NTE 1.3: Zankou and "Fascinating Shadows" — 50/120/200 milestones, outfits from 1,680 crystals, everything closes September 8 at 11:59 PM

Version 1.3 of NTE: Neverness to Everness, "Emerging from the Lunar Mist," has been live since August 19. The accompanying limited banner, "Fascinating Shadows," features Zankou, a new limited S-class character, and it closes on September 9 at 5:59 AM (UTC+8). Hotta Studio dates everything in Beijing time: for us, that falls on Tuesday, September 8 at 11:59 PM. That leaves a little under three weeks from today, Thursday, August 20.

The most useful point in the official notes doesn't concern Zankou herself, but the event running alongside the banner: "Fascinating Favors." Its rewards can be claimed starting at 50, 120, and 200 cumulative pulls, directly from the event page — or they can drop randomly along the way before you reach those thresholds. This dual path determines how you split your pulls between the two banners currently open.

One prerequisite governs everything else: you must have completed the main story quest "Prologue - A New Destination - Meet at Eibon's Antique Shop." Without it, neither Zankou's banner, nor Nanally's, nor the two arc research programs will open.

"Fascinating Favors": two paths to the same rewards

The mechanic is worth pausing on, because it's summed up in a single sentence in the notes yet it shapes a real trade-off. For the duration of the banner, "Fascinating Shadows" adds three cosmetics to its pool: the glider skin "Scarlet Scarf," the "Desert Mirage" skin for the Sirocco vehicle, and Zankou's outfit "Autumn Vignette."

These items can reach you in two ways. Either they drop randomly during your pulls, before you've reached a threshold. Or you go and claim them yourself on the "Fascinating Favors" page once you've crossed the threshold, at 50, then 120, then 200 cumulative pulls.

The practical consequence boils down to two points. First, the thresholds act as a floor: bad luck on pulls doesn't permanently deny you these cosmetics, as long as you go far enough in the counter. Second, they aren't automatic. The notes clearly state "obtain the rewards directly from the event page": this is a manual claim, to be done before the September 8, 11:59 PM Paris time closure, or you'll lose what you've already paid for in pulls.

A less obvious corollary: if you're already served by luck before reaching a threshold, crossing that threshold won't get you the item a second time. Below 50 pulls, on the other hand, the event page owes you nothing.

Two banners open, two separate event counters

Alongside Zankou, the limited S-class character Nanally returns on the "The Ichi-daime" banner, on the exact same window. Her associated event is called "Tiger's Favors" and works on the same 50, 120, and 200 pull thresholds.

And that's where the trap closes. Hotta Studio spells it out in black and white: only pulls on the “Ichi-daime” banner count toward progress in the “Tiger's Favors”. Each banner is tracked independently, and progress only carries over between banners sharing the same name.

Translated into numbers: 200 pulls committed to a single banner unlock all three tiers of its event. The same 200 pulls split into two halves of 100 leave you at the first tier on each side — one tier out of six instead of three out of six. If the cosmetics interest you, it's better to pick one banner and stick with it than to spread pulls across both. Don't confuse this, however, with the banner's pity counter, which follows its own rules.

Both banners also feature the same A-class characters: Menthe, Edgar, and Adler. So this criterion won't help you decide between the two.

“Ravenous Blade”: the bow isn't pulled where you'd think

The new limited S-class bow is called “Ravenous Blade” and shares the banner's window, running until September 8 at 11:59 p.m. French time. But it isn't obtained from “Fascinating Shadows”. It goes through a separate channel: the “Special Enchantment” bow research program, found in Bow Shop › Bow Research Program.

You take part by spending Tri-Keys or Enchantment Keys. The patch notes specify that the bow is currently available exclusively through this program: no other source has been announced, and there's no indication it will return.

The return of the “Prep-Prep” bow follows the same logic, with its own keys: Tri-Keys or Tigress Keys, in the “Special Tigress” program. Since Tri-Keys are the shared currency between both programs, that's the only stock you really need to weigh between Zankou and Nanally.

Zankou's five outfits, and what they really cost

Zankou arrives with five outfits, only two of which are available through the shop. The other three are earned in-game. The two paid outfits remain permanently on sale: it's the discount that's time-limited, not the availability.

The two discounts represent 800 Rift Crystals saved on "Twilight Black" and 600 on "Burning Lavender", or 1,400 total if you get both. They end on September 30 at 5:59 AM (UTC+8), meaning September 29 at 11:59 PM our time — three weeks after the banner closes, which leaves plenty of time to decide.

One nuance to factor into your calculations: "Red Nightshade" and "Moonlit Court" are conditional on obtaining the character. If you don't pull Zankou, they remain out of reach no matter your Crystal budget. Conversely, the two shop outfits don't require owning the character.

What obtaining Zankou unlocks in-game

Beyond the cosmetics, version 1.3 adds a series of content tied to the character. The patch notes list four: bond quests, bond interactions — reaching the required bond level lets you take her along as a passenger —, a combat tutorial, and a new Invitation mode, "Time to Come Home", which puts her in the spotlight. The latter requires two conditions: having obtained Zankou, and having reached the required bond level.

Hotta Studio, however, has not published any numerical data on her kit in these patch notes: no skill values, no team recommendations, no confirmed weapon type. The build guides currently circulating are therefore not based on this document. We'll wait for official figures before writing one.

What to do, and in what order

First reflex if you haven't already: open your in-game mail. Under Bagel's Merchandise, a permanent event, Specialists who have reached Hunter Level 11 or above receive 56,000 Laudanite via mail. The mail expires, not the event.

Next, in order: complete "Prologue - A New Destination - Meeting at Eibon's Antique Shop" if you're missing the prerequisite; decide on a single banner rather than both, since progress on "Fascinating Favors" and "Favors of the Tiger" doesn't carry over between them; save your Tri-keys for the weapon program matching that choice; and if you've committed pulls, check the event page before Tuesday, September 8 at 11:59 PM to claim what's owed to you.

The two shop discounts, on the other hand, can wait: they run until September 29, well after the banners close.