Neverness to Everness is asking a lot of your currency in a very short window. Shinku headlines right now in Version 1.2, Iroi follows in the same patch, and Hotta Studio has already teased Zankou and Linko for 1.3. That’s four limited characters bunched close together, and open-world gacha income rarely keeps pace with a debut schedule this aggressive. So let’s build a funding plan that actually survives the next couple of banners — one that gets you the units you want without leaving your wallet in pieces.
Reading the 1.2 to 1.3 Banner Runway
Version 1.2, “999 Nights,” runs two limited boards back-to-back under Scarborough Fair, each lasting 21 days. Shinku, an S-Class Cosmos DPS, took the opening board Before the Dawn, and Iroi, an Anima support, arrives on The Lifeline in Phase 2 from July 29. Once that wraps, 1.3 lines up Zankou first — an S-Class Incantation Esper tied to the Scarlet Letter story — then Linko, an Anima Esper out of ETD-6, around early September, based on the game’s three-week banner cadence. Map that runway now, because your free Riftcrystals will run dry somewhere in the middle of it if you pull on impulse.
It’s worth remembering the patch isn’t only banners, either. “999 Nights” also dropped a full fantasy tabletop mode on the Warren Continent, a wave of events, and close to twenty new outfits — and most of that hands out rewards if you actually play through it. That matters for funding more than people expect. The more of the version you clear, the less you’ll ever need to buy just to close a gap before a board rotates out.
Topping Up Without Overpaying
If you decide to spend, spend efficiently. Buying currency in the larger, better-value bundles beats grabbing small packs repeatedly, and the first-purchase bonus is easily the best deal the game offers, so claim it on whichever pack you buy. Beyond that, where you buy matters as much as how much. A lot of Appraisers now use an NTE top up that lands under store price to bridge the gap before a limited board closes. The savings look small on one pack and add up fast when you’re topping up across four banners in two patches.
One habit keeps all of this from spiralling: top up with a number in mind. Work out how many pulls you’re actually short of a guarantee, buy roughly that, and stop there. Open-ended “just one more pack” spending is exactly how a single banner quietly balloons into a much bigger bill than you ever planned to hand over.
Building Around New Characters
Shinku is a burst-window Cosmos attacker who also brings exploration perks like wall climbing and extra movement speed, so she earns her keep even when you’re just roaming the map. Iroi leans into buffs and healing, which makes her a strong glue unit for Blossom-style teams. Zankou and Linko are still light on confirmed kit details, so don’t lock a pull plan around leaks. Wait for the official 1.3 preview before you commit Riftcrystals you can’t get back.
The wider point is simple: pull for your team, not your collection. If your roster already runs a solid Anima support, another one is a want, not a need — and every banner you skip is currency banked for the one you genuinely can’t miss. New units reshuffle the meta every patch anyway, so a little patience tends to pay off more than a rushed pull you talk yourself into at 2 am.
A Saving Routine That Sticks
Treat your daily and weekly currency sources like a paycheck: collect them, don’t spend them the second they land. Set a per-banner cap before a rate-up opens and hold the line when the shiny new splash art tempts you. A cap you decide in advance is far easier to respect than one you invent mid-pull.
And lean on the free income the game keeps quietly handing you — login rewards, event boards, exploration chests, and the Warren Continent content all refill your stash between banners. Clearing that stuff is the difference between coasting into a rate-up with a comfortable buffer and scrambling for Riftcrystals the morning it drops. Boring discipline, maybe, but it’s what keeps you pulling on your terms instead of the shop’s.
Final Thoughts
Fund the pulls you actually planned, and skip the impulse ones that wreck your next banner. Between Shinku now and Zankou and Linko on the horizon, discipline saves more currency than any single deal ever will. Keeping it on Lootbar top up means fewer surprises when the 1.3 banners hit.
