Honkai Star Rail has introduced 26 characters that are playable, with 15 of them being 5-star characters and the rest being 4-star characters. Upon starting the game, players receive a free 5-star main character called Trailblazer, as well as several other free characters including Dan Heng, March 7, Herta, and Asta. Additionally, in the 2nd closed beta, players can obtain Natasha, who serves as a healer, and Serval, who is an AoE attacker, for free.
This guide evaluates all 26 playable characters in Honkai Star Rail and explains their positions in the Honkai Star Rail ranking system.
| Character | Campaign | Bosses | Farming | Forgotten Hall | Simulated Universe | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronya | She is considered one of the best characters in the game, and an excellent buffer. She has the ability to grant turn priority to allies, as well as increase their ATK. | |||||
| Jing Yuan | This character is the top performer in AoE damage. It is highly effective for farming, and also useful for bosses. | |||||
| Seele | The game's best Single-Target DPS unit, with outstanding synergy with Bronya. The Quantum element attribute is highly advantageous. | |||||
| Welt | This character is one of the few Imaginary characters currently available in the game. Its main skill is slowing down enemies, which is excellent for control and can pair well with Dan Heng. | |||||
| Bailu | Until the release of Luocha, this is the best healer in the game, and is capable of reviving allies. | |||||
| Yanqing | This character does not require gear to be effective, thanks to its significant self-buff for critical strikes. It is an excellent endgame choice. | |||||
| Himeko | This character is known as the "Queen of AoE." It is an exceptional option for farming, and decent for endgame. | |||||
| Dan Heng | For Free-to-Play players, this is the best Single-Target DPS 4-star unit. It is a good match for Welt due to the speed penalty. | |||||
| Trailblazer (Fire) | A highly effective F2P unit, useful for the campaign. It is a robust tank that can protect the entire team. | |||||
| Sushang | This character is an outstanding Single-Target DPS option, with a high base speed and the ability to break shields easily. | |||||
| Trailblazer (Physical) | This unit is a versatile option for F2P, with a balanced kit that provides adequate Single-Target and AoE DPS, as well as utility. | |||||
| Natasha | For F2P players, this character is a great low-budget healer. It is capable of removing debuffs from allies. | |||||
| Clara | This character's abilities revolve around Svarog's Counter. It is capable of tanking with its Ultimate and dealing decent damage with the counters, and is particularly potent in the simulated universe. | |||||
| Asta | This 4-star unit is one of the best options for F2P players. It can boost allies' speed and ATK. | |||||
| Hook | This character is an overall decent option. It is useful for the simulated universe and may be able to replace Himeko on some bosses. | |||||
| Pela | This character's primary benefit is the DEF shred. It is not particularly effective in the early game but may perform better in the endgame, especially when paired with Jing Yuan. | |||||
| Serval | This character is a budget version of Jing Yuan, with potent AoE DPS abilities. It is an excellent F2P unit for the early campaign and some bosses in the simulated universe. | |||||
| Herta | This character is a strong option for farming, but not as effective as Himeko. It does not perform well in the endgame due to low DPS and a lack of utility. | |||||
| Gepard | This character has an excellent Ultimate that provides a shield for all allies. However, March 7th offers the same ability and is obtainable for free. | |||||
| Tingyun | This unit is situational, similar to a budget version of Bronya. Its primary skill is to increase an ally's ATK and Energy. | |||||
| March 7th | This character is an excellent option for F2P players and performs the same role as Gepard. | |||||
| Qingque | This character is a decent AoE DPS option for F2P players. The Quantum element attribute is advantageous. | |||||
| Sampo | This character is not bad but relies heavily on other characters, such as Kafka, to be effective. | |||||
| Arlan | Arlan can be an effective character, but it requires a solid team behind him. Its damage output increases when it is on low health, which means backup units are needed to keep it alive. |
Most notable characters to pull for
Seele
This character is the best of the best when it comes to DPS. What's even better than having one buff? Having two buffs! If you use Seele's skill, her speed will be boosted by 25%, and if she defeats one enemy, she'll get an additional turn and damage buff. Moreover, her ultimate attack has one of the highest damage outputs among all the characters in Honkai: Star Rail, making her a force to be reckoned with regardless of the stage of the game. If you team her up with Bronya, who can also provide damage buffs, you might see damage numbers in the 5, 6, or even 7 digits. This is why Seele is considered an S-tier character and is difficult to match in terms of her nuke damage.
Luocha
With Luocha on your team, you can witness the automatic healing provided to your allies. If your team's HP falls below 50%, Luocha will step in to heal them. Additionally, if Luocha's stack is full, your ally will be healed each time they are attacked by an enemy. In the event that the enemies are buffed, Luocha's ultimate can be used to deal AoE Imaginary attack and remove a single enemy buff. The best part is that this will increase Luocha's stack, leading to even more healing for your team. Luocha's ability to prevent deaths due to his impressive healing rate is the reason why he deserves a spot in the S+ tier rank.
Bronya
Bronya is a powerful buffer in Honkai: Star Rail, who can give turn priority to an ally, increase their damage output, and use her ultimate to boost ATK and CRIT DMG for two turns. She can be the perfect solution in situations where your main DPS needs to skip a turn or your team needs healing. With her skills, Bronya has earned a spot in the S+ tier, as she is the only character that can consistently advance an ally's turn and buff the entire team's CRIT DMG.
Gepard
Gepard is a dependable defender who can also function as a sub-dps tank. His abilities involve protecting the whole team with his shield and having a good chance of freezing one enemy with his skill. The shield is only available through his ultimate, which means you'll need to recharge his energy to ensure Gepard can provide your team with protection. The effectiveness of his shield is dependent on his DEF, so you need to manage your timing and energy use wisely if you want to use Gepard in your team. As you progress towards the mid and later stages of the game, his shield becomes increasingly trustworthy.
>>> Read more: Starter Guide For Honkai Star Rail Exploration And Combat System