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Lakshana
April 23, 2026 at 11:25 AM
Added Lakshana adjacency on Esper wheel, Stain (with Psyche) and Raora (with Cosmos, mark + slow) reaction mapping, and off-field passive stacking note
Lakshana is one of the six Esper elements in Neverness to Everness. The six elements that form the Esper Cycle System are Cosmos, Anima, Lakshana, Incantation, Chaos, and Psyche. Each element sits at a point on the Esper Cycle wheel, and adjacent elements trigger powerful duo reactions when combined during combat.
Lakshana sits between Psyche and Cosmos on the cycle wheel. Combining it with Psyche produces the Stain reaction, a direct damage amplifier, while combining it with Cosmos produces Remora, a crowd-control debuff. These two reactions give Lakshana a dual identity: it can boost burst damage windows through Stain or lock down enemies through Remora, making it one of the most versatile elements for team composition.
Every character in Neverness to Everness carries a unique Esper Cycle Passive that enhances elemental reactions involving their element. These passives remain active even when the character is off-field, which means Lakshana characters continue to contribute to the team's reaction output after swapping out.
The six Espers are arranged in a circle on the Esper Cycle System wheel, and only elements sitting next to each other on the wheel can trigger duo reactions. Lakshana occupies a slot between Psyche and Cosmos, which means it is flanked by two different adjacent partners on either side of its position on the cycle.
Because of this placement, Lakshana is the only element that converts into both a direct damage-amplification reaction (with Psyche) and a crowd-control debuff (with Cosmos) depending on which neighbor is paired. Players building around Lakshana should keep this adjacency in mind when choosing which two Espers fill the rest of the rotation, since it determines whether the rotation leans toward burst or control.
The table below summarizes the two duo reactions Lakshana can trigger from its position between Psyche and Cosmos. Both reactions are covered in greater depth in the dedicated sections further down the page, and more context is available on the main Elemental Reactions page.
Pairing | Reaction | Effect on Target |
|---|---|---|
Lakshana + Psyche | Stain | Target takes increased Psyche and Lakshana damage for the duration of the reaction, amplifying follow-up hits from both elements. |
Lakshana + Cosmos | Remora | Target is marked, and its movement speed and attack speed are both slowed, creating a safer window to attack or reposition. |
Every playable character in Neverness to Everness carries an Esper Cycle passive tied to their element, and Lakshana characters each have a passive that enhances Stain, Remora, or both. The key property of these passives is that they stay active whenever the character is slotted into the four-character squad, regardless of whether that character is currently on the field or sitting on the bench.
In practice this means a Lakshana character does not need to be the active fighter to contribute. A Lakshana unit placed in the squad to enable Stain or boost Remora keeps amplifying reactions even while a different element is on-field, which encourages rotations built around rapid Esper swaps rather than static on-field duties. Slotting multiple elements that interact with Lakshana on the wheel can stack these off-field contributions across the full squad.
Because the passive only requires squad membership, team building priorities for Lakshana lean toward covering the adjacent elements (Psyche or Cosmos) rather than keeping the Lakshana character on-field at all times. See the Combat System page for the wider swap-and-reaction model, and Trio Reactions for how these passive-enhanced duo reactions can chain into higher-tier interactions.
Two playable characters currently carry the Lakshana element. Hathor is the premium S-Class option and functions as a burst DPS carry, while Skia is a more accessible A-Class damage dealer built around shadow-based martial arts.
Character | Rarity | Arc Type | Role | Faction | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
S-Class | Plasma | Burst DPS | An efficient courier who builds Express Delivery Power through combat, then cashes it into devastating burst windows via her Emergency Delivery state. Her ultimate summons a thorn motorcycle for rapid area damage. | ||
A-Class | Gas | Main DPS | Bureau of Anomaly Control (ETD-4) | The lieutenant of Squad 4, Skia fights with shadow-based Fang Thrust attacks that pursue and lock onto targets. His ultimate, The Pack, spreads his shadow across the battlefield for area damage and crowd control. |
Hathor is a courier for the Sterry Express who comes across as cold and intimidating to strangers, though in reality she simply struggles with socializing. In combat, she functions as a Lakshana on-field carry with built-in Remora utility.
Her core mechanic revolves around Express Delivery Power stacks. Her Aerial Command skill immediately grants 2 stacks and can be charged for up to 5 seconds, dealing expanding Lakshana area damage while applying Five-Star Tracking. If tracked enemies attack Hathor during this window, she gains 3 additional stacks. Her ultimate, Rider Express, converts those stacks into Emergency Delivery mode: she manifests thorns to create a replica motorcycle, gains boosted movement speed, and unlocks Cyclone Strike as an upgraded skill with an ATK bonus scaled to accumulated stacks.
Hathor's passive, Delay Warning, causes enhanced Remora reactions to deal 150% ATK damage when reapplied to targets already under the Remora effect. This makes her particularly strong in teams that cycle Lakshana and Cosmos elements repeatedly.
Skia serves as lieutenant of Squad 4 within the Bureau of Anomaly Control, though he is often mistaken for the captain. His combat style centers on shadow-based martial arts and relentless pursuit attacks.
Skia's basic attack, Arresting Art, performs up to 5 consecutive strikes and splits Fang Thrust projectiles from his shadow to chase each target hit, locking up to 3 Fang Thrusts per enemy simultaneously. His skill, Shadow Hound Chase, sends him leaping into his own shadow to deal 6 instances of Lakshana damage in an area, spawning additional Fang Thrusts and transitioning into Shadow Hound Gnaw mode for wall and ground movement with evasion capabilities.
His ultimate, The Pack, throws a spinning lighter that causes his shadow to spread across the ground, dealing Lakshana area damage before converging multiple shadows into a single target for 3 additional damage instances. After activation, Fang Thrust damage increases and each attack applies a control effect for 15 seconds.
Duo reactions trigger when two adjacent elements on the Esper Cycle wheel combine during an Esper swap. Lakshana is adjacent to both Psyche and Cosmos, giving it access to two distinct duo reactions.
Reaction | Elements | Effect | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
Stain | Psyche + Lakshana | The target takes 50% more Psyche and Lakshana damage | 12 seconds |
Remora | Lakshana + Cosmos | Marks the target, slowing their movement speed and attack speed | Duration varies |
Stain is triggered by combining Psyche and Lakshana through an Esper Cycle swap. The affected target takes 50% more Psyche and Lakshana damage for 12 seconds. This is one of the most straightforward damage-amplification reactions in the game and one of the easiest ways to make a focused damage dealer hit significantly harder.
Because Stain amplifies both Psyche and Lakshana damage, it benefits teams that stack characters from either or both of these elements. A team with a Psyche applicator and a Lakshana carry (or vice versa) can maintain near-permanent uptime on the 50% damage bonus by rotating Esper swaps before the 12-second window expires.
Stain pairs well with burst-oriented characters like Hathor, who can time her Emergency Delivery state to coincide with the amplification window for maximum damage output.
Remora is triggered by combining Lakshana and Cosmos through an Esper Cycle swap. The reaction marks the target and slows both their movement speed and attack speed. While less flashy than direct damage reactions, Remora is excellent for stabilizing fights and creating clean follow-up windows.
The slow effect reduces incoming pressure from aggressive enemies, giving the player more time to dodge, reposition, or set up additional reactions. Remora is especially valuable against fast-moving bosses and elite enemies whose attack patterns become much easier to read under the slow debuff.
Hathor's passive ability, Delay Warning, enhances Remora by dealing 150% ATK damage when the reaction is reapplied to a target already under the Remora effect. This turns Remora from a purely utility-focused reaction into a source of supplemental damage for Hathor-centric teams.
Trio reactions are advanced elemental interactions that trigger when a duo reaction hits a target already affected by another duo reaction. They represent the highest level of elemental synergy in the Esper Cycle system and reward careful team composition planning.
Charge activates when the Blossom reaction (triggered by Cosmos + Anima) hits a target that is already marked by Remora (Lakshana + Cosmos). When Charge is active, the on-field character gains ultimate energy each time one of the Blossom's autonomous hits connects with the Remora-marked enemy.
This trio reaction is what makes control-oriented team shells so effective at keeping ultimate rotations online. Remora slows the enemy and marks them, Blossom spawns an autonomous attacker that keeps applying pressure, and Charge converts that sustained pressure into ultimate energy for the active character. The result is a self-sustaining loop where crowd control fuels burst potential.
To trigger Charge, a team needs at least three elements: Lakshana, Cosmos, and Anima. One efficient approach is to pair a Lakshana character (for Remora application) with a Cosmos character (who bridges both Remora and Blossom) and an Anima character (to complete the Blossom trigger). This three-element core leaves the fourth team slot flexible for additional damage, healing, or utility.
Lakshana's dual access to Stain (damage amplification) and Remora (crowd control) makes it one of the most flexible elements for team composition. The ideal Lakshana team depends on whether you want to prioritize raw burst damage or sustained control with energy generation.
Teams built around Stain pair a Lakshana carry with a Psyche support to maintain the 50% damage amplification window. The remaining two team slots can include characters that generate Esper meter quickly or provide healing and shielding. The goal is simple: trigger Stain, then unleash your highest-damage abilities before the 12-second window closes.
Core: 1 Lakshana DPS + 1 Psyche character for Stain uptime
Flex slots: Healers, shielders, or additional damage dealers that complement the burst window
Key tip: Time Hathor's Emergency Delivery state to overlap with the Stain window for maximum burst output
Teams built around the Remora into Charge chain prioritize sustained pressure and ultimate energy generation over raw burst. The core requires three elements (Lakshana, Cosmos, and Anima) to enable both Remora and Blossom, which together trigger the Charge trio reaction.
Core: 1 Lakshana + 1 Cosmos + 1 Anima for the Remora into Charge loop
Flex slot: A fourth character from Psyche, Incantation, or Chaos to add another duo reaction layer
Key tip: Cosmos characters pull double duty in this shell because they contribute to both Remora (with Lakshana) and Blossom (with Anima)
It is possible to build teams that access both Stain and Remora by including Psyche, Lakshana, and Cosmos characters. This sacrifices the Charge trio reaction (since Anima is absent) but provides both damage amplification and crowd control in a single rotation. These hybrid teams are strong in content where enemies have varied threat levels, letting you Stain for burst against bosses and Remora for crowd control against trash packs.
