Honkai: Star Rail Character Rankings for Version 2.5 (2026)

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Here’s the latest character ranking for Honkai: Star Rail, reflecting the changes and best performers as of Version 2.5 in September 2026. This manual categorizes 5-Star and 4-Star characters, highlighting the top Damage Per Second (DPS) and support heroes in the game.

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Character Rankings Overview

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This tier list assesses all characters at E0 (the initial enhancement level). Below the table, we’ll provide insights into how we evaluated each character based on their roles. Feel free to share your thoughts on which character you believe stands out the most.

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Recent Updates

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• Version Updates: Key changes that have affected character performances and rankings will be noted here.

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Complete Character Ranking Summary

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Top Tier Characters

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SS-Tier

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• Acheron

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• Firefly

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• Feixiao

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• Boothill

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• Sparkle

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• Robin

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• Ruan Mei

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• Bronya

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• Aventurine

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• Jingliu

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• Imbibitor Lunae

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• Fu Xuan

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• Huohuo

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• Tingyun

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• Silver Wolf

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S-Tier

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• Dr. Ratio

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• Yunli

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• Kafka

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• Blade

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• Seele

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• Trailblazer (Imaginary)

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• Jiaoqiu

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• Black Swan

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• Pela

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• Gallagher

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• Argenti

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• Jade

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• Topaz

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• March 7th (Imaginary)

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• Moze

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• Luocha

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• Lynx

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• Jing Yuan

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• Gepard

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• Clara

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• Asta

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• Bailu

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Mid-Tier Characters

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A-Tier

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• Himeko

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• Hanya

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• Guinaifen

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• Yukong

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• Welt

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• Qingque

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• Herta

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• Natasha

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• March 7th

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• Xueyi

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• Trailblazer (Fire)

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• Hook

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• Serval

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Lower-Tier Characters

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B-Tier

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• Yanqing

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• Misha

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• Luka

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• Sampo

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• Dan Heng

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• Sushang

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C-Tier

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• Trailblazer

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• Arlan

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Character Evaluation Rankings in HSR

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This guide presents a detailed Honkai: Star Rail (HSR) character ranking. The rankings assess characters based on their roles, abilities, and elemental affinities.

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Character Rankings by Category

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Ranking Criteria for Characters

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Assessment of Characters

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Characters are evaluated based on a point system. There is a slight preference for characters who excel in Area of Effect (AoE) damage. This is due to the game’s endgame content, that often involves battling multiple enemies.

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Role-Based Evaluations

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• Damage Dealers (DPS) wp:list
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  • Assess the potential damage with optimal builds.

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  • Consider the consistency of damage output.

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  • Analyze reliance on specific team members.

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  • Evaluate single-target damage over several turns.

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  • Calculate total damage against multiple enemies over a series of turns.

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• Support Characters (Buffers) wp:list
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  • Evaluate the uniqueness of buffs provided.

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  • Determine the strength of the buffs.

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  • Assess how much the character enhances overall team DPS.

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  • Consider the frequency of ability activation while generating Special Points (SP).

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• Debuffing Characters wp:list
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  • Assess the uniqueness of debuffs applied.

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  • Evaluate how much debuffs contribute to increasing team DPS.

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  • Analyze the frequency of ability activation while generating SP.

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• Healing and Shielding Characters wp:list
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  • Evaluate the effectiveness of heals and shields.

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  • Determine if the character can cleanse debuffs.

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  • Assess how often they can activate abilities while generating SP.

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Understanding Rankings

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Tier Descriptions

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• SS Tier: wp:list
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  • Top-tier characters. Essential for a smoother gameplay experience.

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• S Tier: wp:list
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  • Strong characters in their roles. Many have unique mechanics or strong abilities.

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• A Tier: wp:list
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  • Competent characters that improve with proper investment. They set a good standard.

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• B Tier: wp:list
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  • Below-average characters. Significant investment is required for viability in challenging content.

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• C Tier: wp:list
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  • Characters with limited utility. Often overshadowed by more effective options in their roles.

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Best Characters Explained by Rank

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SS Tier Characters

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1. Acheron (Nihility Lightning)

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Acheron is a formidable AoE DPS character who deals significant damage with her Ultimate. She performs best when paired with debuffers to maximize her Ultimate’s effectiveness.

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2. Firefly (Destruction Fire)

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Firefly is known for her rapid attacks and ability to inflict break damage on enemies that have weakness broken. When she activates her Complete Combustion state, she can implant Fire Weakness, setting enemies up for a Weakness Broken state.

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3. Feixiao (Hunt Wind)

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Feixiao is a top-tier single-target DPS character. Her Ultimate delivers massive damage, and she can enhance her damage output by building Aureus Stacks through ally attacks.

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4. Boothill (Hunt Physical)

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Boothill is versatile and capable of applying physical weakness to foes while dealing with substantial burst damage. His build is straightforward, focusing on Break Effect and Speed for high damage output.

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5. Sparkle (Harmony Quantum)

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Sparkle supports her team by providing damage buffs and advancing allies in the turn order through Skill Point consumption. Her Ultimate also allows her to recover Skill Points.

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6. Robin (Harmony Physical)

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As a universal Harmony character, Robin shines in any composition, offering DMG and CRIT DMG buffs. Her Ultimate boosts allies’ ATK and grants an extra turn while also dealing damage to enemies.

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7. Ruan Mei (Harmony Ice)

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Ruan Mei excels at providing party-wide buffs, including Break Efficiency, Speed, and All-Type RES PEN. She can also deal with bonus ice damage and delay enemy turns via weakness break.

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8. Bronya (Harmony Wind)

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Bronya delivers a potent CRIT DMG buff to her team and can grant an extra turn to the buffed character with her Skill.

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9. Aventurine (Preservation Imaginary)

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Aventurine is a sustained character that can provide solid, stackable shields and act as a sub-DPS through follow-up attacks.

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10. Jingliu (Destruction Ice)

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Jingliu can deal significant damage at the expense of her party’s HP in her Enhanced State. With the right investment, she can achieve high CRIT rates and CRIT DMG stats.

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11. Imbibitor Lunae (Destruction Imaginary)

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Dan Heng – Imbibitor Lunae excels in both single-target and AoE content. His kit requires careful SP management to maximize damage output through Enhanced Basic Attacks.

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12. Fu Xuan (Preservation Quantum)

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Fu Xuan is a top-tier sustain unit, able to redirect damage taken by allies and help the team resist Crowd Control debuffs, making her a unique asset.

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13. Huohuo (Abundance Wind)

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Huohuo can heal multiple allies while dispelling debuffs and providing ATK buffs, making her vital in challenging battles.

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14. Tingyun (Harmony Lightning)

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Despite being a 4-star character, Tingyun offers powerful offensive buffs and can restore Energy with her Ultimate.

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15. Silver Wolf (Nihility Quantum)

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Silver Wolf can debuff enemies and apply Elemental Weaknesses, enhancing the overall effectiveness of team compositions.

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S Tier Characters

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1. Dr. Ratio (Hunt Imaginary)

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Dr. Ratio shines as a single-target damage dealer, especially when exploiting Follow-up attacks against debuffed enemies.

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2. Yunli (Destruction Physical)

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Yunli excels in both single-target and AoE damage, with the added ability to taunt enemies while dealing significant damage during her Ultimate.

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3. Kafka (Nihility Lightning)

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Kafka is a potent DoT damage dealer, particularly effective when paired with other DoT characters to maximize her damage output.

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4. Blade (Destruction Wind)

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Blade is a self-sustaining AoE damage dealer who efficiently manages SP, making him a valuable Sub-DPS or Hypercarry option.

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5. Seele (Hunt Quantum)

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Seele delivers high single-target damage and has a fast base Speed, complemented by abilities that allow her to take extra turns.

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6. Trailblazer (Imaginary) (Harmony Imaginary)

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This character acts as a buffer for Break Effect teams, enhancing the party’s performance against formidable enemies with their Ultimate.

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7. Jiaoqiu (Nihility Fire)

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Jiaoqiu specializes as a debuff and DoT unit, effectively increasing damage taken by enemies affected by his Ashen Roast debuff.

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8. Black Swan (Nihility Wind)

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Black Swan deals damage through stackable DoTs, becoming more potent as more stacks accumulate on enemies.

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9. Pela (Nihility Ice)

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Pela can inflict DEF debuffs and remove enemy buffs while increasing allies’ Effect Hit Rate, making her a valuable support character.

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10. Gallagher (Abundance Fire)

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Gallagher excels as a sustained unit, able to heal allies when attacking enemies affected by his Besotted debuff.

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11. Argenti (Erudition Physical)

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Argenti possesses one of the best Ultimates in the game, making him exceptionally strong against multiple enemies.

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12. Jade (Erudition Quantum)

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Jade relies on a second DPS for optimal performance, thriving in fights against multiple targets while struggling in single-target scenarios.

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13. Topaz (Hunt Fire)

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Topaz is a strong Sub-DPS who significantly enhances other Follow-up attackers’ damage with her Skill.

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14. March 7th (Imaginary) (Hunt Imaginary)

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March 7th is a versatile DPS-Support hybrid, effective in both DPS and buffing roles with her diverse abilities.

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15. Moze (Hunt Lightning)

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Moze can deal substantial damage outside his turn through Follow-up attacks, thanks to his Prey debuff.

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16. Luocha (Abundance Imaginary)

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Luocha offers healing while removing enemy buffs, making him a solid addition to any team composition.

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17. Lynx (Abundance Quantum)

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Lynx provides substantial healing and can cleanse debuffs from allies, which is particularly effective alongside destruction or preservation units.

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18. Jing Yuan (Erudition Lightning)

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Jing Yuan’s exceptional multi-target damage output makes him a critical asset against groups of enemies.

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19. Gepard (Preservation Ice)

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As a tank, Gepard protects allies and can freeze enemies while offering support through shields.

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20. Clara (Destruction Physical)

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Clara counters enemy attacks, enhancing her counterattack damage and ensuring survivability through her defensive abilities.

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21. Asta (Harmony Fire)

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Asta is a flexible support character, enhancing fire teams by providing damage buffs and assisting with breaking enemy toughness.

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22. Bailu (Abundance Lightning)

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Bailu is vital for survivability, providing significant healing and the ability to revive downed allies, which is crucial in high-stakes battles.

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A Tier Characters

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1. Himeko (Erudition Fire)

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Himeko targets multiple enemies and excels in crowd control, making her effective in modes with numerous foes.

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2. Hanya (Harmony Physical)

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Hanya buffers Speed and regenerates SP, making her an excellent fit for DPS characters reliant on skill point consumption.

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3. Guinaifen (Nihility Fire)

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Guinaifen specializes in AoE Burn DoTs and can amplify damage on enemies affected by Burn.

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4. Yukong (Harmony Imaginary)

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Yukong supports with a mix of damage and buffs, focusing on speed tuning and spamming Ultimates to uplevel team DPS.

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5. Welt (Nihility Imaginary)

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Welt slows down enemies and can increase significant damage, facilitating Weakness Break opportunities.

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6. Qingque (Erudition Quantum)

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Qingque’s damage potential hinges on luck, but she can deal heavy AoE damage when her tiles match successfully.

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7. Herta (Erudition Ice)

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Herta focuses on AoE damage and follow-up attacks, excelling in scenarios that demand multi-target strategies.

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Characters Ranked B Tier

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1. Yanqing

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• Role: The Hunt (Ice)

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• Description: Yanqing excels as a single-target damage dealer. He can enhance his offensive capabilities, boosting his damage output. However, he needs to avoid receiving damage to maintain these buffs. Yanqing finds performing well against more than three enemies at once challenging.

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2. Misha

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• Role: Destruction (Ice)

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• Description: Misha acts as a damage dealer whose Ultimate becomes more potent as she consumes Skill Points. She efficiently takes down single targets with her Ultimate but has difficulty against groups due to the Ultimate’s Bounce feature.

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3. Luka

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• Role: Nihility (Physical)

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• Description: Luka focuses on dealing damage over time to a single enemy and can significantly harm an enemy’s toughness bar. His Ultimate also enhances the damage the enemy receives, making him effective in his role.

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4. Sampo

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• Role: Nihility (Wind)

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• Description: Sampo specializes in applying Wind Shear, which is crucial for his damage output. His abilities deal area-of-effect damage and allow him to stack Wind Shear on multiple foes.

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5. Dan Heng

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• Role: The Hunt (Wind)

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• Description: Dan Heng boasts above-average damage against single targets. He can also slow down enemies with his Skill, while his Ultimate does increased damage to slowed foes.

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6. Sushang

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• Role: The Hunt (Physical)

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• Description: Sushang delivers substantial single-target damage. She can boost her attack and speed. Her sword stance is particularly effective against bosses who are weak due to physical damage.

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C Tier Characters

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1. Trailblazer

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• Role: Destruction (Physical)

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• Description: The Physical Trailblazer deals decent damage, both single-target and area-of-effect. They can grant themselves offensive buffs in battle and have the ability to heal their team using their Technique. Despite this, other characters who deal with physical damage tend to outperform the Trailblazer.

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2. Arlan

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• Role: Destruction (Lightning)

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• Description: Arlan presents a unique playstyle by sacrificing his health for increased damage. His damage output rises as his health decreases, and he heals himself upon defeating an enemy if his health is low enough. Although Arlan can become more robust as he nears death, many characters can reach comparable damage levels without risking their health.

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