TLDR;
This video provides a tier list and detailed analysis of DPS and support characters in Honkai Star Rail. It covers character mechanics, strengths, weaknesses, and ideal team compositions, while also considering the impact of Eidolons and free-to-play options. The video offers a mix of objective analysis and personal opinions, with a focus on practical application and team synergy.
- DPS and Support Tier List
- Character Mechanics and Synergies
- Impact of Eidolons and Free-to-Play Options
Intro [0:00]
The content creator introduces a Honkai Star Rail tier list, emphasizing that it will consider character performance at E0 S1, as well as the impact of Eidolons and free-to-play options. The tier list will focus on team compositions consisting of three harmonies (supports) and one DPS, highlighting that the best sustain characters also offer support utility, including damage. The most important factor for a character's viability is their ability to perform one task exceptionally well, rather than doing multiple things adequately.
Ocaron [2:17]
Ocaron is described as a DPS character who operates independently without dedicated support. She was given out for free and needs an overflare, her own supports, and a healer. Ocaron's ultimate is generated by applying debuffs to enemies once per action, up to nine times, rather than using energy. Her best team currently includes Kafka and Heelins, but she is generally considered to be in need of significant improvements and is best placed on the bench.
Anaxa [4:37]
Anaxa is considered a really good character and the best Erudition character. Erudition is the path for characters specializing in AOE damage. Anaxa bucks the trend of Erudition characters by consistently dealing damage, regardless of the number of enemies. This makes him valuable because he doesn't rely on having five targets to deal damage, unlike other Erudition characters.
Argenti [6:25]
Argenti is described as debatably the worst character in the game. The best use for him is as a support for Hera, using a three-star light cone. He has a unique mechanic with two ultimates, a small and a big one, achieved by double-charging his energy, but this mechanic is not well-executed compared to other characters.
Ugalia [7:24]
Ugalia is the content creator's Remembrance character of choice, a hot take influenced by chat. Remembrance characters have summons, and Ugalia's is the garment maker, a mannequin she dances with. Her damage ramps up over time, with low damage in the first cycle. Despite some support Eidolons, Ugalia's performance is not the most impressive, and she is placed in the investigated fraud tier.
Asheville [9:18]
Asheville is considered really good despite being nerfed multiple times. He is placed above Anaxa on the tier list. Asheville used to be the top DPS in the game and was free. He is a Hunt character, meaning he does single-target damage. His gimmick is that he consumes two skill points per attack and can attack up to five times in a row per turn. He was buffed by Sparkle, making him a strong, free team option.
Arlin [12:16]
Arlin is described as the only dark-skinned character in the game and the worst four-star character. His abilities are themed around slavery, making him a problematic character.
Black Swan [12:44]
Black Swan is part of the DOT (Damage over Time) archetype and has recently been buffed. The DOT team functions as a collective unit, with Kafka as the support and Black Swan and Tyillins as the DPS characters. The content creator ranks Kafka as the DPS and Black Swan and Tyillins as supports for tier list purposes.
Kafka [13:37]
Kafka is described as being in the best place she's ever been, with DOT being as good as it will probably ever be. She was given out for free this update, and players had to choose between her and Sparkle. The content creator believes free Sparkle is a better deal. The Kafka team is considered as good as Archer's team, but it is not free, requiring significant pulls.
Blade [15:23]
Blade is a destruction character with HP and damage mechanics. He is better than Aaron and maybe better than Jinglu. His gimmick involves building up a counter by taking damage and unleashing a follow-up attack that does AOE damage. He does not consume skill points, which is not as useful as it once was.
Bootill [16:50]
Bootill is a single-target break DPS. Break is similar to stun, but it was replaced with super break, which deals a lot of non-crit damage. He is considered a fraud and is worse than Firefly.
Clara [18:14]
Clara is a standard banner destruction character who does counters. She is better than Aaron.
Donghang Imbber [18:37]
Donghang Imbber is a destruction character with an SP gimmick. He is not good, even with his E2. He belongs at the bottom of the tier list and will likely get a Nova flare.
Castirus [19:33]
Castirus is objectively very good and arguably one of the best DPS characters in the game. However, the content creator does not enjoy playing her due to her long and boring animations. She does five-target AOE damage and bounce damage on the dragon explosion.
Dr. Ratio [21:40]
Dr. Ratio was the top DPS when he was released and was given out for free. He is no longer good due to power creep, having been surpassed by a strictly better character.
Evernight [22:53]
Evernight is described as an Idolon merchant. The content creator advises against pulling for her E2, stating that she will not be very good in a couple of months. She is better than Castirus, with shorter animations. She is also a Caster support and part of the mono-remembrance team.
Fao [26:12]
Fao used to be the content creator's favorite character to play. She does a lot of damage and is fun, but it is now hard to get that damage. She is a hunt follow-up attack DPS who gets alt charges from teammate attacks. She was the best DPS for the entire year she was released, but she is not that great anymore.
Firefly [28:08]
Firefly is getting a Nova flare soon but does not need one. Her team is expensive, and none of the characters have been given out for free besides Ruan May. She is unplayable without Dalia. The content creator has E2 Firefly.
Hyasin [31:26]
Hyasin is better than almost every older DPS. She is this game's remembrance healer. She consumes skill points, so she's not useful in every team, but she does more damage than most of the DPS characters, including Aaron. She is ranked as a proven fraud as a DPS and is the benchmark for proven fraud.
Jinglu [32:27]
Jinglu is considered better than Blade. Her Nova flare changed her scaling from attack to HP, replacing all of her gear and team. This is seen as the worst way to buff a character.
Jin Yen [34:17]
Jin Yen is the simps character of choice and gets buffed every year but is still not good. He is an Erudition character, so he is considered terrible.
Jing [34:46]
Jing was better than Aaron when Sunday released because Cipher and Nova Flair Silverwolf had not been released yet. He is the husbando Stan's character of choice and is very lore important. His core mechanic, Lightning Lord, used to be a summon that you could not control the speed of, but he was buffed with Sunday, who advances summons.
My day [36:19]
My day is the other coper's character of choice. The content creator does not have a very high opinion of him and considers him a fraud.
Phon [37:35]
Phon is soon to be a bricky zero due to power creep. His E2 is very good, making him a top DPS. His gimmick is that he kicks all of your teammates out of the squad and takes all the turns for himself. He is the most personal damage-dependent character in the game.
Rappa [39:59]
Rappa is considered proven fraud at best. She does five-target AOE break damage. The content creator argues that people who pulled Firefly would not pull another break DPS who uses the same teammates.
Saber [42:58]
Saber is the only E6 baseline character in the game. Her numbers are not good, and she is built like a 2024 character despite releasing in 2025. Her base stats and trace values are from characters released in 2.x, not 3.x.
Zela [44:31]
Zela was the struggle bus character incarnate, and everyone would say it was a skill issue. She has a super cool kit where she does extra damage and gets another turn after killing an enemy, but she has to kill an enemy. She is not good currently but will get a Nova flare.
Sparky [47:43]
Sparky is technically not a DPS but is considered top tier. She is an elation character with a brand new team and path. Her gimmick is that she summons AHA to do elation instant skills, which has a speed stat derived from the speed of your characters.
Hera [49:17]
Hera is not like other Erudition characters. She requires a second Erudition character and does five-target AOE blast damage. Her best support is Anaxa, who is better without Hera. She is great in Pure Fiction.
Homchat [52:00]
Homchat is allegedly going to be available to lose 50/50s to soon. The content creator likes Homchat but places him in the fraud tier.
Yanqing [52:56]
Yanqing is a DPS who loses his DPS if he gets touched. He is considered a joke of a character.
Black Swan (Support) [54:33]
Black Swan just got her Nova Flare and is arguably better than Hecillins or Kafka team. She does the most damage of the three, but Heelins gives her stacks.
Bronnia [55:29]
Bronnia is a proven fraud. She is a super SP negative character, and her only use case is fine on right now. She is all right at E6.
Cereedra [56:49]
Cereedra is an incredibly important support if you play an Axa and an arguably important support if you play Fon. Sparkle is a better FON support than Cedra technically.
Cipher [59:35]
Cipher is a thief who steals damage from your DPS to give to herself, which she can cash out later when she ults. She doesn't store overflow damage, only a percentage of the enemy's HP. She is SP positive and a pure normal basic attack character.
Sirene [1:02:41]
Sirene is the most honest character in the game, only being useful with her year's DPS characters. She is balanced in that her buffs are very strong for the A forest characters, but the stronger the buff, the longer it takes for her to alt. She is best used for the mono-remembrance team.
Donhang Permasaur Terror [1:04:17]
Donhang Permasaur Terror is really good and free. He is a shielder who gives an attack buff and does no damage. His biggest problem is that he doesn't really have light cone options besides his own.
Fugue [1:05:34]
Fugue is the limited version of Harmony Trailblazer and is good with the break DPS characters. She is essentially mandatory for Rappa.
Fooan [1:06:41]
Fooan gives 12% crit rate. She is not a good enough sustain anymore.
Gallagher [1:08:03]
Gallagher used to be a must-use character and was the break sustain four-star. He is super SP positive, but it is very hard for him to heal you enough now.
Jepard [1:09:18]
The content creator has E1 Jeepard. He is terrible, but he is better than Bo. He has a funny passive where if he dies, he gets back up and gets a free alt, but it is useless because he has the highest defense on your team.
Lil Hera [1:10:45]
Lil Hera was the first sustained character to actually do anything. She is not full SP positive, but she has an energy refund and an attack buff.
Isillins [1:12:25]
Isillins is another one of the DOT characters that you need and is debatably more important than Black Swan. She has a unique model where her chest is transparent and lit from inside.
Jade [1:13:10]
Jade does five-target AoE, which is not real.
Linga [1:13:56]
Linga is limited Gallagher. She is a Gallagher you have to pull for.
Jao [1:14:23]
Jao is everyone's favorite meme character or everyone's least favorite meme character. He is a proven fraud at best and is getting Nova flared.
Locha [1:15:19]
Locha is a Lynx that you had to pull for, but he did release first.
Mo [1:16:50]
Mo is the last four-star ever released in Honkai Star Rail. The best four stars in Honkai Star Rail are just limited five stars from the last year who weren't very good.
Pella [1:17:56]
Pella got power crushed by Silverwolf three years later.
Robin [1:18:50]
Robin replaces the background music. She is an investigative fraud.
Ruan May [1:19:56]
Ruan May has been in the shop since the shop released. She is a fraud and a break support.
Silver Dog [1:20:29]
Silver Wolf is the same as Venti in that everyone swore she was good, but she was never good. She did finally power creep.
Sparkle [1:22:02]
Sparkle is the best harmony in the game. She supports Archer, Fineon, and Sparks Eye. She has the best Nova Flare besides maybe Kafka or Black Swan.
Sunday [1:25:32]
Sunday got mobbed by Sparkle. He is pretty good with Fight, Maid, Saber, and Donhang.
Dalia [1:27:06]
If you play Break, you literally can't play Break without Dalia.
E1 Triby [1:28:24]
E1 Triby is a not-yet-fraud character. Her E1 is a 33% team damage increase. She is the most idolon-normalized character since Astra Yao.
Yao Wong [1:30:46]
Yao Wong is like a Vegas girl, like a venturine. She is on the watch list and is currently a not-yet fraud.
Heisen [1:32:11]
Heisen is a healer and is super SP negative. The best way to play Hyasin is to skill every turn. She does a lot of damage, and doing damage is a support utility.
