A practical Hotori build guide for Neverness to Everness players: best role, Arc direction, stat priority, skill notes, team ideas, rotation plan, material planning, and video resources.
Build Hotori as a burst-focused Cosmos damage character. Prioritize attack scaling, Cosmos damage, critical stats, and a team setup that lets her record or replay key ally actions before her main damage window.
Early guides differ on whether Hotori should be framed as a dedicated on-field DPS or burst sub-DPS. This page treats her as a burst carry until full version testing gives a stable meta answer.
Complete build reference: Arc, console, stats, and skill priority — the decisions that matter most for Hotori's damage output.
| Slot | Best Choice | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Burst Sub DPS | Hotori records ally skills, then replays them all during World's Tide. Her damage is packed into a prepared Time Stop window — not constant field time. |
| Best Arc | Marching Beyond Time (Signature) | +16% ATK, +24% CRIT Rate. Records Wastetime stacks when allies use Redirect/Support Skills; at 3 stacks grants +48% Ultimate CRIT DMG and +12% DEF Ignore. Designed exactly for her rotation. |
| Arc Alt (S-rank) | Fluff of Fearlessness | Increases ATK after Ultimate and grants CRIT Rate. Solid burst booster when signature is unavailable. |
| Arc Alt (A-rank) | The Forgotten | Best A-rank choice. Reliable for F2P accounts even if the ceiling is lower than S-rank options. |
| Console (Module Set) | Lost Radiance 4-piece | 2-piece: +10% Cosmos DMG. 4-piece: Ignore 25% enemy DEF for 20s after Ultimate. Stacks with A6 DEF Ignore for major burst output against bosses. |
| Main Stats | ATK% / Cosmos DMG% / CRIT DMG or CRIT Rate | Balance both CRIT stats. Aim for ~60-70% CRIT Rate before shifting focus to CRIT DMG. |
| Sub Stats | CRIT DMG > CRIT Rate > ATK% > Energy Recharge | Energy Recharge speeds up World's Tide cycles, especially in long boss fights with few enemies. |
| Skill Priority | Ultimate > Skill > Basic Attack > Support Skill | World's Tide is her primary damage tool. Present Replay (Skill) drives energy and recording. Basic Attack and Support Skill are low-priority investments. |
| Awakening Priority | A6 > A2 > A1 > A5 > A3 > A4 | A6 adds 30% DEF Ignore during Time Stop — the biggest single damage boost. A2 refunds Present Replay energy once every 60s, making rotations smoother. A0 is fully functional for most content. |
Hotori has four main skills. Her rotation centers on building her Non-Closed Timepiece energy, recording ally skills with Present Replay, then triggering World's Tide for a Time Stop burst window.
Five-hit combo dealing Cosmos DMG. In combat, holding Basic Attack triggers a forward dash attack. Also has a plunging variant. This is her lowest-priority upgrade — level only after Ultimate and Skill are maxed.
Activate when Timepiece energy exceeds 60. Hotori enters an observation state for 5 seconds and records up to 3 Support or Redirect Skills used by allies. Swap to teammates with strong skills during this window. Upgrade this second, after World's Tide.
Activated at full Timepiece energy (120). Stops time around Hotori for 10 seconds, replaying all recorded ally skills at once and creating a massive burst damage window. This is her most important skill — max it first. A6 adds 30% DEF Ignore during Time Stop.
The best Hotori team should help her set up meaningful recorded skills, stabilize her damage window, and avoid awkward downtime. Build around synergy first, then optimize damage.
Start with one reliable Hotori core team. After that, test a F2P team, a bossing team, and a high-investment version.
Hotori's rotation has a clear three-phase structure. Mastering the timing of Present Replay and World's Tide is the key to maximizing her damage output.
Switch in Hotori and let the Non-Closed Timepiece fill passively. Her energy cap is 120. You can also gain energy from defeating enemies (10 energy per kill, up to 3 stacks per reset). Once energy exceeds 60, you can trigger Present Replay.
At 60+ energy, activate Present Replay to enter observation state. Switch to teammates and use up to 3 strong Support or Redirect Skills — Nanally, Zero, MC, and Jiuyuan are top choices. Each recorded skill will be replayed during Time Stop. Quality of recording directly affects World's Tide damage.
At full energy (120), trigger World's Tide. Time stops for 10 seconds while all recorded skills replay at once. Stay on Hotori and attack freely during Time Stop. Her A6 grants 30% DEF Ignore and Lost Radiance grants 25% DEF Ignore — both active during this window. After Time Stop ends, restart the cycle.
Taking Hotori from level 1 to fully maxed requires six types of materials. The most time-gated item is Dress Sleeves of Vanity from the weekly boss — start saving these immediately after pulling her.
Priority farming order: Dress Sleeves of Vanity (weekly boss, time-gated) → Confessional Flower Seed (Serenetti anomaly boss) → Lost / Obscure / Paradoxical Whispers (common world enemies) → Olive Branch / Dove's Flutter / Nestling's Longing (Houdinii's Schemes domain) → Beetle Coins (~2.27 million total for full max).
Full Materials ChecklistHoudinii's Schemes domain rotates which skill books are available each day. Only run on days that drop Olive Branch, Dove's Flutter, or Nestling's Longing — check the in-game schedule to avoid wasting stamina on off-days.
For the complete material breakdown with quantities per upgrade tier, see the Hotori Materials page.
Use video embeds to increase time on page and help players understand Hotori's timing, animations, and combat identity.
Watch Hotori's character short, then use this build guide to understand how her combat identity can be turned into a practical team plan.
Watch Hotori's additional gameplay and kit demo footage. For the full NTE video library including character trailers, gameplay clips, and rotation examples, visit the dedicated video page.
Hotori is classified as a burst Sub DPS. She doesn't stay on field long — she records ally skills with Present Replay, then enters field for World's Tide Time Stop. Her damage ceiling is the highest in the game but concentrated in a 10-second window.
Main stats: ATK% / Cosmos DMG% / CRIT DMG or CRIT Rate. Sub stats prioritize CRIT DMG, then CRIT Rate, then ATK%. Aim for around 60-70% CRIT Rate before heavily stacking CRIT DMG. Energy Recharge is also useful in long fights.
Marching Beyond Time (her signature Arc) is the best. At max stacks it provides +48% Ultimate CRIT DMG and +12% DEF Ignore. F2P players should use The Forgotten (A-rank) as the best accessible option.
She's more technical than a typical DPS. Her rotation requires deliberate skill timing and team coordination to record the right ally skills. Follow the three-phase rotation guide above and practice in casual content before high-stakes battles.