Zankou NTE 1.3 Build Guide: Katana DPS, Overmark Team Comps & Pull Guide

✅ UPDATED AFTER 1.3 LIVESTREAM (August 8, 2026) — Zankou’s weapon type (Katana), combat role (main DPS), and core mechanic (Overmark reaction) have been officially confirmed in the NTE 1.3 Preview Special Program. Banner date confirmed: August 19 – September 9, 2026. Team comp recommendations updated with Linko synergy.

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Who Is Zankou?

Zankou is the limited S-Class character headlining NTE Version 1.3 Phase 1, expected to launch around August 19, 2026 when the current Iroi banner ends.

She is an Incantation-element character affiliated with the Scarlet Letter faction — the antagonist group led by Inanna. Players have already encountered her as the boss of Chapter 4 “A Research in Scarlet” and again at the end of the 1.1 “Dreamwalk Corridor” event. Version 1.3 is confirmed to close out the entire Scarlet Letter storyline, making Zankou’s jump from story boss to playable character a central narrative moment of the update.

Attribute	Details
Element	Incantation (confirmed)
Rarity	S-Class (confirmed)
Faction	Scarlet Letter (confirmed)
Role	Main DPS (officially confirmed)
Weapon	Katana (officially confirmed)
Core Mechanic	Overmark reaction — boosts team damage for 12 seconds
Banner	August 19 – September 9, 2026 (confirmed)

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Why Zankou Matters: The Incantation Gap

Before Zankou, the only Incantation character in NTE is Baicang, who sits on the standard (non-limited) pool. The game’s design pattern consistently adds a limited-banner DPS to fill gaps in elements that lack one — Zankou fits this role exactly for Incantation.

This makes her particularly valuable for players who have been building Incantation-adjacent teams or who want to run Incantation reactions (Hexed and Scorch) at full effectiveness.

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Esper Cycle Team Comps

NTE’s core combat mechanic is the Esper Cycle: six elements arranged in a fixed ring — Cosmos, Anima, Incantation, Chaos, Psyche, and Lakshana — where only adjacent elements can trigger elemental reactions. Non-adjacent pairings produce no reaction.

Incantation’s two neighbors are Anima and Chaos, giving Zankou two primary team-building directions.

Option 1: Zankou + Chaos (Scorch Reaction)

The Scorch reaction triggers a damage-over-time burn effect when Incantation and Chaos elements interact. The natural partner here is Daffodil, the game’s primary Chaos character, known for defense shredding and Scorch application.

Daffodil and Zankou also share a story connection, making this pairing a narrative callback in addition to a mechanical one.

Slot	Character	Role
Main DPS	Zankou	Incantation damage
Sub-DPS / Support	Daffodil	Chaos, Scorch trigger, DEF shred
Support	Adler (free)	Incantation support, shielding
Flex	Any	Healer or second support

Option 2: Zankou + Anima (Hexed Reaction)

The Hexed reaction provides bonus follow-up damage when a target is afflicted. If Zankou is the Incantation main DPS, an Anima teammate who can reliably apply the Hexed status becomes highly valuable.

This option also opens up a natural pairing with Linko, the 1.3 Phase 2 Anima S-Class character. If Linko lands as a support (the community’s expectation), the Zankou + Linko duo would form a ready-made Hexed team within the same version.

Slot	Character	Role
Main DPS	Zankou	Incantation damage
Support	Linko (1.3 Phase 2)	Anima, Hexed trigger
Support	Adler (free)	Incantation support
Flex	Any	Healer or second support

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Zankou vs Linko: Who Should You Pull?

Both characters launch in Version 1.3, but on separate banner phases. Here is a comparison based on current community expectations:

Category	Zankou	Linko
Element	Incantation	Anima
Confirmed Role	Main DPS	Universal Support (Healer + Buffer)
Banner Phase	Phase 1 (Aug 19 – Sep 9)	Phase 2 (Sep 9 – Sep 30)
Best For	Players missing Incantation DPS	Players wanting Zankou synergy or Anima support
F2P Priority	High — fills a unique element gap	Medium — Anima already has Nanally, Jiu Yuan, Mint, Iroi

If you can only pull one, Zankou is the higher-priority pick for most players due to her unique Incantation DPS role. Linko is most valuable as a Zankou teammate, so her priority increases significantly if you are pulling Zankou.

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1.3 Livestream Summary (August 8, 2026)

The NTE 1.3 “Rising from the Moonlit Fog” Preview Special Program aired on August 8, 2026 at 19:30 (UTC+8). Key confirmed information:

Zankou (confirmed):

• Incantation S-Class main DPS, weapon: Katana
• Core mechanic: Overmark reaction — when paired with Anima, boosts team damage for 12 seconds
• Ultimate skill: Unbounded Crimson Slash — wide-area Incantation damage, shatters enemy defenses

Linko (confirmed):

• Anima S-Class Universal Support (healer + buffer)
• Ghost companion Xiaozhen (CRT TV) persists off-field, continuously applies Anima for Overmark triggers
• Ultimate: summons TV phantom, provides team-wide damage buffs and shields

Banner dates confirmed: Zankou Aug 19 – Sep 9, Linko Sep 9 – Sep 30

1.3 Livestream redeem codes were distributed during the broadcast. Check the August 2026 Redeem Codes page for the latest codes.

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Save-Up Guide: How Many Pulls Do You Need?

With Iroi’s banner ending August 19 and Zankou’s banner starting the same day, now is the time to decide your pull allocation.

Resource	How to Earn Before Aug 19
Annulith	Daily login, events (Warren Lucky Flip, Fishing Frenzy, Going Going Gone, Cresting Circle)
Fabricated Dice	Warren Lucky Flip (Aug 5–19), Going Going Gone (Jul 29–Aug 19)
Fons	Daily City Stamina, Fons Rush event (Aug 10–17)

The 1.3 Livestream codes were distributed on August 8. Check the August 2026 Redeem Codes page for the latest codes including any new 1.3 livestream codes.

See the July 2026 Redeem Codes page for all currently active codes.