Complete NTE Arc System Guide: Types, Research Banner, Mixing Refinement & 14 Free S-Rank Arcs

Key takeaway: The Arc is NTE’s weapon system, with each character equipping exactly 1. There are 5 Arc types (Solid / Liquid / Gas / Plasma / Synthesis) and 44 Arcs (23 S-rank / 16 A-rank / 5 B-rank). Research banner: 3% S-rank, 60-pull hard pity + 80-pull rate-up pity, carries over between banners. NTE’s biggest advantage: 14+ free S-rank Arcs (obtained from side quests / commissions / events), so F2P players can completely skip the Arc banner. Strongest universal god-tier items: Day Off (protagonist signature Arc, usable by all Solid characters), Soul Flame Rampage (universal for Plasma characters), Guardian of Hytrol City (universal for Synthesis characters).

The Arc is the first equipment system in NTE character progression — it is not just a weapon, but the key vehicle for passive skills and substats. This article lays out every Arc mechanic, banner rule, progression route, and the F2P god-tier list all in one place.

What Is an Arc

In lore terms, the Arc (Arc / Resonator / Etheradisk) is the vessel for the power of Espers and Anomalies — a special device that resonates with an Esper’s will and manifests as a weapon or ability-enhancement device.

In gameplay terms: each character equips exactly 1 Arc (this is not a dual-weapon system), which provides:

• Base ATK (shared by all Arcs)
• A single fixed substat (ATK% / CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG / HP% / DEF% / Burst Strength / Energy Recharge)
• 1 passive skill (Arc Skill, with a unique name)

The 5 Arc Types ⚠ Strict Character Mapping

NTE’s Arcs are divided into 5 types, and characters can only equip Arcs of their corresponding type (similar to Genshin’s weapon-type restriction, but stricter).

Type	Representative Characters
Solid	Protagonist · Esper Zero, the Fire Bird, Jiuyuan, Haniel
Liquid	Daffodill, Edgar
Gas	Sakiri, Chiz, Skia
Plasma	Hathor, Nanally, Aurelia
Synthesis	Baicang, Fadia, Hotori, Lacrimosa

Important: Arc type ≠ an Esper’s elemental attribute. There are 6 elemental attributes (Cosmos / Chaos / Anima / Psyche / Incantation / Lakshana); the Arc type only determines “whether you can equip it,” while the passive effect is what binds to a specific damage element.

Overview of All 44 Arcs

Version 1.0 has 44 Arcs in total:

• S-rank (orange): 23, including limited signatures + standard
• A-rank (purple): 16
• B-rank (blue): 5 (beginner starters)

Research Banner: The Arc Pull Mechanics

The Arc banner’s official name is the “Arc Research Program,” a sub-banner of the Scarborough Fair gacha system.

Base Rates

Rarity	Rate
S-rank	3% (much higher than the character banner’s 1.88%)
A-rank	7%
B-rank	90%

• Cost per pull: 10 Tri-Keys
• 10-pulls only — there is no single-pull option

Dual Pity (Important!)

Pity Layer	Pulls	Content
S-rank hard pity	at most 60 pulls (6 ten-pulls)	Guarantees 1 S-rank Arc
Featured pity	at most 80 pulls (8 ten-pulls)	Guarantees the current rate-up limited S-rank Arc

Key details:

• When S-rank pity triggers, there is a 25% chance it is directly the current rate-up (if you miss, the 80-pull floor kicks in)
• The Arc banner is not 50/50 — it is a “25% direct hit + 80-pull floor” structure
• Pity progress carries over between banners (switching banners does not reset it)
• Pity is independent from the character banner — the two pity chains are tracked separately

Arc Banner vs Character Banner

	Character Banner	Arc Banner
S-rank base rate	1.88%	3%
Hard pity	90 pulls	60 pulls S-rank / 80 pulls rate-up
50/50?	❌ Limited char 100% rate-up	”25% direct hit + 80-pull floor”
Currency	Crystals / Etheric Pearls	Tri-Keys
Pity carryover	✅ Between banners	✅ Between banners

The two currencies share many of the same sources (quests, shop, monthly pass), so planning your resources is still a must.

Arc Stat Structure

Base ATK (max level 80)

Rarity	Example Base ATK
S-rank	424 ~ 666 (peak: “Soul Flame Rampage” at 666)
A-rank	395 ~ 555
B-rank	316 ~ 380

S-rank vs A-rank: about +28% Base ATK, +50% substat, and an across-the-board passive crush.

7 Substats (each Arc fixes 1)

Unlike artifact-style random substats, each Arc has 1 fixed substat type, whose value scales with level:

Substat	Suited Characters
ATK %	Most common (19/44 Arcs) — universal Main DPS / Buffer DPS
CRIT Rate %	CRIT-type Main DPS (Baicang, Esper Zero, Jiuyuan)
CRIT DMG %	CRIT-type Main DPS (same as above)
HP %	Accumulation-type Main DPS (Fadia’s “Eternal Waltz” is the textbook case)
DEF %	Shield / Survival slots (rarer)
Burst Strength	Armor-break / crowd-control Sub-DPS
Energy Recharge	The only one in the whole game is “Day Off”! A must-grab for ultimate-driven characters

Passive Effects (Arc Skill)

Each Arc has 1 passive skill, with varied trigger conditions:

• After casting the ultimate
• On critical hit
• When HP falls below X%
• While off-field
• After an elemental reaction triggers

The bonuses include: % elemental DMG, CRIT DMG boost, additional DMG, team buffs, and summons. Raising the refinement from T1→T5 doubles the passive values.

Mixing (Refinement) System: T1–T5

Mixing / Mixing Intensity is the Arc refinement system, similar to Genshin weapon refinement:

• 5 tiers total (T1 ~ T5)
• Requires 5 copies of the same Arc (the original + 4 duplicates) to reach the T5 cap
• T5 roughly doubles the passive values (the lower-bound values rise to the upper bound)
• You can also substitute specific refinement items for duplicates (rarer)

Value-for-Money Assessment (the crucial point)

Tier	Recommended For	Investment
T1	Must-grab for all players	80 pulls
T2 ~ T3	Mid-spenders with spare resources	+200 pulls per tier minimum
T5	Heavy spenders only	400 pulls in the theoretical worst case

⚠ F2P players are strongly advised to stop at T1 — doubling the T5 values does not double DPS (the actual gain is around 15–25%), so the value-for-money falls off a cliff.

Arc Leveling and Ascension

• Level cap: 80 (an ascension is required every 10 levels, for 7 ascensions total)
• Leveling materials: “Dye” (similar to Genshin weapon EXP stones) + Gold Button Coins
  • Obtained from: the “Houdini Magic Stage” dungeon (Bridge District Anomaly Zone)
• Ascension materials: from the “Bubble Cannery Factory” dungeon + Anomaly drops
• Ascension requires passing an Appraisal-level threshold (an account-level gate)

⭐ The Complete List of 14+ Free S-Rank Arcs (F2P Must-Read)

NTE’s biggest player-friendly design: over 60% of S-rank Arcs can be obtained completely without gacha, through side quests / commissions / events.

Arc Name	Type	How to Obtain
Day Off	Solid	The Eclipse hidden side quest (talk to Eclipse on the right side of the Bureau)
Soul Flame Rampage	Plasma	Anomaly Commission “Racing Knight Ambush”
Bring Down the House	Solid	Anomaly Commission “Rhythm Master”
Whale Song	Plasma	Anomaly Commission “Deep Blue Sorrow”
Tears Behind the Mask	Gas	Anomaly Commission “Lost Summons”
Post-Adolescent Fantasy	Liquid	Anomaly Commission “Book of Post-Adolescence”
Good Kid Adventure	Gas	Re-fight the Morphix Boss
Refuge from Reality	Solid	Anomaly Commission route (Jiuyuan’s signature Arc)
Guardian of Hytrol City	Synthesis	Defeat the Judgment Executioner (Wanted Level 4-5 star summon)
Thinking Cat	Gas	City Tycoon Lv 21 (Chiz’s signature Arc)
Your Happiness Is Priceless	—	Exchange with Nakupenda coins in the shop
Galactic Layover	Plasma	Day 10 of the 14-day login
March of Time	Solid	Arc Collection Master event (some versions)
Other event Arcs	Various	Arc Collection Master 11-pull burst / monthly Tri-Key shop exchange

For detailed side-quest walkthroughs, see the Side Quest Guide.

Universal S-Rank Arc Top 4 (Strong on Any Character)

Rank	Arc	Type	Why
🥇	Day Off	Solid	Energy Recharge + 30% ATK + Eclipse Domain, the only Energy Recharge substat
🥈	Guardian of Hytrol City	Synthesis	15% ATK + 15% Boss DMG + police-cat follow-up
🥉	Soul Flame Rampage	Plasma	Universal for Lakshana + ultimate / reset-skill buffs
4	On Standby	Plasma	Nanally’s signature, but the highest universal ATK bonus

If you only have time to build 1 Arc, maxing out “Day Off” first is never the wrong call.

Should You Pull on the Arc Banner? The Decision Logic

✅ When to Pull

1. You already pulled the limited character of that banner (otherwise the Arc is meaningless)
2. That character is expected to be a long-term Main DPS (not a transitional pick)
3. The character’s signature Arc has a strong damage multiplier (e.g. On Standby, Eternal Waltz, Camellia Gathering’s dual-CRIT)
4. You have 80 pulls + spare resources to make T1 (don’t chase past T2)

❌ When to Skip

1. The character has a strong F2P alternative (e.g. Hathor + Soul Flame Rampage, Jiuyuan + Refuge from Reality)
2. Your Crystal / Tri-Key stock is too low to All-in on both the character + the Arc
3. You’re a beginner and haven’t collected all the first 14 free S-rank Arcs yet

A New Player’s First 30-Day Arc Route

Week	Focus
W1	Clear all main-story Anomaly Commissions → naturally obtain 4–6 S-rank Arcs
W2	Complete the “Eclipse” hidden quest for Day Off + log in 14 days to Day 10 for Galactic Layover
W3	Push City Tycoon to Lv 21 for Thinking Cat + exchange for Your Happiness Is Priceless in the shop
W4	Try challenging the Judgment Executioner for Guardian of Hytrol City (high difficulty, can be deferred)

In parallel: use the Tri-Key shop to exchange for 1 standard S-rank Arc per month (prioritize filling Main DPS gaps).

Not recommended: blowing all your Crystals / Tri-Keys on the Arc banner at once on launch day.

Substat Pairing (Actionable Advice)

Character Role	Priority Substat
CRIT-type Main DPS (Baicang, Esper Zero, Jiuyuan, the Fire Bird)	CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG
ATK-type Main DPS	ATK %
Buffer DPS / full-screen DMG boost (Haniel, Mint)	ATK % (team multiplier)
Accumulation Main DPS (Fadia)	HP %
Ultimate-driven DPS (Esper Zero, the Fire Bird)	Energy Recharge (only Day Off!)
Armor-break / crowd-control Sub-DPS	Burst Strength
Shield / Survival slots (Hotori, Edgar)	HP % / DEF %

Progression Material Dungeons at a Glance

Material	Dungeon
Dye (leveling EXP)	Houdini Magic Stage (Bridge District Anomaly Zone)
Ascension materials	Bubble Cannery Factory + Anomaly drops
Daily / weekly dungeons	Small supplies of Dye and Gold Button Coins

Conclusion: The “NTE Character” of Arcs

Compared to Genshin / Zenless Zone Zero, the biggest distinctive feature of NTE’s Arcs is:

• ✅ Tons of free S-rank Arcs (14+, making up 60%)
• ✅ Pity “carries over between banners” + a 25% direct rate-up chance
• ❌ A strict type restriction (5 types, with characters bound to a type)
• ⚠ Mixing to T5 is a huge investment — F2P, don’t chase it

The most F2P-friendly design: clearing side quests + commissions lets you collect most of the S-rank Arcs, and the Arc banner is only needed when “you want a specific limited rate-up.”

Related Guides

• Equipment System Breakdown: Arcs and Gear — an overview of both systems
• Complete Signature Arc Guide — in-depth per-character signature Arcs (releasing alongside this)
• Full Gacha Pity Mechanics Breakdown — Arc banner vs character banner resource planning
• Side Quest Guide — free S-rank Arc side-quest walkthroughs
• City Tycoon Guide — Lv 21 for Thinking Cat

Frequently Asked Questions

Arc data is compiled from public sources including Game8, GameWith, Icy Veins, Mobalytics, AllThings.How, NTE Fandom Wiki, LDPlayer, Bahamut, 4Gamers, Wantplay, and others. Some specific Arc values and passive details may change with version updates; the in-game values are authoritative.