Honkai Star Rail Guide: Best Characters, Relics, Teams & Simulated Universe

2026-06-05·Walkthrough

Key Takeaways

  • Top-tier DPS characters like Seele, Jing Yuan, and Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae dominate with proper relic investment, but Blade and Kafka excel in specific team comps
  • Relic main stats matter more than set bonuses in most cases – prioritize crit rate/dmg body, speed boots, and elemental damage or attack orb
  • Simulated Universe is best farmed with Elation path for follow-up attacks or Preservation path for shields – Abundance path is a trap for new players
  • Team synergy is critical: speed-tuned supports (Bronya, Tingyun) can double your damage output, while sustain (Luocha, Bailu) prevents wipes

Honkai Star Rail Character Tier List (Current Meta)

I've been playing since launch and here's my honest ranking based on current endgame content (Memory of Chaos, Simulated Universe World 6+). This changes with every patch, so check back.

S-Tier (Must-Have)

  • Seele – Best single-target DPS. Her resurgence mechanic lets her chain kills. With 70% crit rate and 140% crit damage, she one-shots most elite enemies.
  • Bronya – Best support. Her skill gives an extra turn and 66% damage boost at max traces. Speed-tune her to be 1 point slower than your DPS.
  • Luocha – Heals 10% of max HP per turn with his field active. No RNG healing. His dispel removes enemy buffs, which is huge against bosses like Cocolia.
  • Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae – AoE powerhouse. His enhanced basic attack hits 3+ targets for 500%+ damage. Needs skill points, so pair with Luocha or Yukong.

A-Tier (Great)

  • Jing Yuan – Lightning Lord deals 10 hits at max stacks (10 stacks). Best with Tingyun for energy. Weakness: slow ramp-up.
  • Blade – HP-scaling DPS. His follow-up attack triggers every 5 hits he takes. Great with Luocha or Bailu. Not great for speed clearing.
  • Kafka – DoT queen. Her skill detonates all DoTs on an enemy. Best with Sampo or Serval. Weak against single-target bosses.
  • Bailu – Reliable healer with revive mechanic (once per battle). Her healing bounces between allies, which can be inconsistent.

B-Tier (Situational)

  • Yanqing – Single-target ice DPS. His talent keeps him from taking damage, but falls off against AoE enemies.
  • Himeko – Weak in current meta. Her follow-up attack requires breaking weaknesses, which is slow in endgame.
  • Clara – Great for Simulated Universe with Elation path. Her counter-attacks hit hard but require enemies to target her.

Best Relic Builds for Top Characters

Relic farming is RNG hell. Here are the optimal main stats and sets I've verified through testing.

Seele (Quantum DPS)

  • Set: 4-piece Genius of Brilliant Stars (10% quantum damage, 10% def ignore on enemies)
  • Main Stats: Crit Rate body (aim for 70%+), Speed boots (121+), Quantum damage orb, ATK% rope
  • Substats: Crit rate > Crit damage > ATK% > Speed
  • Planet Sets: Inert Salsotto (if you can get 50%+ crit rate) or Rutilant Arena

Bronya (Support)

  • Set: 4-piece Messenger Traversing Hackerspace (speed boost on ult)
  • Main Stats: HP% body (survivability), Speed boots (must be 134+), HP% orb, Energy Regeneration rope
  • Substats: Speed > HP% > Effect RES > DEF%
  • Note: Her relic priority is survivability and speed, not damage.

Luocha (Healer)

  • Set: 2-piece Musketeer + 2-piece Wandering Cloud (attack for healing scaling)
  • Main Stats: ATK% body, Speed boots (134+), ATK% orb, ATK% rope
  • Substats: Speed > ATK% > Effect RES
  • Unique: His healing scales off ATK, so build full attack. No crit needed.

Team Comps That Actually Work

Here are three comps I've used to clear Memory of Chaos Stage 10 and Simulated Universe World 7.

Mono Quantum (Best vs Single Target)

  • Seele (DPS) – Silver Wolf (debuffer, implants quantum weakness) – Fu Xuan (tank/teamwide damage reduction) – Lynx (healer/cleanse)
  • Synergy: Silver Wolf guarantees quantum weakness, Fu Xuan reduces damage by 65%, Lynx heals and cleanses. Seele goes ham.

Follow-Up Attack Comp (Best for Simulated Universe)

  • Jing Yuan (DPS) – Topaz (sub-DPS, follow-up damage bonus) – Tingyun (energy battery) – Luocha (healer)
  • Synergy: Topaz's debuff makes follow-up attacks hit 50% harder. Jing Yuan's Lightning Lord benefits. Tingyun gives Jing Yuan 50 energy per ult.

DoT Team (Best for AoE)

  • Kafka (DPS) – Sampo (wind DoT breaker) – Serval (shock procs) – Bailu (healer)
  • Synergy: Kafka detonates DoTs from Sampo and Serval. Bailu keeps everyone alive. Weak against enemies immune to DoT.

Simulated Universe Tips from a Veteran

Simulated Universe is the endgame grind for planar ornaments. Here's what I've learned after 100+ runs.

Path Selection (Ranked by Effectiveness)

PathBest ForNotes
-----------------------
ElationFollow-up teamsGet the blessing that adds 150% damage to follow-up attacks
PreservationShield teamsMarch 7th or Gepard make this path broken – shields stack infinitely
RemembranceFreeze teamsFreeze-lock bosses. Requires high Effect Hit Rate
AbundanceAvoidHealing is weak, and the path's 3-star blessing is buggy

Boss Fight Strategies

  • World 6: Cocolia – Bring a dispel (Luocha, Bronya). She buffs herself with 50% damage reduction. Kill the ice pillars first.
  • World 7: Kafka – She dominates your characters. Bring Bailu or Lynx for cleanse. Save your ults for the domination phase.
  • World 8: Swarm Disaster – This is new. Use Elation path with follow-up attackers. The boss spawns adds that explode if not killed in 2 turns.

Blessing Priority

  • Always pick: Blessings that give energy regen (Elation 3-star), damage reduction (Preservation 2-star), or action advance (Remembrance 1-star).
  • Avoid: Blessings that require enemy kills (unless you're Seele). They're useless against bosses.
  • Curios: The one that gives 30% crit damage but reduces healing is fine if you have Luocha. The one that halves your HP is a trap.

FAQ

What is the best team for a new player in Honkai Star Rail?

Start with a hypercarry comp: use your first 5-star DPS (Seele, Jing Yuan, or Dan Heng IL) with Tingyun (from shop), Natasha (free healer), and a tank like Fire Trailblazer. This clears most content up to level 50.

How do I get more stellar jade for pulls?

Focus on Simulated Universe weekly rewards (1350 jade per week at max level), Memory of Chaos stages (up to 600 jade per cycle), and daily missions (60 jade per day). Avoid spending jade on standard banner – save for limited characters.

Why is my Seele not doing damage?

Check your relics: Seele needs at least 60% crit rate and 120% crit damage. Also, use a speed-tuned Bronya (134 speed) to give Seele extra turns. If you're using the wrong relics (like DEF% body), swap immediately.