Honkai: Star Rail Tier List for Version 2.5 (October 2024)
By Alex╺
- PS4
- PS5
- XBox One
- Series X
- PC
Here’s a comprehensive evaluation of the characters in Honkai: Star Rail for Version 2.5 as of September 2024. This post highlights 5-Star and 4-Star characters, the top DPS (damage per second), and support characters available.
Character Rankings Overview
This tier list categorizes characters based on their performance at E0. Below the rankings table is an explanation of the criteria used to assess each character’s role. Feel free to share your opinions on the best characters!
Updates and Changes
Character Rankings
- Ss-Tier Characters: Acheron, Firefly, Feixiao, Boothill, Sparkle, Robin, Ruan Mei, Bronya, Aventurine, Jingliu, Imbibitor Lunae, Fu Xuan, Huohuo, Tingyun, Silver Wolf
- S-Tier Characters: Dr. Ratio, Yunli, Kafka, Blade, Seele, Trailblazer (Imaginary), Jiaoqiu, Black Swan, Pela, Gallagher, Argenti, Jade, Topaz, March 7th (Imaginary), Moze, Luocha, Lynx, Jing Yuan, Gepard, Clara, Asta, Bailu
- A-Tier Characters: Himeko, Hanya, Guinaifen, Yukong, Welt, Qingque, Herta, Natasha, March 7th, Xueyi, Trailblazer (Fire), Hook, Serval
- B-Tier Characters: Yanqing, Misha, Luka, Sampo, Dan Heng, Sushang
- C-Tier Characters: Trailblazer, Arlan
Character Role Evaluation
This tier list reflects the overall strength of characters based on their performance in combat. Characters are categorized into tiers based on their effectiveness in their designated roles. The SS-Tier represents the top-tier characters, offering the highest performance in the game, while the C-Tier includes those who are less effective in comparison.
Comprehensive Character Rankings
Overview of Character Categories
| Character Name | Path | Element | Rank |
| HSR – Acheron | The Nihility | Lightning | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Firefly | The Destruction | Fire | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Feixiao | The Hunt | Wind | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Boothill | The Hunt | Physical | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Sparkle | The Harmony | Quantum | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Robin | The Harmony | Physical | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Ruan Mei | The Harmony | Ice | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Bronya | The Harmony | Wind | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Aventurine | The Preservation | Imaginary | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Jingliu | The Destruction | Ice | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Imbibitor Lunae | The Destruction | Imaginary | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Fu Xuan | The Preservation | Quantum | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Huohuo | The Abundance | Wind | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Tingyun | The Harmony | Lightning | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Silver Wolf | The Nihility | Quantum | SS-Tier |
| HSR – Dr. Ratio | The Hunt | Imaginary | S-Tier |
| HSR – Yunli | The Destruction | Physical | S-Tier |
| HSR – Kafka | The Nihility | Lightning | S-Tier |
| HSR – Blade | The Destruction | Wind | S-Tier |
| HSR – Seele | The Hunt | Quantum | S-Tier |
| HSR – Trailblazer (Imaginary) | The Harmony | Imaginary | S-Tier |
| HSR – Jiaoqiu | The Nihility | Fire | S-Tier |
| HSR – Black Swan | The Nihility | Wind | S-Tier |
| HSR – Pela | The Nihility | Ice | S-Tier |
| HSR – Gallagher | The Abundance | Fire | S-Tier |
| HSR – Argenti | The Erudition | Physical | S-Tier |
| HSR – Jade | The Erudition | Quantum | S-Tier |
| HSR – Topaz | The Hunt | Fire | S-Tier |
| HSR – March 7th (Imaginary) | The Hunt | Imaginary | S-Tier |
| HSR – Moze | The Hunt | Lightning | S-Tier |
| HSR – Luocha | The Abundance | Imaginary | S-Tier |
| HSR – Lynx | The Abundance | Quantum | S-Tier |
| HSR – Jing Yuan | The Erudition | Lightning | S-Tier |
| HSR – Gepard | The Preservation | Ice | S-Tier |
| HSR – Clara | The Destruction | Physical | S-Tier |
| HSR – Asta | The Harmony | Fire | S-Tier |
| HSR – Bailu | The Abundance | Lightning | S-Tier |
| HSR – Himeko | The Erudition | Fire | A-Tier |
| HSR – Hanya | The Harmony | Physical | A-Tier |
| HSR – Guinaifen | The Nihility | Fire | A-Tier |
| HSR – Yukong | The Harmony | Imaginary | A-Tier |
| HSR – Welt | The Nihility | Imaginary | A-Tier |
| HSR – Qingque | The Erudition | Quantum | A-Tier |
| HSR – Herta | The Erudition | Ice | A-Tier |
| HSR – Natasha | The Abundance | Physical | A-Tier |
| HSR – March 7th | The Preservation | Ice | A-Tier |
| HSR – Xueyi | The Destruction | Quantum | A-Tier |
| HSR – Trailblazer (Fire) | The Preservation | Fire | A-Tier |
| HSR – Hook | The Destruction | Fire | A-Tier |
| HSR – Serval | The Erudition | Lightning | A-Tier |
| HSR – Yanqing | The Hunt | Ice | B-Tier |
| HSR – Misha | The Destruction | Ice | B-Tier |
| HSR – Luka | The Nihility | Physical | B-Tier |
| HSR – Sampo | The Nihility | Wind | B-Tier |
| HSR – Dan Heng | The Hunt | Wind | B-Tier |
| HSR – Sushang | The Hunt | Physical | B-Tier |
| HSR – Trailblazer | The Destruction | Physical | C-Tier |
| HSR – Arlan | The Destruction | Lightning | C-Tier |
Character Assessment Criteria
How Character Performance is Measured
We evaluate characters using a points system. DPS (Damage Per Second) characters get a slight advantage for AoE (Area of Effect) damage, as late-game challenges often involve multiple foes.
Role Evaluations
- DPS (Damage Dealers):
- Assessing total damage output with optimal builds.
- Evaluating damage consistency.
- Checking reliance on specific teammates.
- Calculating Single-Target damage across several turns.
- Measuring overall damage against 2-3 enemies over multiple turns.
- Buffers:
- Examining the uniqueness of character buffs.
- Gauging the strength of buffs provided.
- Analyzing total DPS enhancement for the team.
- Evaluating ability activation frequency while generating SP.
- Debuffers:
- Considering the uniqueness of debuffs.
- Evaluating total DPS enhancement for the team.
- Measuring activation frequency of abilities while generating SP.
- Healers and Shielders:
- Assessing the strength of shields or heals.
- Determining the ability to cleanse debuffs.
- Analyzing how often they can use abilities while generating SP.
Ranking Explanation
Star Rail Tier Rankings
- SS Tier:
- These characters are the top performers in the game. They are essential for enhancing gameplay.
- S Tier:
- Powerful characters within their roles. Many have unique skills or potent traits that set them apart.
- A Tier:
- Solid characters who perform even better with adequate investment. They meet the baseline for compelling characters.
- B Tier:
- Below-average characters in their respective roles. They often require significant investment to be effective in stricter content.
- C Tier:
- Characters with limited utility in combat. Their peers primarily outperform them in the same role.
Top Characters Ranked in Honkai Star Rail
Supreme Tier Characters
Analysis of Supreme Tier Characters
Acheron: The Nihility Lightning
Acheron shines as a top-tier Nihility DPS character, excelling in dealing significant AoE damage through her Ultimate. To maximize her potential, she thrives in teams with debuffs that enable quick use of her Ultimate.
Firefly: The Destruction Fire
Firefly stands out as a swift and robust Break DPS. She excels at inflicting substantial break damage on weak and broken enemies. In her Complete Combustion state, Firefly can impose Fire Weakness on foes, quickly pushing them into a Weakness Broken status.
Feixiao: The Hunt Wind
Feixiao is a formidable single-target DPS character capable of inflicting great damage with her Ultimate. Building up Aureus Stacks through ally attacks allows her to unleash her Ultimate effectively.
Boothill: The Hunt Physical
Boothill is a versatile DPS character who can apply Physical Weakness to enemies while delivering impressive burst damage via Break damage. His remarkable damage output requires only Break Effect and Speed to maximize his potential.
Sparkle: The Harmony Quantum
Sparkle plays a crucial role in providing damage buffs through Skill Point usage. She can also assist allies by advancing their turn order with her Skill and recovering Skill Points through her Ultimate.
Robin: The Harmony Physical
Robin is a flexible Harmony character who fits well in any team setup. She offers party-wide damage and critical damage boosts. Her Ultimate enhances allies’ attack power and grants them an extra turn while also dealing bonus damage to enemies they strike.
Ruan Mei: The Harmony Ice
Ruan Mei can deliver numerous buffs to the entire party, including Break Efficiency, Speed, and All-Type Resistance Penetration. She can deal with additional ice damage and delay enemy turns through weakness breaks.
Bronya: The Harmony Wind
Bronya offers a powerful critical damage boost to the party. Her Skill can also grant an additional turn to the character receiving her buff.
Aventurine: The Preservation Imaginary
Aventurine serves as a strong sustain unit, offering stackable shields. Additionally, he can act as a Sub-DPS through Follow-up attacks.
Jingliu: The Destruction Ice
Jingliu’s Enhanced State allows her to deal significant damage at the cost of the party’s HP. With her Talent and Traces, she can accumulate high critical rate and critical damage stats, making her extremely valuable with proper investment.
Imbibitor Lunae: The Destruction Imaginary
As Imbibitor Lunae, Dan Heng excels in single-target and AoE scenarios. His kit requires careful management of Skill Points to deal consistently with maximum damage with Enhanced Basic Attacks. Learning to handle Skill Points effectively enables him to conquer even the toughest challenges in the game.
Fu Xuan: The Preservation Quantum
While Fu Xuan does not generate shields, she is one of the finest sustain characters due to her damage redirection abilities. She can transfer damage from other members to herself and helps the team resist crowd control effects.
Huohuo: The Abundance Wind
Huohuo can heal multiple party members with her Skill and remove debuffs through off-field healing. Additionally, she can provide attack buffs and regenerate energy for her teammates.
Tingyun: The Harmony Lightning
Despite being a 4-star character, Tingyun’s offensive buffs are potent. Her Ultimate offers energy restoration and attack buffs to the team.
Silver Wolf: The Nihility Quantum
Silver Wolf can debuff enemies and apply Elemental Weaknesses, creating various team composition possibilities. With adequate planning, she enables DPS characters to excel in any scenario.
Strong Tier Characters
Overview of Strong Tier Characters
Dr. Ratio: The Hunt Imaginary
Dr. Ratio specializes in delivering significant single-target damage through Follow-up attacks. His ability to generate more Follow-up attacks is enhanced when enemies have multiple debuffs.
Yunli: The Destruction Physical
Yunli excels at dealing considerable damage in both single-target and AoE encounters. When she activates her Ultimate, she can taunt foes, inflicting massive damage when they strike her.
Kafka: The Nihility Lightning
Kafka is an exceptional damage dealer focused on damage over time (DoT). Pairing her with another DoT character enhances their effectiveness and makes DoT teams more viable.
Blade: The Destruction Wind
Blade is a remarkable self-sustaining AoE damage dealer. He efficiently manages Skill Points, making him a valuable Sub-DPS or Hypercarry character.
Seele: The Hunt Quantum
Seele boasts impressive single-target damage capabilities. With her high base Speed and the ability to boost her Speed, she can also take extra turns.
Trailblazer (Imaginary): The Harmony Imaginary
The Imaginary form of Trailblazer acts as a buffer for Break Effect teams. They enhance the team’s Break Effect and can enable allies to deal Super Break damage with their Ultimate.
Jiaoqiu: The Nihility Fire
Jiaoqiu functions as a debuff and DoT character, utilizing the Ashen Roast debuff to increase the damage enemies receive. His Zone activation enhances the damage taken from enemies’ Ultimates.
Black Swan: The Nihility Wind
Black Swan is a DPS character that utilizes stackable DoTs known as “Arcana.” These stacks grow stronger as she or her teammates inflict more DoTs.
Pela: The Nihility Ice
Pela supports her team by inflicting DEF debuffs and dispelling enemy buffs. She also enhances her allies’ Effect Hit Rate while on the team.
Gallagher: The Abundance Fire
Gallagher is a sustained character who can apply a Besotted debuff to enemies. Allies regain HP when attacking enemies affected by Besotted, making him particularly effective in Break Effect teams.
Argenti: The Erudition Physical
Argenti features one of the most potent Ultimates in the game, excelling against groups of three or more foes. Although his Ultimate requires substantial energy, he can eliminate multiple enemies once charged.
Jade: The Erudition Quantum
Jade serves as an excellent follow-up attack DPS, who thrives with another DPS at the party to receive buffs. She excels in scenarios with multiple enemies but may struggle in single-target or two-target encounters.
Topaz: The Hunt Fire
Topaz is a potent Sub-DPS focusing on follow-up attacks, capable of inflicting significant damage on single targets. She also supports other Follow-up attackers by increasing the damage enemies take from follow-up strikes.
March 7th (Imaginary): The Hunt Imaginary
This version of March 7th acts as a versatile DPS-Support Hybrid. She can deal with substantial single-target damage while enhancing an ally’s speed, critical damage, and break effect, making her effective in critical and break effect teams.
Moze: The Hunt Lightning
Moze excels as a single-target Sub-DPS, dealing significant damage outside his turn via Follow-up attacks. He can apply a Prey debuff, allowing allies to unleash Follow-up attacks several times after hitting the affected enemy.
Luocha: The Abundance Imaginary
Luocha provides healing through his Skill and Talent, which scale with his total ATK. His Ultimate can remove buffs from all enemies, adding a strategic layer to his gameplay.
Lynx: The Abundance Quantum
Lynx is a powerful healer whose Ultimate can cleanse the entire party. She works well with the Destruction or Preservation units on the team.
Jing Yuan: The Erudition Lightning
Jing Yuan is notable for his high multi-target damage, making him effective in AoE scenarios and breaking the Toughness bar of Lightning-weak enemies.
Gepard: The Preservation Ice
Gepard has a supportive skill set and can absorb damage for allies while providing shields. As a tank, he can survive a knockdown and restore his energy completely. His Skill can also freeze enemies.
Clara: The Destruction Physical
Clara is a unique character who absorbs enemy attacks and counterattacks for damage. Her kit helps reduce damage taken and remove debuffs from herself. Her Ultimate amplifies her counterattack damage, making it even more effective against foes and allowing her to counterattack when allies are hit.
Asta: The Harmony Fire
Asta is a support character who also contributes damage. She provides both offensive and defensive buffs to her team. Asta can enhance the damage taken by Burning enemies and break Toughness easily if the enemy is weak to Fire. She can adapt to various team compositions.
Bailu: The Abundance Lightning
Bailu offers significant healing and the ability to revive downed teammates. Her skill set is exceptional for survivability, especially in challenging content such as Forgotten Hall, Simulated Universe, and high-level bosses.
Tier A Characters Overview
Himeko: The Erudition Fire
- Himeko excels in targeting multiple foes and can perform follow-up strikes, making her a valuable asset for crowd control.
- She’s particularly effective in game modes with numerous enemies, such as Pure Fiction and Calyx farming.
Hanya: The Harmony Physical
- Hanya functions as a speed enhancer, capable of applying Burden on adversaries and regenerating Skill Points for the entire team.
- This makes her an excellent companion for DPS characters who rely heavily on Skill Points to maximize damage output.
Guinaifen: The Nihility Fire
- Guinaifen specializes in area-of-effect (AoE) damage over time (DoT) through burns.
- When affected by the Burn status, she can also amplify damage to multiple enemies.
Yukong: The Harmony Imaginary
- Yukong is a supporting character but can also deal respectable damage thanks to her Ultimate.
- Her gameplay emphasizes speed management, maximizing Ultimate use to enhance team damage, and providing buffs like ATK%, CRIT Rate, and CRIT DMG.
Welt: The Nihility Imaginary
- Welt can slow down foes and delay their actions with his Ultimate.
- He increases the damage enemies receive and is adept at exploiting weaknesses against enemies susceptible to Imaginary attacks.
Qingque: The Erudition Quantum
- Qingque is a luck-based DPS character who can deal significant damage.
- Her kit revolves around matching tiles to boost damage and speed. If all tiles align, she can unleash powerful AoE attacks.
- Although she performs well in specific content like Swarm Disaster, her effectiveness relies on chance.
Herta: The Erudition Ice
- Herta is focused on delivering AoE damage and executing follow-up attacks.
- She shines in situations where defeating waves of enemies is essential, like Pure Fiction and Simulated Universe.
- Her AoE capabilities are precious while she struggles against more formidable foes.
Natasha: The Abundance of Physical
- Natasha’s abilities are centered around healing and supporting her team.
- She can heal individual allies and remove their debuffs, with her Ultimate enabling healing for the entire party.
March 7th: The Preservation Ice
- March 7th is a defensive support character who provides shields to allies and can counterattack.
- With her Ultimate, she can freeze all enemies, making her vital in the Simulated Universe, especially with the Remembrance path.
Xueyi: The Destruction Quantum
- Xueyi is a damage dealer who becomes more potent with increased break-event stats.
- Her Ultimate can reduce an enemy’s toughness, regardless of their Quantum weakness.
Trailblazer (Fire): The Preservation Fire
- The Fire Trailblazer is a defensive character who can draw enemy attacks and lower incoming damage with their skills.
- They can also provide shields and defensive buffs to the team.
Hook: The Destruction Fire
- The hook is a single-target DPS that specializes in eliminating enemies.
- Her skill allows her to inflict burn, and her ultimate ability accelerates her actions, allowing her to strike sooner in the turn order.
Serval: The Erudition Lightning
- Serval is an AoE damage dealer who can apply shock doTs to foes.
- She can extend the duration of these effects through her Ultimate.
Characters in Tier B
Yanqing: The Hunt Ice
- Yanqing is a single-target DPS character who can enhance his damage through offensive buffs.
- He should avoid taking damage to maintain his buffs and struggles in fights against multiple enemies.
Misha: The Destruction Ice
- Misha is a DPS character whose Ultimate strengthens as Skill Points are consumed.
- While he excels at taking down single targets, he faces challenges against groups due to the Bounce property of his Ultimate.
Luka: The Nihility Physical
- Luka is a single-target DoT specialist who inflicts substantial damage to an enemy’s toughness.
- His Ultimate can amplify the damage taken by enemies.
Sampo: The Nihility Wind
- Sampo specializes in applying Wind Shear to enemies.
- His kit offers AoE damage and the ability to stack Wind Shear on multiple foes.
Dan Heng: The Hunt Wind
- Dan Heng delivers solid single-target damage and can slow down enemies with his Skill.
- His Ultimate can deal increased damage to foes that have been slowed.
Sushang: The Hunt Physical
- Sushang deals significant single-target damage.
- She can enhance her ATK and SPD, making her effective against bosses vulnerable to Physical damage.
Tier C Characters
Trailblazer: The Destruction Physical
- The Physical Trailblazer offers decent damage in both single-target and AoE scenarios.
- They can grant themselves offensive buffs and heal the team through their Technique.
- However, other characters that deal Physical damage perform better than the Trailblazer.
Arlan: The Destruction Lightning
- Arlan is a distinctive DPS who trades his HP for damage output.
- He can boost his damage based on his current HP and regenerate health when he defeats an enemy, provided his health is low.
- Although Arlan becomes stronger as his HP decreases, many characters can achieve similar or greater damage without the need to sacrifice health.
