, a good middle‑ground strategy is to first aim for Jiuyuan to push content, then pick one of Sakiri or Daffodill once you’ve seen which esper cycles and team types suit your playstyle best.