Blackbird Best Build Guide: Skills, Arcs, Modules & Teams | NTE 1.4

Long before becoming playable, Blackbird was already tied to Hethereau’s more mysterious side through the Witch’s House and her role in the city’s occult stories. In NTE Version 1.4, she finally joins the roster as an S-Rank Psyche DPS, with the update launching on September 30, 2026 at 10:00 (UTC+8).

Built around switching between her normal state and Witch of Deliverance, Blackbird combines off-field pressure with a powerful transformation burst. This guide covers her best build, skills, Arcs, Modules, Awakenings, and team comps for NTE 1.4.

 

Overview

Rarity: S-Rank  |  Element: Psyche  |   Arc: Gas

Blackbird is a Psyche damage dealer with strong quick-swap and team-support potential, built around switching between her base form and Witch of Deliverance. In her normal state, she applies Forsaken Feather with Netherplume Rite and enables Forsaken Bird coordinated attacks while teammates stay on-field, allowing her to contribute damage from the background. After building enough Malice, Requies Animarum transforms her into Witch of Deliverance, shifting her into a much more aggressive burst window with Pyreflame, Flames of Deliverance, and Flammae in Unum. Her kit also brings party ATK buffs, while higher Awakenings further add team DMG, RES reduction, and CRIT DMG support.

Overall, Blackbird works best in quick-swap teams that can fully use both her off-field pressure and transformation burst.

 

Skill Kit

Basic Attack: Fleeting Shadow

Basic Attack: Fleeting Shadow
Deals Psyche DMG. Gains Malice after hitting an enemy.

Basic Attack: Roostcall
Hold Basic Attack during the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd hit of Fleeting Shadow, dealing Psyche DMG, and reducing the target's Movement Speed. Gains Malice after hitting an enemy.

Basic Attack: Lingering Affliction
Press Basic Attack while airborne to deal Psyche DMG. Gains Malice after hitting an enemy.

Critical Riposte: Avian Instinct
Deals Psyche DMG. Gains Malice after hitting an enemy.

Basic Attack: Pyreflame
Deals Psyche DMG while in the Witch of Deliverance state. Consumes Malice after hitting an enemy.

Basic Attack: Bestowed Grace
Hold Basic Attack during the 2nd hit of Pyreflame to deal Psyche DMG. Consumes Malice after hitting an enemy.

Basic Attack: Tidings Unto All
Hold Basic Attack during Bestowed Grace or Flames of Deliverance to deal Psyche DMG. Consumes Malice after hitting an enemy.

Basic Attack: Searing Scar
Press Basic Attack while the Witch of Deliverance is airborne, dealing Psyche DMG. Consumes Malice after hitting an enemy.

Critical Riposte: Born of Calamity
Deals Psyche DMG while in the Witch of Deliverance state. Consumes Malice after hitting an enemy.

Invocation
Generates Malice upon casting Fleeting Shadow, Lingering Affliction, Avian Instinct, Last Word, or Netherplume Rite.
Grants Malice immediately upon entering battle.

Prevents Malice from being gained while in the Witch of Deliverance state. Allows Malice to be consumed after casting Pyreflame, Searing Scar, Bestowed Grace, Tidings Unto All, Born of Calamity, Flames of Deliverance, or Naught but Mercy to deal additional Malice DMG.

 

Redirect Skill: Netherplume Rite

Netherplume Rite
Uses Chain Cage to deal Psyche DMG to the target and inflict a Forsaken Feather mark on targets hit for a set duration. Casts to gain Malice.
While Forsaken Feather is active, triggers Forsaken Bird to perform a coordinated attack when another active ally deals DMG to the marked target. Forsaken Bird deals Psyche DMG in an area around the target. Triggers no more than once every 2s, up to 5 times in total.

Flames of Deliverance
Charges toward the target at high speed while Blackbird is in the Witch of Deliverance state, dealing Psyche DMG. Consumes Malice after hitting an enemy.
Activation: Activates after Witch of Deliverance performs the 5th hit of Pyreflame or casts No Quarter. This skill is inactive by default.

 

Ultimate: Requies Animarum

Requies Animarum
Transforms into the Witch of Deliverance and launches multiple attacks, dealing massive Psyche DMG to the target.
Gains Hitstun Immunity and increases Movement Speed while in the Witch of Deliverance state, which lasts for a set duration. Reverts to Blackbird when the duration ends. The duration does not decrease while she is off-field.
Increases the entire team' ATK after casting Requies Animarum.

Flammae in Unum
Exits the Witch of Deliverance state and launches multiple attacks against the target, dealing massive Psyche DMG.

 

Skill Upgrade Priority

Ultimate > Skill > Basic Attack > Support

Her Ultimate is the core of her burst rotation, transforming her into Witch of Deliverance while providing strong team buffs, so its scaling matters most. Her Skill comes next because it generates Malice, applies Forsaken Feather, and enables coordinated attacks. Basic Attack helps build Malice and contributes steady damage, but is less important than her burst tools. Support Skills mainly provide Cycle-related utility, making their direct level scaling the least impactful.

 

Materials

Here is an overview of Blackbird’s upgrade materials.

Material	Total
Eternal Memory	35
Hesitation of the Waves	40
Suspended Whispers	42
The Second Self	65
Blurred Numeral	57
Unsolved Numeral	58
Distorted Numeral	79
Colorful Ticket Stub	86
Beetle Coin	2,783,000
Dreamless Seed	96
Fons	38,400

 

Best Arcs

Siganature Arc

Crime and Punishment	ATK: +570 CRIT Rate: +24%
Crit Rate +16%. When the wielder deals Incantation DMG, their CRIT DMG increases by 18% for 15s, stacking up to 7 times. This effect can be triggered once every 0.3s. Repeated triggers refresh the duration.
Crime and Punishment is tailor-made for Blackbird’s burst-focused kit. Its Cycle Intensity and Psyche DMG bonuses strengthen both her Cycle contribution and personal damage, while its biggest payoff comes after using her Ultimate—the centerpiece of her rotation. Casting Ultimate grants teamwide CRIT DMG and an even larger personal CRIT DMG boost, perfectly covering her Witch of Deliverance burst window. Since Blackbird naturally cycles through Ultimate frequently and can also deal coordinated off-field damage, she can maintain strong value from nearly every part of the Arc’s effect.

Alternative

Ravenous Blade	ATK: +570 CRIT Rate: +24%
Cursed Blade - Soulbound Increases Crit Rate by 16%. Grants the wearer a 9% Crit DMG bonus for 15s when they deal Incantation DMG. Stacks up to 7 times, with no more than 1 stack gained every 0.3s. Resets the duration when triggered again.
Ravenous Blade works mainly as a strong stat stick for Blackbird, offering high Base ATK and plenty of CRIT Rate to support her burst-focused damage. However, Blackbird deals Psyche rather than Incantation DMG, so she cannot activate its stacking CRIT DMG effect. It remains a solid alternative, but loses significant value compared with Crime and Punishment.
Good Boy's Grand Adventure	ATK: +474 ATK: +45%
Morphix Increases Charge Efficiency by 18%. Increases Team ATK by 10% for 20s after the wearer casts an Ultimate. Increases Team ATK by an additional 6% if enemies are controlled by the Ultimate. Effects with the same name do not stack.
Good Boy's Grand Adventure trades some of Blackbird's personal damage for smoother rotations and stronger team utility. Its Charge Efficiency helps her access Ultimate more consistently, which is especially valuable since her transformation and team ATK buff are tied to it. After casting Ultimate, the Arc also provides another teamwide ATK buff, reinforcing her hybrid sub-DPS/support role.

 

 

Best Modules

Devil's Blood: Curse
2-piece: Psyche DMG +10%. 4-piece: Increases wearer's DMG by 18%. The bonus becomes 36% against units affected by Nova or Stain.
Main Stat: CRIT DMG > Psyche DMG Bonus% > ATK% Substat: CRIT DMG > CRIT Rate = Universal DMG Bonus% > ATK%
Devil’s Blood: Curse fits Blackbird because almost every part of the set directly boosts her main damage sources. The 2-piece bonus increases Psyche DMG, while the 4-piece raises her overall damage and becomes even stronger against enemies affected by Nova or Stain. Since Blackbird deals damage through field time, coordinated attacks, and her Witch burst, she can benefit from these bonuses across most of her rotation. For stats, CRIT DMG takes priority because Blackbird can already gain substantial CRIT Rate from her signature Arc. After that, Psyche DMG Bonus and Universal DMG Bonus scale her damage efficiently, while ATK% is better treated as a secondary option.

 

Awakening Priority

Main DPS

A1 > A6 > A3 > A5 > A4 > A2

If you are building Blackbird as a Main DPS, A1 is her most important breakpoint. It allows Flammae in Unum to consume all remaining Malice and significantly improves Ferrying Deathfire, giving her Witch of Deliverance burst window a much higher ceiling. A6 comes next, granting 25% Psyche DMG for 25s after Requies Animarum while also restoring 4 Malice whenever Forsaken Bird performs a coordinated attack outside Witch form. Together, these upgrades improve both her burst damage and Malice economy. 

A3 is another straightforward damage upgrade, increasing the DMG Ratio gained from attacks that consume Malice by 50%, so several parts of her Witch-form rotation benefit at once. A5 follows with an 8% reduction to enemy Psyche, Lakshana, and Chaos RES for 25s, improving both Blackbird’s damage and that of compatible teammates. A4 mainly strengthens her team buffs, while A2 focuses more on Netherplume Rite, survivability, and healing. In short: maximize her Witch-form burst first, then pick up team utility afterward.

Sup

A4 > A5 > A1 > A6 > A3 > A2

For a Support or quick-swap Sub-DPS Blackbird, the order changes completely. A4 is the clear priority: after Requies Animarum, it extends the teamwide ATK buff to 25 seconds and grants all allies an additional 12% DMG increase, giving the entire rotation much better buff coverage. A5 follows closely, reducing the target’s Psyche, Lakshana, and Chaos RES by 8% for 25 seconds, which is especially valuable in teams built around those attributes and their related Cycles.

After those two team-focused upgrades, A1 is still valuable because Blackbird can enter, unload a strong Witch-form burst, and leave the field quickly. A6 further improves her personal Psyche DMG and Malice generation, but its high investment makes it less important when her main job is supporting the team. A3 and A2 are more heavily weighted toward Blackbird’s own damage or comfort, so they offer less for a pure support setup. For support Blackbird, secure the buffs and RES reduction first, then invest in her personal damage.

 

Best Team Comps

Zankou

Blackbird

Daffodill

Sakiri

This is a Discord-focused quick-swap team built around Zankou’s sustained damage. Daffodill combines with Zankou or Sakiri to trigger Scorch, while Blackbird’s Psyche enables Nova with Daffodill; overlapping both activates Discord for heavy Break pressure. Sakiri supplies ATK buffs and strengthens Scorch-related DoT, while Blackbird adds off-field coordinated attacks and another team ATK buff before Zankou takes the main damage window.

Blackbird

Jiuyuan

Chaos

Hathor

This lineup mainly revolves around Stain. Blackbird’s Psyche pairs with Chaos or Hathor’s Lakshana to increase the target’s Psyche and Lakshana damage taken, benefiting all three damage dealers. Jiuyuan fills the quick-swap slot with grouping and Lethal Rose Pact damage, letting her contribute without demanding long field time. Blackbird can then maintain Forsaken Bird pressure and use her Ultimate before the team’s main burst window. 

Blackbird

Chaos

Sakiri

Iroi

Conclusion

Blackbird is at her best when your rotation makes full use of both her off-field attacks and Witch of Deliverance burst window. Prioritize her Ultimate, build around CRIT and Psyche DMG, and choose teammates that can keep the rotation moving while she sets up her next transformation.

If you're preparing for Blackbird or other NTE 1.4 characters, you can also top up Neverness to Everness through LDShop for better-value deals and a smoother way to stock up for your next pulls.