This beginner guide covers the first steps in Neverness to Everness - what to focus on, which systems to engage with early, and how to get the most out of Hetero City from the start.
Most players who quit NTE do so before the combat system finishes explaining itself. The ones who stay past that point rarely want to leave.
Take a look at what the opening hours offer
Explore the gameWhat to do in your first hour
The opening sequence of NTE introduces Hetero City gradually. You are given traversal tools early - basic wall-running and vehicle access arrive before the combat systems are fully explained. The city is the tutorial more than any formal instruction screen.
Prioritise learning the wall-run chain before engaging with combat depth. Movement in NTE is momentum-based, and getting comfortable with how speed transfers from sprinting to wall-running to rooftop access will make the rest of the game considerably easier to navigate.
The attribute system is introduced in the first few story missions, but it does not ask for active management until the second district. Use the early missions to learn your starting operator's moveset before worrying about team composition.
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Learn the wall-run chain Practice chaining wall-runs into rooftop access - the game rewards momentum management over button speed
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Complete the first story chapter The opening missions introduce the world without demanding combat optimisation - play for the story and explore the surrounding area
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Check the attribute chart Open the system menu and locate the six-attribute counter chart before the second district - knowing your counters is more useful than any early gear upgrade
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Unlock your second operator The second operator slot opens early in the story - understanding how operator switching feels in practice sets up everything that comes later
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Explore one full district Before advancing the main story, clear one district thoroughly - the city rewards lateral exploration more than rushing forward
How the combat system works for new players
The six-attribute system is not as complicated as it looks on the chart. Each attribute counters one other and is countered by one. Building a team of three operators with complementary attributes covers most early content without needing a deep understanding of the full counter matrix.
Where new players stumble is treating NTE like a standard action game where the strongest unit carries. That approach workes on the earliest content but breaks down quickly. The game rewards active operator switching and timing ability cooldowns rather than sustaning one character through every encounter.
Attribute countering
Each of six attributes counters one other - build teams around the enemy's alignment
Operator switching
Swapping between active operators mid-combat triggers buff windows and extends ability chains
Cooldown timing
Ability cooldowns are short - rotating operators to use each ability fresh is the core rhythm
Team composition
A team of three covering complementary attributes will outperform a team of three identical operators
Enemy attributes
Check enemy attribute before each encounter and adjust your team if possible
Passive skills
Each operator has passive skills that activate when they are off-field - bench them strategically
Ready to see how the operator system develops?
See how it worksWhich systems to engage with and which to skip early
NTE has more systems than any single player will fully engage with in the first week. The cafe management, housing, and relationship systems are fully optional and carry no mechanical weight over the first dozen hours of content.
New players should treat these as future content rather than early priorities. Spend your first sessions on traversal mastery, attribute learning, and story progression. The lifestyle systems open naturally and can be explored at any point without penalty for leaving them until later.
Story missions
- Clear direction and combat introduction
- Pacing slows in chapter two
Free exploration
- City density rewards wandering
- Easy to spend time without advancing
Lifestyle systems
- Optional depth that expands operator stories
- No early payoff for new players
Combat training
- Controlled environment to test operator abilities
- Less engaging than real encounters
District completion
- Visible progress and exploration rewards
- Easy to get sidetracked from main path
- Learn wall-running before optimising your combat team
- Open the attribute chart in the menu before the second district
- Try operator switching in a low-stakes encounter before a boss
- Explore at least one district fully before advancing the main story
- Check your starting operator's passive skills and understand when they activate
- Save premium currency rather than spending it on the first banner you see
Mistakes that slow down new players
The most common early mistake is ignoring the attribute system and treating NTE like a pure action game. Combat in the first few hours does not punish this heavily, but it creates bad habits that will slow progress considerably in later districts.
The second most common mistake is spending premium currency on the first available banner rather than saving for a specific operator. The board game gacha format makes saving viable - you know exactly how many pulls reach the guarantee, so budgeting is more practical here than in most comparable games.
- The learning curve is front-loaded - once the attribute system clicks, progression feels smooth
- Traversal becomes second nature quickly and makes moving around the city genuinely enjoyable
- The city rewards exploration without forcing it - lateral content is always available but never mandatory
- The first two hours require patience before systems start to make sense together
- New players who ignore the attribute chart will hit a wall in the second district
NTE's opening hours ask more of the player than most free-to-play games, but the systems that are revealed across the first ten hours have real depth - the patience required early is paid back steadily
Getting the most out of Hetero City
NTE is a good fit for players who enjoy learning systems at their own pace and want a city large enough that exploration feels open-ended rather than scripted
If you are comfortable with a game that takes a few hours to reveal its best qualities, Hetero City has more to offer than the opening sequence suggests
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Genuinly wish someone had told me to check the attribute chart before the second district boss. Would have saved me two failed attempts. Good guide, covers the key things early players miss.