Overview
The Good, The Bad, The Bitter is an A-Class Synthesis Arc built for defensive frontliners. Its Bittercake passive grants a very large DEF buff the moment the wearer takes damage, making it one of the strongest reactive defensive Arcs in the A-Class tier.
The Good, The Bad, The Bitter is a 4★ A-Class Synthesis-type Arc in Neverness to Everness. It rolls a base 475 ATK at Level 80 with a 25% HP% substat. The primary skill, Bittercake, defines its role across rotations and team compositions.
Lore
"A touch of bitterness, but it'll still put you in a good mood, won't it?"
The flavor text sets the Arc's tone and gives designers a quick lens on how the Bittercake passive is meant to feel in play.
Passive Effect
The Bittercake passive provides the following effect at Refinement Rank 1: Increases the wearer's DEF by 26% for 10s when taking damage. Triggers at most once every 20s.
Refinement ranks raise these values without changing the trigger conditions. The table below lists the per-rank scaling.
Level | DEF (10s after damage) |
|---|---|
L1 | +26% |
L2 | +31% |
L3 | +36% |
L4 | +41% |
L5 | +46% |
Ascension Materials
Reaching Level 80 with full access to the Bittercake passive requires six ascension breakthroughs. Each phase raises the level cap and unlocks the next refinement condition. The costs are fixed per Arc and do not scale with refinement rank.
Phase | Level Cap | Gold | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
Phase 1 | Lv.30 | 16,000 | Beaty x3, Blurred Numeral x3 |
Phase 2 | Lv.40 | 32,000 | Beaty x8, Blurred Numeral x8 |
Phase 3 | Lv.50 | 48,000 | Versey x5, Unsolved Numeral x5 |
Phase 4 | Lv.60 | 64,000 | Versey x10, Unsolved Numeral x10 |
Phase 5 | Lv.70 | 80,000 | Harmony x5, Distorted Numeral x5 |
Phase 6 | Lv.80 | 96,000 | Harmony x10, Distorted Numeral x10 |
Compatible Characters
The listed compatible characters share the Arc's core synergy. Any character can equip any Arc regardless of element or skill fit, but these characters gain the full value of the Bittercake passive thanks to their kits and scaling.
Character | Element | Rarity | Why It Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
5★ | S-Class Incantation DPS from ETD-4, whose spellcasting rotation benefits from consistent ATK and damage multipliers; a natural fit for the Bittercake payoff. | ||
5★ | S-Class Psyche tank whose damage-redirect kit scales with survivability and sustained uptime; a natural fit for the Bittercake payoff. | ||
4★ | A-Class Incantation butler whose shield- and buff-based support rotation pairs well with defensive and offensive Arcs alike; a natural fit for the Bittercake payoff. |
How to Obtain
The Good, The Bad, The Bitter is acquired through the standard Arc acquisition methods in Neverness to Everness. A-Class Arcs can appear in the gacha system and its pity guarantees, in specific shop rotations, and in limited event reward tracks.
Method | Details |
|---|---|
Miracle Box tiles | A-Class Arcs can appear as rewards on Miracle Box tiles within the Arc gacha board. |
10-pull pity | A-Class or higher item guaranteed within every 10 pulls on the Arc banner. |
Gameplay and shop currency | A-Class Arcs are available through regular in-game currency shops and reward tracks. |
Strategy Tips
Confirm your chosen character's rotation lines up with the Bittercake trigger before investing refinement materials. An Arc whose condition you cannot reliably fire is worth less than a B-Class Arc you activate every rotation.
At Refinement Rank 1 the values in the passive table are baseline. Early ranks give the biggest jumps; the last couple of ranks are smaller gains and usually not worth duplicating a 5★ Arc unless the character is a dedicated main DPS.
Pair The Good, The Bad, The Bitter with Synthesis-aligned Drive Blocks and KongMu Gear. Matching element on support gear stacks multiplicatively with the Arc's passive.
Keep the ascension materials in mind when planning farming routes. The final two phases jump from a 6x to a 12x requirement, which is often the real blocker for hitting Level 80.
Review the Compatible Characters table before equipping. Element mismatch still works, but the biggest multipliers assume the passive's trigger and your character's rotation are synchronized.