Adler is a free A-rank Incantation character in Neverness to Everness (NTE), handed to every account through early story progression. He plays as a shield support whose damage and protection both scale off DEF, making gear choice and skill priority more straightforward than most kits. The build below focuses on maximizing shield strength first, with Scorch-team damage as the secondary outcome.
Quick answer: Equip Umbrella or The Fools' Spring as the Arc, run a 4-piece Kingdom's Guard Cartridge with Type III Modules, prioritize DEF% on substats, and level Evil's Bane (Skill) before Tranquility (Ultimate). Pair him with Baicang and Daffodill for a Scorch team.
Adler role and core scaling
Adler belongs to the Eibon Antique Shop faction and uses the Incantation element. His kit revolves around stacking Karma through Basic Attacks, then spending those stacks on his Skill to deal damage and generate a DEF-scaling shield for the active teammate. His Ultimate applies Incantation damage over time, which feeds Scorch reactions when paired with Chaos units, or Hexed when paired with Anima units.
Because both his shield value and his Skill/Ultimate damage scale from DEF, every gear decision should push DEF first and Incantation DMG second. CRIT is intentionally deprioritized.
Best Arcs for Adler
| Arc | Why it works |
|---|---|
| The Fools' Spring | Large DEF% bonus and an ATK boost while Adler holds a Shield, which his own Skill keeps up. Best overall A-rank pick. |
| Umbrella | Same DEF% line plus 10% HP and a 10% shield strength bonus while above 50% HP. Strongest pure shielding choice. |
| The Good, The Bad, The Bitter | Triggers a 26% DEF buff for 10s when Adler takes damage, capped to once every 20s. Solid fallback. |
| A Time Will Come | Provides 10% ATK/DEF/HP with three Esper Types on the team. Usable, but the CRIT main stat is wasted on Adler. |
If both are available, The Fools' Spring edges ahead for damage output, while Umbrella wins for survivability-focused teams that need the strongest possible shield wall.
Best Cartridge and Module setup
Kingdom's Guard is the dedicated Cartridge for Adler. The 2-piece grants +15% DEF, and the 4-piece adds +20% shield strength, which compounds directly with his DEF scaling. Run the full 4-piece, since it only requires Type III Modules and does not force you to give up the console bonus.
| Slot | Recommended pick |
|---|---|
| Cartridge set | Kingdom's Guard (4-piece) |
| Bonus Module | Type III (+12% DEF) |
| Total console DEF bonus | +72% DEF |
| Main stat priority | DEF > Incantation DMG > CRIT |
| Sub-stat priority | DEF% > flat DEF > Universal DMG > CRIT |
Crimson: Twin Butterflies works as a secondary Cartridge if you intend to lean into his DoT contribution rather than shielding, since it stacks ATK while enemies are taking Incantation damage from the team.
Skill leveling order
| Priority | Skill | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evil's Bane (Skill) | Generates the shield and the Incantation DoT. Level this first to scale both protection and damage. |
| 2 | Tranquility (Ultimate) | Burst Incantation damage with a second strike against single targets. Strong for boss fights. |
| 3 | Pristine Reflection (Support Skill) | Adds Incantation damage on swap-in. Modest gain. |
| 4 | Deliverance (Basic Attack) | Used mainly to build Karma. Levels last or skipped. |
Awakening priority
The recommended unlock order depends on whether you want Adler as a balanced unit or a pure shielder. For a balanced setup, take Form (A1) first so casting Tranquility immediately grants 20 stacks of Karma, fueling a strong Skill follow-up. Then pick up All Forms Are Void (A6) to extend the shield from 8s to 12s.
| Order | Awakening | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A1 Form | 20 Karma stacks on Tranquility cast. |
| 2 | A6 All Forms Are Void | Extends Blessing duration to 12s. |
| 3 | A2 Sensation | +3% DMG Bonus per Karma stack. |
| 4 | A5 Discernment | 20 Ultimate Energy refunded on Tranquility cast. |
| 5 | A3 Perception | +20% Shield of Blessing strength. |
| 6 | A4 Formation | Absorbs overflow damage based on 50% of DEF when Blessing breaks. |
If you only care about defensive output, swap to A3, A6, A4 first, then fill in the damage Awakenings.
Best teams for Adler
Adler is built around Scorch first, with Hexed and Discord as alternates. Scorch lines up cleanly with his Incantation DoT, while Hexed leans on follow-up attacks instead.
| Team | Main DPS | Sub-DPS | Support / Buffer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scorch (best) | Baicang | Daffodill | Sakiri + Adler |
| Discord | Baicang | Daffodill | Haniel + Adler |
| Hexed | Nanally | Jiuyuan | Sakiri + Adler |
Baicang plus Daffodill plus Adler covers the Incantation, Chaos, and Psyche elements needed for both Scorch and Discord, depending on the fourth slot. Haniel works as a strong universal off-field healer if Sakiri is unavailable.
Rotation and gameplay
Step 1: Open the fight on Adler. Use Basic Attacks to build Karma stacks while your team setup demands it, or skip straight to his Skill if A1 is unlocked and you plan to lead with Ultimate.
Step 2: Cast Evil's Bane (Skill) to spend Karma. This deals damage, applies an Incantation DoT, and produces the DEF-scaling shield on the on-field ally.
Step 3: Cast Tranquility (Ultimate) when energy is full, especially against single targets where the second strike triggers. The Ultimate also re-applies Incantation DoT for Scorch.
Step 4: Trigger Pristine Reflection (Support Skill) on swap to apply a random debuff (reduced ATK, reduced Esper RES, or +10% Break Efficiency), then hand the field to your Main DPS.
Step 5: Stay on the DPS until the shield is close to expiring or breaking, then swap back to Adler to cycle Evil's Bane again. With proper rotation, the shield uptime is essentially permanent.
Common mistakes that weaken the build
- Stacking ATK or CRIT instead of DEF. Adler's damage formula reads from DEF, not ATK, so ATK substats add almost nothing.
- Running 2-piece Kingdom's Guard with a different 2-piece. The 4-piece shield bonus is the entire reason to use the set.
- Leveling Tranquility before Evil's Bane. The shield value and DoT both come from the Skill, so it scales the rotation harder.
- Pairing Adler with non-Incantation DPS units who cannot trigger Scorch or Hexed. His passive contribution drops sharply outside those reactions.
Once Adler is geared with Kingdom's Guard, an Umbrella, or The Fools' Spring Arc, and his Skill is leveled ahead of his Ultimate, his shield uptime and DEF totals will scale into late-game content even without S-rank investment, which is why he remains a default pick on most free-to-play accounts.