Honkai Star Rail tier list: Best characters ranked

Having the strongest Honkai Star Rail characters on your team in the game will help you gain a huge advantage. If you want to know what characters are must-haves in your team comps, our Honkai Star Rail tier list can provide the information you need.

If you want to survive the most challenging content in HoYoverse’s Honkai Star Rail you’ll need to have the strongest characters on your side. While every fighter in the game is useful on the battlefield, some are simply must-pick options that will suit any team comp you run.

Here’s our Honkai Star Rail tier list featuring every playable character currently available in the game.

Contents

• S-tier Honkai Star Rail characters
• A-tier Honkai Star Rail characters
• B-tier Honkai Star Rail characters
• C-tier Honkai Star Rail characters

Best Honkai Star Rail characters tier list

There are a total of 26 characters currently available in Honkai Star Rail, with more due to be released in future updates. While it’s still early days, knowing the best Honkai Star Rail characters will make your adventure through the stars much smoother.

We recommend looking through our Honkai Star Rail tier list before rolling on the current banner, as it can help you save currencies including Star Rail Passes and Star Rail Special Passes. It’s important to note that these rankings will change as new updates and characters are added, so make sure you bookmark this page and check back regularly.

Here’s our tier list ranking of every available character in Honkai Star Rail so you can put the most powerful team together.

S-tier Honkai Star Rail characters

Bronya

Bronya can act as a great support role in any team comps thanks to her powerful Wind attacks, and abilities that can increase the strength of her teammates. With her Skill Attack granting her allies an additional turn in combat, she can pair perfectly with fast fighters like Seele.

Check out our dedicated guide for everything you need to know about Bronya’s build Honkai Star Rail.

Bailu

If you’re looking for a healer in Honkai Star Rail then Bailu is by far the best option. As well as providing lifesaving heals during combat, she’s also the only character in the game who can completely revive allies. What Bailu lacks in damage she certainly makes up for in healing and she can greatly enhance the survivability chances of any team she’s on.

Check out our dedicated guide for everything you need to know about Bauilu’s build Honkai Star Rail.

Loucha

Loucha is one of the newest characters to be added to Honkai Star Rail’s roster and this 5-star is an extremely versatile fighter. He’s an Imaginary user who can use his abilities to debuff enemies, as well as heal his allies which makes him an excellent support option in any team comp.

For a full breakdown of the best Loucha builds, check out our dedicated guide.

Seele

One of the strongest DPS units is Honkai Star Rail is Seele. This Quantum wielder excels at delivering single-target DMG and can easily clear non-boss encounters thanks to her speed buffs. When paired with the right support characters she can be an unstoppable force on the battlefield.

Check out our dedicated guide for everything you need to know about Seele’s build Honkai Star Rail.

Silver Wolf

Silver Wolf is the latest character to join Honkai Star Rail in the 1.1 Version update. She is a member of the Stellaron Hunters and a remarkable hacker who has mastered the skill of ‘Aether Editing’ which can temper with the data of reality.

Silver Wolf’s biggest skill is her Weakness Implant which will add a weakness to an enemy based on your current team. She can also bug the enemy which will lower their speed, attack, or defense, with an arsenal of effective debuff skills this hacker is a great support option in any team comp.

You can check out our full build guide for Silver Wolf right here.

Tingyun

Tingyun is the best support option currently available in Honkai Star Rail. Her Skill Attack ‘Soothing Melody’ applies an impressive Benediction Buff to one ally while also boosting their Lightning DMG output so when it’s used on a Lightning user like Serval, it results in a powerful combination.

For full details on how to create the best Tingyun build in Honkai Star Rail, make sure to check out our dedicated guide.

A-tier Honkai Star Rail characters

Clara Clara makes a great Sub-DPS.

Clara is an effective Sub-DPS thanks to her counter-attacking ability. Every time this fiery fighter is damaged she performs a counterattack. With the help of her robot guardian, Svarog, Clara can also mark enemies to make them receive additional damage with her Skill Attack.Check out our dedicated guide for everything you need to know about Clara’s build in Honkai Star Rail.

Gepard

Gepard is great at protecting his teammates.

Gepard is a great defensive unit in any team comp as he’s able to effectively protect his teammates. This particular shines when his Ultimate ‘Enduring Bulwark’ is used to shield the entire team from damage and also has the chance to freeze the enemy. Like Bailu, Gepard also possesses a revive ability but it can only be used on himself. If you want to boost your team’s survivability, Gepard is the best option. For a full rundown of the best Gepard build in Honkai Star Rail, check out our dedicated guide.

Welt Welt can effectively delay enemy turns in combat.

Welt can slot into most team comps as either solid DPS or support unit thanks to his defensive capabilities and high DMG output. While Welt isn’t a healer he can provide valuable defense to his teammates by slowing down and even imprisoning the enemy – rendering them unable to attack. His Skill Attack uses his shield to slow enemies and can be deadly if paired with his Time Distortion talent, which deals extra damage to slowed enemies.

If you’re wondering what the best Welt build is in Honkai Star Rail, you can check out our dedicated guide.

March 7th

This Ice user can provide solid defense in battle by slowing and freezing enemies, while also dealing some powerful damage through counterattacks. While not the very best sub-DPS option, March 7th is still a great fighter to have on your team especially as she’s one of the very first characters you obtain in the game.

You can check out our Best March 7th build guide for more details on this Ice Weilder.

Yukong Yukong is an extremely strong character in Honkai Star Rail.

Yukong is an absolute must-have character in Honkai Star Rail due to her ability to increase her teammate’s CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG which if used in the right situation can completely turn the tide of battle. The 5-star Imaginary unit can slot into most team comps as a great support option if you’re willing to invest in banner pulls for her.

You can check out our full Yukong best build guide for everything you need to know about the character.

Yanqing

Yanqing’s biggest strength is his ability to increase his CRIT rate, his ‘Amidst the Rain’ Ultimate grants huge damage and crit rate boosts, and when his Soulsteel Sync state is active he has a 50% chance to follow-up attacks with damage that will potentially freeze enemies. If you’re looking for an Ice DPS or Sub-DPS for your team comp, Yaqing is a great choice.

For a full rundown of the Best Yanqing build in Honkai Star Rail, check out our dedicated guide.

Serval

Applying the Shock debuff to multiple enemies is what Serval does best in battle but she’s only really effective on the field when she’s up against enemies who are weak to Lightning. Against anything else and Serval’s damage output will be minimal so there are definitely better multi-target options available. As a free-to-play character, however, it can’t hurt to give her a try.

If you’re wondering what the best Serval build is in the game, our guide has you covered.

B-tier characters in Honkai Star Rail

Qingque

The most unique aspect about Qingque is her ability to enhance her Basic Attack into a stronger move that damages multiple enemies. Keeping this Quantum user effective on the battlefield requires a lot of skill points however so players will have to carefully plan their team comp if they want to use Qingque.

For a full rundown of the best Qingque build you can check out our guide.

Sushang Sushang’s Ultimate is particularly powerful.

If you need a single-target damage dealer on your team, Sushang is a capable fighter who can increase her speed after enemies are inflicted with weakness breaks. Her ‘Dawn Herald’ Ultimate is particularly good as it grants her an additional turn and an attack buff. Sushang shares similarities to Seele and in many ways, she makes for a great DPS alternative for those who have yet to obtain the rare 5-star. Check out our dedicated build guide for Sushang right here.

Hook

Hook can deal additional damage to enemies on the battlefield who are already inflicted with the Burn status, so in theory, she would pair perfectly with other Fire users but depending on your induvial playstyle having a team comp consisting of mainly Fire wielders may not be ideal. If you’re keen to have a team full of fire starters, however, Hook is a solid fighter to have.

For a full guide to the best Hook build you can check out our guide.

Pela

With the ability to debuff enemies and also removes buffs, Pela is a brilliant support who can also provide good offensive backup. Her ‘Zone Supression’ Ultimate reduces the enemies’ defenses while her Skill Attack deals Ice damage and removes one buff from the target which can be extremely helpful during boss encounters.

Check out our dedicated guide for the best Pela build in Honkai Star Rail.

Asta

Asta is the lead astronomer at the Herta Space Station. She’s a Fire user who follows The Harmony path. Asta can provide a variety of buffs to her teammates in combat which makes her a good support option if you’re in need of a character to fill that role.

She can also be obtained for free in the game, simply by completing the game’s gacha mechanics tutorial so she’s a good support character for new players to use.

If you’re looking for a full breakdown of the best Asta build, you can find our guide here.

Natasha

Natasha is a Physical fighter in Honkai Star Rail who follows The Abundance path. She’s a support character who can buff and heal her allies in battle.

She’s one of only three healers currently in the game, and players can obtain her for free so she’s a great option to have in your team if you haven’t managed to pull Bailu or Loucha on banners.

For a full rundown of Natasha’s abilities, you can check out our build guide here.

Sampo

Sampo is an AoE wind wielder who excels at building up skill points during combat and he thrives as a Sub-DPS with over multi-target units like Himeko. Sampo’s talent ability also provides him with a 65% chance of applying Wind Sheer – a DoT effect that consecutively hits enemies for 3 turns.

Check out our dedicated guide for the best Sampo build in Honkai Star Rail.

Arlan

In the current meta, Arlan simply isn’t worth choosing over other DPS characters. Arlan is certainly a strong fighter but keeping your entire team alive in Honkai Star Rail is just as important as high-damage dealing and this LIghtning-wielder may not be worth the risk.

Arlan’s skill attack costs HP to use and unless you’ve got a healer or support running alongside him there are simply much better DPS options available in the current meta.

If you’re wondering exactly how to build Arlan, you can check out our guide here.

C-tier characters in Honkai Star Rail

Dan Heng

Dan Heng is one of the first characters Trailblazers meet in the game alongside March 7th, and like March, he can remain incredibly effective with the right build. He excels at dealing single-target damage and can also slow enemies with his Skill Attack, despite this however, he isn’t as powerful as other DPS units in the current meta.

If you’re wondering what the best Dan Heng build is in the game, our guide has you covered.

Himeko

Himeko can be a deadly DPS with the right build in place. Her fiery kit is great at taking down multiple enemies on the battlefield, and she can pull off frequent follow-up attacks that can be invaluable when it comes to turning the tide of a fight. To top it all off, when Himeko defeats an enemy she regenerates five energy.

For a full breakdown of the best build for Himeko, check out our guide.

Herta

While Herta can easily hold her own in basic encounters, she struggles in boss battles due to the fact her follow-up attacks can only be activated if the enemy’s HP drops below 50%, other skills in her arsenal also need the same requirement to be used and this, unfortunately, makes Herta difficult to recommend for those harder battles and endgame content.

Check out our dedicated guide for the best Herta build in Honkai Star Rail.

If you’re wondering exactly how to build Arlan, you can check out our guide here.

TrailBlazer

Honkai Star Rail’s main protagonist, the TrailBlazer can have 2 in-game forms: Psychical and Fire but its Fire form is the most optimal. Once you’ve unlocked the Fire Trailblazer, this self-insert character can deal decent DMG on the battlefield, as well as apply a shield to the entire party. They may not be a go-to option once you’ve obtained more characters but don’t underestimate how effective this protagonist can be.

Hook Hook is most effective when teamed up with other Fire users.

Hook can deal additional damage to enemies on the battlefield who are already inflicted with the Burn status, so in theory, she would pair perfectly with other Fire users but depending on your induvial playstyle having a team comp consisting of mainly Fire wielders may not be ideal. If you’re keen to have a team full of fire starters, however, Hook is a solid fighter to have. For a full guide to the best Hook build you can check out our guide.

So, there you have it, that’s the best Honkai Star Rail characters ranked via our tier list. Make sure you check out our Honkai Star Rail page for all the latest news and updates.

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