Neverness to Everness hands out a surprising number of S-Rank Arcs without spending a single Tri-Key. Most of them come from first-time boss clears, login events, City Tycoon progression, and one well-hidden chain quest tied to the Eclipse anomaly. If you grab everything available, your main character and several free units can hit endgame-ready weapon slots before you ever touch the Arc Research banner.
Quick answer: Free S-Rank Arcs in NTE come from four sources — the 14-day login (Stellar Veil), the City Tycoon track (Contemplative Cat for Chiz), first-time clears of overworld anomalies and field bosses (nine S-Rank Arcs total), and the hidden Day Off chain quest starting at BaC Headquarters.
Free S-Rank Arcs you can claim in NTE
Each free Arc has a fixed unlock path. Some require story progression, others depend on time-of-day and weather conditions, and a handful sit behind specific overworld anomalies you can defeat once for a guaranteed drop.
| Arc | Source | Type | Best user |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stellar Veil | 14-day login (Day 10) | Plasma | Psyche DPS |
| Contemplative Cat | City Tycoon (with Chiz) | Gas | Chiz |
| Day Off | Hidden Eclipse chain quest | Solid | Zero, Haniel, ATK scalers |
| Raging Flames | Headless Rider anomaly | Plasma | Lakshana DPS |
| Youthful Fantasy | Black Tome anomaly | Liquid | Daffodil |
| Reality Refuge | Swallowtail anomaly (Flow Cinema) | Solid | Chi Yu-On |
| Tears Beneath the Mask | Nestbound Bird (tower climb) | Gas | Debuff support |
| Song of the Whale | Open-world field boss clear | Plasma | Break-focused ATK |
| Camellia Society | Story-linked flower boss | Synthesis | Bai Chong |
| Hethereau's Keeper | Super criminal boss path | Solid | Anti-boss DPS |
Every Arc on this list can be obtained one time per account during normal progression. Duplicates for refinement come from later events or higher City Tycoon levels for Chiz's signature.
Stellar Veil from the 14-day login
Stellar Veil is the easiest free S-Rank Arc in the game. You only need to log in across the launch login event window. The Arc lands in your mailbox on Day 10, alongside Solid Dice and the free A-Class character Aurelia earlier in the rotation.
Step 1: Open the events menu and find the Login Gift Beginner Event panel.
Step 2: Claim each day's reward manually. Missing a single day does not reset the counter, but the event window is limited, so log in daily.
Step 3: On Day 10, collect Stellar Veil from the mailbox and equip it on a Psyche DPS to use its Crit DMG stacking effect.
Contemplative Cat through City Tycoon
Chiz is given out for free as an S-Class Cosmos character, and the same City Tycoon track also delivers her signature Arc, Contemplative Cat, along with the duplicates needed for full Awakening. The mechanic is tied to the in-game currency called Fons, which Chiz scales with directly.
Step 1: Progress the main story until City Tycoon unlocks as a side activity.
Step 2: Level up your City Tycoon track by completing its daily and milestone objectives. Reward tiers release Chiz first, then Contemplative Cat, then her duplicates and Mind Shards.
Step 3: Equip Contemplative Cat on Chiz. The CRIT DMG substat caps at +44%, and the Cosmos DMG bonus scales with how many Fons she is currently holding.
Day Off — the hidden Eclipse chain quest
Day Off is the main character's signature S-Rank Arc and arguably the strongest free weapon in NTE for any ATK-scaling DPS. It is locked behind a five-step hidden chain that requires manual time and weather manipulation. There is no quest marker, and the NPC Eclipse only appears under specific conditions.
Prerequisites are firm. You must finish Prologue I and II, including nullifying MANISH and completing the follow-up commission. You also need the phone tool that lets you change time and weather, and a teleport unlock at BaC Headquarters.
Each step requires advancing time by one in-game day to a sunny morning between 8:00 and 10:00. If Eclipse is not visible, the conditions are wrong, or you have not advanced the day far enough.
Step 1: Teleport to the BaC Headquarters phone booth. Walk to the right of the spawn point and interact with Eclipse, the glowing anomaly staring at an energy ball. Finish the conversation to start the chain.
Step 2: Set the time to a sunny morning, then travel to the Eibon phone booth and head to the roof of Film Orbit Studio. Climb to the top and talk to Eclipse until she teleports away.
Step 3: Advance one more day, sunny morning again. Travel to Illusion Town in the northwest and find Oops! Chest Gift Shop. Climb to the rooftop and finish her dialogue about spirals.
Step 4: Advance another day. Teleport back toward Eibon and head east to the Coastal Highway. Eclipse stands at the stairs leading down to the beach. No climbing needed here. Complete the conversation.
Step 5: Advance one more day, sunny morning. Drive or glide to Tikal Bridge. Walk up the main suspension cable that forms a ramp, then climb the bridge tower to the highest walkable point. Talk to Eclipse and persuade her to spare the world.
Step 6: Teleport back to BaC Headquarters. Eclipse is waiting in her original spot. Interact one final time to receive the Day Off Arc.
You'll know it worked when Day Off appears in your Arc inventory and the "Eclipse" active ability becomes available on whichever character equips it. Equipped, it adds 30% ATK at base refinement and creates a 40-second Eclipse field that restores 6 Ultimate Energy per defeated enemy, up to five times, on a 300-second cooldown.
Nine S-Rank Arcs from anomalies and field bosses
Nine of the standard pool Arcs drop guaranteed from first-time clears of specific anomalies or field bosses scattered across Hethereau. You can confirm which ones you still need by opening the Arc Collection panel under the events menu (F4 on PC by default). Locked entries show the source boss.
Headless Rider is a time-limited anomaly tied to a launch event. To trigger it, follow the rider into a blue field, which teleports you into an anomaly domain for a cutscene and the fight. Clearing it rewards Raging Flames and unlocks a high-risk commission version of the same boss for repeat farming.
Black Tome sits in the New Hurlevent District. Enter the marked building and climb to the fourth floor, where the anomaly object waits in plain view. Interact with it to enter the instance. Clearing it gives Youthful Fantasy and unlocks the endgame challenge mode for repeat attempts.
Swallowtail is inside Flow Cinema in the New Hurlevent District. The movie theater entrance leads directly to the fight. Beating it awards Reality Refuge.
Nestbound Bird requires a tower climb. The boss sits at the top, and there's no fast travel shortcut, so plan a parkour route up before engaging. Reward is Tears Beneath the Mask.
Song of the Whale comes from a far-flung open-world field boss. There's no challenge mode for it, so once you've claimed the first-time clear reward, future fights happen in the overworld at the boss's respawn point.
Camellia Society unlocks through the story chapter that features the flower-themed boss. After defeating it, use the contain action on the boss before leaving the arena to register the clear and receive Bai Chong's signature Arc.
Hethereau's Keeper is the hardest free Arc to obtain. The boss one-shots underleveled players, and to spawn the fight, you must first trigger the super criminal status by accumulating wanted-level actions. Once you clear it, you get the Arc plus a challenge mode unlock.
Two more first-time clear Arcs (Blow up the Crowd and Your Happiness is Priceless from bosses on the overworld map) round out the nine. Check the Arc Collection list against your inventory to see which clears you still owe.
How to confirm a free Arc unlocked
Every free Arc registers in two places. The Arc inventory shows the new entry with its level, refinement, and substats. The Arc Collection panel (events menu) flips the locked icon for that Arc to unlocked, with the source boss or quest marked as completed. If a boss clear did not register, you likely skipped the contain or reward dialogue at the end — return to the boss location and finish any open prompts.
Equipping priority for new players
Pick up Day Off first. It is the single most impactful free Arc because it works on the main character from the moment the prologue ends, and its Eclipse field doubles as an Ultimate Energy generator for any ATK-scaling team. Stellar Veil follows on Day 10 of the login. Contemplative Cat slots in once Chiz is unlocked through City Tycoon.
After those three, focus on first-time clears in story order. Raging Flames and Youthful Fantasy are the easiest boss drops to grab early, while Hethereau's Keeper should wait until your account level can survive the boss's opening hits. Refinement duplicates for any free Arc trickle in from later events and higher City Tycoon tiers, so there's no need to pull duplicates on banners.