Hotori Build Guide: Best Weapons, Teams, and Artifacts (Cartridges)

Hotori is easily one of the most unique additions to the Neverness To Everness endgame roster. She operates as an S-Rank Cosmos character equipped with the Solid Arc, specializing as a Burst DPS and team buffer. If you need a hyper-carry who literally controls the flow of combat, this character is exactly what your account needs.
Hotori Build Guide Infographic and Character Summary

6480 + 1600 Riftcrystal

Enjoy Up To 22% Off On Game Top-ups.
3-minute Delivery For Non-stop Gaming.
Trusted 4.9/5 On Trustpilot, 10/10 Among Players.
Official Partnership Route, Protect Your Game Wallet.

$74.93 Top Up With Discount Now!

How Do Hotori's Skills Work?

To master this carry, you need to understand how to stack her buffs and manage her energy gauge. Her kit is highly synergistic, rewarding players who carefully plan their burst window.

Choose the best NTE (Neverness to Everness) product.

NTE (Neverness to Everness)

5/5 2k+ Sold 41+ reviews

NTE (Neverness to Everness)

Monthly Pass

Monthly Pass

$3.72

$4.99
-25%

Login Buy
Special Selection Disc Gift Box

Special Selection Disc Gift Box

$2.23

$2.99
-25%

Login Buy
Elite Hunter Supplies

Elite Hunter Supplies

$7.46

$9.99
-25%

Login Buy
Cute Tiger Dice Gift Box

Cute Tiger Dice Gift Box

$11.21

$14.99
-25%

Login Buy
3280+600 Riftcrystal

3280+600 Riftcrystal

$37.44

$49.99
-25%

Login Buy
Honorary Hunter Supplies

Honorary Hunter Supplies

$14.97

$19.99
-25%

Login Buy
All-In-One Bundle

All-In-One Bundle

$162.17

$200.94
-19%

Login Buy
6480 + 1600 Riftcrystal

6480 + 1600 Riftcrystal

$83.26

$99.99
-16%

UID Buy
3280+600 Riftcrystal

3280+600 Riftcrystal

$41.6

$49.99
-16%

UID Buy
1980+260 Riftcrystal

1980+260 Riftcrystal

$24.46

$29.99
-18%

UID Buy
980+110 Riftcrystal

980+110 Riftcrystal

$11.21

$14.99
-25%

UID Buy
300 + 30 Riftcrystal

300 + 30 Riftcrystal

$3.72

$4.99
-25%

UID Buy

Basic Attack (Misty Moon Style): A standard 5-hit Cosmos combo using her umbrella. She also has a hold variant for a dash attack and a plunging strike.
Skill (Present Replay): Costs 60 Timepiece energy. It deals AoE Cosmos DMG and records Support and Redirect skills used by your allies for the next 5 seconds. The timepiece pointer rewinds while this happens.
Ultimate (World's Tide): Requires a full 120 energy gauge. She draws a katana, and time slows to a near standstill (Time Stop). During this phase, she is immune to debuffs, replays all the ally skills you recorded earlier, and builds combo stacks with every katana hit. At 10 stacks, she triggers a massive Finisher DMG nuke.
Talent Priority: Maximize Talent 2 (All Treasures Under Heaven) first to double her Finisher damage, followed by Talent 1 (Ghost Orchid Crest).
Skill Leveling Order: Ultimate > Skill > Support > Basic Attack.

What is the Best Weapon for Hotori?

Best Weapons for Hotori - Marching Beyond Time
Equipping the right gear is critical because this captain relies heavily on stacking multipliers during her time-stop phase.

The absolute Best-in-Slot (BiS) weapon is her signature, Marching Beyond Time. This weapon gives a massive 24% CRIT Rate substat and up to 32% raw ATK. Even better, it perfectly fits her rotation. When allies use Redirect or Support skills, it builds "Wastetime" stacks. Popping your Ultimate consumes these stacks for up to 48% extra Ultimate Crit DMG and a huge chunk of DEF Ignore.

Strong Alternative:

Fluff of Fearlessness (S-Rank): A fantastic runner-up. It grants a flat 25% ATK boost for 10 seconds after using an Ultimate, perfectly syncing with her Finisher window.
The Rain That Shook the World (S-Rank): Increases Cosmos DMG by 30% for Redirect and Ultimate skills, while greatly improving Cycle Intensity.

Which Gear and Stats Maximize Hotori's Damage?

Best Artifacts and Gear Sets for Hotori
To squeeze the most DPS out of your burst phase, you need to prioritize the right artifact set and module stats.

The undisputed best gear set is a 4-piece Lost Radiance. The 2-piece bonus gives a passive 10% Cosmos DMG increase. The 4-piece bonus is where she truly shines, granting 25% DEF Ignore for 20 seconds after casting an Ultimate. This allows her katana strikes to shred enemy resistances.

Stat Priorities:

Main Stats: Cosmos DMG Boost / CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG
Sub-stat Priority: CRIT Rate/DMG > Cosmos DMG Boost > ATK%

What Are the Best Team Comps for Hotori?

Building a team around this Burst DPS means surrounding her with characters who have spammable Support and Redirect skills to feed her Present Replay recorder.

The Meta "Time-Stop Synergy" Team: Nanally + Jiuyuan + Zero + Hotori

How the synergy works:

Nanally: Her Vita Pistils and follow-up attacks are the bread and butter of this comp. Thanks to our shopkeeper's Ghost Orchid Crest passive, Nanally's Vita Bud attacks will not pause during Time Stop, dealing free passive damage while your carry slashes away.
Jiuyuan: Applies Lethal Rose Pacts for massive burst execution. Her skills happen fast, making them easy to record.
Zero: As a fellow Cosmos character, Zero provides great element synergy. Zero's kit also offers solid burst damage that can fill the gaps while your main DPS is waiting for the Timepiece gauge to recharge.

What Materials Are Needed to Upgrade Hotori?

Character & Skill Total Costs

Material Type	Total Amount Required (Skills x4 + Breakthrough)	Source
Nestling's Longing	40	Skill Material Instance
The Olive Branch	64	Skill Material Instance
Dove's Flutter	40	Skill Material Instance
Dress Sleeves of Vanity	32	World Exploration/Store
Confessional Flower Seed	86	World Boss: Aridus Colossus
Lost Whispers	57	Monster Drop (Industrial District)
Obscure Whispers	58	Monster Drop (Industrial District)
Paradoxical Whispers	79	Monster Drop (Industrial District)
Total Fons (Currency)	$2,273,000	Various Activities

Signature Weapon (Marching Beyond Time) Costs

Material Type	Total Amount Required	Source
Drama Cores (Beg/Mas/Coll)	14 / 18 / 18	Weapon Material Instance
Whispers (Lost/Obs/Par)	14 / 18 / 18	Monster Drop (Industrial District)
Total Fons (Currency)	$420,000	Various Activities

Which Constellations (Awakenings) Are Worth Getting?

If you are saving up pulls or spending on the banner, getting a few duplicates can turn her into an unstoppable hyper-carry.

Level	Effect	Value / Verdict
A1	Flourish: +12% Time Stop DMG for each recorded skill.	High. Easily adds a massive 36% DMG boost during her most important damage window. Best early stopping point.
A2	Distant Memories: Flat +20% DMG during Time Stop.	Good. Consistent and requires no setup, simply raw stats.
A3	Momentary Gaze: Refunds energy spent on Present Replay once every 60s.	Medium. Helps with rotations, but 60 seconds is a long cooldown for fast-paced combat.
A4	Scattered Relics: Grants 10 extra Timepiece energy for every enemy defeated by the team (max 3).	Medium. Great for mobbing, but useless against single-target bosses.
A5	All-Seeing: Grants +15% Team DMG if only 1 enemy is on the field.	High. Incredible for boss fighting, turning her into a premium support even when off-field.
A6	Time Takes Away: Ignores 30% of target's DEF during Time Stop.	God-Tier. Combined with her weapon and gear, this lets her deal nearly true damage. Worth it for whales.

(Note: She also has Resonances "Eternity Shattered" which boosts skill levels, and "Ultimate Treasure" which grants the team a 20% ATK buff).

Is Hotori Worth Pulling?

Yes, absolutely. If you are looking for a character with a high skill ceiling and rewarding mechanics, Hotori is a must-pull. She is not a brain-dead button masher; she requires you to learn her rotations and manage her energy gauge. However, the payoff is immense. Her ability to completely freeze time, ignore enemy mechanics, and unleash recorded attacks makes her a future-proof Burst DPS.

The only downside is that she requires specific off-field teammates (like Nanally) to truly shine. If you are a new player without a good roster of support characters, this unit might feel a bit clunky until your account matures.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why does my time-stop damage feel low with the best Hotori builds?

If your Ultimate feels weak, you likely aren't recording enough skills. Before activating World's Tide, make sure you cast her Present Replay skill and immediately swap to your supports to use their abilities. Doing this maximizes her A1 passive and replay damage.

Is she too squishy in high-level content?

She can be slightly vulnerable while building her gauge, but remember that she cleanses debuffs and becomes completely immune to time-control effects during her Ultimate. Use her Critical Riposte (Half Moment) after dodging to safely navigate tricky attack patterns.

What is the best F2P artifact set if I don't have Lost Radiance?

While Lost Radiance is the absolute best for shredding resistance, any gear that pushes Cosmos DMG and CRIT stats will work as a placeholder. Just remember that DEF Ignore is the core of her endgame scaling, so transition to her Best-in-Slot set as soon as possible.