NTE Ver.1.3 Adds Zan Hong, Linko, and Vast New Driving Area
The update expands Hetero City's activities beyond combat into driving, construction work, and beach volleyball, signaling a push to make the urban open world a persistent sandbox rather than a story-driven hub.
Key Facts
- NTE Ver.1.3 "Fog Moon Night, Stars Return" launches on August 19, 2026.
- Zan Hong (CV: Kikuko Inoue) and Linko (CV: Yui Ogura) are added as playable characters.
- The new area "Star Twilight Sanctuary" takes over 10 minutes to drive around its ring road.
- Zan Hong's limited board runs from after the August 19 update to September 9 at 6:59; Linko's runs from September 9 to September 30 at 6:59.
- New vehicles include the jet ski "Tide," buggy "Thousand," and bicycle "Nostalgia."
Reporting from 4 sources: 4Gamer.net, Automaton, Game Spark, Inside.
Perfect World Games streamed a preview program on August 8, 2026, for Ver.1.3 "Fog Moon Night, Stars Return" of the open-world RPG "NTE: Neverness to Everness" (PC / Mac / PS5 / iOS / Android). The update, scheduled for August 19, adds two new playable characters: Zan Hong (CV: Kikuko Inoue), a former enemy from the Scarlet Letter organization who appears in the first half, and Linko (CV: Yui Ogura), an E.T.D 6th Squad member who becomes playable in the second half. The main story concludes the final battle against Madame T in the "Nest of Fog" area, with Xun, Chaos, Linko, and newcomer Neesha joining the fight. The new area "Star Twilight Sanctuary" opens in the northwest of Hetero City, a vast driving region that takes over 10 minutes to circle by ring road. New vehicles include the jet ski "Tide" in blind boxes, plus the buggy "Thousand" and bicycle "Nostalgia" purchasable with fans. Beach volleyball appears as 2-on-2 PvE content, and a survivor-like event called "Orbital Break" is added. Zan Hong's limited board runs from after the August 19 update to September 9 at 6:59, with Linko's board following from September 9 to September 30. Rerun boards for Nanari and Xun run alongside.
The Ver.1.3 preview program also detailed Zan Hong's special implementation. Because she is incarcerated after the main story, she has no normal city encounters or meeting episodes; instead, players raise her "Obsession Level" through gifts and can challenge her to a duel. She appears as a phantom that can accompany rides or share a room. Her story costume "Red Hollyhock" is granted when obtaining her via the limited board.
Linko's combat relies on her anomaly partner Sada-chan (CV: Chiyo Murase). She can sense and sync with the "radio waves" of people and items, summoning Sada-chan or team members for "Sync Attacks." Her ultimate skill syncs with up to three allies at once, and her movement skill "Pop" lets her launch like a slingshot across the city. Her costumes include "Holiday Mode" (bond level 10), "Astro Diver" (limited board), and "Spring Memoria" (store purchase).
Other additions include the "City Development" system with construction quests operating heavy machinery, a home vegetable garden in the new property "Xianye Yadi," a tracking camera mode for driving photos, and the "Project Million" shared fan quota across multiple contents. The minimap for "Paw Heist" is improved, and Nyakurachi becomes permanent content. Ver.1.4 will open the amusement park "Pukaland." An offline event runs at Naka Ikebukuro Park through August 9.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 4 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- 4Gamer.net 「NTE」Ver.1.3「霧月夜に星還りて」予告番組まとめ。新キャラ「残虹」「リンコ」や新エリア「星暮保護区」，水上バイク，ビーチバレーなどが登場
- Automaton 「街」オープンワールド『NTE』、8月19日到来のアプデでは「車で1周10分以上」の広大新エリアが登場。水上バイクやビーチバレーなど、さらなる街遊びコンテンツもどっさり追加
- Game Spark 『NTE』「残虹」「リンコ」実装へ！ 眩し過ぎる水着コス、広大過ぎる新エリアに“サバイバー系”な新イベントも─「ニャクラッチ」は新仕様で常駐化【配信まとめ】
- Inside 『NTE』「残虹」「リンコ」実装！ 眩し過ぎる水着コス、広大過ぎる新エリアに“サバイバー系”な新イベントも─「ニャクラッチ」は新仕様で常駐化【配信まとめ】