Nihility
Quantum5★Released: 11/06/2025 · v3.3 “Cifera? Ah, so you’ve heard of me… But few call me by that name these days. Call me Cipher. It’s sharper and swifter, like the wind itself. A perfect name for a master thief, don’t you think?”
Cipher is a Quantum Nihility character who acts extremely fast and launches a Follow-up ATK when allies attack her "Patron" target, up to 1 time per turn. She keeps a tally of part of the damage your team deals, then cashes it all out as True DMG with her Ultimate. On top of that, just having her on the field makes every enemy take 40% more DMG.
Worth pulling if you play Acheron, Feixiao or Dr. Ratio and don't have a strong support like Jiaoqiu or Topaz & Numby yet. If you already do, Cipher is a nice upgrade rather than a must. She also suits players who like to play manually, since leaving her on auto wastes a good chunk of her potential.
This is the main way to build Cipher: get her to 170 SPD first, then worry about CRIT stats. At 170 SPD her Empyrean Strides Trace hands her 50% CRIT Rate for free, which makes the CRIT side of the build much easier.
Lies Dance on the Breeze
Best
Resolution Shines As Pearls of Sweat
Great
Holiday Thermae Escapade
Great
Boundless Choreo
Good
Good Night and Sleep Well
Good
Take CRIT DMG on the body, because Empyrean Strides already gives 50% CRIT Rate at 170 SPD. SPD on the feet is a must. On the Planar Sphere, Quantum DMG Boost and ATK% both work.
SPD comes first and her personal damage comes second. Once you reach the SPD breakpoint you're aiming for, put the rest into CRIT stats. Effect Hit Rate only needs to be high enough for her debuffs to land.
Her Talent is the core of her kit. Cipher acts so often that leveling it makes her off-turn Follow-up ATKs hit harder. Ultimate and Skill can go in either order. Leave Basic ATK for last.
All three matter, so unlock them early. Empyrean Strides comes first: at 170 SPD it gives 50% CRIT Rate and raises the gained tally by 100%, which doubles it. 300 Rogues lets her tally damage dealt to enemies other than the "Patron". Sleight of Sky adds 100% CRIT DMG to her Talent's Follow-up ATK and makes all enemies take 40% more DMG while she is on the field.
E1 makes her tally 150% of its original value and gives Cipher 80% more ATK for 2 turns when she uses her Talent's Follow-up ATK, but in most cases it is still worth less than her signature Light Cone. E2 gives each hit a 120% base chance to make the enemy take 30% more DMG for 2 turns, which together with her built-in 40% adds up to 70%. E6 greatly boosts her Follow-up ATK damage and returns 20% of the tally after she uses her Ultimate.
If your team needs debuffs more than Cipher's own damage, for example Acheron or Dr. Ratio teams, you can build her as an extremely fast debuffer. This setup relies on her Ultimate to give her earlier turns through Eagle of Twilight Line.
Lies Dance on the Breeze
Best
Resolution Shines As Pearls of Sweat
Great
Holiday Thermae Escapade
Great
An Energy Regeneration Rate Link Rope gets Cipher's Ultimate up sooner, which goes hand in hand with Eagle of Twilight Line. On the body, CRIT DMG and Effect Hit Rate both work.
If you'd rather make Cipher tankier than have her deal damage, go for HP% and then DEF% after SPD and Effect Hit Rate.
Cipher works as both a Sub-DPS and a very fast debuffer here, helping Acheron build up Slashed Dream faster. An E0 Acheron needs one more Nihility character besides Cipher to unlock her full damage buff, which is why Jiaoqiu comes along. At E2 Acheron only needs one Nihility unit, so Jiaoqiu's slot can go to a Harmony character like Sunday, Tribbie or Sparkle.
Cipher attacks constantly with Follow-up ATKs and spreads debuffs, which makes her an excellent Sub-DPS for Feixiao or Dr. Ratio. Ideally bring other units who apply debuffs so Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters stays at full strength. Any sustain works except Huohuo, because Feixiao can't benefit from Huohuo's Energy.
In this team Cipher can simply use Basic ATK to generate Skill Points for Archer. Sparkle also generates Skill Points for the party, while Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae shields the team and boosts Archer's ATK. Sunday can replace Sparkle, since Sunday provides Energy and Action Advance.
Castorice is an AoE damage dealer with no special gimmick, she just wants raw damage amplification, so Cipher's effect that makes enemies take more DMG fits her well. Thanks to 300 Rogues, the damage Castorice deals to enemies other than the "Patron" still goes into Cipher's tally.
Cipher counts as a Nihility unit for Acheron, and with a debuffing Light Cone her Follow-up ATKs spread extra debuffs. With her signature every attack applies a debuff, while Resolution Shines As Pearls of Sweat can't reapply its debuff while the enemy still has it.
Cipher adds an extra Follow-up ATK every turn on top of making enemies take more DMG. Next to a single-target damage dealer, her tally rate can reach 24%.
Gets value from both Cipher's debuffs and her Follow-up ATKs. Every extra debuff on an enemy raises Dr. Ratio's chance to launch his own Follow-up ATK.
Cipher can stick to Basic ATK and leave the Skill Points for Archer.
AoE damage dealers like her only need raw damage amplification. Cipher's effect is a rare stat, so it doesn't get diluted the way ATK or CRIT DMG buffs do.
Another AoE damage dealer with no special gimmick, so Cipher only has to amplify her damage.
Buffs both Cipher and Acheron and helps against Elite enemies. Fits best when Acheron is E2.
Provides shields and boosts Follow-up ATK DMG, so Aventurine fits both Feixiao teams and Archer teams.
When no enemy is the "Patron", Cipher automatically marks the enemy with the highest Max HP. Using her Skill or Ultimate on an enemy makes that primary target the new "Patron", and only 1 enemy can be the "Patron" at a time. Whenever an ally attacks the "Patron", Cipher immediately launches a Follow-up ATK, up to 1 time per turn, and this resets at the start of her turn. Switching the "Patron" does not lose the damage she has already tallied.
Cipher tallies 12% of the non-True DMG allies deal to the "Patron", and Overflow DMG is not counted. With 300 Rogues she also tallies 8% of the damage dealt to other enemies. At 170 SPD these numbers become 24% and 16%.
Her Ultimate Yours Truly, Kitty Phantom Thief! turns the tally into True DMG: 25% goes into the primary target, and the other 75% is split evenly between the primary target and the adjacent targets. Against 3 enemies, the one in the middle takes 50% and each one beside it takes 25%. With only 1 enemy left, it takes the full 100%. The tally is cleared after she uses her Ultimate.
Her Ultimate only costs 130 Energy, but you should hold it until the tally is large enough, then use it on the target that matters. Auto mode doesn't know how to wait, so it can waste a lot of that value. The exception is Feixiao teams, where you can use her Ultimate more often for extra hits that charge Feixiao's Ultimate faster, or when you want to end a boss phase sooner.
Her Empyrean Strides Trace has two breakpoints. At 140 SPD, Cipher gains 25% CRIT Rate and her gained tally increases by 50%. At 170 SPD, that becomes 50% CRIT Rate and a 100% increase to the tally. That makes 170 close to mandatory, and she is clearly weaker below it.
Deals Quantum DMG equal to 140% of Cipher’s ATK to one designated enemy.
Has a 120% base chance to Weaken one designated enemy and its adjacent targets (decreasing their DMG dealt by 10%) and increases Cipher’s ATK by 30%, lasting for 2 turn(s). Moreover, deals Quantum DMG equal to 250% of Cipher’s ATK to one designated enemy, and Quantum DMG equal to 125% of Cipher’s ATK to the adjacent targets.
Deals Quantum DMG equal to 150% of Cipher’s ATK to one designated enemy. Then, deals True DMG equal to 25% of the current tally kept by Talent to the one designated enemy. Moreover, deals Quantum DMG equal to 50% of Cipher’s ATK alongside True DMG equal to 75% of the current tally kept by Talent to the one designated enemy and its adjacent targets. And this True DMG is distributed evenly among all targets of this ability.
When there are no enemy targets in the “Patron” state on the battlefield, Cipher immediately causes one enemy target with the highest Max HP on the battlefield to become the “Patron.” When using Skill and Ultimate, the primary target becomes the “Patron.” The “Patron” state only takes effect on the most recent target.
After the “Patron” gets attacked by other ally targets, Cipher immediately launches Follow-Up ATK against the “Patron,” dealing Quantum DMG equal to 188% of Cipher’s ATK. This effect can trigger up to 1 time(s) per turn, and this trigger count resets at the start of Cipher’s turn.
Cipher will tally 12% of the non-True DMG dealt by ally targets to the “Patron.” Overflow DMG will not be tallied. After using Ultimate, clears this tally.
Gains “Zagreus’s Blessing” that lasts for 15 second(s). During this time, Cipher will be undetectable by enemies and her movement speed increases by 50%. When approaching an enemy in the overworld/Simulated Universe/Divergent Universe, can immediately gain a random Consumable. Consumables can be gained this way for up to 50 time(s) in each Earth day.
When entering battle with “Zagreus’s Blessing” active, deals Quantum DMG equal to 100% of Cipher’s ATK to all enemies. And the tallied amount Cipher gains from this instance of DMG increases by 200%.
Cipher is a support character who increases the damage enemies take. At the same time, she records the damage her team deals and turns it into True DMG.
After using her Technique, she can enter Stealth and move at high speed, and she can even steal consumables off the enemies.
Zenless Zone Zero
