Adler

Overview

Adler is an A-rank playable character in Neverness to Everness. His official title is "Golden Edge Butler." He fights with a cane sword (a walking stick concealing a blade) and summons entities called Sunyas. His attribute is Incantation, one of the game's six combat attributes. He works at the Eibon Antique Shop as both a staff member and a capable fighter.

The Gamer described his weapon as "quite the fitting accessory. A gentleman's weapon." He maintains an impeccable appearance even in combat. His design philosophy, as stated in his official bio: "The butler's first lesson is to maintain an impeccable appearance."

His birthday is September 25. His character line: "Stay safe, I'll handle everything else."

Combat role

Adler occupies a DPS/Tank hybrid role. He is a tanky powerhouse with crowd control who wields a cane for group combat, backed by a near-constant shield. He builds Karma stacks through basic attacks, converts them into amplified skill damage, shields the team with his skill, and deals heavy burst damage with his ultimate. He is not a pure tank or pure DPS, but a defensive anchor with significant offensive output.

Abilities

Basic attack: Deliverance

Performs up to five consecutive weapon swings with his cane sword. Each hit that lands grants one stack of Karma, up to a maximum of 20 stacks. The combo includes hold-aim and plunge variants (Liberation, Ignorance, and Revelation). The Karma stacks feed directly into his skill damage.

Skill: Evil's Bane

Summons a Sunya into the target, dealing one instance of Incantation DMG to an area and applying a damage-over-time (DoT) effect of Incantation DMG. At the same time, the skill generates a team-wide shield called "Blessing" that protects all four party members.

The skill consumes all accumulated Karma stacks. Each stack consumed grants Adler +2% Skill DMG. At maximum stacks (20), that is a +40% damage bonus. This means you want to build full Karma stacks before casting, but the Blessing shield application is immediate regardless of stacks.

Ultimate: Tranquility

Summons five named Sunyas: Rupa, Vedana, Sanna, Sankhara, and Vinnana. They strike all enemies on the field, dealing five instances of Incantation DMG to each target.

When only one enemy remains on the field, the Sunyas strike twice, totaling ten instances of Incantation DMG. This makes the ultimate particularly devastating against single bosses.

QTE: Pristine Reflection

Fires a compressed round at the target, dealing one instance of area Incantation DMG on hit. Triggered during character swap sequences as a Quick Time Event.

The Sunyas

Adler's summons are collectively called Sunya. The five individual Sunyas summoned during his ultimate are named after the Buddhist Five Aggregates (Skandhas):

• Rupa Form / Matter. The first aggregate, representing physical form.

• Vedana Sensation / Feeling. The second aggregate, representing experience.

• Sanna Perception. The third aggregate, representing recognition.

• Sankhara Mental Formations. The fourth aggregate, representing volition.

• Vinnana Consciousness. The fifth aggregate, representing awareness.

The word "Sunya" itself comes from Sanskrit "Sunyata," meaning emptiness or void. According to his character profile: "The folks at Eibon like to guess the names of Adler's Sunyas. When they guessed right, they would get handmade desserts from Adler."

Passives

• Temperance (Scorch Enhancement), When a target affected by Scorch dies, the Scorch status transfers to one random nearby enemy with refreshed duration. This creates a chain-DoT effect across groups of enemies, making Adler exceptionally strong in multi-target encounters.

• Righteous Heart Grants +20% DEF passively. This flat defense increase reinforces his survivability and supports his role as a tanky frontliner.

Awakening

Adler's six-level Awakening system (A1 through A6) progressively improves his capabilities. Higher awakening levels focus on enhancing the Blessing shield from his Evil's Bane skill:

• Karma generation enhancements, faster stack building through basic attacks

• Damage bonuses, increased Incantation DMG output

• Shield enhancements, increased damage absorption for the Blessing shield

• Blessing duration extensions, up to 20 seconds at maximum awakening

• Offensive multiplier, at full Awakening, the team gains +15% Incantation damage while protected by Blessing, turning his defensive ability into a team damage buff

Attribute and synergies

Adler's Incantation attribute places him adjacent to Anima and Chaos in the Esper Cycle. This means he naturally triggers two duo synergies:

• Hexed Anima + Incantation. Triggers extra Unison damage based on recent elemental damage taken by the target. Pair Adler with an Anima character to activate this reaction.

• Scorch Incantation + Chaos. Inflicts a 15-second damage-over-time effect. Pair Adler with a Chaos character to activate this reaction.

His Temperance passive specifically enhances the Scorch synergy by letting the DoT spread on kill. Pairing Adler with a Chaos character creates a damage loop: trigger Scorch, kill one enemy, Scorch transfers to the next. This makes Adler-Chaos pairs excellent for clearing groups of enemies.

Trio reactions

Adler contributes to the Discord trio reaction (Chaos + Psyche + Incantation), which is triggered when Nova (Chaos + Psyche) and Scorch (Incantation + Chaos) affect the same target simultaneously. Discord reduces the target's break meter, making it easier to stagger bosses. Building a team with Incantation, Chaos, and Psyche characters unlocks this powerful combined effect. See Combat System for the full synergy breakdown.

Esper Cycle passive

Every character in NTE has a unique Esper Cycle Passive that enhances reactions. These passives remain active while the character is in the squad, even when off-field, making them foundational for team building. Adler's Esper Cycle passive enhances his contribution to the team even when he is not the active fighter.

Personality and role at Eibon

Adler is calm, meticulous, and protective. He handles many of the Eibon Antique Shop's day-to-day operations and frequently accompanies the player character Zero on Anomaly hunting missions. He wears a white suit with glasses and has black hair, giving him a distinguished, mature appearance compared to the rest of the cast.

Outside of combat, he is skilled at making desserts and coffee. His handmade treats are a beloved reward among the Eibon staff. This domestic side contrasts with his effectiveness in a fight.

Life Skill: Coffee Master

Adler's non-combat life skill is called "Coffee Master." It provides various shop bonuses across five levels, including automatic coffee preparation and pricing increases for Eibon's business operations. This ties into the game's broader daily life simulation and business management systems.

Team building

Adler works best in teams that value sustained fighting. The Blessing shield lets fragile DPS characters stay aggressive without retreating. His Karma mechanic rewards patient play: build stacks with basic attacks, then dump them into a high-damage skill that also shields the team.

Recommended pairings

• Chaos characters Trigger Scorch for DoT damage. Adler's Temperance passive makes Scorch spread on enemy death, creating chain damage in group fights.

• Anima characters Trigger Hexed for extra Unison damage based on elemental damage taken.

• Chaos + Psyche characters Enables the Discord trio reaction (reduces break meter). Running Adler with both a Chaos and a Psyche character is the strongest synergy setup for staggering bosses.

• Fragile DPS characters Adler's Blessing shield enables glass-cannon teammates to maintain aggression without retreating for safety.

For players who want a character that does everything competently rather than one thing perfectly, Adler fills that role. He shields, he does respectable damage, his Scorch spreading passive adds value in multi-target fights, and his +20% DEF passive keeps him standing. See Combat System for how synergy reactions work and Eibon Antique Shop for his role in the story.