Honkai: Star Rail Tier List revamp!
The time has come to fully revamp our Honkai: Star Rail tier list to fix all the issues with the previous iteration and fully embrace the changes that happened to the game! Check the details of the changes below.
Tier list format
The first major change to the tier list abandons the Single/Blast/AoE split for the Memory of Chaos in favor of a singular Memory of Chaos tier list and the addition of a totally new Pure Fiction tier list.
The Single/Blast/AoE had a lot of issues because the Memory of Chaos mode evolved over time and the scenarios didn’t make sense anymore with how the mode looks now – favoring Blast damage above else with some niche uses of Single and AoE damage type depending on the boss. And that’s the idea behind the new Memory of Chaos tier list – we combined the three damage into one and took into account the most common enemy setups while rating the characters.
Same thing with the new Pure Fiction tier list, but here AoE damage is king followed by Blast with Single target damage dealers struggling.
Character categories
After receiving a lot of feedback, we have decided to adjust the four categories of the characters.
The first change we made here is combining Buffer and Debuffer into the Amplifier category – the characters fight for the same spot in the team anyway, so it didn’t make sense to keep them split.
Next, we created a new category – Specialists. Those are characters that excel under specific circumstances, carrying a unique role that often requires a different and divergent playstyle. For example, Breakers can deal monstrous burst damage or crippling crowd control and Synergists introduce entirely new team archetypes.
The Damage Dealer and Sustain categories remained the same.
Character tags
We have also made some changes to existing tags and introduced a new one. Here’s the list of the current tags you can find on the tier list:
- RNG machine. A character who is very RNG-based and depending on your luck (or the enemies you face) can perform better or worse than the rating indicates:
- Qingque is the only character with this tag.
- Breaker. A character who specializes in dealing Break damage against enemies of a corresponding elemental vulnerability. When not against enemies vulnerable to them their rating can be decreased by a single tier:
- Xueyi,
- Luka,
- Sushang,
- Fire Trailblazer – the fire MC isn’t strong enough to act as a Sustain anymore, but when you build him (or her) as a Breaker, you can get way more usage out of them. We will soon update their build on our site to reflect the change.
- Synergist. A character whose power drastically increases when one or more specific character(s) accompanies them on their team. These characters are often the focal point of the compositions they are a part of and open up new archetype of gameplay:
- Topaz (Follow-up Archetype enabler),
- Kafka (DoT Archetype enabler),
- Sampo (DoT specialist),
- Welt (Slow specialist – especially when paired with Ruan Mei).
Tier list criteria
Another very important change to our tier list revolves around the current turbulences – so the special buffs. While previously we took them into account while rating the characters, we decided to abandon the idea in favor of a more generic approach.
The new tier lists rate characters based on their average performance in both Memory of Chaos and Pure Fiction regardless of turbulence, whimsicality, and cacophony. Characters rated higher will perform well without the need to rely on these and will only benefit more from receiving them. As new mechanics, characters, and challenges are introduced each tier list will be updated.
Criteria
- Manual play,
- Using optimal team composition/support characters,
- Character level 80,
- All Major Traces unlocked and skills upgraded to level 8,
- Character equipped with level 80 Light Cone (4★ and 5★, but only those available to F2P players),
- Character equipped with 5★ upgraded gear with optimal Main Stats and Sub Stats (with 24 desired sub stats out of a possible 54),
- Eidolon level 0 for 5★ characters,
- Eidolon level 0/6 for 4★ characters.
What affects our ratings?
Each tier list rates characters based on their average value in the specific game mode it represents. The higher a character is rated on the tier list the greater their power and more widely they can be used effectively in the mode. We consider:
- Flexibility – How the character’s kit functions against various enemy types, amounts of enemies, and their ability to perform when not fighting against enemies vulnerable to their element,
- Investment – Some characters require specific limited 5-star units, heavy investment in certain relic sets or an abundance of sub-stats in order to function at the highest level. Each of these points impact character ratings,
- Damage Dealer: Rating is heavily influenced based on the character’s ability to deal enough damage to achieve the 3-star objective, the easier and more quickly achieved the higher the rating,
- Specialist: Rating is heavily influenced based on the damage, defense or efficiency boost created by the unique teams these characters create or the utility they provide against certain encounters,
- Amplifier: Rating is influenced based on the damage amplification abilities of the character and the utility they provide to the team,
- Sustain: Rating is influenced based on the character’s ability to keep the team alive and the utility they provide. The more utility and higher the safety the higher the rating.
Pure Fiction Analytics
Today we have also released a new section on the website – Pure Fiction Analytics.
Similar to the MoC Analytics, you can find there statistics for characters showing their usage rate and average score and teams who performed best in the new mode.
Meta snapshot
In a few days, we will also release a new set of guides that will aim to help the players who struggle with 3-staring all stages in MoC and PF. Those guides will explore the current buffs, stages, enemies, and weaknesses and give tips on how to efficiently tackle the stages.
The meta snapshot guides will be updated whenever a new cycle of MoC or PF is released.
Feedback
We’re looking for feedback on the new tier list – you can leave it here in the comments or join our Discord! Without the community, the tier list would not exist and we’re thankful for all the support, feedback, and questions thrown our way – it enables us to make the tier list as accurate as possible.
Thank you!
Senjimaru
I think that Imbibitor Lunae deserves an S+ tier, since he is clearly not weaker than Jingliu.
EpicLord
Damage wise, imbibitor Lunae may be on par with JingLiu. However, looking at their kits as whole, such as SP usage, he is no where near compare to JingLiu. When you look at a character who deal similar damage but it is much better SP friendly (such enable more playstyle, and easier to fit within a team, you can even bring a second DPS). JingLiu does win the race here.
Bing Chilling
This is for MOC though and Dan performs amazingly against the first half of floor 12 against Kafka. This is no longer an overall tier list it’s solely for MOC, therefore he should be rated according to his performance, not just how easy he is to use.
SENJIMARU
He can not only be on par with Jingliu, he is ahead of her in terms of damage. Dan Heng in a team with Locha, Tingyun, Ruan Mei has no problems with SP. And with Sparkle, most likely the SP problem will be completely forgotten.
AKALI
However, every person that plays DHIL is playing him in teams that are optimal for him, most people know how to play him if they own him. He does dmg that is more than Jingliu or comparable, and sure she’s easier to build but this is performance at MOC not building and team options and how easy he is to use. He does well just like her and doesn’t really make sense to be put lower than her. If anything, he can front load his damage basically every turn with proper team management, unlike Jingliu who has her cooldown, regardless. Any side I use DHIL it’s so much easier than my other dps’s.
Lance
I think it’s fine. HSR is still a game that needs team. Maybe after Sparkle it will change
Zoro
“Investment – Some characters require specific limited 5-star units, heavy investment in certain relic sets or an abundance of sub-stats in order to function at the highest level. Each of these points impact character ratings” Relying on limited 5*s for SP management……
adadd
Brooooo. If you use that logic, ZORO, then QQ should get bumped down a tier. Doesnt match DHIL’s damage, and she requires sometimes even more than 3 skill points as its all RNG, making her inconsistent. Like literally, shes even more unflexible than dan who just needs 3 sp every turn or just ONE sp if he has his ulti up.
I can assure you an f2p 4 star team of lynx/tingyun/pela and DHIL literally works fine buddy, they have SP for days. You’re just spreading misinformation.
Bing Chilling
The average score data collected from 1.6 doesn’t make sense with the tierlist
LemurCatta
Considering Clara’s somewhat unique role, I would suggest also porting her to specialists under “synergist”. She does require a very particular setup to really shine, no?
Kuroh
I see this discussion a lot so can someone clarify: “ability to perform when not fighting against enemies vulnerable to their element”.
I really don’t like the idea that tier list should be based on the ability to bruteforce, because that’s not how most people use their characters past the early game. It should be considered and valued, but not as the most important factor. Tunnel vision on bruteforcing can make you forget important details like the brake type of a character which is actually relevant right now with physical and fire breaks being the best at oneshoting mobs in PF.
guy
lol they clearly dislike DHIL
Yui Han
They desperately need to add stronger male characters.
Half of the male characters are bad. The five weakest caracters are all male. No Quantum or Fire Male. No Harmony male.
At this point I feel scammed.
heirascend
Gacha games always favor female characters. In fact, this game has better male characters than most other gacha games. They get more money when they release a powerful female character than when they release a powerful male character. Of course they will choose to make more powerful female characters
YB
not significantly. Luocha outsold Huohuo. Jing Yuan broke the CN purchasing system ffs
This is a self-fulfilling prophecy where they refuse to make male characters strong enough, then people use it as evidence that male characters sell worse when they are purposely made to be worse. Are they worse because they’re male or because they aren’t meta?
Prom
Want to know how HuoHuo is above Luocha in PF. Find Lucoha to be the best healer in the game
Neil
Luocha is still a quality solo sustain, but in Pure Fiction you don’t really need a pure sustain because there’s no stars for surviva and enemies don’t hit as hard as MoCl. Fu Xuan and Huohuo give CRIT and Energy (respectively) to help your drivers. Luocha can do AoE ultimate in the current Pure Fiction but that might not be as relevant in the future.
Still helpful if you need survivability to make it to the end of the waves without your DPS dropping, but less value than sustains who boost DPS.
King
Think DHIL should be higher on the list
queen
yea
AKALI
DHIL should be S+ for MoC with Jingliu, doesn’t make sense why you put him lower when he does the same if not more damage than her. Since the tier list is more general and focusing on their damage output, DHIL should be put higher, since anybody that plays him is playing him in teams optimal for him already. Sure, I understand the argument that Jingliu is easier to build, but this is not a ‘easier to build’ tierlist, it’s damage and how well they perform at MoC. If someone were to look at the tierlist without any knowledge of the characters, they would assume DHIL performs worse than Jingliu, when that’s not true. If someone wanted team pointers and build options, they would look into the individual page for DHIL’s character.
Return him to S+, the whole reason you guys gave for moving him down before was that “he wasn’t good in the current MoC” but now that it’s a generalist list, he should be put back.
Yota
yeah i agree, i myself basicly abuse dhil strength and since we have him since months now we all know how to build around his sp hungryness. He is deffinetly on par with jingliu.
Asuru
You guys clearly have a ridiculous bias towards Jingliu if you think she is stronger than DHIL LMAO
Object
Love how anything negative about the new tier list gets flagged as spam, good job guys
JUOSHI
Very helpful tierlist!!! I feel like I need to throw in some positivity since everyone is just complaining about Jingliu n DHIL. I think the overall tierlist is very well made.
Fool
I don’t love playing with Yangqing as much as the next guy, but I think he’s a bit too low. I lost my 50/50 on Jing Liu, and Yangqing has come in clutch on that Deer fight a couple times. If SS means you can completely ignore the game mechanics and win, S tier is solid in most scenarios, A tier is solid with right set up, I feel like he lands in B for MOC. He’s situationally good. At least on Hertas level?
Shd
Dhil being lower than Qingque has gotta be a crime
Gnarly
I personally don’t think Yanqing deserves to be dropped so far down to a D tier, sure stronger characters have come out after him, but I think D tier is too harsh. Yanqing is still a solid DPS, that’s why I think he’s C or B tier at least in my opinion.
Llama
Energy Regen for Sparkle is 119.44%+, while the rest of the characters (including other Harmony) is 19.44%+, is it a typo?