The final week of May has seen the 'Goddess of Victory: NIKKE' community buzzing, primarily about 'Freaker'. While her performance was scrutinised as a new Nikke, the main catalyst was the mandatory pairing with the recently released 'Mint'. Investigations and experiments on this very topic flooded BlahBlah, prompting fresh commanders to question if they needed to pull for both Mint and Freaker.

BITTER SPICE

On May 28th, the story event BITTER SPICE commenced, delving into the narrative of T.T.STAR member Freaker, following Mint's storyline. The setting picks up after the 3.5 anniversary, focusing on the group's return to T.T.STAR. Concurrently, limited recruitment for Freaker, the protagonist, opened and will conclude on June 11th. She offers bonus effects when fielded alongside Mint. Existing commanders can find performance reviews from BlahBlah and the Official Lounge.

Solo Raid 'Ultra'

Alongside the story event, a Solo Raid has also launched. This boss features a water-cooling code weakness and the Ultra difficulty. Sniper Rifle and Launcher Nikkes are recommended, with 'Toxic Wave - Toxic Barrage' being the key pattern. Utilize cover and stuns to block incoming attacks. The challenge stage opens on May 30th, after which more definitive squad compositions will emerge. Check the specs of your water-cooling code Nikkes before diving into the raid.

Freaker Performance Review

The new Nikke, Freaker, has made a significant impact in the main story and the 3.5 anniversary event story, garnering particular popularity in English-speaking regions. BlahBlah, a hub for global users, saw rapid performance assessments following Freaker's introduction. The consensus? She's deemed 'a Nikke unusable without Mint'. Comparisons and analyses with 'Mast: Romantic Maid - Anchor: Innocent Maid' (hereafter referred to as Ma-Aeng), a similar set Nikke, are frequent.

Their buff styles differ, leading to individual strengths and weaknesses. A prime example is 'reload speed increase'. Neither Mint nor Freaker offer related buffs, meaning they cannot compensate for the damage loss during reloads. However, their attack damage and critical damage increase buffs are higher than Ma-Aeng's. They excel in different areas. The issue is the lack of a Nikke possessing both 'Penetration + Explosive Projectile' effects. This means no Nikke can fully benefit from both Mint and Freaker's buffs. It's anticipated that if a Burst 3 dealer with all these related abilities is released in the future, Mint and Freaker's evaluations could rise considerably.

New Commander here, should I pull for 'Min-Fre'?

As mentioned, Freaker is difficult to use solo, naturally making Mint a necessity. This presents a quandary for new commanders during the 3.5 anniversary. With most resources and recruitment tickets already spent on 'Anis: Star' and 'Neon: Vision Eyes', the sudden emergence of a set Nikke is particularly concerning. Their solid performance and the accompanying Solo Raid naturally fuel desire.

Consequently, after the May 28th update, related questions flooded the community forums, with even veteran commanders offering divided advice. The general consensus is: 'New commanders should skip; aim for a minimum copy if pursuing high scores in Solo Raid.' The dilemma stems from the fact that Mint and Freaker are by no means low-tier Nikkes. The timing is the main issue. The developer notes in May foreshadowed a three-week event in June, hinting at the arrival of 'welcome Nikkes'. Following this event, July, being the summer season, is likely to see reruns of 'Dorothy: Serendipity' and 'Eleg: Boom & Shock'. Those contemplating acquiring Mint and Freaker should assess their resource situation before committing.

Surprisingly Fragile? 'Freaker'

The Nikke we're introducing today is Freaker. As a founding member of T.T.STAR alongside 'Anis' and Mint, she's now active as an idol in the post-3.5 anniversary T.T.STAR. Her popularity among commanders grew significantly since her first appearance in the main story, and surged even further after witnessing her idol attire and stage performance during the 3.5 anniversary.

Freaker is a 'Burst 2 - Water Cooling Code - Support Type - Sniper Rifle' Nikke. She plays a crucial role in supporting her partner Mint's buffs, earning her considerable affection from commanders. This is largely thanks to Freaker's Skill 2, 'One More Song!'. When Freaker uses her Burst, 'I'll Show You the Best Stage!', and receives the 'Performance' buff, then gains Mint's 'Sing-along' buff, she permanently grants Mint's other buff, 'Stage Part: Vocal'. Mint's buff concept alternates between Vocal and Dance effects; Freaker enables the simultaneous application of both.

Furthermore, pay close attention to Freaker's placement in squad formations. She must always be positioned in front of Mint for her skills to function optimally. The 'Performance' buff needs to activate first for Skill 2's effects to trigger, meaning a 'Freaker - Mint' order is essential for a full Burst activation. Fortunately, Freaker's Burst cooldown is 40 seconds, allowing Mint to naturally act next after the initial activation. Goddess of Victory: NIKKE's auto-skill usage proceeds from left to right in the squad, numbered '1-2-3-4-5', so careful formation is key.

Mint and Freaker's core buffs involve penetration damage and explosive projectile damage. Unfortunately, no Burst 3 Nikke currently possesses both. Among existing Nikkes, 'Snow White: Heavy Arms' or 'Alice' offer penetration damage, while Neon: Vision Eyes, 'Rapi: Red Hood', and 'Scarlet: Crimson Horn' are examples of Launcher types with explosive projectile damage. As previously mentioned, they boast comparable buffing power to Ma-Aeng, making them viable for at least a second-tier squad. Mint and Freaker are standard recruitment Nikkes and will be added to the general recruitment wishlist and Tetra molds later, so keep that in mind.

Despite her tall stature, boyish style, and seemingly cool demeanor, Freaker is surprisingly fragile. During the 3.5 anniversary farewell concert, she tried to regain her composure by reciting Buddhist scriptures, but to no avail. In BITTER SPICE, a misunderstanding with Mint created friction between them. She halted her entertainment activities to focus on songwriting, but without success. The story revolves around the commander stepping in to provide mental support. You can find more details in the story event and Freaker's personal story.

Aiming for Platinum: 'Jipdori'

The Jipdori Union, founded on January 24th, 2026, is currently recruiting new members. They have participated in the Union Raid a total of three times, achieving a Gold 12.19% ranking. They maintain a Day 1 clear streak for Union Raids and are now aiming for Platinum. Participation in three Union Raids on Hard difficulty is mandatory, with discussions and guidance for Union Raids taking place on a dedicated Discord server. New commanders from the 3.5 anniversary looking to compete in the upper echelons of Union Raids should leave a comment on the Jipdori Union's promotional post on the Official Lounge.