
Honkai: Star Rail features a diverse roster of characters, each with unique abilities, elements, and paths that determine their role in combat. Our comprehensive tier list for November 2025 ranks all characters based on their overall effectiveness in various game modes, including story content, Forgotten Hall, and simulated universe. This ranking considers factors like damage output, utility, team synergy, and versatility across different content types. Whether you’re a new player deciding which characters to invest in or a veteran looking to optimize your team composition, this tier list will help you make informed decisions about your character investments and team building strategies.
Our Honkai: Star Rail tier list is based on several key factors:
| Name | Tier | Path | Element | Special Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seele | S | The Hunt | Quantum | Resurgence |
| Jing Yuan | S | The Erudition | Lightning | Lightning Lord |
| Bronya | S | The Harmony | Wind | Combat Redeployment |
| Gepard | S | The Preservation | Ice | Enduring Bulwark |
| Bailu | S | The Abundance | Lightning | Suffering |
| Luocha | S | The Abundance | Imaginary | Abyssal Praise |
| Kafka | S | The Nihility | Lightning | Gentle but Cruel |
| Blade | S | The Destruction | Wind | Forest of Swords |
| Silver Wolf | S | The Nihility | Quantum | Waiting for Mode Change |
| Fu Xuan | S | The Preservation | Quantum | Knowledge Domain |
| Name | Tier | Path | Element | Special Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Himeko | A | The Erudition | Fire | Molten Aether |
| Yanqing | A | The Hunt | Ice | Soul-Stirring Sword Stance |
| Clara | A | The Destruction | Physical | I Want to Help |
| Tingyun | A | The Harmony | Lightning | Soothing Melody |
| Asta | A | The Harmony | Fire | Sparkling Explosion |
| Pela | A | The Nihility | Ice | Pressure |
| Serval | A | The Erudition | Lightning | Lightning Flash |
| Arlan | A | The Destruction | Lightning | Shattering Blow |
| Sushang | A | The Hunt | Physical | War Dance |
| Hook | A | The Destruction | Fire | Cook With Me |
| Natasha | A | The Abundance | Physical | Post-Op Conversation |
| Lynx | A | The Abundance | Quantum | Inherent Gift |
| Guinaifen | A | The Nihility | Fire | Oil, Paper, Water Lock |
| Luka | A | The Nihility | Physical | Lacerating Fist |
| Yukong | A | The Harmony | Imaginary | Roaring Bowstrings |
| Dr. Ratio | A | The Hunt | Imaginary | Syllogistic Delusion |
| Topaz & Numby | A | The Hunt | Fire | Overtaker |
| Xueyi | A | The Destruction | Quantum | Transcendent Flash |
| Name | Tier | Path | Element | Special Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Heng | B | The Hunt | Wind | Cloudlancer Art |
| March 7th | B | The Preservation | Ice | The Power of Cuteness |
| Herta | B | The Erudition | Ice | Fine, I’ll Do It Myself |
| Welt | B | The Nihility | Imaginary | Gravitational Imprisonment |
| Sampo | B | The Nihility | Wind | Windtunnel Dagger |
| Qingque | B | The Erudition | Quantum | A Hoarder’s Struggle |
| Luka | B | The Nihility | Physical | Lacerating Fist |
| Trailblazer (Physical) | B | The Destruction | Physical | Last-Ditch Counter |
| Trailblazer (Fire) | B | The Preservation | Fire | Indomitability |
| Trailblazer (Imaginary) | B | The Destruction | Imaginary | Dawn of the First Sun |
| Gallagher | B | The Abundance | Fire | Tipsy Tussle |
| Misha | B | The Destruction | Ice | Windward Cosmos |
| Name | Tier | Path | Element | Special Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serval | C | The Erudition | Lightning | Lightning Flash |
| Arlan | C | The Destruction | Lightning | Shattering Blow |
| Herta | C | The Erudition | Ice | Fine, I’ll Do It Myself |
| Qingque | C | The Erudition | Quantum | A Hoarder’s Struggle |
| Sampo | C | The Nihility | Wind | Windtunnel Dagger |
Seele stands at the pinnacle of damage dealers in Honkai: Star Rail. Her Quantum element gives her excellent coverage against many enemies, and her ability to gain extra turns through her Resurgence talent makes her incredibly consistent. When Seele defeats an enemy, she immediately takes another action, allowing for chain reactions that can wipe out entire enemy teams. Her ultimate deals massive single-target damage and ignores enemy DEF, making her effective against even the tankiest foes. Seele excels in both single-target and AoE scenarios, making her the most versatile damage dealer in the game.
Jing Yuan is the premier AoE damage dealer in Honkai: Star Rail. His Lightning Lord ability automatically attacks enemies between his turns, providing consistent damage without consuming skill points. This makes him incredibly skill point efficient while still dealing massive damage. His ultimate summons an even more powerful Lightning Lord that can hit multiple times, often clearing waves of enemies on its own. Jing Yuan’s ability to deal damage without using skill points makes him a perfect fit for teams that need to conserve resources for other characters. His consistent damage output and team utility place him firmly in the S-tier.
Bronya is the best support character in Honkai: Star Rail, offering unparalleled utility to her team. Her Combat Redeployment ability allows her to grant an ally an immediate turn with increased damage, making her essential for setting up powerful combos. Her ultimate provides a massive damage boost to the entire team while also cleansing debuffs, making her invaluable in challenging content. Bronya’s ability to manipulate turn order and enhance damage output makes her a staple in nearly every high-end team composition. Her versatility and game-changing abilities earn her a well-deserved S-tier position.
Gepard is the premier defensive character in Honkai: Star Rail, offering unmatched protection to his team. His Enduring Bulwark ability provides a powerful shield that can absorb massive amounts of damage, while his ultimate freezes all enemies, giving your team breathing room to heal or set up attacks. Gepard’s ability to consistently provide shields makes him invaluable in content with high burst damage, and his freeze effect can turn the tide of difficult battles. As a Preservation path character, he excels at keeping your team alive in the most challenging content, making him an essential pick for any defensive strategy.
Bailu is one of the best healers in Honkai: Star Rail, offering both immediate healing and preventive measures. Her Suffering ability allows her to heal allies and provide a damage reduction buff, while her ultimate provides massive healing to the entire team. What sets Bailu apart is her ability to automatically revive a fallen ally once per battle, which can be a game-changer in difficult content. Her Lightning element also provides good coverage against many enemies. Bailu’s combination of healing, damage reduction, and revival makes her an invaluable asset to any team, earning her S-tier status.
Luocha brings a unique healing mechanic to Honkai: Star Rail that doesn’t consume skill points. His Abyssal Praise ability creates a field that automatically heals allies when they fall below a certain health threshold, allowing you to focus skill points on damage dealers. His ultimate provides massive instant healing while also dealing damage to enemies. Luocha’s ability to provide consistent healing without using skill points makes him incredibly valuable in teams that need to maximize damage output. His unique healing approach and versatility earn him a spot in the S-tier.
Kafka is the premier DoT (Damage over Time) character in Honkai: Star Rail, excelling at wearing down enemies over time. Her Gentle but Cruel ability allows her to trigger all DoT effects on enemies, making her the centerpiece of any DoT-focused team. Her ultimate deals massive damage to all enemies while also applying Shock, making it effective in both single-target and AoE scenarios. Kafka’s ability to amplify and trigger DoT effects makes her incredibly valuable in content where battles last longer, as her damage continues to accumulate over time. Her unique playstyle and consistent damage output place her firmly in the S-tier.
Blade is a unique damage dealer who thrives on taking damage himself. His Forest of Swords ability allows him to sacrifice health to deal massive damage, while his ultimate provides both damage and healing. What makes Blade special is his ability to consistently deal damage without consuming skill points, as his basic attack becomes enhanced when his health is low. This self-sustaining cycle makes him incredibly efficient and powerful. Blade’s ability to turn damage taken into increased damage output makes him a formidable force in any team composition, earning him S-tier status.
Silver Wolf is the premier debuffer in Honkai: Star Rail, capable of manipulating enemy weaknesses. Her Waiting for Mode Change ability can implant a weakness of an ally’s element onto enemies, making her invaluable for breaking through enemy defenses. Her ultimate deals damage while also reducing enemy DEF, making your entire team more effective. Silver Wolf’s ability to create weaknesses where none existed makes her essential for tackling content with varied enemy types. Her unique utility and team support capabilities place her firmly in the S-tier.
Fu Xuan brings a unique defensive approach to Honkai: Star Rail through her Knowledge Domain ability. She creates a Matrix that redistributes damage among all allies, preventing any single character from taking too much damage. Her ultimate provides both damage reduction and healing, making her incredibly versatile. What sets Fu Xuan apart is her ability to provide consistent damage mitigation without consuming skill points, allowing your team to focus on offense. Her Quantum element also provides good coverage against many enemies. Fu Xuan’s unique defensive mechanics and team utility earn her a well-deserved S-tier position.
Himeko is a powerful AoE damage dealer who excels at clearing waves of enemies. Her Molten Aether ability deals damage to multiple enemies and becomes enhanced when enemies are defeated, allowing for chain reactions. Her ultimate deals massive fire damage to all enemies, making it perfect for clearing groups. Himeko’s ability to consistently deal AoE damage makes her invaluable in content with multiple enemies, and her Fire element provides good coverage against many enemy types. While she requires some setup to reach her full potential, her damage output is impressive enough to secure her A-tier position.
Yanqing is a powerful single-target damage dealer who excels at taking down high-priority targets. His Soul-Stirring Sword Stance ability increases his critical rate and damage, making him incredibly consistent. His ultimate deals massive ice damage to a single enemy, making it perfect for eliminating dangerous foes quickly. Yanqing’s ability to consistently deal high critical damage makes him invaluable in content focused on single targets, and his Ice element provides good coverage against many enemies. While he requires some protection to reach his full potential, his damage output is impressive enough to secure his A-tier position.
Clara is a unique damage dealer who thrives on being attacked. Her I Want to Help ability causes her counter-attacking robot Svarog to automatically attack enemies who hit Clara, dealing significant damage without consuming skill points. Her ultimate makes Svarog attack all enemies while also increasing Clara’s damage output. Clara’s ability to turn enemy attacks into damage for your team makes her incredibly valuable in content with high enemy aggression. Her Physical element provides good coverage against many enemies. While she requires a specific team composition to maximize her potential, her damage output is impressive enough to secure her A-tier position.
Tingyun is an excellent support character who specializes in boosting damage dealers. Her Soothing Melody ability increases an ally’s attack and allows them to deal additional damage when they use their ultimate. Her ultimate provides energy regeneration to the entire team, allowing for more frequent ultimate usage. Tingyun’s ability to significantly boost a single damage dealer makes her invaluable in teams focused on single-target damage. Her Lightning element provides good coverage against many enemies. While she’s more specialized than some other supports, her damage amplification is impressive enough to secure her A-tier position.
Asta is a versatile support character who excels at increasing team speed and dealing fire damage. Her Sparkling Explosion ability increases the speed of all allies while also dealing fire damage to multiple enemies. Her ultimate increases the attack of all allies while also dealing fire damage to all enemies. Asta’s ability to increase team speed makes her invaluable in content where turn order is crucial, and her Fire element provides good coverage against many enemies. While she doesn’t provide as much raw damage amplification as some other supports, her versatility and speed enhancement are impressive enough to secure her A-tier position.
Pela is an excellent debuffer who specializes in reducing enemy defenses. Her Pressure ability reduces enemy DEF while also dealing ice damage. Her ultimate removes all buffs from enemies while also reducing their DEF, making your entire team more effective. Pela’s ability to consistently reduce enemy defenses makes her invaluable in content focused on breaking through tough enemies. Her Ice element provides good coverage against many enemies. While she doesn’t provide as much utility as some other debuffers, her DEF reduction is impressive enough to secure her A-tier position.
Serval is a solid AoE damage dealer who excels at dealing lightning damage to multiple enemies. Her Lightning Flash ability deals damage to multiple enemies and becomes enhanced against shocked enemies, allowing for increased damage output. Her ultimate deals massive lightning damage to all enemies while also applying Shock, making it effective in both immediate damage and DoT scenarios. Serval’s ability to consistently deal AoE lightning damage makes her invaluable in content with multiple enemies. While she requires some setup to reach her full potential, her damage output is solid enough to secure her A-tier position.
Arlan is a high-risk, high-reward damage dealer who excels at dealing massive lightning damage at the cost of his own health. His Shattering Blow ability consumes his health to deal increased damage, making him incredibly powerful when managed correctly. His ultimate deals massive lightning damage to a single enemy while also consuming his health, making it perfect for eliminating dangerous foes quickly. Arlan’s ability to convert health into damage makes him incredibly powerful when paired with a good healer. While he requires careful management to reach his full potential, his damage output is impressive enough to secure his A-tier position.
Sushang is a solid single-target damage dealer who excels at taking down high-priority targets. Her War Dance ability increases her speed and allows her to attack multiple times when she defeats an enemy. Her ultimate deals massive physical damage to a single enemy while also increasing her speed, making it perfect for eliminating dangerous foes quickly. Sushang’s ability to consistently deal high damage and potentially take extra turns makes her invaluable in content focused on single targets. Her Physical element provides good coverage against many enemies. While she requires some setup to reach her full potential, her damage output is solid enough to secure her A-tier position.
Hook is a solid damage dealer who excels at dealing fire damage over time. Her Cook With Me ability deals fire damage to a single enemy and applies Burn, dealing additional damage over time. Her ultimate deals massive fire damage to a single enemy while also enhancing her Burn effect, making it effective in both immediate damage and DoT scenarios. Hook’s ability to consistently deal fire damage over time makes her invaluable in content where battles last longer. While she requires some setup to reach her full potential, her damage output is solid enough to secure her A-tier position.
Natasha is a reliable healer who provides consistent healing to her team. Her Post-Op Conversation ability heals an ally and increases their max HP, providing both immediate and preventive measures. Her ultimate provides massive healing to the entire team, making it perfect for recovering from heavy damage. Natasha’s ability to consistently provide healing makes her invaluable in content with high damage output. Her Physical element provides good coverage against many enemies. While she doesn’t provide as much utility as some other healers, her consistent healing is solid enough to secure her A-tier position.
Lynx is a versatile healer who provides both healing and debuff removal. Her Inherent Gift ability heals an ally and removes a debuff, providing both recovery and utility. Her ultimate provides massive healing to the entire team while also removing all debuffs, making it perfect for recovering from heavy damage and negative effects. Lynx’s ability to consistently provide healing and debuff removal makes her invaluable in content with high damage output and frequent debuffs. Her Quantum element provides good coverage against many enemies. While she requires some setup to reach her full potential, her versatility is solid enough to secure her A-tier position.
Guinaifen is a solid DoT character who specializes in dealing fire damage over time. Her Oil, Paper, Water Lock ability deals fire damage to multiple enemies and applies Burn, dealing additional damage over time. Her ultimate deals massive fire damage to all enemies while also enhancing her Burn effect, making it effective in both immediate damage and DoT scenarios. Guinaifen’s ability to consistently deal fire damage over time makes her invaluable in content where battles last longer. While she requires some setup to reach her full potential, her damage output is solid enough to secure her A-tier position.
Luka is a solid damage dealer who specializes in dealing physical damage over time. His Lacerating Fist ability deals physical damage to a single enemy and applies Bleed, dealing additional damage over time. His ultimate deals massive physical damage to a single enemy while also enhancing his Bleed effect, making it effective in both immediate damage and DoT scenarios. Luka’s ability to consistently deal physical damage over time makes him invaluable in content where battles last longer. While he requires some setup to reach his full potential, his damage output is solid enough to secure her A-tier position.
Yukong is a solid support character who specializes in boosting damage dealers. Her Roaring Bowstrings ability increases an ally’s critical damage and allows them to deal additional damage when they use their ultimate. Her ultimate increases the attack and critical damage of all allies while also dealing imaginary damage to all enemies. Yukong’s ability to significantly boost the entire team’s damage makes her invaluable in teams focused on maximizing damage output. Her Imaginary element provides good coverage against many enemies. While she requires some setup to reach her full potential, her damage amplification is solid enough to secure her A-tier position.
Dr. Ratio is a powerful single-target damage dealer who excels at taking down high-priority targets. His Syllogistic Delusion ability deals massive imaginary damage to a single enemy and becomes enhanced against debuffed enemies, allowing for increased damage output. His ultimate deals massive imaginary damage to a single enemy while also applying a debuff, making it perfect for eliminating dangerous foes quickly. Dr. Ratio’s ability to consistently deal high damage to debuffed enemies makes him invaluable in teams with strong debuffers. His Imaginary element provides good coverage against many enemies. While he requires some setup to reach his full potential, his damage output is impressive enough to secure his A-tier position.
Topaz & Numby are a unique damage dealer duo who excel at dealing fire damage over multiple turns. Their Overtaker ability allows Numby to automatically attack enemies, dealing consistent damage without consuming skill points. Their ultimate deals massive fire damage to a single enemy while also enhancing Numby’s attacks, making it effective in both immediate damage and sustained scenarios. Topaz & Numby’s ability to consistently deal fire damage without consuming skill points makes them invaluable in teams that need to maximize damage output. Their Fire element provides good coverage against many enemies. While they require some setup to reach their full potential, their damage output is solid enough to secure their A-tier position.
Xueyi is a solid damage dealer who specializes in breaking enemy toughness. Her Transcendent Flash ability deals quantum damage to a single enemy and becomes enhanced when enemy toughness is low, allowing for increased damage output. Her ultimate deals massive quantum damage to all enemies while also breaking their toughness, making it perfect for quickly breaking through enemy defenses. Xueyi’s ability to consistently break enemy toughness makes her invaluable in content focused on exploiting enemy weaknesses. Her Quantum element provides good coverage against many enemies. While she requires some setup to reach her full potential, her damage output is solid enough to secure her A-tier position.
Dan Heng is a decent single-target damage dealer who focuses on dealing wind damage. His Cloudlancer Art ability increases his speed and allows him to deal additional damage when he defeats an enemy. His ultimate deals massive wind damage to a single enemy while also reducing their speed, making it effective in both damage and utility. Dan Heng’s ability to consistently deal wind damage makes him useful in content focused on single targets. His Wind element provides good coverage against many enemies. While he doesn’t reach the damage output of S or A-tier characters, he’s a solid choice for early to mid-game content.
March 7th is a decent defensive character who provides shields and some utility. Her The Power of Cuteness ability provides a shield to an ally and has a chance to freeze enemies who attack them. Her ultimate provides shields to all allies while also dealing ice damage to all enemies, making it effective in both defense and offense. March 7th’s ability to consistently provide shields makes her useful in content with high damage output. Her Ice element provides good coverage against many enemies. While she doesn’t provide as much protection as S or A-tier defensive characters, she’s a solid choice for early to mid-game content.
Herta is a decent AoE damage dealer who focuses on dealing ice damage. Her Fine, I’ll Do It Myself ability deals ice damage to all enemies and becomes enhanced against enemies with low health, allowing for increased damage output. Her ultimate deals massive ice damage to all enemies while also applying Freeze, making it effective in both damage and crowd control. Herta’s ability to consistently deal ice damage makes her useful in content with multiple enemies. While she doesn’t reach the damage output of S or A-tier characters, she’s a solid choice for early to mid-game content.
Welt is a decent debuffer who specializes in reducing enemy speed and dealing imaginary damage. His Gravitational Imprisonment ability reduces enemy speed and deals imaginary damage to multiple enemies. His ultimate deals massive imaginary damage to all enemies while also applying Imprisonment, preventing them from taking action. Welt’s ability to consistently reduce enemy speed makes him useful in content where turn order is crucial. His Imaginary element provides good coverage against many enemies. While he doesn’t provide as much utility as S or A-tier debuffers, he’s a solid choice for early to mid-game content.
Sampo is a decent DoT character who specializes in dealing wind damage over time. His Windtunnel Dagger ability deals wind damage to multiple enemies and applies Wind Shear, dealing additional damage over time. His ultimate deals massive wind damage to all enemies while also enhancing his Wind Shear effect, making it effective in both immediate damage and DoT scenarios. Sampo’s ability to consistently deal wind damage over time makes him useful in content where battles last longer. While he doesn’t reach the damage output of S or A-tier characters, he’s a solid choice for early to mid-game content.
Qingque is a decent damage dealer who has a unique mechanic based on collecting tiles. Her A Hoarder’s Struggle ability deals quantum damage to multiple enemies and becomes enhanced when she collects specific tiles, allowing for increased damage output. Her ultimate deals massive quantum damage to all enemies while also enhancing her tile collection, making it effective in both damage and setup. Qingque’s ability to potentially deal massive damage makes her useful in content focused on single targets. While she requires significant setup to reach her full potential, she can be a solid choice for specific team compositions.
The Physical Trailblazer is a decent all-around damage dealer who focuses on dealing physical damage. Their Last-Ditch Counter ability increases their damage when they take damage, making them more effective in prolonged battles. Their ultimate deals massive physical damage to a single enemy while also enhancing their next attack, making it effective in both immediate damage and setup. The Physical Trailblazer’s ability to consistently deal physical damage makes them useful in content focused on single targets. While they don’t reach the damage output of S or A-tier characters, they’re a solid choice for early to mid-game content.
The Fire Trailblazer is a decent defensive character who provides shields and deals fire damage. Their Indomitability ability provides a shield to themselves and increases their damage when they have a shield, making them more effective in prolonged battles. Their ultimate deals massive fire damage to all enemies while also providing a shield to all allies, making it effective in both offense and defense. The Fire Trailblazer’s ability to consistently provide shields makes them useful in content with high damage output. While they don’t provide as much protection as S or A-tier defensive characters, they’re a solid choice for early to mid-game content.
The Imaginary Trailblazer is a decent damage dealer who focuses on dealing imaginary damage. Their Dawn of the First Sun ability increases their damage when they defeat an enemy, making them more effective in prolonged battles. Their ultimate deals massive imaginary damage to all enemies while also enhancing their next attack, making it effective in both immediate damage and setup. The Imaginary Trailblazer’s ability to consistently deal imaginary damage makes them useful in content with multiple enemies. While they don’t reach the damage output of S or A-tier characters, they’re a solid choice for early to mid-game content.
Gallagher is a decent healer who provides both healing and some damage. His Tipsy Tussle ability heals an ally and deals fire damage to a single enemy, providing both recovery and offense. His ultimate provides massive healing to the entire team while also dealing fire damage to all enemies, making it effective in both recovery and damage. Gallagher’s ability to consistently provide healing makes him useful in content with high damage output. His Fire element provides good coverage against many enemies. While he doesn’t provide as much utility as S or A-tier healers, he’s a solid choice for early to mid-game content.
Misha is a decent damage dealer who focuses on dealing ice damage. His Windward Cosmos ability deals ice damage to multiple enemies and becomes enhanced when he defeats an enemy, allowing for increased damage output. His ultimate deals massive ice damage to all enemies while also enhancing his next attack, making it effective in both immediate damage and setup. Misha’s ability to consistently deal ice damage makes him useful in content with multiple enemies. While he doesn’t reach the damage output of S or A-tier characters, he’s a solid choice for early to mid-game content.
Serval is a below-average AoE damage dealer who focuses on dealing lightning damage. Her Lightning Flash ability deals damage to multiple enemies and becomes enhanced against shocked enemies, allowing for increased damage output. Her ultimate deals massive lightning damage to all enemies while also applying Shock, making it effective in both immediate damage and DoT scenarios. While Serval can deal consistent lightning damage, her damage output is lower than most other characters, making her less effective in challenging content.
Arlan is a below-average damage dealer who focuses on dealing lightning damage at the cost of his own health. His Shattering Blow ability consumes his health to deal increased damage, making him powerful when managed correctly. His ultimate deals massive lightning damage to a single enemy while also consuming his health, making it effective against single targets. While Arlan can deal high damage, his health consumption makes him difficult to use effectively, and his overall damage output is lower than most other characters.
Herta is a below-average AoE damage dealer who focuses on dealing ice damage. Her Fine, I’ll Do It Myself ability deals ice damage to all enemies and becomes enhanced against enemies with low health, allowing for increased damage output. Her ultimate deals massive ice damage to all enemies while also applying Freeze, making it effective in both damage and crowd control. While Herta can deal consistent ice damage, her damage output is lower than most other characters, making her less effective in challenging content.
Qingque is a below-average damage dealer who has a unique mechanic based on collecting tiles. Her A Hoarder’s Struggle ability deals quantum damage to multiple enemies and becomes enhanced when she collects specific tiles, allowing for increased damage output. Her ultimate deals massive quantum damage to all enemies while also enhancing her tile collection, making it effective in both damage and setup. While Qingque can potentially deal high damage, she requires significant setup to reach her full potential, making her inconsistent and less effective than other damage dealers.
Sampo is a below-average DoT character who specializes in dealing wind damage over time. His Windtunnel Dagger ability deals wind damage to multiple enemies and applies Wind Shear, dealing additional damage over time. His ultimate deals massive wind damage to all enemies while also enhancing his Wind Shear effect, making it effective in both immediate damage and DoT scenarios. While Sampo can deal consistent wind damage over time, his overall damage output is lower than most other characters, making him less effective in challenging content.
Our Honkai: Star Rail tier list is updated monthly to reflect new character releases, balance changes, and shifts in the meta. We analyze data from top players, community feedback, and our own testing to ensure the rankings remain accurate and relevant. Major updates that introduce new characters or significantly change existing ones may prompt additional updates outside our regular schedule.
For new players, we recommend focusing on building a balanced team with one main DPS, one healer, one shielder, and one support/debuffer. S-tier characters like Seele or Jing Yuan make excellent primary DPS choices, while healers like Bailu or Luocha ensure team survival. Support characters like Bronya or Tingyun can significantly boost your team’s damage output. Consider your existing characters and try to build complementary elements and paths for maximum effectiveness.
While 5-star characters generally have higher base stats and more powerful abilities, some 4-star characters can outperform them in specific situations or team compositions. Characters like Tingyun, Natasha, and Pela can be invaluable additions to your team despite being 4-star. The key is building a well-rounded team that covers different elements and paths, rather than simply focusing on star rarity.
You can obtain new characters primarily through the Warp system using Stellar Jade. There are limited-time character event warps that feature specific 5-star characters with increased drop rates. Standard warps offer a rotating pool of characters. You can also obtain some characters for free through story progression, events, and the Simulated Universe. Remember to save your Stellar Jade for characters you really want, as the gacha system can be unpredictable.
The best team composition depends on the content you’re facing and the characters you have available. A general-purpose team might include a primary DPS (like Seele or Jing Yuan), a healer (like Bailu or Luocha), a shielder (like Gepard or Fire Trailblazer), and a support/debuffer (like Bronya or Silver Wolf). For specific content, you might want to adjust your team to exploit enemy weaknesses or counter specific mechanics. The key is to have balanced elements, paths, and roles that complement each other.
Character Eidolons (constellations) can significantly enhance a character’s abilities, with some Eidolons being more impactful than others. For most players, reaching E2 (second Eidolon) is a good goal as it often provides a meaningful power boost without requiring excessive investment. While higher Eidolons can make characters much stronger, they’re generally not necessary for clearing content. Focus on building a diverse team of characters at E0-E2 rather than heavily investing in a single character.
All elements in Honkai: Star Rail have their uses, but Quantum and Imaginary are generally considered the most valuable due to their ability to implant weaknesses on enemies through characters like Silver Wolf. That said, having a diverse team with different elements is crucial for breaking enemy weaknesses effectively. Try to build teams that can cover multiple elements to ensure you’re prepared for various content.
Skill point management is crucial in Honkai: Star Rail. Generally, you want to prioritize using skills on your main DPS and key support characters, while using basic attacks on others to conserve points. Some characters like Jing Yuan or Luocha can be effective without using many skill points, allowing you to focus resources elsewhere. Learning when to use skills versus basic attacks comes with experience and depends on your specific team composition and the enemies you’re facing.
Paths determine a character’s role and general playstyle. The Hunt focuses on single-target damage, The Erudition excels at AoE damage, The Destruction provides balanced damage with some survivability, The Preservation offers shielding and protection, The Abundance provides healing, The Harmony enhances allies, and The Nihility focuses on debuffing enemies. Building a team with complementary Paths is key to success in Honkai: Star Rail.
For challenging content like Forgotten Hall, focus on building balanced teams that can handle both single-target and AoE scenarios. Having characters with defensive capabilities like shields or healing is crucial for survival. Consider the enemies you’ll be facing and build teams with elements that exploit their weaknesses. Upgrading your Light Cones, Relics, and character levels is also important for increasing your power. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different team compositions to find what works best for you.