Blackbird Build Guide: Skills, Crime and Punishment, Awakenings and Teams

Checked September 28, 2026 against the CN server’s live version (released September 24), cross-referencing the official update notice and multiple guides. English skill names follow Game8 EN and the official English preview. Names not yet published in English (Malice, Ferrying Deathfire, Condemn Me, Only Mercy Remains, Thrush Song, Long Road, Lingering Ailment, Avian Instinct, the awakening and Resonance names, Crime and Punishment and all material names) are provisional translations until the September 30 global release, when they will be checked against the in-game text. Values that differ between sources are flagged where they appear.

Blackbird is a limited S-rank Psyche character from Phase I of version 1.4, using Gas Arcs. Her standout feature is the Redirect Skill Netherplume Rite: one cast fills the Cycle gauge, so swapping to an ally of an adjacent element immediately triggers that ally’s Support Skill and an Esper Cycle. This is her Instant Cycle. After she swaps out, her mark also lets Forsaken Bird attack alongside your allies. Her full mechanics work at A0.

Banner and Role

Foretold Finale

Global/Taiwan: September 30, 2026 after maintenance to October 21, alongside a Lacrimosa rerun. Mainland China: September 24 to October 15, 05:59 (UTC+8). Do not mix the two schedules. Phase II’s Akane Rin arrives on October 21.

Her official tags are Instant Cycle, Main DPS and DMG Buff. In practice, most guides run her as a sub-DPS and buffer in Scorch (Incantation + Chaos) and Nova (Chaos + Psyche) teams. At A0 she is weak as a main DPS; if you want her as your main carry, pair her with her signature Arc and prioritize A1.

Skills and Mechanics

Basic Attack: Fleeting Shadow

A five-hit Psyche combo whose hits build Malice. Hold for Roostcall, which slows enemies. Her plunge attack is Lingering Ailment and her Perfect Counter is Avian Instinct.

Malice

Blackbird’s own resource, capped at 60. Entering combat gives +20, Fleeting Shadow hits +20 and Netherplume Rite +40; she cannot gain more after transforming into the witch. Witch-form attacks spend Malice for an extra damage ratio, so fill it before you transform.

Redirect Skill: Netherplume Rite

Applies the 15-second Forsaken Feather mark to an enemy. From then on, when your on-field ally hits a marked enemy, Forsaken Bird makes an area attack: 200% ATK at level 1, at least 2 seconds apart, up to 5 times. That means Blackbird should swap out after Netherplume Rite instead of staying on the field.

Ultimate: Requies Animarum

Costs 100 energy and transforms her into the Witch of Deliverance for 16 seconds. She cannot be interrupted, the timer pauses while she is off-field, and the whole team gains 20% ATK for 15 seconds. In witch form her Basic Attack becomes Pyreflame, and her dash attack, Ferrying Deathfire, spends 20 Malice per use. Casting the Ultimate again unleashes the finisher Flammae in Unum and ends the form.

Support Skill: Condemn Me

Her swap-in support attack, which can build or spend Malice. In witch form it becomes Only Mercy Remains.

Passive 1: Thrush Song

Raises the Stain (Psyche + Lakshana) bonus to 30% for 20 seconds. When Nova (Chaos + Psyche) ends, she adds one extra hit of Psyche damage based on the damage taken during Nova, then applies Nova again.

Passive 2: Long Road

Gains an extra 20 Malice when she casts her Support Skill.

How to Use Instant Cycle

Most characters need to fight for a while to fill the Cycle gauge; Blackbird fills it with a single Netherplume Rite. Then swap to an ally whose element is adjacent to Psyche (Chaos or Lakshana) to trigger that ally’s Support Skill and an Esper Cycle right away. Before Blackbird, only Esper Zero could do a similar instant Cycle.

In practice the loop is: Blackbird enters → Netherplume Rite → swap to a Chaos or Lakshana ally to trigger the Cycle → your main DPS attacks the marked enemy so Forsaken Bird follows up. Psyche only reacts with Chaos (Nova) and Lakshana (Stain), so build the team around those two elements.

Awakenings and Resonance

Awakenings can be chosen in any order. Each extra copy adds one slot, up to 6, and a Resonance tier unlocks at 3 and at 6 awakenings. A1, A3 and so on in guides refer to an effect’s position in the list, not the order you obtain it.

Awakening	Name	Key effect	Advice
A1	Defector	Flammae in Unum consumes all Malice; Ferrying Deathfire’s ratio increases (most sources after the CN launch say +150%; older data lists +200% or +100%)	Top priority for a main DPS
A2	Wanderer’s Log	Witch-form DEF +20% and Ferrying Deathfire restores HP; Netherplume Rite ratio +100%	Take last
A3	Blindness	DMG ratio from spending Malice +50%	Second priority for a main DPS
A4	Bad Bones	After her Ultimate, team DMG +12%, and the team ATK buff lasts 25 seconds	Priority for support
A5	Rotten Axe Handle	Enemy Psyche, Lakshana and Chaos RES -8% for 25 seconds	Priority for support
A6	Death and Life	After her Ultimate, her Psyche DMG +25% (25 seconds); outside witch form, each Forsaken Bird hit grants 4 Malice	Second priority for a main DPS

Resonance 3, Revelation Called Atonement: skill levels increase, Ultimate-related ratios go up, and she gains an extra 20 Malice after her Ultimate.

Resonance 6, Hearing the Stars’ Eulogy: sources disagree. Some list team Crit DMG +30%, others say the team ignores 20% DEF. We will check it against the in-game text after the September 30 global/Taiwan launch.

Signature Arc and Alternatives

Crime and Punishment

Blackbird’s limited S-rank Gas signature Arc, only available from the Roostfeather Special Arc banner. Level 80: 570 base ATK and 24% Crit Rate. At M1: Cycle Intensity +72 and Blackbird’s Psyche DMG +20%; after she casts her Ultimate, the whole team gains 16% Crit DMG and she gains an extra 32%, for 15 seconds. The values roughly double at max refinement. It is the top recommendation if you want Blackbird as your main DPS.

Alternative Arcs

• Good Boy’s Grand Adventure: Sakiri’s signature and the best substitute when Blackbird plays sub-DPS or support. The S-rank Arc selector box in the 1.4 Puka Membership Program lets you pick it.
• Ravenous Blade: Zankou’s signature, used mainly for its stats.
• Watch Your Heads!: A-rank budget option; pair it with a Crit Rate main stat.

Cartridges and Stats

• Set: Devil’s Blood: Curse. 2 pieces: Psyche DMG +10%; 4 pieces: DMG +18%, rising to +36% against enemies under Stain or Nova. For a support build, switch to Speedy Hedgehog, which raises team ATK after she casts her Ultimate.
• Drive blocks: each Type Ⅲ drive block gives +8% Crit Rate.
• Cartridge main stat: Crit DMG or Psyche DMG bonus.
• Substats: Crit Rate ≈ Crit DMG > DMG bonus > ATK% > Cycle Intensity.
• Skill order: unlock both passives first, then level Basic Attack, Redirect Skill and Ultimate evenly; Support Skill comes last.

Materials

Use	Material	Amount	Source
Ascension	Colorful Ticket Stub	86	Swallowtail at the Floe Cinema (New Herland District)
Ascension and skills	Blurred / Unsolved / Distorted Numerals	Ascension 17 / 18 / 15; skills 40 / 40 / 64	Enemy drops, crafting, Hunter Exchange
Skills	Hesitation of the Waves → Suspended Whispers → The Second Self	40 / 42 / 65 (including passives)	Houdinii’s Schemes (Rabbit Hole, Miguel District)
Weekly boss	Eternal Memory	35	Anomaly Pilgrimage boss Debt Collector (Miguel District); shares the 3 weekly runs with other weekly bosses
Currency	Beetle Coins	Ascension 525,000; skills 1,818,000	—

Material and stage names are provisional English translations of the CN-server data. Amounts are the CN live version’s totals for ascension and skills, excluding Arcs. Before the banner opens you can already farm the weekly boss and the Numerals; prepare the rest with the routes in the material farming guide.

Rotation

1. Bring Blackbird in and cast Netherplume Rite to apply Forsaken Feather and fill the Cycle gauge.
2. Swap straight to a Chaos or Lakshana ally to trigger their Support Skill and the Esper Cycle.
3. Let your main DPS attack the marked enemy so Forsaken Bird follows up from off-field.
4. When her energy is full, swap back to Blackbird for her Ultimate (team ATK +20%). If she has Malice, deal damage in witch form, then finish with Flammae in Unum.

Teams and Pull Advice

Budget Scorch team: Blackbird + Zankou + Daffodill + Sakiri. Incantation + Chaos forms Scorch and Chaos + Psyche forms Nova; when both are on the enemy, Discord triggers. Sakiri boosts damage over time, while Blackbird provides Instant Cycle, off-field Forsaken Bird attacks and the ATK buff.

Lacrimosa as main DPS: Blackbird + Zankou + Lacrimosa + Sakiri. The same core, with Lacrimosa dealing damage on-field.

Adding Linko: Blackbird + Zankou + Linko + Lacrimosa or Daffodill. Linko adds Hexed and resistance reduction; one guide cleared Beyond the Rails 12-1 in under 40 seconds with an A0 lineup.

Pairing Blackbird with Chaos (the Lakshana character) to form Stain is also used, but it is rated only average.

Pull advice: the major tier lists have not rated her yet ahead of the global release, so the following is community opinion. Most guides see Blackbird as a very useful sub-DPS and buffer for Scorch and Nova teams, but not a must-pull; if your Zankou team is already complete, adding her is a limited upgrade. She is most worth pulling if you already have Zankou or Lacrimosa, or want an instant Cycle; if you want her as your main DPS, pull Crime and Punishment as well.

Sources and Verification

• Official NTE 1.4 update notice (CN server)
• Huanshi Quanjian (CN wiki): Blackbird data
• You Xueluo’er: Blackbird hands-on test (TapTap)
• Xuan’er Zero: Blackbird guide (TapTap)
• EnjoyGM: Blackbird build and materials
• Game8: Blackbird
• Icy Veins: Blackbird

Skill effects were cross-checked across multiple guides, and details found in only one source are left out. Ratios and awakening values were adjusted both during CN testing and at launch, and some English sites still show older numbers; the in-game text is final.

Further reading: NTE 1.4 update overview, Upcoming characters: Blackbird and Akane Rin, Zankou build guide

FAQ