CampaignFrontline squad: Liter · Novel · Blanc · Privaty · Modernia. Novel anchors the formation via shreds DEF on 3 highest-DEF enemies, self DEF stacks, single-target ulti + bonus damage taken debuff at full stack; Liter fuels Burst, Blanc opens with AoE, Privaty buffs ATK, Modernia finishes.General frame: Novel as main shield + 1 CDR (Liter, Volume) + 1 burst-gen + 2 flex DPS (Julia, Sugar). Prioritize Novel on stages with dangerous AoE damage.Arena (PvP)Jackal-style one-shot: Centi · Blanc · Liter · Guillotine · Novel. Novel soaks the opening counter via shreds DEF on 3 highest-DEF enemies, self DEF stacks, single-target ulti + bonus damage taken debuff at full stack, letting Centi/Blanc push max Burst for Guillotine's finisher.Anti one-shot variant: Noise · Novel · Centi · Jackal · Naga. Novel and Jackal share the damage so the team survives the enemy's opening burst.Raid/Intercepti

Novel — Stats, Skills, Best Teams

Q: Should you pull?

Should you pull?CONSIDER IT — good if you're building a one-shot team that needs a damage-taken buff, or lack a Defender who shreds DEF; not urgent if you already own another debuffing Defender.

30-second summary of Novel

Novel is a Iron Nikke in the Defender class, manufactured by Tetra. Stats and skill text below come straight from the game's data.

“Novel is a detective who collects intelligence, and is intent on becoming the Sherlock Holmes of the Ark. Wherever there is a mystery, she will be there.”

Updated: 2026-08-02

Should you pull?

CONSIDER IT — good if you're building a one-shot team that needs a damage-taken buff, or lack a Defender who shreds DEF; not urgent if you already own another debuffing Defender.

Review & Analysis

Novel is an Iron SMG Defender from Tetra with Burst II, blending enemy DEF shred with self-defense stacking. Something's Fishy Here targets the three enemies with the highest DEF, dealing damage while also lowering their DEF — opening the door for the rest of the team to deal more effective damage. Detective's Intuition (Cornuscopia) stacks DEF for herself every 100 normal attacks, a durable defense layer that builds up over the course of a fight. Her Burst, Case Closed, lands a heavy hit on the highest-ATK enemy, and if Cornuscopia is fully stacked, that same target also takes sharply increased damage from the whole team.

Base Stats

HP711,171

ATK17,059

DEF4,364

Max Ammo120

Reload Time1s

Skills

Normal Attack

■ Affects target enemy.
Deals 8.1% of ATK as damage.

Something's Fishy HereSkill 1

■ Affects 3 enemy unit(s) with the highest DEF.
Deals 52.36% of ATK as damage.
DEF ▼ 7.05% for sec.

Detective's IntuitionSkill 2

■ Activates after landing 100 normal attack(s). Affects self.
Cornuscopia: DEF ▲ 13.5%, stacks up to 5 time(s) and last for 15 sec.

Case ClosedBurst Skill

■ Affects 1 enemy unit(s) with the highest ATK.
Deals 330.61% of ATK as damage.
■ Activates when Cornuscopia is fully stacked. Affects 1 enemy unit(s).
Damage Taken ▲ 67.5% for 5 sec.

Skill Investment Priority

Prioritize Burst Case Closed (big damage plus amplified damage taken when Cornuscopia is maxed) → Something's Fishy Here (enemy DEF shred supporting team damage) → Detective's Intuition (self DEF stacking, requires normal-attack accumulation).

Skill investment roadmap (Skill 1/Skill 2/Burst — per KR community): 1/1/6 → 4/4/10. Why: Burst massively outranks both skills — max it out first.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

Skill 1 lowers DEF on 3 targets at once, great support for the whole squad's armor penetration.
Her burst raises damage taken on the target once Cornucopia is fully stacked, pairing amazingly with one-shot Attackers.

Weaknesses

Very low normal-attack multiplier (8.1% ATK) — a pure support/tank, not a DPS carry.
Skill 2 needs 100 normal-attack hits to trigger, a fairly long wait early in a fight.

Overload Priority

Overload priority by weapon type — applies to every Nikke using this weapon.

Sub-stat	Priority	Rolls
ATK		4x
Hit Rate		2-4x
Elemental DMG		2x
Max Ammo		1-2x

Gear →

General Info

Meta Tier

D

Class

Defender

Element

Iron

Weapon Type

SMG

Manufacturer

Tetra

Squad

Protocol

Voice Actors

Kim Chae-ha · Kira Buckland · Kaede Hondo

Illustrator

Mikan03_26

Release date

4 nov 2022

Recommended Build

Cubes

Bastion Cube / Resilience Cube

Overload (OL) Priority

Increase ATK › Increase Hit Rate › Increase Element Damage Dealt

Suggested by role & weapon. See: Gear · Cubes

Recommended Teams

Campaign

Frontline squad: Liter · Novel · Blanc · Privaty · Modernia. Novel anchors the formation via shreds DEF on 3 highest-DEF enemies, self DEF stacks, single-target ulti + bonus damage taken debuff at full stack; Liter fuels Burst, Blanc opens with AoE, Privaty buffs ATK, Modernia finishes.
General frame: Novel as main shield + 1 CDR (Liter, Volume) + 1 burst-gen + 2 flex DPS (Julia, Sugar). Prioritize Novel on stages with dangerous AoE damage.

Arena (PvP)

Jackal-style one-shot: Centi · Blanc · Liter · Guillotine · Novel. Novel soaks the opening counter via shreds DEF on 3 highest-DEF enemies, self DEF stacks, single-target ulti + bonus damage taken debuff at full stack, letting Centi/Blanc push max Burst for Guillotine's finisher.
Anti one-shot variant: Noise · Novel · Centi · Jackal · Naga. Novel and Jackal share the damage so the team survives the enemy's opening burst.

Raid/Interception

Main taunt team: Novel · Liter · Mast · Modernia · Guillotine. Novel pulls all hate via shreds DEF on 3 highest-DEF enemies, self DEF stacks, single-target ulti + bonus damage taken debuff at full stack, keeping the team alive long enough for Modernia/Guillotine to burst.
Sustain backup: Noise · Liter · Novel · Helm · Novel. Pairing Novel with Noise/Helm forms a double defensive layer for tough Solo Raids.

Costumes

Penguin HolmesDetective Nurse

Lore & Trivia

“Novel is a detective who collects intelligence, and is intent on becoming the Sherlock Holmes of the Ark. Wherever there is a mystery, she will be there.”