Neverness to Everness is deep into one of its busiest stretches so far. The core loop already juggles anomaly investigations, open-world driving, real-time combat and Limited Board character collecting.
Version 1.5, Once Upon a Glitched Call, then locked in the next two names. It launches on November 11 with Elyms in Phase 1 and Exe in Phase 2, which pushes the community's attention straight to the question everyone is already asking: who headlines the NTE 1.6 banner?
The current NTE 1.6 leaks point to Nitsa and Ellie, and the pairing holds up for reasons beyond two names on a leak post. Nitsa has already stepped into the E.T.D. storyline, while Ellie is tied directly to the Puka business and the park that Version 1.4 finally opened. A separate story leak places the next Pukaland investigation around Nitsa, with Ellie likely in the mix.
This guide walks through the expected NTE 1.6 release date, the current banner leak, what both characters already do in the story. If Version 1.6 is already your saving target, you can line up the available NTE Riftcrystal top-up options through GamsGo.
💡How reliable is this guide? It blends Version 1.5's official schedule with the most credible community leaks and recent datamine crumbs. Both characters are real and the 1.5 calendar is confirmed, but the Version 1.6 start date, attributes, kits and phase order stay predictions until Hotta Studio's official preview. We update this page as soon as fresh leaks surface or that preview goes live.
Current Leak in One Minute
- Expected Version 1.6 characters: Nitsa and Ellie
- Leaked attribute: Ellie is Incantation; Nitsa leans Psyche from beta data, not reconfirmed
- Expected launch date: December 23, 2026, when the official Version 1.5 calendar ends
- Safe saving target: 14,400 Annulith for one guaranteed featured S-Class from zero pity
NTE 1.6 Banner Overview
Expected New Characters: Nitsa and Ellie
The newest specific leak says the NTE 1.6 banners will feature Ellie and Nitsa, without locking a phase to either. On attributes, Ellie is tagged Incantation, while Nitsa's element isn't restated here. Beta builds and early roadmaps leaned Psyche for her, so that stays the community's working guess rather than a blank.
Character | Version 1.6 Status | Known Background | Combat Information |
|---|---|---|---|
Nitsa | Named in the latest leak | E.T.D. reserve member who appears in the Fogden storyline | Community read: likely S-Class, Psyche-leaning from beta, hair-based control support |
Ellie | Named in the latest leak | Connected to the Cordelain family, Puka Group and Pukaland | Incantation (leaked); recent kit crumbs read as on-field Incantation damage or hybrid |
This lineup rests on firmer story ground than the older Nitsa-and-Alphard prediction. Version 1.5 has now put Elyms and Exe on the calendar together, and the latest 1.6 information pairs the two women who both have a direct reason to head back to Pukaland. That pairing logic is why the newer leak has pushed the earlier roadmap out of the conversation.
What Is Confirmed and What Is Still Leaked?
Neither name is a leak invention. Nitsa already appears in NTE promotional material and in the live story, and Ellie exists in the game's world through Puka lore and references, so the characters themselves are real. What is still leak-stage is a playable release in Version 1.6, the finer kit details, and the phase order.
The source behind this lineup called Elyms and Exe for Version 1.5 and put them in the right Phase 1 and Phase 2 slots before the official reveal. That track record gives the Nitsa-and-Ellie report more weight than a random rumor, and among current NTE leaks it has the cleanest support from both banner chatter and story context.
Are Any Character Reruns Expected?
No reliable NTE 1.6 leak names the rerun characters yet. So if you are tracking the NTE next banner, keep the leaked new-character lineup separate from the still-blank rerun slots. The game has also shown that reruns don't follow the original release pairings: Version 1.3 split the old Nanally and Hotori duo across its two phases, and Version 1.4 opened with a Lacrimosa rerun sitting next to new character Blackbird.
NTE 1.6 Release Date and Banner Schedule
Expected Version 1.6 Release Date
The NTE 1.6 release date is expected to land on December 23, 2026. Version 1.5 runs Exe's Phase 2 Limited Board through December 23, so Neverness to Everness 1.6 now has a much firmer start point than the old six-week-cadence guess. It simply picks up where 1.5 ends.
Hotta Studio hasn't posted the Version 1.6 maintenance notice yet, so the exact opening hour still depends on the update window. The useful change is that the NTE banner schedule now has a real December 23 endpoint for 1.5 to anchor to, instead of a date worked out purely from earlier patches.
Phase 1 and Phase 2 Banner Dates
Milestone | Expected Date | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
Version 1.5 End / Expected 1.6 Phase 1 | December 23, 2026 | Official 1.5 endpoint and expected Version 1.6 update |
Phase 2 | January 13, 2027 | Second new Limited Board after 21 days |
Expected Version End | February 3, 2027 | Likely transition to the next major update |
Will Nitsa or Ellie Release First?
Honestly, Phase 1 is still a coin flip. Leakers note that Ellie and Nitsa both appeared in the Version 1.4 Special Program's VA introductions, the same signal that preceded Elyms and Exe, which is why the pairing feels solid even while the order does not. My lean is Nitsa first, given her deeper story groundwork and the long wait behind her, but a Pukaland-led patch could just as easily open on Ellie.
Nitsa Banner Leaks: Story, Design and Playable Status
Who Is Nitsa in Neverness to Everness?
Nitsa is an E.T.D. reserve member inside the Bureau of Anomaly Control. She first caught attention through pre-release footage, then graduated from "trailer character" to an active part of the story during the Version 1.3 Fogden arc. Her scenes place her next to established E.T.D. faces like Linko and Chaos, rather than parking her as a future collectible waiting in a menu.
Her personality does a lot of the work here. Linko tends to run on instinct and the odd signals she picks up from Xiaozhen, while Nitsa is written as the analytical one, the teammate trying to force logic onto an operation that is already sliding into anomaly-driven chaos. That contrast gives her a clear spot in the squad before a single playable skill has been shown.
Nitsa's Role in E.T.D. and the Main Story
The Fogden operation made it clear Nitsa isn't just sitting in a character archive. She takes part in field work tied to the Scarlet Letter crisis and operates inside the same wider E.T.D. network as Linko, Elyms and Exe. With Elyms and Exe leading Version 1.5, bringing Nitsa one version later keeps that organizational thread alive without cramming all four E.T.D.-linked releases into one patch.
A Version 1.6 story leak sends the cast back to Puka Park to dig into local rumors, with Nitsa positioned as the lead on the ground. That gives her more than a cameo. It hands her a reason to headline the chapter and keeps the park's anomaly plot moving while her own history fills in.
Nitsa's Rumored Mobility and Combat Concept
Most Nitsa discussion circles back to her long, spectral-looking hair and the idea that it doubles as a traversal tool. Players usually shorthand it as "Spider-Man mobility" or a wire-swing mechanic, meaning she uses the hair to grapple across Hethereau instead of just adding one more sprint animation.
That idea comes from early visuals and fan reading, but it has real precedent. The Version 1.5 preview confirms Exe can travel through Hethereau's billboards, which shows Hotta is happy to build dedicated city traversal into new Espers, so Nitsa's rumored hair-grapple is well within reach.
What the Community Expects From Nitsa's Kit
Two caveats the card can't fully show. Her Psyche tag is a beta-era lean rather than a fresh leak, so the element is the softest part of her profile. And with only her basic attacks and one QTE datamined so far, the exact numbers, Arc category and Esper Cycle role are still guesswork.
Because the Nitsa release date and her final numbers are still moving, keep your prep account-wide: bank Annulith, Solid Dice, Fons and general growth resources. If she does land as a Psyche control support, nothing is wasted by waiting for the kit to go live before you commit to a set.
Ellie Banner Leaks: Pukaland, Dolls and Incantation
Who Is Ellie Cordelain?
Ellie belongs to the wealthy Cordelain family and the Puka commercial empire behind Pukaland and its candy branding. Story references trace the business to her grandfather before it passed to Ellie. That makes her more than the park's mascot-like celebrity. She sits at the head of a company whose products, attractions and dolls are already scattered across Hethereau.
The English community mostly calls her Ellie Cordelain, even though her full localized name hasn't had the same big global reveal as the current playable cast. "Ellie" is the stable search term and the name the latest leak uses.
Ellie's Connection to Pukaland and the Cordelain Family
Version 1.4 made Pukaland explorable, but its witch-focused main story never really opened up the person running the place. That leaves an obvious gap: you can walk the attractions, see the Puka merchandise and feel the forced cheerfulness, yet Ellie's own motives stay offstage.
A Version 1.6 return would let the story set Pukaland's manufactured happiness against the anomaly rumors underneath it. Ellie could show up as the owner guarding the family brand, the client who hires Eibon, or the one person who understands the park's dolls, possibly a blend of all three. That tension is a far stronger hook than adding her just to fill the second Limited Board.
Are Tako and the Puka Dolls Connected to Ellie?
One popular theory ties Ellie to Tako, the doll from Taygedo's deliberately silly romance storyline. The reasoning: a doll that acts with intent fits Ellie's repeated link to Puka creations and the whole idea of animated dolls. Read that way, the comedy quest was also an early bit of surveillance or setup aimed at Eibon.
No story beat has named Ellie as Tako's creator, so it stays a fan theory for now. It is a tidy one, though: it would turn a throwaway side story into an early thread of the park's bigger mystery, and that is exactly the kind of long setup NTE likes.
What Does the Incantation Leak Actually Confirm?
Here is where the Incantation tag gets interesting. It is NTE's sustained-damage element, and its current faces, Adler and Sakiri, both lean support, so the first community assumption was that Ellie would be another backline enabler.
The datamined kit crumbs push against that. A five-hit basic string, a two-part ultimate and direct Incantation damage read more like an on-field carry than a buffer. Ahead of the Ellie release date, my call is a Scorch-leaning damage dealer whose doll theme stays cosmetic until a real skill sheet says otherwise.
What Could Happen in the NTE 1.6 Story?
Chapter 10 and the Return to Puka Park
The current Chapter 10 leak describes a trip to Puka Park with Nitsa to chase down rumors around the area. That revisits a location that headlined Version 1.4, but leaves room for a more character-driven mystery. Instead of another tour of the rides, the chapter can ask who really controls the park and what its cheerful front is covering up.
The leaked premise also explains the banner pairing cleanly. Nitsa brings the Bureau investigation angle; Ellie brings the family, corporate and doll side of Pukaland. Their stories can crash together without forcing either one into the other's faction.
How Version 1.5 Could Set Up Nitsa's Next Investigation
Version 1.5 centers on E.T.D. 6, Elyms, Exe and the Dream Phone Anomaly, which gives the Bureau thread a full chapter of its own first. Nitsa can then roll into Version 1.6 as a natural continuation of that E.T.D. storyline, with the investigation handing off to Ellie's side of the map.
One leak has Nitsa meeting an old acquaintance during the Pukaland chapter, though the Version 1.5 preview uses a similar "old friend" beat for the Dream Phone mystery. The two could be separate threads, so treat that single detail as shakier than the broader Nitsa-and-Ellie lineup.
Why Version 1.6 May Connect Earlier Pukaland Clues
Version 1.4 handed players the physical Pukaland but kept its owner and its anomalies offstage. Version 1.6 is the first version with real room to pay that setup off. Details that once read as flavor text can finally turn into evidence for a wider Puka storyline instead of staying set dressing.
That's the real reason the Nitsa-and-Ellie leak has stuck. These aren't two spare designs slotted in after Elyms and Exe. They fit the location, the rumored investigation, and NTE's habit of introducing a character in the story first, then moving them onto a Limited Board.
Nitsa vs. Ellie: Who Should You Save For?
There's no honest meta ranking yet, because neither final kit exists. The decision that actually matters today is simpler: does either character matter enough to change how you spend during Version 1.5?
Player Priority | Better Character to Watch | Reason |
|---|---|---|
Established story presence | Nitsa | She has already joined an E.T.D. operation and has a defined personality in the live story. |
Pukaland lore and doll theme | Ellie | Her family and business links could turn the park's background lore into the main plot. |
Possible exploration utility | Nitsa | Her rumored spectral-hair traversal is the most distinctive non-combat concept on either character. |
Meta efficiency | Wait for the 1.6 preview | Kit crumbs hint at direction, but rotations, team slots and Arc reliance still need the official numbers. |
Save for Nitsa If You Like Her Character and Mobility Concept
Nitsa is the clearer pick for anyone already invested in E.T.D. 6, Linko's arc or the Bureau's ongoing conflict. She also has the more developed public personality of the two. And if the rumored traversal mechanic survives into her finished design, she could offer a daily exploration perk that stays fun long after the shine wears off a new damage rotation.
Save for Ellie If You Prefer Her Story and Doll Theme
Ellie is the more mysterious choice. Her pull is the open questions around the Cordelain family, the Puka empire, and the chance that animated dolls become part of her playable identity. If you enjoy summon-style characters or lore-heavy releases, she's worth watching. Just remember the leak hasn't actually confirmed that dolls are part of her battle kit.
How Many Pulls Should You Save for NTE 1.6?
NTE's Limited Boards share one S-Class pity counter and the same Board Modification progress. Per the official Limited Board rules, Board Modification kicks in after 70 rolls without the featured S-Class, and the 90th roll guarantees that character. One roll costs 160 Annulith.
Pull Goal | Maximum Rolls | Maximum Cost | Planning Use |
|---|---|---|---|
Guarantee Nitsa or Ellie | 90 | 14,400 Annulith | Safest target for F2P and low-spend accounts |
Guarantee both new characters | 180 | 28,800 Annulith | Assumes zero pity and hard pity on both boards |
One character plus signature Arc | 90 character + up to 80 Arc | 14,400 Annulith + 80 Tri-Keys | Arc Research runs on Tri-Keys, a separate currency from character pulls |
Annulith Needed to Guarantee One Character
From zero pity, the clean target is 14,400 Annulith, or 90 rolls. Already have pity banked? Subtract it from 90, then multiply what's left by 160. An account sitting at 40 pity, for example, needs at most 50 more rolls, which works out to 8,000 Annulith, for the next featured S-Class.
Maximum Cost of Guaranteeing Both Characters
Guaranteeing both new characters from zero pity costs at most 28,800 Annulith. Treat that as a worst-case ceiling, not the expected spend. Any early S-Class brings the total down, and the pity counter carries from the first Version 1.6 board straight into the second.
Final Thoughts
Version 1.6 finally has a clear shape: an E.T.D. investigator with a real field presence walks into the heir at the center of Pukaland's business, dolls and unanswered anomaly rumors. That connection makes Nitsa and Ellie far more convincing together than a random two-character roadmap, and it gives both women room for a proper introduction.
Save 14,400 Annulith if one of them is non-negotiable, or 28,800 if you want the full worst-case guarantee for both. Everything past that, from materials and teams to signature Arcs and meta priority, should wait for the official Version 1.6 reveal instead of being decided by recycled early-test data.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Reliable Is the Nitsa and Ellie Banner Leak?
It's the strongest 1.6 lead right now. The same leakers called Elyms and Exe correctly, Ellie and Nitsa both appeared in the Version 1.4 Special Program VA introductions, and a separate Puka Park story leak backs the pairing. Use it to set a savings target rather than to pre-farm a full build around a kit nobody has seen.
Does Limited Board Pity Carry From Version 1.5 to Version 1.6?
Yes. Limited Boards share the S-Class pity counter and Board Modification progress. Stopping at 60 pity in Version 1.5 leaves at most 30 more rolls for the next featured S-Class, as long as you stop pulling before another S-Class resets the counter.
Will Nitsa and Ellie Use the Same Banner Currency?
Both would run on the Limited Board system, where pulls spend Solid Dice and each featured board can also offer its own event dice. Annulith stays the flexible planning currency, since 160 Annulith converts into one roll whenever your saved dice run out.
Is Ellie an Incantation Support?
Incantation is confirmed in the leak; the role is not. The early guess was support, since NTE's other Incantation units lean that way, but the latest kit crumbs (five basics, a two-part ultimate, QTE switch-ins, direct Incantation damage) read more like an on-field damage or hybrid Esper. Treat the doll-summoner angle as flavor until a skill description lands.
Can I Pre-Farm Nitsa or Ellie Materials?
Not yet. Neither development list is out, and Nitsa's element still isn't locked, though beta data leaned Psyche. Bank Fons, general EXP resources and stamina recovery items instead of committing to a guessed set you might not use.
Should I Build Pity on the Version 1.5 Banner?
Only pull on Version 1.5 if you're fine actually getting its featured character. Pity does carry forward, but an early S-Class resets the counter, so "building pity" is a bad trade when your real goal is holding every roll for Nitsa or Ellie.
Will NTE 1.6 Have Rerun Banners?
A rerun is likely, since recent versions have paired new releases with returning boards, but no dependable leak names the Version 1.6 reruns. Original release order isn't enough to predict who comes back.
Should F2P Players Pull Nitsa, Ellie or Neither?
Commit only after the official kits reveal a role your roster will actually use, or pull for the character you'd enjoy regardless of tier placement. If neither holds true, carry the shared Limited Board pity forward. NTE's guaranteed featured S-Class means waiting never wastes the progress you've built.
