Gacha System (Scarborough Fair)

Overview

The gacha system in Neverness to Everness is called Scarborough Fair (also referred to as The Fair or the Dice Fair). Unlike traditional gacha systems that use a simple pull-and-reveal mechanic, Scarborough Fair is built around a board-game metaphor where players roll a standard six-sided die to move a token along a game board, landing on different tiles that yield various rewards. This design gives the gacha experience a more interactive and visually engaging quality, often compared to a Mario Party-style virtual board.

The most significant feature of Scarborough Fair is that there is no 50/50 mechanic. In many competing gacha games, pulling a top-rarity character on a limited banner gives only a 50% chance of it being the featured character. In Neverness to Everness, any S-Class character obtained from a limited banner is always the featured character 100% guaranteed, with no off-banner S-Class results possible. This is widely considered one of the most player-friendly gacha policies in the genre.

Another notable departure from genre norms is that there is no weapon banner. Weapons and equipment (called Arcs) are obtainable through gameplay and the board's Miracle Box tiles rather than being locked behind a separate gacha banner. This streamlines the gacha experience compared to games like Genshin Impact that split resources between character and weapon banners.

How the Board Works

Each banner presents a board with a series of tiles arranged in a path. The board layout consists of a main loop with two smaller side loops extending out from it on the left and right sides. Players spend dice (the gacha currency) to roll and advance their token along the board. Each tile the token lands on has a specific effect, ranging from guaranteed high-rarity character drops to minor resource rewards.

The board has directional arrows at certain junctures. If your token lands on a tile with an arrow pointing toward a side loop, you enter that side loop and collect its rewards before returning to the main path. The visual presentation shows your token hopping along the board with animations for each tile effect.

Rainbow Bridge Convergence

A special mechanic called the Rainbow Bridge activates when you land on a space adjacent to a path divergence point. The Rainbow Bridge unlocks two branching paths: one side contains a guaranteed S-Class card on the first space, and the other side provides 5 bonus dice to add to your stockpile. This convergence mechanic adds an element of strategic anticipation to the board progression.

Banner Types

Scarborough Fair features two main banner categories, each using a different currency:

Limited Character Banner (Solid Dice)

The Limited Character Banner features a specific rotating character for a set duration. Rolling on this banner uses Solid Dice as currency. The featured character changes with each banner cycle, typically lasting two to three weeks. Any S-Class result on this banner is guaranteed to be the featured character, no 50/50 and no off-banner S-Class results.

This is the primary way to obtain new limited S-Class characters when they debut. Players who want a specific character should save their Solid Dice for that character's banner appearance.

Permanent Standard Banner (Fabricated Dice)

The Permanent Standard Banner is always available and uses Fabricated Dice as currency. It contains a pool of standard S-Class and A-Class characters that are always available. The permanent banner does not feature limited characters. Fabricated Dice are generally easier to obtain than Solid Dice through daily activities, events, and login rewards.

Board Tile Types

As the token moves along the board, it can land on various tile types. Each tile has different reward probabilities and effects:

Journey Together

Journey Together tiles are the jackpot of the board. Landing on one of these tiles grants an instant S-Class character. On the limited banner, the S-Class character is always the featured character. These tiles are rare on the board and represent the best possible outcome from any individual roll.

Hero Chest

Hero Chest tiles (golden suitcases) are the second most frequent valuable tile. They offer a 3% chance of containing an S-Class character; otherwise they grant a B-Class Arc plus 2 Warp Pieces. While not guaranteed, Hero Chests contribute meaningfully to the overall S-Class acquisition rate. After 70 rolls without an S-Class, all Hero Chests on the board convert into guaranteed S-Class spaces as part of the soft pity system.

Apprentice Chest

Apprentice Chest tiles (purple suitcases) are the most common tile on the board. They have a 0.2% chance of containing an S-Class character; otherwise they yield a B-Class Arc. While the individual S-Class rate is low, the sheer number of Apprentice Chests a player lands on over a full pity cycle means they contribute to the aggregate probability.

Roll Again

Roll Again tiles (dice icons) grant a free extra roll, effectively giving you bonus movement without spending dice. These tiles accelerate your progress along the board and bring you closer to better tiles without additional cost.

Miracle Box

Miracle Box tiles (black boxes with question marks) contain a guaranteed A-Class Arc (equipment). Since there is no weapon banner, Miracle Box tiles on the gacha board are one of the primary ways to obtain higher-rarity equipment alongside gameplay drops.

Warp Chess Box

Warp Chess Box tiles reward Warp Pieces, one of the gacha-related currencies. Warp Pieces accumulate and can be spent in the Fair Shop for additional dice or specific items.

Lost Chess Box

Lost Chess Box tiles yield Lost Pieces, another gacha currency used in the exchange shop. Lost Pieces can be accumulated toward monthly pull purchases and have their own redemption path separate from Warp Pieces.

Slumberland

Slumberland is a special tile type that triggers a mini-event. When you land on a Slumberland tile, a guardian figure appears 9 spaces ahead of your current position. The guardian moves 2 spaces per turn. You have 3 turns to catch it by rolling enough to reach or pass its position. Successfully catching the guardian rewards 30 Warp Pieces. If you fail to catch it within 3 turns, the guardian disappears with no penalty. Slumberland adds an element of short-term strategy where you hope for high rolls to secure the bonus.

Pity System

Scarborough Fair includes a pity system that guarantees an S-Class character within a set number of rolls:

• Base S-Class rate Approximately 1.88% per roll under normal conditions. This is notably higher than many competitors (Wuthering Waves has approximately 0.8% per pull, for comparison).

• Soft pity at 70 rolls Starting at the 70th roll without an S-Class, the board transforms: Hero Chests convert into guaranteed S-Class spaces, dramatically increasing the rate to approximately 19.5% per roll. Most players will obtain their S-Class between rolls 70 and 85.

• Hard pity at 89 rolls If a player reaches 89 rolls without an S-Class, the system automatically awards an S-Class character without requiring a dice roll. This is the absolute ceiling.

• A-Class guarantee every 10 rolls An A-Class character or item is guaranteed within every 10-roll window, providing consistent value even during dry spells.

Pity counters carry over between banners of the same type. If you roll 60 times on one limited banner without getting an S-Class, you start the next limited banner at 60 pity. Pity does not carry between different banner types (limited and permanent have separate counters).

Currencies

The gacha system uses six distinct currencies, each with different acquisition methods and uses:

1. Solid Dice Premium dice used for rolling on the Limited Character Banner. Obtained through Annulith conversion, events, and milestone rewards. This is the most valuable gacha currency.

2. Fabricated Dice Standard dice used for rolling on the Permanent Standard Banner. Earned through daily activities, login rewards, story progression, and general gameplay. Also distributed as pre-registration rewards.

3. Annulith The premium (purchasable) currency. Annulith can be converted into Solid Dice or Fabricated Dice. This is the primary monetization currency that can be bought with real money, though free Annulith is also distributed through events and achievements.

4. Warp Pieces A secondary currency earned from Warp Chess Box tiles on the board, from Hero Chest non-S-Class results, and from catching Slumberland guardians. Accumulated Warp Pieces can be exchanged in the Fair Shop for additional dice or standard character purchases.

5. Lost Pieces Another secondary currency from Lost Chess Box tiles. Lost Pieces have their own exchange path, primarily used for monthly pull purchases in the shop.

6. Tri-Keys A special currency used to purchase S-Class Arcs (equipment) from the dedicated shop. Tri-Keys are earned through endgame activities and event rewards.

Awakening System

Characters obtained through the gacha can be further enhanced via the Awakening system. Each duplicate copy of a character obtained through Scarborough Fair contributes toward their Awakening level. Each Awakening level unlocks or enhances specific abilities, as detailed on individual character pages like Hathor, Nanally, or Lacrimosa.

The Awakening system in Neverness to Everness allows a degree of customization in how bonuses are applied. Rather than following a purely fixed progression path, players can prioritize certain Awakening bonuses to tailor a character to their playstyle, adding strategic depth to the duplicate system that purely linear constellation systems lack. While the numerical impact of individual Awakening adjustments may be modest, the cumulative freedom allows players to focus on setups that suit their preferred strategy.

Free-to-Play Considerations

The combination of no 50/50, no weapon banner, a higher-than-average 1.88% base rate, and soft pity at 70 rolls makes Neverness to Everness one of the more approachable gacha games for free-to-play players.

The absence of a 50/50 is particularly impactful because it means every limited banner requires at most 89 rolls (and typically 75-80 due to soft pity) to guarantee the featured character, compared to 180 rolls in systems where losing a 50/50 resets progress. However, the long-term sustainability of this generosity depends on how much pull currency free players can earn per update cycle, which remains to be seen at launch.

Related Pages

• Arcs Equipment obtainable through gameplay and Miracle Box tiles.

• Characters Full list of characters available in Scarborough Fair.

• Esper Cycle Why attribute coverage matters for team building.

• Beta Test History How the gacha evolved across test phases.

• Hathor S-Rank Lakshana courier available in the gacha.

• Nanally S-Rank Anima brawler and Coluccis family head.