Jiuyuan is an S-Rank Anima character from the Solid archetype in Neverness to Everness, available as a permanent pull on the Standard banner. She dual-wields pistols, marks enemies with Lethal Rose Pact, and detonates those marks for high burst damage with her Ultimate. The build below focuses on getting the most out of her Pact Settlement window with the gear, skill order, and partners that scale her hardest.
Quick answer: Run Reality's Refuge as her Arc, the four-piece Fireflies and the Forest Cartridge set, prioritize Crit Rate, Crit DMG, Anima DMG, and ATK%, level Ultimate first. then Basic Attack, and pair her with Nanally, Sakiri, and Zero for the strongest team.
Jiuyuan kit summary
Jiuyuan's damage flow is built around three resources. She generates Rose Pact Bullets through attacks, applies Lethal Rose Pact to enemies, and then triggers Pact Settlement using her Ultimate or by spending bullets on marked targets. Lethal Rose Pact damage is treated as Attachment damage, which is why it scales with effects that buff Attachment specifically.
| Ability | Name | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Attack | When Secrets Take Shape | Up to 5 dual-wield hits dealing Anima DMG, generates 2 Rose Pact Bullets, final hit applies Lethal Rose Pact. |
| Hold Basic | Info-Guided Arts | Auto-fires bullets that consume Rose Pact Bullets, prioritizing marked targets. |
| Skill | Intel Hunter | Dash that pulls and binds the target with Lethal Rose Pact, grants 4 Rose Pact Bullets. |
| Ultimate | Final Reckoning | Dashes through targets firing continuously, ends with an explosion that triggers Pact Settlement on every Lethal Rose Pact in range. |
| Support Skill | Intel Lock-On | Curved bullet that deals Anima DMG and grants 2 Rose Pact Bullets on hit. |
Best Arc (weapon) for Jiuyuan
Reality's Refuge is her signature Arc and the clear best-in-slot if you run her as a main DPS or burst sub-DPS. It boosts ATK, Anima damage, and specifically increases Attachment damage, which is exactly what Lethal Rose Pact and Pact Settlement count as. The bonus also doubles for several seconds after casting the Ultimate, lining up perfectly with her burst window.
If you do not own her signature, two solid alternatives exist depending on playstyle.
| Arc | ATK / Substat | Why pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Reality's Refuge | 570 ATK / 30% ATK | Direct buff to Anima and Attachment DMG, scales Lethal Rose Pact and Pact Settlement. |
| Fluff of Fearlessness | 512 ATK / 22% Crit Rate | Passive Crit Rate plus a large ATK spike after Ultimate, ideal for a burst sub-DPS. |
| Hethereau's Keeper | 512 ATK / 27.5% ATK | Flat ATK, bonus boss damage, and a summon that adds steady DPS over 30 seconds. |
Best Cartridge (artifact) sets
Fireflies and the Forest is the highest-value set on Jiuyuan. The two-piece grants flat Anima DMG, and the four-piece stacks Crit DMG up to 56% whenever a teammate deals Anima damage. The buff stays active off-field, which suits her swap-in burst rotations and pairs especially well with another Anima carry like Nanally.
If the four-piece is not yet farmable, a 2+2 split using any Anima two-piece and an ATK% or Energy Recharge two-piece keeps her rotation functional until you finish the full set.
Stat priorities
Jiuyuan wants a standard Crit-focused DPS profile with Anima conversion on the chest piece. Aim for roughly a 1:2 ratio between Crit Rate and Crit DMG, then push raw multipliers from Anima DMG and ATK%.
| Slot | Main stat | Substats to chase |
|---|---|---|
| Sands / Time | ATK% | Crit Rate, Crit DMG, ATK%, Energy Recharge |
| Goblet / Element | Anima DMG Bonus | Crit Rate, Crit DMG, ATK% |
| Circlet / Head | Crit Rate or Crit DMG | Crit Rate, Crit DMG, ATK% |
Energy Recharge is valuable because Final Reckoning is responsible for the bulk of her damage. Faster Ultimate uptime equals more Pact Settlements per fight.
Skill upgrade priority
Most of Jiuyuan's damage is concentrated in her Ultimate and the Pact Settlement it triggers, so level it first. Her Basic Attack scales the damage of Rose Pact Bullets, which is the second largest source of damage during her on-field window.
| Order | Skill | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Final Reckoning (Ultimate) | Carries roughly 80% of her burst window through Pact Settlement. |
| 2 | When Secrets Take Shape (Basic) | Scales Rose Pact Bullet damage and the Lethal Rose Pact tick. |
| 3 | Intel Hunter (Skill) | Mostly used to apply the mark, lower scaling priority. |
| 4 | Intel Lock-On (Support) | Bullet generation only, level last. |
Awakening priority
Awakenings can be re-selected at any time, so adjust them to the content you are running. The general unlock order below favors consistent burst damage with a small healing quality-of-life pickup early.
| Order | Awakening | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A2 Intel Turns Into Blades | Increases Lethal Rose Pact damage and converts part of it into team healing. |
| 2 | A5 Intel Superiority | Flat 8% damage increase against any target marked by Lethal Rose Pact. |
| 3 | A6 Know Every Secret | Adds a 200% ratio hit when marked enemies cast a skill (5s cooldown). |
| 4 | A1 To Know, To Balance | Up to 15% ATK when three enemies are bound by the Pact, strong in AoE. |
| 5 | A4 Strike to Kill | Increases Pact Settlement damage scaling. |
| 6 | A3 Advantage Established | Bonus Break damage on Pact Settlement, niche in burst rotations. |
Best teams for Jiuyuan
Jiuyuan slots cleanly into Anima reaction teams, where multiple characters dealing Anima damage maximize the Fireflies and the Forest stack. Her crowd control and Pact application also enable Blossom Esper Cycle reactions through Zero.
| Team | Roles | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Nanally + Jiuyuan + Sakiri + Zero | Main DPS / Burst Sub-DPS / Buffer / Battery | Zero triggers Genesis reactions, Sakiri buffs and groups, Jiuyuan supplies Pact Settlements while Nanally carries on-field DPS. |
| Jiuyuan + Sakiri + Zero + Adler | Main DPS / Buffer / Battery / Shielder | Adler shields and applies Incantation for the Hexed Esper Cycle, Sakiri buffs Jiuyuan's burst, Zero feeds energy. |
| Jiuyuan + Hathor + Zero + Flex Anima | DPS / Energy Support / Battery / Sub-DPS | Sustained Anima uptime keeps Fireflies and the Forest stacked while Hathor refills her Ultimate. |
Optimal rotation
Step 1: Open with Jiuyuan and cast Intel Hunter to dash in, group enemies, and apply Lethal Rose Pact while gaining four Rose Pact Bullets.
Step 2: Swap to your supports and run their cycles. Zero builds Esper Cycle and Sakiri or Adler applies their buffs and shields, returning energy to Jiuyuan in the process.
Step 3: Swap back to Jiuyuan and hold Basic Attack to fire Info-Guided Arts, dumping Rose Pact Bullets onto marked targets. Use the support skill if available to top off bullets.
Step 4: Cast Final Reckoning to trigger Pact Settlement on every marked enemy at once. This is her main damage payoff window.
Step 5: Swap to your secondary DPS (typically Nanally) and continue their rotation while Jiuyuan recharges her Ultimate.
How to know your build is working
The clearest signs that the build is tuned correctly are visible in combat. After casting Final Reckoning, multiple Pact Settlement detonations should resolve simultaneously on every marked enemy. With the four-piece Fireflies and the Forest, you should see Crit DMG stacks tick up as your Anima teammate (typically Nanally) lands hits, capping at seven stacks. Reality's Refuge will also display its Attachment DMG bonus refresh during the six seconds following each Ultimate.
If Pact Settlement is not triggering on the full pack, the most common cause is casting the Ultimate before applying Lethal Rose Pact widely enough. Lead with Intel Hunter on grouped enemies, or save the Ult until your Basic Attack chain has finished and tagged the target.
Note: Lethal Rose Pact's drain tick is not affected by DoT-amplifying effects, so do not stack DoT-specific buffs hoping to scale it. Stick to ATK%, Anima DMG, Crit, and Attachment DMG sources, which are the multipliers that actually apply.
Built this way, Jiuyuan functions as a flexible burst sub-DPS who handles crowd control, contributes party healing through her A2 Awakening, and slots into nearly any Anima team without competing for buffs. Her standard banner availability also means a free selector after 50 rolls can guarantee her without spending limited pulls.