Baicang

Overview

Baicang is an S-Class Incantation character and the captain of ETD-4, a specialized unit within the Bureau of Anomaly Control. Despite holding a position of significant authority, Baicang is a laidback troublemaker who rarely acts the part of a commanding officer. His casual attitude masks sharp instincts and a talent for high-pressure situations. In combat, Baicang is a hybrid melee and ranged mage whose kit revolves around managing his own health as a resource, making him one of the most mechanically demanding characters in Neverness to Everness.

Baicang's reputation among players centers on his extreme boss damage. When piloted correctly, he outputs some of the highest single-target damage numbers in the game. However, his HP management mechanic creates a high skill floor that makes him unforgiving for beginners and incredibly rewarding for experienced players.

Character Profile

Combat Kit

Baicang wields the "Power of Words," a weapon that channels Incantation energy into both close-range strikes and ranged magical projectiles. His normal attack combo alternates between melee slashes and ranged bolts, giving him flexibility in positioning. He can engage enemies up close for higher per-hit damage or stay at range when dodging mechanics demands space.

The core of Baicang's kit is his HP resource-spending system. Every 3 hits of his "Walk the Talk" combo generates a Power Word "Bless" that costs 3% of his current HP to activate, converting health into powerful Incantation effects. When his HP drops below 30%, the cost is halved. This design turns health management into an active resource-spending mechanic: strategically spending HP through Power Word activations while managing the risk of getting too low requires precise timing and awareness.

His skill abilities deal heavy Incantation damage in focused bursts. When executed at low HP thresholds, these skills hit harder than almost any other ability in the game on a single target. His Ultimate channels all of this into a concentrated attack that is designed to delete boss health bars during DPS windows.

Strengths

• One of the highest single-target damage outputs in the entire launch roster

• Excellent boss killer; his damage profile is specifically tuned for extended boss encounters

• Incantation element pairs well with Chaos characters for the Scorch elemental reaction, applying a powerful damage-over-time burn

• Incantation also pairs with Anima for the Hexed reaction, giving team composition flexibility

• Hybrid melee/ranged attacks provide adaptable positioning during boss mechanics

Weaknesses

• One of the most mechanically demanding characters to play well due to HP management

• Damage output drops significantly if health is not managed at the correct thresholds

• Not suited for AoE or wave-clearing content; his damage is tightly focused on single targets

• Playing at low HP is inherently risky, and a mistimed dodge can result in death and a total DPS loss

• Beginners will find his skill floor frustrating before mastering the health threshold timing

Execution Mechanic

Baicang's ultimate ability has a powerful execution mechanic that deals bonus damage to enemies at low health thresholds. When a target's HP drops below a certain percentage, his ultimate's finishing hit scales significantly, sometimes doubling or tripling the final blow's damage. This makes Baicang the premier choice for finishing off bosses during their final health phases.

The execution mechanic rewards players who time their ultimate precisely. Rather than using it at the start of a fight for raw damage, experienced Baicang players will build up their HP-spending rhythm with normal attacks and skills, then save the ultimate for when the boss enters low health. The interaction between his HP resource management and execution timing creates a layered gameplay loop where positioning, health awareness, and damage timing all converge.

In practice, this mechanic gives Baicang the single highest DPS potential against bosses in the entire launch roster. When piloted by a skilled player who maintains optimal HP thresholds and times the execution correctly, his boss kill times are unmatched. However, achieving this ceiling consistently requires extensive practice and familiarity with each boss's attack patterns, reinforcing his reputation as the game's highest skill-ceiling character.

Team Synergy

Baicang performs best in teams built to support his aggressive, risky playstyle. A dedicated healer is almost mandatory to keep him hovering at optimal HP thresholds without dying. Fadia is the ideal support partner because her Psyche healing can sustain him while her off-field damage sharing passive provides an additional safety net. With Fadia on the team, Baicang can stay in the danger zone for longer without the risk of an unexpected one-shot.

Pairing Baicang with Chaos element characters enables the Scorch reaction, which adds a sustained damage-over-time burn to targets. Lacrimosa is a natural partner here: her Chaos DoT stacks complement his burst windows. While Lacrimosa's damage ramps up over time, Baicang delivers concentrated spikes, and together they cover both sustained and burst damage phases.

For team composition in boss content, consider running Baicang, Fadia, and either Lacrimosa or another Chaos/Anima character depending on the encounter. The Esper Cycle System rewards swapping between characters, so having teammates who contribute damage while Baicang is off-field keeps total team output high.

Adler is another strong pairing for Baicang. Since both share the Incantation element, Adler's teamwide shields provide the safety net Baicang needs to hover at low HP without getting killed. Adler's shields absorb incoming damage during Baicang's DPS windows, and his own DoT damage continues passively while Baicang handles the heavy lifting. This Incantation duo is one of the most popular team cores for boss-focused content.

Tips

• Baicang is not recommended for new players. Start with easier DPS characters and return to him once you are comfortable with the combat system.

• Practice his HP threshold timing in solo content before bringing him into co-op dungeons.

• Always pair him with a healer. Running Baicang without sustain is asking for frequent deaths.

• In boss encounters, track the boss's attack patterns to know when you can safely drop HP and when to heal back up.

• His burst damage during Ultimate is highest when HP is at its lowest threshold. Time the Ultimate for boss vulnerability windows.

• For team building, prioritize elemental reaction synergy. Scorch (Incantation + Chaos) is his strongest reaction lane.

Launch-Window Selector Note

With the Mainland China open beta live as of April 23, 2026, Baicang has settled as the experienced-player pick from the free S-Rank Selector that unlocks after 50 standard-banner rolls without an S-Class drop. His single-target DPS ceiling remains one of the highest in the launch roster, but the HP-management mechanic that gates his Power Word activations gives him a steep skill floor that newer players usually cannot convert into practical damage. The common pattern on CN accounts in the first week of live service has been to take Jiuyuan or Hotori from the selector first, then come back for Baicang in a subsequent selector cycle or through standard-banner pulls once the Power Word combo rhythm is comfortable.

Boss-Window Role

In the version 1.0 endgame, Baicang's role is concentrated on extended boss encounters where his Execution finisher and the sub-30-percent HP cost reduction have time to compound. In the two High-Risk Commission bosses that open after the main story, Swallowtail and Nestboung Bird, Baicang sits at the top of single-target damage charts when piloted cleanly. He is not the right pick for the anomaly-commission mob-clearing rotation or for the ordinary open-world cycle; for those scenarios, the Incantation slot is better covered by Sakiri or Adler.

Base Stats Reference

Quick numerical reference compiled from the in-game character profile. Stats listed at character Level 1 represent the base values before Awakening, Console Modules, Cartridges, or Arc weapons modify them.

Level 1 Base Stats

Baicang's starting numerical baseline before progression systems begin layering bonuses on top.

Slot and Progression Counts

Each character is built from a fixed grid of skills, console-side passives, and progression tiers. The counts below describe the maximum slots ever exposed for this Esper, regardless of which ones are unlocked at any given Awakening rank.

Voice Actors

Baicang is voiced across the three primary localizations supported on launch.

Skills Overview

These are the in-game skill names for this character. Skill effects are described elsewhere in the article.

Skill Details

Each skill block lists the in-game slot it occupies, the official skill name, and the short description shown on the character menu, followed by the named sub-actions of that skill. Sub-action descriptions are quoted from the in-game tooltip text.

Normal Attack: Walk the Talk

Deals Incantation DMG.

Skill: Generous Guidance

Deals Incantation DMG.

Ultimate: Judgment of Autumn

Deals Incantation DMG. Executes low HP targets. Blocks one fatal hit. Triggers Power Words Silence, Objurgate, and Bless.

Chain Skill: Break Time Over

Deals Incantation DMG. Generates 1 Power Word Silence.

Passive: Moderate Mischief

Scorch Enhancement: Inflicts another instance of Scorch with the same effect as the existing one when a Power Word is generated on a target affected by Scorch.

Passive: Moderate Working

Increases Baicang's ATK by 20%. Launches coordinate attacks with the allies when there are ETD-4 members in the Team. In combat, switching to Baicang while Skia is in stealth to immediately attack with Baicang and generate 1 Power Word Silence on target. Cooldown: 30s. In combat, when Fadia's HP drops below 20%, Baicang attacks the enemy 1 time, heals Fadia 1 time, and generates 1 Power Word Silence on target. Cooldown: 30s. Switching to Baicang while Lacrimosa is in bat form can trigger 1 super jump for Baicang.

Skill Flavor Text

Each of Baicang's skill tooltips opens with a poetic flavor line that hints at his backstory and the conceit of his Power Word kit. The lines below are the in-game flavor text that frames the mechanical descriptions covered in the Skill Details section.

Compatible Arcs

Baicang has 9 Arcs flagged as a thematic match by the in-game character recommendation panel. Refinement effects below are quoted from each Arc's tooltip and do not represent a tier ranking.

Ascension Materials

Ascension lifts Baicang's level cap one step at a time. Each phase requires the listed Coins (the world currency) plus a fixed list of materials. World Level shown is the minimum required to access the breakthrough.

Stat Curve

Baicang's base HP, ATK, and DEF at key level milestones. These numbers are the raw character base values before Awakening, Console Modules, Cartridges, or Arc bonuses modify them.

Awakenings

Awakenings unlock through duplicate copies of the character. Each tier from A1 to A6 grants a named upgrade.

Resonance Effects

Resonance bonuses unlock at specific Awakening milestones, not from additional duplicates. R1 activates when the character reaches A3, and R2 activates at A6. Both stack on top of the named Awakening node effects.

Console Passive

Each character has a Console passive that activates when the matching Module type is equipped on their Console grid. This is a flat passive that scales linearly with the count of matching Modules and is the strongest reason to commit to a single Module type when building this Esper.

Type III Specialization: Increases CRIT Rate by 8% for each Type III Module equipped.

Life Skills

Life Skills are out-of-combat benefits that activate while the character is assigned to the relevant non-combat activity (Eibon Antique Shop owner duty, Sea Angler trips, City Tycoon shifts, and similar passive systems). Each level unlocks an additional or stronger benefit and stacks with the previous levels.

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