
Burst Gauge Generation
Table of Contents
We have confirmed that ALL units generate energy from damage skills. This guide will soon be updated with new analysis from this new finding. Stat tuned!
Many thanks to allenwfc, Scrubp, Rai, Psida, lurkerdegen, Indigo November, FieryWind, Wabblet, Not Daijoubu, Chills, Bubba, Misuzu, CCCP victim, Deliagwath, laif, Rayel, TheBoyAlex, and all helpful friends from #Research-Dungeon in the NIKKE Community Discord and #strategy in the main NIKKE Discord who helped make this guide possible with their valuable testing and research.
Hitting enemies will fill the burst bar, per hit; it does NOT scale with damage. I will refer to this as burst energy. There are a few hidden mechanics that we have discovered so far:
- Different weapon types generate more energy per hit
- Different reload types generate different amounts of energy per hit (longer reload = higher energy)
- Units with multi-hit ability can generate extra energy, per hit on enemies and structures
- Hitting multiple enemies generates extra energy, per hit
- ALL units can generate energy from skill damage, equal to their base damage
- Hit rate dependent weapons will generate more energy against close range enemies, due to less hits missing
- Hitting boss enemies generates extra energy (double energy for boss hits)
- Hitting structures generates energy, equal to hitting regular enemies.
- Charge shot energy is NOT affected by charge percentage
Energy Generation by Weapon Type
This table ranks base burst energy by weapon reload type, energy per hit only. For the full analysis with reload time, hit rate, and AoE, see the next sections.
Shotgun burst generation is greatly affected by hit rate; see the burst energy generation tierlist section for more information on shotgun hit rate.
The maximum burst gauge bar is 10,000 energy.
Weapon Type | Reload Type | Burst Gauge Generation (Base Energy Per Hit) | Units (by Energy Generation; by Alphabetical) |
Shotgun | Clip Reload | 45 x 10 pellets | Drake, Maiden, Pepper, Product 23, Sugar, Neon, Viper |
Rocket Launcher | Clip Reload | 345~355 | Anis, Jackal; Centi |
Rocket Launcher | 2.5s Double-hit | 150 x 2 double-hit | Noah |
Sniper Rifle | > 2.0s Harran Bug | 290 + Skill 1 | Harran |
Sniper Rifle | > 2.0s | 290 | Eunhwa |
Sniper Rifle | 2.0s | 280 | Alice, Dolla, Exia, Helm, Maxwell, Milk |
Sniper Rifle | < 2.0s | 265 ~ 275 | Yulha; Admi; Delta, Frima |
Shotgun | Full Clip | 20 x 10 pellets | Ether, Guilty, Isabel, Mary, Neve, Poli, Soldier FA |
Rocket Launcher | > 2.0s Full Clip | 145 | Laplace, Rapunzel |
Rocket Launcher | 2.0s Full Clip | 140 | Anne, Belorta, iDoll Flower, Mica, N102, Noise, Vesti, Yan, Yuni |
Assault Rifle | > 2.0s | 45 | Scarlet |
Assault Rifle | >= 1.5s | 25 | iDoll Sun, Mihara, Snow White |
Assault Rifle | < 1.5s | 20 | Brid, Folkwang, Julia, Privaty, Product 08, Rapi, Rupee, Sin, Soldier EG, xRupee |
Submachine Gun | 2.0s Double-hit | 10 x 2 | Crow, Soline, Quency |
Submachine Gun | > 2.0s | 15 | Ludmilla |
Submachine Gun | <= 2.0s | 10 | Crow, Epinel, iDoll Ocean, Liter, Miranda, Novel, Signal, Soldier OW, Soline |
Machine Gun | ALL | 5 | Aria, Diesel, Emma, Guillotine, Modernia, Product 12 |
Units With Irregular Energy Generation
Unit Name | Irregularity | Description |
Harran | Skill 1 DoT | Energy generation from DoT skill damage; 290 energy (same as her base energy) per tick for 5 ticks. Harran’s skill can apply on multiple enemies, greatly increasing her energy generation. |
Noah, Crow, Soline | Double hit | Energy generation from firing two bullets per shot. Noah is also affected by AoE irregularly as a rocket launcher. |
ALL Rocket Launchers | Area of Effect on hit | Rocket launchers have AoE damage on hit, meaning they will have higher energy generation in most battles due to multi hits and hitting structures. |
Belorta, Laplace, Vesti | Increased AoE range | These units have increased AoE range, meaning they will have higher average increase in energy generation from AoE hits than other rocket launchers. |
Alice, Harran | Pierce | Pierce attacks hit through the target to deal AoE damage on hit, meaning they will have higher energy generation in most battles due to multi hits and hitting structures. |
Burst Energy Generation Tierlist
Units listed by how quickly they generate a full burst bar, which is 10,000 energy.
ST testing done against the closest range enemy in shooting range (0 range). AoE, mixed range testing done in Simulation Room (44% near, 35% mid, 21% far); time between spawns are subtracted. There is high variance in the mixed AoE tests, and those numbers should be regarded as a rough estimate to compare with the better-controlled near ST tests. No hits on boss enemies for any tests. Some information comes from calculations rather than testing.
Clip reload shotguns can generate up to 450 energy per shot (45 x 10 pellets), but even at closest range (0), against a regular enemy they hit 7 ~ 10 pellets per shot, for an 8.5 average. This number drops dramatically outside of their effective range (0 ~ 25). Beyond 35 range, shotgun hit rate can fall below 1 hit per shot, especially against smaller enemies. However, against large bosses they are able to hit all 10 pellets consistently. The same holds true for all other shotguns, though the change is less noticeable (20 x 10 pellets). For the purposes of this tierlist, shotgun hit rate is assumed at 8.5 pellets per shot for close range ST, and at 3 for mixed range AoE. No hit rate buffs assumed.
Rocket launchers’ energy generation rise steeply against AoE targets, especially in maps where there are many structures. Launchers with explosion range increase abilities will have even greater value. The same holds true for pierce units (Alice and Harran), though not to the same extent.
As energy per hit is not affected by charge amount for SR and RL, manual spamming greatly increases their energy generation. In some stages, it is possible to charge a full burst bar in as little as 3 seconds using this method. However, many units have full charge activated skills that may be more valuable. There is also the option of mixing full charge shots and quick shots for the best of both worlds. The data in this article assumes full charge shots, to be consistent with auto and AI play. Refer to the base energy per hit values to see which units benefit most from manual spamming.
Rank Overall | Unit | Weapon | Base Energy Per Hit | Average Time to Full Energy (Near ST) (seconds) | Average Time to Full Energy (Mixed AoE) (seconds) |
1 | Centi | RL | 345 | 47 | 10 |
2 | Anis | RL | 355 | 49 | 10 |
3 | Noah | RL | 150 x 2 | 61 | 15 |
4 | Harran | SR | 290 + Skill 1 (1450 over 5 seconds) | 23 | 20 |
5 | Drake | SG | 45 x 10 | 22 | 65 |
6 | Neon | SG | 45 x 10 | 23 | 68 |
7 | Sugar | SG | 45 x 10 | 24 | 70 |
7 | Maiden | SG | 45 x 10 | 24 | 70 |
7 | Pepper | SG | 45 x 10 | 24 | 70 |
7 | Product 23 | SG | 45 x 10 | 24 | 70 |
11 | Laplace | RL | 145 | 123 | 27 |
12 | Vesti | RL | 140 | 128 | 28 |
13 | Belorta | RL | 140 | 167 | 28 |
14 | Rapunzel | RL | 145 | 128 | 28 |
15 | iDoll Flower | RL | 140 | 122 | 31 |
15 | Mica | RL | 140 | 122 | 31 |
17 | Yuni | RL | 140 | 167 | 32 |
18 | N102 | RL | 140 | 167 | 32 |
18 | Noise | RL | 140 | 167 | 32 |
18 | Yan | RL | 140 | 167 | 32 |
21 | Crow | SMG | 10 x 2 | 38 | 76 |
21 | Soline | SMG | 10 x 2 | 39 | 78 |
23 | iDoll Sun | AR | 25 | 44 | 88 |
23 | Snow White | AR | 25 | 44 | 88 |
25 | Mihara | AR | 25 | 45 | 90 |
26 | Scarlet | AR | 45 | 50 | 100 |
27 | Ludmilla | SMG | 15 | 50 | 55 |
28 | Mary | SG | 20 | 50 | 149 |
28 | Poli | SG | 20 | 50 | 149 |
30 | Privaty | AR | 20 | 52 | 102 |
30 | Rupee | AR | 20 | 52 | 102 |
30 | Rapi | AR | 20 | 52 | 102 |
33 | Soldier EG | AR | 20 | 53 | 104 |
34 | Julia | AR | 20 | 53 | 104 |
35 | Isabel | SG | 20 | 53 | 157 |
36 | Brid | AR | 20 | 55 | 106 |
36 | Folkwang | AR | 20 | 55 | 106 |
38 | Ether | SG | 20 | 56 | 160 |
38 | Soldier FA | SG | 20 | 56 | 160 |
40 | Epinel | SMG | 10 | 59 | 118 |
40 | Novel | SMG | 10 | 59 | 118 |
40 | Signal | SMG | 10 | 59 | 118 |
43 | Dolla | SR | 280 | 61 | 61 |
43 | Exia | SR | 280 | 61 | 61 |
43 | Helm | SR | 280 | 61 | 61 |
43 | Maxwell | SR | 280 | 61 | 61 |
43 | Milk | SR | 280 | 61 | 61 |
43 | Product 08 | SR | 280 | 61 | 61 |
49 | Eunhwa | SR | 290 | 61 | 61 |
50 | Delta | SR | 265 | 62 | 62 |
50 | Frima | SR | 265 | 62 | 62 |
52 | Admi | SR | 270 | 63 | 63 |
52 | Yulha | SR | 275 | 63 | 63 |
54 | Miranda | SMG | 10 | 64 | 126 |
55 | iDoll Ocean | SMG | 10 | 65 | 128 |
55 | Liter | SMG | 10 | 65 | 128 |
55 | Volume | SMG | 10 | 65 | 128 |
58 | Soldier OW | SMG | 10 | 68 | 130 |
59 | Alice | SR | 280 | 77 | 60 |
60 | Diesel | MG | 5 | 82 | 89 |
61 | Aria | MG | 5 | 83 | 89 |
62 | Emma | MG | 5 | 84 | 90 |
62 | Guillotine | MG | 5 | 84 | 90 |
64 | Product 12 | MG | 5 | 85 | 91 |
Arena
There are important differences in Arena mode which affect burst energy generation:
- Hit Rate is 100% for all units. This means shotguns have very high energy generation.
- RL will always hit 1~3 targets. At the beginning of a battle, they will usually hit 2 targets.
- Most battles are decided by the first burst rotation. The team to first fill their burst gauge bar usually has a major advantage. This makes the first 5~8 seconds (average time to fill burst) crucial.
See the Arena (PvP) page for the full analysis.
Testing Methods Used
If you have testing data that contradicts any information in this guide, please contact us through discord with video or stream of your testing method(s).
Simulation room tests that measure time (seconds) were more accurate when starting after boss spawn due to forced camera pan. Unit placed in middle slot with no cubes equipped for consistency.
Mode | Unit(s) | Method | Results |
Shooting Range | ALL | Target closest range enemy (0 range) until burst gauge filled to full. | Average time (seconds) to full burst bar recorded to compare burst generation between units. Results shown above. |
Shooting Range | ALL | Target furthest range enemy (45 range) until burst gauge filled to full. | Time (seconds) measured and compared with close range results. Some variance due to structures sometimes being hit by spread. On shotguns, energy generation was lower even despite some structure hits. On snipers, there is no difference between close range results. |
Shooting Range | Sniper (level 1) | Target structures only, using level 1 sniper. | Structures grant energy on hit, equal to hits on regular enemies. |
Shooting Range | All weapon types | Target boss only (35 range) | Hits on boss enemies grant double the amount of energy as hits on regular enemies. |
Simulation Room (1A) | Sniper | Repeat tests from Shooting Range | Energy generation appears the same as Shooting Range testing. Damage done, enemies killed and structures destroyed does not generate additional energy; energy is generated only on hit. |
Simulation Room (1A) | Anis | Auto | Energy generation is significantly higher than ST shooting range tests (as high as 8 seconds vs 48 seconds). Assuming this is due to the number of closely grouped enemies and small structures in some simulation stages, each multi-hit likely generates the same amount of energy per hit. |
Interception (D and S) | Shotgun | Target the boss enemy hitting 10 pellets each shot | There was no difference between the number of shots required to reach full energy against Alteisen vs against Gravedigger. As the hit rate was the same 10 pellets per shot against both bosses, but Alteisen is further away than Gravedigger, this confirms that shotgun energy variance comes from hit rate and not range itself. Hitting boss parts or interruption circles also does not generate additional energy compared to regular boss hits. |
No info about cocoa ?
No Biscuit?
This guide needs to be updated per patch.
update with new units please
will you guys be updating the tier list to include the new units