Hotori is the S-rank Cosmos Sub-DPS in Neverness to Everness whose Ultimate, World's Tide, freezes time and replays recorded teammate skills. Her Arc choice should push two numbers above everything else: Ultimate damage and defense penetration during Time Stop. One Arc does both at once.
Quick answer: Equip Marching Beyond Time on Hotori. It is her signature Solid Arc and adds 16% ATK, up to +48% Ultimate Crit DMG when three Wastetime stacks are consumed, and an extra 12% DEF Ignore for 3 seconds on a full consume.
Why Marching Beyond Time is Hotori's best Arc
Hotori's entire damage profile lives inside her Ultimate. She charges the Non-Closed Timepiece to 120, casts World's Tide, replays up to three recorded ally Redirect or Support Skills, then ends the window with Finisher DMG. Marching Beyond Time is built around exactly that loop.
The Arc's passive, Time Beyond Time, lets Hotori enter a state called Wastelab when she casts a Redirect Skill and clears any leftover Wastetime. While in Wastelab, every Redirect or Support Skill her allies use gives one stack of Wastetime, up to three. When she casts her Ultimate inside Wastelab, she consumes every stack: Ultimate Crit DMG goes up by 24%, plus 8% per Wastetime consumed. Consuming all three at once also grants 12% DEF Ignore for three seconds.
In a normal rotation where three teammates feed her recordings, the bonus reaches +48% Ultimate Crit DMG and stacks with Lost Radiance's 25% DEF Ignore and her A6 Awakening's 30% DEF Ignore. That combination is why this Arc is treated as best-in-slot rather than a sidegrade.
How the rotation triggers the full Arc bonus
Step 1: Open with Hotori's Redirect Skill (Present Replay) to enter Wastelab and start the 5-second recording window. This also primes the Arc condition before allies act.
Step 2: Cycle through three teammates and have each one use a Support Skill or Redirect Skill. Each cast adds one stack of Wastetime, up to the three-stack cap.
Step 3: Swap back to Hotori once the Timepiece is full (120 energy) and cast World's Tide. The full consume triggers the Crit DMG bonus and the 12% DEF Ignore window.
Step 4: Inside Time Stop, attack with the katana to build 10 combo stacks and detonate Finisher DMG. The DEF Ignore from the Arc, Lost Radiance, and Awakening A6 should all be active during this hit.
Verification is simple. If the Arc is firing correctly, the Wastelab visual is on Hotori before her Ultimate, the three Wastetime pips read full when she casts, and her Finisher hit lands while the Lost Radiance DEF Ignore buff is showing on her status bar.
Common reasons Marching Beyond Time underperforms
- Casting World's Tide before three Wastetime stacks are built (only one or two recorded skills landed in the window).
- Skipping Present Replay, which means she never enters Wastelab and the Arc's main bonus does not arm.
- Recording two skills from the same character. Only one record per character counts during the 5-second window.
- Pairing her with a team that has no Support or Redirect Skills available between her Skill cast and her Ultimate.
Alternative Arcs when the signature is unavailable
Marching Beyond Time is locked behind the Arc Research Program banner. If you do not have it, two ranked S-rank Arcs and one budget A-rank cover the gap without breaking her kit.
| Rank | Arc | Effect summary | Why it fits Hotori |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Marching Beyond Time (S, signature) | +16% ATK; on Ultimate in Wastelab, +24% Ultimate Crit DMG plus 8% per Wastetime consumed; full consume adds 12% DEF Ignore for 3s | Directly scales Ultimate Crit DMG and stacks DEF Ignore with Lost Radiance and A6 |
| 2nd | The Rain That Shook the World (S) | +30% Cosmos DMG on Redirect Skill and Ultimate; +36 Cycle Intensity for 15s after a Redirect Skill | Boosts both of her damage sources and feeds Cycle Intensity for energy uptime |
| 2nd | Fluff of Fearlessness (S) | +25% ATK for 10s after casting an Ultimate (non-stacking) | Flat ATK during her Time Stop window with no setup conditions |
| Budget | The Forgotten (A) | +20% ATK while HP is above 50% | Free-to-play option with consistent uptime as long as she stays healthy |
The Rain That Shook the World is Esper Zero's signature Arc, so most players running an Esper Zero team will already have it on the team. The Cosmos DMG bonus applies to both of Hotori's damaging skills, and the Cycle Intensity boost helps round out her Ultimate cycle. Fluff of Fearlessness is the simpler option because it has no condition beyond casting World's Tide. The Forgotten is the strongest A-rank pick and works for accounts that have not pulled an S-rank Arc yet.
Stat priorities to pair with the Arc
Marching Beyond Time provides a strong source of Crit, so the recommended Cartridge main stat shifts toward Cosmos DMG Boost rather than Crit Rate. When using one of the alternative Arcs, prioritize Crit Rate or Crit DMG on the Cartridge based on your existing Module substats.
| Slot | With Marching Beyond Time | With alternative Arcs |
|---|---|---|
| Cartridge | Lost Radiance (4-piece) | Lost Radiance (4-piece) |
| Cartridge main stat | Cosmos DMG Boost | Crit Rate or Crit DMG |
| Bonus Module | Type III (+10% Cosmos DMG) | Type III (+10% Cosmos DMG) |
| Substat priority | Crit DMG, Crit Rate, ATK%, Cycle Intensity | Crit Rate, Crit DMG, ATK%, Cycle Intensity |
Target around 70% Crit Rate and 150% Crit DMG once gear is leveled. The Lost Radiance 4-piece adds 25% DEF Ignore for 20 seconds after Ultimate, which overlaps cleanly with the Marching Beyond Time consume window and Awakening A6.
Teams that maximize the signature Arc
Marching Beyond Time scales with the number of recorded ally skills, so the more Support or Redirect Skills a team has ready when Hotori is on field, the more value the Arc returns. The two most cited compositions for her are a Blossom-focused team and a burst-replay team built around Esper Zero.
In the Esper Zero, Jiuyuan, and Nanally lineup, Zero charges quickly and provides a high-impact skill to record, Jiuyuan adds Anima reaction support and crowd control, and Nanally deals out the empowered damage. The rotation generally runs Hotori Skill, Jiuyuan Skill, Zero Skill, Nanally Skill for one damage pass, then Hotori Ultimate for the 10-second burst window.
The Blossom variant swaps Jiuyuan for Mint and runs Nanally as the Main DPS, leaning into Vita Bud generation. Hotori's Ghost Orchid Crest passive lets Lebenstamm attacks keep firing during Time Stop, which is what makes the Blossom team specifically rewarding for her.
Whichever team you run, Marching Beyond Time stays the highest-output Arc as long as three recorded skills land before each Ultimate. If your team only reliably feeds two recordings, Fluff of Fearlessness can match or edge it out because it does not depend on the stack count.