Arcs, Classes & Cartridges — How NTE's Equipment Systems Work
NTE’s gear system splits into two layers that new players constantly confuse, mostly because both involve the word “Arc.” Here is the clean version: Arcs are weapons, and your character’s Class decides which ones they can equip. Cartridges and Modules are the set-bonus gear — the relic-style system where matching pieces grant 2-piece and 4-piece effects. Two systems, two upgrade tracks, two farm locations.
Arcs: the weapon layer
An Arc is a character’s weapon. Each one provides Base ATK, one substat, and a unique combat passive, and each character equips exactly one. Arcs come in S, A, and B ranks — higher rank means better base stats and a stronger effect.
Most Arcs come from gacha. B and A ranks drop from the character and Arc banners; S ranks come from the featured Arc banner (pulled with Tri-Keys, 10 per ten-pull) or the permanent banner. You can also straight-buy a chosen S-rank Arc for 25 Tri-Keys in the exchange shop, which is by far the sanest way for free players to target one.
Class type: the compatibility gate
Every character has a Class — a state-of-matter type that determines which Arcs they are compatible with. There are five published types:
- Solid
- Liquid
- Gas
- Plasma
- Synthesis (some English sources label this “Condensate”)
The current roster’s Class spread, verified across sources:
| Class | Characters |
|---|---|
| Solid | Hotori, Jiuyuan, Esper Zero, Haniel |
| Liquid | Daffodill, Mint, Edgar |
| Gas | Lacrimosa, Chiz, Sakiri, Skia |
| Plasma | Hathor, Nanally, Aurelia |
| Synthesis | Baicang, Fadia, Adler |
The limited S-Ranks — Chaos, Shinku, and Iroi — shipped without a published Class in most databases, so treat any claimed type for them as a leak until the game itself confirms it.
Crucially, Class and element are separate axes. A Solid character can be Cosmos (Hotori), Anima (Jiuyuan), or Psyche (Haniel). Class gates your weapon choice; element gates your set bonuses and team reactions. Mixing these up is the most common theorycrafting error in the community.
Upgrading Arcs
Three tracks run in parallel:
- Enhance — feed low-rank Arcs or Arc EXP materials (farmed at Houdinii’s Magic Stage) plus Beetle Coin for raw levels.
- Ascend — a level cap every 10 levels, up to a max of Lv.80, using materials from the Bubble Can Factory Anomaly Zone.
- Mix — feed duplicate copies of the same Arc to raise its passive intensity, up to T5 with 5 total copies. This is where whales pull ahead; free players should aim for one T1–T2 signature and move on.
Cartridges & Modules: the set-bonus layer
This is where the real build diversity lives. Each character equips 1 Cartridge plus 4 Modules (also called Drive Blocks). Equipping four matching Modules activates the 4-piece effect, while the Cartridge itself carries two passives that typically key off matching 2-piece and 4-piece conditions.
One important design choice: a Cartridge’s main stat and substats are fixed at drop. There is no rerolling. Substats unlock as you level the Cartridge with its EXP material, but the values themselves are locked in when it drops. That means farming is about getting the right set and the right main stat — then leveling is deterministic.
The sets
Sets key off element damage, not Class — so any character can wear any set, and you choose based on their element and role:
| Set | 2-piece | 4-piece |
|---|---|---|
| Lost Radiance | Cosmos DMG +10% | Ignore 25% DEF for 20s after Ultimate |
| Diabolos | Chaos DMG +10% | Ignore Chaos RES (12%, or 24% after Nova/Scorch) |
| Devil’s Blood: Curse | Psyche DMG +10% | +18% DMG (36% vs Nova/Stain units) |
| Street Boxer | Lakshana DMG +10% | +14% Crit Rate |
| Fireflies and the Forest | Anima DMG +10% | Stacking Crit DMG (up to 7 stacks) |
| Crimson: Twin Butterflies | Incantation DMG +10% | Stacking ATK (up to 6 stacks) |
| Thea’s Night Tavern | HP +10% | +20% Healing Bonus |
| Kingdom’s Guard | DEF +15% | +20% shield strength |
| Speedy Hedgehog | Charge Efficiency +12% | Team ATK +15% for 20s after Ultimate |
| Tiny Big Adventure | HP +10% | Stacking Max HP on hit (Ultimate grants 10 stacks) |
The pattern is simple: damage dealers take their element’s set (a Cosmos carry like Chiz runs Lost Radiance, a Chaos carry like Lacrimosa runs Diabolos), while buffers and survival units lean on utility sets — Speedy Hedgehog on a burst-enabling buffer, Thea’s Night Tavern on a healer like Iroi or Edgar, Kingdom’s Guard on a shielder.
Where to farm them
Cartridges and Modules drop from the Rabbit Hole Anomaly Zone in New Herland District, gated at Hunter Rank 10. Higher difficulties improve the rarity odds, and different nodes favor different sets. Runs also drop a carrot currency you can exchange for specific Module tiers — so even bad luck days convert into targeted progress.
Putting it together
For any character, the build order is: get them a compatible Arc of the highest rank you can afford (Tri-Key exchange for a targeted S-rank), level and ascend it as far as materials allow, then farm Rabbit Hole for their element set with the right main stat. Class decides the weapon; element decides the sets; role decides whether you chase damage or utility pieces.
If you are still deciding who to build in the first place, the team building guide covers role balance and synergy, and the farming guide maps out where every material on this page comes from.