Linko is the second limited S-Rank of Neverness to Everness Version 1.3, an Anima Esper with a Plasma arc who lives off-field and turns your team’s swaps into extra follow-up hits. She is not a stand-still carry. She builds Modulation, drops a mark, and calls a teammate in for a Synced Strike that scales off her own stats, which is why you gear her like a damage dealer even while she sits in the backline.
Quick answer: Equip Voice of the Voyager as her arc, run the Fireflies and the Forest cartridge, prioritize CRIT Rate then CRIT DMG then Anima DMG on modules, and pair her with Zankou, Daffodill, and Sakiri for the strongest Hexed team.
Best arc for Linko
Voice of the Voyager is her signature and the only arc built directly around her kit. It carries CRIT Rate as its substat, hands her a large Support Skill CRIT DMG boost, and stacks Ultimate CRIT DMG every time a Support Skill lands. Inside her Resonance Field, every Synced Strike counts as a Support Skill, so that stack refreshes constantly. Nothing else touches the Synced Strike multiplier the way it does.
| Priority | Arc | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Best-in-slot | Voice of the Voyager | Signature Plasma arc; CRIT Rate substat plus Support Skill and Ultimate CRIT DMG scaling. |
| Alternative | Ready-Ready | Best non-signature option; high base ATK with CRIT Rate and stacks off every Redirect and Ultimate cast. |
| Alternative | Raging Flames | Highest S-Rank base ATK with a CRIT DMG substat; effectively a large stat stick. |
| Alternative | Fluff of Fortitude | Unconditional damage buff that grows as the target drops below 50% HP. |
If you own Voice of the Voyager, keep it on her even in quickswap teams. The alternatives are fine while you farm Plasma options, but they only supply raw stats rather than the assist-focused scaling she wants.
Best cartridge: Fireflies and the Forest
There is one clear cartridge choice for Linko, and it does not ask her to stay on the field. The four-piece grows her CRIT DMG whenever a nearby enemy takes Anima damage from anyone on the team, and the effect stays live while she is in the backline. On a character whose whole job is critting follow-ups, that is exactly the stat you want stacking on its own.
| Set piece | Effect |
|---|---|
| 2-piece | Anima DMG +10%. |
| 4-piece | When a nearby enemy takes Anima DMG from the team, the wearer gains +8% CRIT DMG, stacking up to 7 times for 10s each. Active even while off-field. |
At full stacks that is +56% CRIT DMG feeding into her Synced Strikes. Any Anima hit near the target keeps the stacks topped up, whether it comes from Linko, Xiaozhen, Nanally, or Iroi.
Module layout and stat priority
Run the standard four-module shell using Type II (Horizontal), Type III (Vertical), Type III (┗), and Type IV (N). Her console grants CRIT Rate for each Type III module equipped, so leaning into that layout is worthwhile. Because her signature arc and Anima set already pile on CRIT DMG, CRIT Rate is the main stat you want to secure first.
| Stat type | Priority order |
|---|---|
| Main stats | CRIT Rate > CRIT DMG > Anima DMG |
| Sub stats | CRIT Rate > CRIT DMG > DMG Bonus > ATK% |
Cap CRIT Rate consistency first, then let CRIT DMG and the cartridge stacks do the heavy lifting. Since Synced Strikes scale on Linko herself, crit is not optional here. Do not chase Cycle Intensity as a lead stat, since her off-field mark already refunds Cycle Energy when the team plays cleanly.
Skill leveling priority
Her Support Skill (Poltergeist Left Straight Punch!) is the actual multiplier source for every Synced Strike, so it comes first. If that skill is underleveled, the wheel looks flashy while the numbers stay small. After that, invest in the Redirect Skill and Ultimate, and finish with her Basic Attack.
| Order | Skill | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Support Skill (Poltergeist Left Straight Punch!) | Sets the Synced Strike multiplier |
| 2 | Redirect Skill (Full-Frequency Pulse) | On-field Anima hits and the Synced Strike you press |
| 3 | Ultimate (Oversync) | Resonance Field and the debuff-scaled burst |
| 4 | Basic Attack (Poltergeist CQC) | Modulation engine, worth levels but last |
If upgrade materials are tight the week she releases, stop the Basic Attack at a usable breakpoint and finish the Support and Redirect skills instead.
Best teams for Linko
Linko’s home is the Hexed reaction, which pairs Anima with Incantation and treats a portion of that damage as a follow-up burst. Her party-wide passive raises that follow-up damage and makes hexed targets take more of it, so she needs an Incantation partner rather than a stack of Anima units. Sakiri completes the Hexed half and groups enemies, while Zankou routes his kit through follow-up attack damage, which is exactly the layer she buffs.
| Team | Main DPS | Sub-DPS | Support / Sub-DPS | Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Hexed | Zankou | Daffodill | Linko | Sakiri |
| Hexed with sustain | Zankou or Nanally | Linko | Iroi (healer) | Sakiri |
| Nanally hyper carry | Nanally | Linko | Iroi or Zero | Sakiri |
| Budget | Baicang | Linko | Mint | Adler |
Zankou is her best partner, since Hexed replicates his Incantation, DoT, and Scorch damage as follow-ups that Linko then amplifies. Daffodill adds Scorch so the same pack burns while it is being hexed. Swap Daffodill for Lacrimosa if you want a heavier DoT profile, or replace Sakiri with Baicang when you need Break and Scorch more than grouping. For a lower-investment squad, Baicang carries on-field while Mint and Adler round out damage and survivability.
How the build pays off in a rotation
The loop is short once the gear is in place. Build Modulation with basic attacks or a dodge counter, cast Full-Frequency Pulse and pick your main DPS on the wheel, then fire Oversync to chain Synced Strikes with the whole team before swapping out. While Linko is off-field, Xiaozhen tags a target every eight seconds, and when an ally hits that mark with a Redirect Skill, Linko jumps in for another Synced Strike that refunds Modulation and Cycle Energy.
You will know the build is working when the cartridge climbs toward seven stacks and your Synced Strikes crit consistently, since her crit stats and Support Skill level decide how hard everyone else’s assists land. One caveat to plan around, a normal Synced Strike does not trigger an Esper Cycle by default, so keep teammates who can Cycle on their own rather than relying on the wheel to do it for you.
