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Getting the best party members is key to overcoming some of the hardest challenges in certain games. Anyone who has played some HoYoverse titles might already know that some characters perform better. This is the case with Honkai: Star Rail game. While some people might think the combat is easier than in Genshin Impact or even Zenless Zone Zero, that isn’t the case. Given the turn-based nature of this title, you need to think more and create a strategy for each fight. With that in mind, we’ve prepared a character tier list for Honkai: Star Rail.
Honkai: Star Rail Character Tier List (Version 2.6)
[Updated on November 8, 2024 – Updated images and the tier list to line up with the most recent characters and version]
Since the game has grown considerably, we’ll be focusing on a tier list for every character in Honkai: Star Rail, but we’ll divide them depending on their Path. Also, we’ll try to focus on only the best of each Path regarding explanations and why they are standing at the top of the food chain. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
Path of Abundance
| Rank | Character |
|---|---|
| S | Huohuo Lingsha |
| A | Gallagher |
| B | Lynx Luocha |
| C | Bailu Natasha |
Let’s start with the character tier list for the Path of Abundance in Honkai: Star Rail. As one of the Paths with the fewest members, the competition isn’t so big. At the top spots, we have Huohuo and Lingsha sharing the crown.
Huohuo is a terrific healer with amazing buff capabilities. Even if her Ultimate takes a bit to go off, she is still one of the best sustains in the game.
Lingsha is equally great, and the best thing about her is that she can bring a lot to FUA teams, which is a small downside at the same time. Contrary to Huohuo, Lingsha belongs to a few niche teams that will truly make her shine.
The remaining members aren’t bad, but they need a lot of work to perform ideally. Gallagher needs a lot of Break Effect, for example. Lynx, despite her cleansing capabilities, needs to be at E6 to perform well. And Luocha, while the king of healers at a time, has been eclipsed by others. The same applies to Bailu and Natasha. They are good for beginners, but should be replaced quickly by other characters.
Path of Destruction
| Rank | Character |
|---|---|
| S | Firefly Yunli |
| A | Clara Imbibitor Lunae |
| B | Jingliu Blade Xueyi |
| C | Misha Arlan Hook Trailblazer (Physical) |
While Destruction characters started a bit slow, this Path has gained a lot of ground and provided some of the best characters in any tier list for Honkai: Star Rail. As always, we start with the two current queens, Firefly and Yunli. The former is the best at Superbreak compositions and Yunli hits like a truck with her counters, but needs to hold aggro constantly.
Clara and Imbibitor are surprisingly good, despite other new characters being around. Clara is great for her FUA capabilities and Imbibitor Lunae performs well if paired with the right buffers.
Sadly, Jingliu and Blade have lost a lot of ground as DPS, with no new meta compositions benefiting them. Xueyi is in this rank due to being able to provide a bit of follow-up attacks, which help a few compositions.
The last ones on the list are not good at all, and will only help until you get a B-Rank or above.
Path of Erudition
| Rank | Character |
|---|---|
| S | Rappa |
| A | Jing Yuan Himeko Jade |
| B | Qingque Argenti Herta |
| C | Serval |
The Path of Erudition saw a resurgence once Pure Fiction launched. With AoE damage being so sought out, these characters stand out a lot now, mainly Rappa, the newest ninja on the block. She can dish out a lot of damage while also helping with Break Effect.
Jingyuan and Himeko are finally useful again, with their skills being paramount for any Pure Fiction run. Jade, however, is great due to her FUA skills, which pair surprisingly well with other compositions.
Qingque, Argenti, and Herta are not and at all, and are great options for players who don’t have any of the above characters. Unfortunately, Serval has been left far behind due to not bringing anything useful to the table compared to other characters.
Path of Harmony
| Rank | Character |
|---|---|
| S | Robin Ruan Mei |
| A | Trailblazer (Harmony) Sparkle Bronya |
| B | Tingyun Asta Hanya |
| C | Yukong |
As one of the most useful Paths in Honkai: Star Rail, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that these characters appear at the top of most tier lists. Take Robin and Ruan Mei, for example. Both of them are crucial for the FUA and Superbreak meta. Without them, you’re losing a lot of DPS potential.
Trailblazer (Harmony) has been one of the best free additions to the game, with them being able to enhance other characters, mainly Firefly. Sparkle is ideal for SP-unfriendly teams, while Bronya is still great for certain teams that require a faster action time.
Tingyun, Asta, and Hanya are also ideal, but again, only if you’re a F2P player and don’t have any 5-star party member. Finally, Yukong doesn’t have a lot of things to bring to the fray, so it is better to bench her for now.
Path of the Hunt
| Rank | Character |
|---|---|
| S | Feixiao Boothill Topaz |
| A | Dr. Ratio March 7th (The Hunt) Moze |
| B | Seele Sushang |
| C | Yanqing Dan Heng |
The Path of the Hunt has become quite competitive and has even made its way to become essential for the game’s meta.
Feixiao and Topaz are paramount for FUA teams, and even necessary to make that meta work. On the other hand, Boothill has some of the highest DPS numbers, and can even contribute to the Break Effect meta.
Dr. Ratio and March 7th were some of the best free units we got and bring excellent skills for most party compositions. Add Moze to the mix and you have excellent follow-up attackers.
Seele and Sushang have sadly fallen behind, and while they can do a good amount of damage, they need a lot of work to reach the heights of other Hunt members.
Yanqing and Dan Heng are not the greatest DPS members anymore, and while you can use them during the game’s early hours, you should bench them ASAP.
Path of Nihility
| Rank | Character |
|---|---|
| S | Acheron Black Swan Kafka Jiaoqiu |
| A | Sampo Welt Silver Wolf Pela |
| B | Guinaifen |
| C |
While Superbreak and FUA are the ideal meta compositions, Path of Nihility characters are still owning some of the most niche tier lists in Honkai: Star Rail. At the top, we have an interesting group. Acheron is the best Nihility DPS, hands down. Black Swan is one of the most challenging characters to master, but one that brings a lot of DPS and DoT effects if played right. Kafka is still one of the queens of this Path, thanks to her ability to enhance DoT. And last but not least, Jiaoqiu is great at applying debuffs to enemies.
Most of the final Nihility members are in Rank A, which is surprising as it shows this Path is quite balanced. Sampo is perfect alongside Kafka. Welt brings interesting debuffs on top of good DPS potential. Silver Wolf is amazing at giving enemies weaknesses. And Pela is the best 4-star Nihility character ever who can carry even premium teams.
Sadly, Guinaifen isn’t great compared to her other Path members. While she can also apply debuffs, there are others who do the job much better.
Path of Preservation
| Rank | Character |
|---|---|
| S | Aventurine Fu Xuan |
| A | Gepard |
| B | March 7th |
| C | Trailblazer (Fire) |
Last but not least, we have the Path of Preservation, which might be the most neglected Path in the game. Aventurine and Fu Xuan still reign as the best, with the former adding to FUA teams and Fu Xuan being both a healer and a tank.
Gepard is the best shielder in the game, while March 7th can also add a bit of FUA to the mix. Our protagonist, however, has been left behind, but at least they are great in their Harmony version.
