NTE Full Reaction Team Compendium: All 8 Elemental Reaction Teams, Signature Comps per Main DPS, F2P Quick Reference

Key takeaway: The foundation of NTE team building = “the Esper Cycle’s 6 elements form a ring (Cosmos → Anima → Incantation → Chaos → Psyche → Lakshana → Cosmos), and only adjacent elements trigger reactions.” 8 reactions: binary (Blossom / Hexed / Scorch / Nova / Stain / Remora) + ternary (Charge = Lakshana + Cosmos + Anima, Discord = Incantation + Chaos + Psyche). Standard four-person structure: Main DPS + Sub-DPS + Buffer + Healer / Tank. Free characters alone only run Blossom and Hexed; every other reaction lacks Lakshana or Chaos, which the S-rank selector or a limited character has to fill. Sakiri and Esper Zero are universal pairing cores.

“How should I build teams in NTE?” is one of the highest-frequency searches on GSC. This article uses the 8 elemental reactions as its axis, organizing the trigger elements, signature characters, current best teams, low-cost substitutes and each Main DPS’s signature comp into one quick reference.

ℹ Note: The element name mapping follows this site’s baseline (Cosmos / Chaos / Anima / Psyche / Incantation / Lakshana). Reaction names are the in-game names, with the older name in brackets once. For the full reaction mechanics, see Psionic Reaction System Explained.

1. The Esper Cycle and the “Adjacency Trigger” Principle

The Esper Cycle’s 6 elements are arranged in a fixed ring: Cosmos → Anima → Incantation → Chaos → Psyche → Lakshana → back to Cosmos, and only elements adjacent on the ring can trigger a reaction — swapping between non-adjacent elements produces nothing.

• Binary reactions: two adjacent elements on the ring → Blossom, Hexed, Scorch, Nova, Stain, Remora
• Ternary reactions: three consecutive elements on the ring → Charge (Lakshana + Cosmos + Anima), Discord (Incantation + Chaos + Psyche)

Core team-building logic: when picking characters, cover at least two adjacent element pairs; to run a ternary reaction, you need three consecutive elements.

2. The 8 Elemental Reaction Teams (Effect + Signature Characters + Best Team + Low-Cost Team)

1. Blossom | Cosmos + Anima

• Effect: spawns Vita Buds on the field that periodically send out auto-attacking flowers (about every 2 seconds, up to 3 buds) — the ring’s only “continuous automatic damage source”
• Signature characters: Nanally (her Blossom enhancement makes each bud fire 10 flowers instead of the usual 5, with the interval cut to 1 second), Jiuyuan (adds more blooms, raises the cap to 6), Iroi, Hotori
• Current best team: Iroi + Nanally + Jiuyuan + Esper Zero
• Free team: Mint + Esper Zero + Adler + Haniel

2. Discord (Ternary) | Incantation + Chaos + Psyche ⭐ Strongest Poise Break

• Effect: triggers when the target has both Scorch and Nova applied at the same time, removing a percentage of the Break Gauge in one go and speeding up the break — especially strong against high-HP bosses
• Signature characters: Blackbird, Zankou, Lacrimosa, Daffodill
• Current best teams: Blackbird + Daffodill + Zankou + Linko; Lacrimosa + Daffodill + Sakiri + Fadia
• Low-cost team: ⚠️ there is no free Chaos character, but Daffodill is a standard character available from the S-rank selector: Daffodill + Adler + Aurelia + Haniel (the other three are free; without an instant Cycle fill, Discord is harder to trigger)

3. Hexed | Anima + Incantation

• Effect: for 12 seconds, every time the target takes an Anima or Incantation hit, it takes an extra hit worth 20% of that damage
• Signature characters: Linko, Zankou
• Current best team: Zankou + Linko + Sakiri + Daffodill (Daffodill can be swapped for Iroi)
• Free team: Mint + Adler + Esper Zero + Haniel

4. Charge (Ternary) | Lakshana + Cosmos + Anima

• Effect: triggers when a Blossom flower hits a target under Remora, giving the on-field character +10 ultimate energy — it’s the engine of “quick-swap, high-frequency ult” teams
• Signature characters: Shinku, Akane Rin, Chiz (each Charge hit grants 4 energy to the on-field character)
• Current best teams: Shinku + Akane Rin + Iroi + Linko; Akane Rin + Blackbird + Esper Zero + Linko
• Older team (rated lower now): Chiz + Hathor + Jiuyuan + Esper Zero (Esper Zero fills the Cycle gauge, not Fadia)
• Low-cost team: ⚠️ free characters lack Lakshana, so you need one limited character: Akane Rin + Esper Zero + Mint + Haniel

5. Stain | Psyche + Lakshana ⭐ Strongest Pure Damage Amp

• Effect: Psyche and Lakshana damage taken by the target +20% for 12 seconds (the only reaction that directly amplifies damage; the 12-second window can be kept near-permanent)
• Signature characters: Blackbird, Akane Rin, Chaos
• Current best teams: Akane Rin + Blackbird + Esper Zero + Linko; Blackbird + Chaos + Hathor + Esper Zero; Chaos + Esper Zero + Haniel + Hathor
• Low-cost team: Blackbird + Skia + Esper Zero + Haniel (⚠️ you need to pull Skia; she is not a free character)

6. Scorch | Incantation + Chaos

• Effect: a burning DoT lasting 15 seconds (the longest among binary reactions); it is a prerequisite for the Discord ternary
• Signature characters: Zankou, Baicang (her kit is built around Scorch; her basic attacks keep generating “Mantra,” adding a second instance of Scorch)
• Current best teams: Zankou + Daffodill + Sakiri + Adler; Zankou + Lacrimosa + Sakiri + Iroi
• Low-cost team: ⚠️ no free Chaos character, so pure Scorch is hard to build. A version that borrows one limited character: Lacrimosa + Aurelia + Haniel + Adler

7. Nova | Chaos + Psyche

• Effect: marks the target for 5 seconds, detonating at the end for heavy Mental damage (a delayed burst); it is the other prerequisite for the Discord ternary
• Signature characters: Blackbird
• Current best teams: Blackbird + Lacrimosa + Aurelia + Haniel; Blackbird + Daffodill + Haniel + Sakiri

8. Remora | Lakshana + Cosmos

• Effect: lowers the target’s movement and attack speed for 5 seconds (the ring’s only pure crowd control / debuff); it is the prerequisite for the Charge ternary
• Use: purely functional. Akane Rin keeps Remora up automatically, and Hathor’s Remora Enhancement extends it to 12 seconds. A Lakshana character (Akane Rin, Hathor, Skia) plus Cosmos Esper Zero triggers it reliably, and it often serves as the “glue” for Charge and Stain teams

3. General Team Structure Rules

Standard Four-Person Structure (Slot Logic)

Quick-swap Team Core Logic

• All four are on the same team but only one is controlled at a time — the act of swapping itself triggers reactions
• Pick characters to cover at least two adjacent element pairs; to run a ternary reaction, line up three consecutive elements
• Standard rotation: Sub-DPS applies DoT / marks first → Buffer gathers mobs → a Cycle-filling character fills the rotation gauge → swap to Main DPS to trigger the reaction burst
• Esper Zero and Blackbird can fill the Cycle gauge instantly; Fadia cannot

4. Signature Team Quick Reference per Main DPS ⭐

5. Where Each Version’s New Characters Fit

• 1.1: Lacrimosa, Chaos
• 1.2: Shinku, Iroi
• 1.3: Zankou, Linko
• 1.4: Blackbird, Akane Rin
• 1.5 (from November 11): Elyms, a Cosmos buffer whose rating is not out yet

Lacrimosa (S-rank Chaos, Main DPS, can also be Sub-DPS)

• Her basic attacks switch between melee and ranged modes and apply Nightmare damage over time, and she can record enemy moves and use them as Break skills
• When Discord triggers on a target whose poise is already broken, she adds a 400% ATK burst
• A0 Lacrimosa is already a top-tier Main DPS as long as you have Zankou and Blackbird. Signature team: Lacrimosa + Zankou + Blackbird + Sakiri

Chaos (S-rank Lakshana, second half of 1.1)

• T0. Signature team: Chaos + Esper Zero + Haniel + Hathor; rerun from December 2

For details, see the Lacrimosa Build Guide / Chaos Build Guide.

6. F2P Element Audit (Important!)

The permanently free characters are Esper Zero, Chiz, Aurelia, Haniel, Mint and Adler. Skia and Edgar come from pulls, though their Arcs are free. Sakiri, Daffodill, Jiuyuan, Hathor, Fadia and Baicang are the 6 options of the S-rank selector, and a new account can pick only one.

Conclusion:

• Free characters alone can only run: Blossom (Esper Zero or Chiz + Mint) and Hexed (Mint + Adler)
• Missing Lakshana: Remora, Stain and Charge all need a Lakshana character
• Missing Chaos: Scorch, Nova and Discord all need a Chaos character
• One pick from the S-rank selector fills one of those lines

7. Related Guides

• Psionic Reaction System Explained — a detailed breakdown of the 6 elements and reaction mechanics
• Combat System Complete Guide — parry / poise break / quick-swap
• Team Building Basics — the fundamentals of team structure
• Recommended Teams — examples from beginner to advanced
• Per-Element Strongest Character Tier List — T0 / T1 by element
• Individual character build guides (Nanally / Baicang / Hathor, etc.)

FAQ

Team data compiled from public sources including Game8, GameWith, Prydwen, Icy Veins, Mobalytics and Bahamut, as of November 7, 2026 (currently 1.4; 1.5 launches on November 11). In-game values are authoritative.