Do You Need a New Honkai Star Rail Tier List After the Update 2.6?
Released on April 26, 2023, Honkai: Star Rail quickly received good criticism from game journalists and fans. This gorgeous turn-based RPG lets you travel through space on the board of the mysterious Astral Express. The main attraction of this game is a roster of charismatic characters with visually stunning looks and awesome plotlines. Also, gamers love the complicated combat system that is based on the elements Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, Ice, Lightning, and Quantum, just like in the previous installment of miHoYo – Genshin Impact. The game is very popular and interesting to explore, though its monetization mechanics are controversial. That is why the BandurArt team decided to explore the latest characters after update 2.6 (released in November 2024) in our ultimate Honkai Star Rail tier list.
About the Changes Brought By the Update 2.6.
The 2.6. update of Honkai introduced a few important bug fixes, main plot events, and one 5-star character – Rappa. Most 5-star characters were buffed to go to the S-tier lineup as the best playable characters to choose for any team. The team chemistry in Honkai is more important than individual stats, but you need to pick the characters for your team wisely.
Phase 1 begins with the introduction of a new character Rappa. She is a 5-star Erudition-based Imaginary hero. We appreciated her Break Damage that hits all the surrounding enemies. Rappa’s attacks are great for multi-target play. Her banner ran from October 22 till November 12, 2024, giving the players plenty of time to add this new hero to their rosters.
Imbibitor Lunae also appeared in Phase 1 with the second banner rerun. As a 5-star Destruction character with the Imaginary option, Imbibitor Lunae is one of our favorite Honkai characters for his insane AoE potential and Enhanced Basic Attacks.
The Phase 2 begins on November 12, 2024, and offers the comeback of Acheron and Aventurine:
- Acheron (5-star Nihility character) is good at dealing Lightning-based AoE damage;
- Aventurine (5-star Preservation character) is good at shielding and finishing reinforcing the team’s defenses;
The banners for both characters are available till December 3, 2024. A very interesting lineup that we can add to our Honkai Star Rail tier list!
You should watch this video to see all the changes that the update 2.6. of Honkai brought to gamers. As the developer team, we can only appreciate the hard work and dedication of miHoYo which created so many DLCs and updates for this awesome game.
Honkai Star Rail 5-Star Tier List (2.6 Update Included)
Just like in any Honkai Star Rail tier list maker, we use the system of tiers from S to D, where S is the best of the best characters (depending on their stats and community feedback), and D is the worst of the worst characters (they are bad for teamwork and hard to master for the players with average skills).
Important notice! Since there are many 5-star characters in Honkai, some characters will be only mentioned – you can’t love everyone ☺. Also, we always recommend checking the second opinion of Reddit users who also make their tier list for Honkai Star Rail.
S-Tier Characters
- Acheron. Being the Lightning Nihility character, Acheron can buff enemies and take heavy damage. Her multiple debuff skills increase team damage. But since she relies on debuffs, she could be less effective against the immune to the buffs enemies;
- Firefly. As a Fire Destruction hero, Firefly delivers excellent single-target damage. She can be useful in any team and against any type of enemy. She is scalable in damage but needs very particular team setups to be the most effective;
- Feixiao. This Wind Hunt character offers incredible single-target damage – awesome for boss battles. She can move quickly but is fragile if not supported on time by other teammates;
- Ruan Mei. This Ice Harmony ally gives a whole team a boost for base damage and speed. She is very versatile but doesn’t do direct damage;
- Robin. As an Armor character, Robin can deliver the major damage multipliers and support her team. She fits well with the team of frequent attackers but is not recommended for slower teams;
- Sparkle. Having a Quantum Harmony ability, Sparkle increases the team’s damage and recovers their energy. She has powerful buffs but must be kept energetically on the move to stay efficient;
- Yunli. Being a Physical Destruction character, Yunli has good damage, and you can spam her ultimate skills. She gets a number of blessings and matches well with high-quality amplifiers;
Just like we mentioned in our Wuthering Waves tier list of Resonators, you can use many other S-tier 5-star characters for support (mostly healers and shield breakers). We recommend Aventurine, Lingsha, Boothill, Fu Xuan, Bronya, and Huohuo.
A-Tier Characters
- Imbibitor Lunae. Being a Quantum Destruction creature, Imbibitor Lunae deals steady damage and can take advantage of the enemy’s weakness. But he lacks defense drastically;
- Dr. Ratio. As a Quantum Nihility character, Dr. Ratio is good at ambushing and dealing constant damage to many enemies at once. Though, he is recommended for more skillful players and advanced teams;
- Trailblazer (Imaginary). An Imaginary Preservation variant of the Trailblazer is a versatile attacker who can control the crowds. The character can insult and protect allies but do not have those special skills like other Preservation characters;
- Rappa. Being the Fire Destruction newcomer after the update 2.6., Rappa deals solid AoE damage and has the ability to burn enemies. The range is useful in squads but may not work for the single-target targets;
- Silver Wolf. As a Quantum Nihility character, he specializes in buffing your enemies and minimizing their resistance stats. Silver Wolf can deal the team’s major damage but only with certain debuffs;
- Topaz. As the Fire Nihility character, Topaz can help sustain attack-rich teams. Her gear is all about increasing follow-up attack damage. The companion Numby also has follow-up attacks that deliver the extra damage. Topaz has passive fire damage and debuff power;
Also, you should look at Jingliu, Kafka, Blade, Seele, Jiaoqiu, Black Swan, Jade. They are great at delivering damage and DPS but lack speed and defense.
B-Tier Characters
- Luocha is an Imaginary Abundance class healer scaled by his attack stat. But his healing is more indirect than we prefer;
- The Fire Preservation Trailblazer version is a tank that attracts enemy attacks and stacks the damage to deliver a powerful blow. But it is not very versatile;
- Himeko is a Fire Erudition character that has AoE fire damage so that you can target multiple enemies. Her passive skills allow to counterattack with additional fire damage once enemy weak spots are damaged, which is useful in certain situations;
C-Tier Characters
- Clara is a Physical Destruction character that also features a special counterattack power when she is targeted by enemies. As a great aggro-and-counter character, Clara also needs support from teammates to keep her well and protect her in case she needs to go on a long fight;
- Gepard is an Ice Preservation character who can shield the whole party and also has self-regeneration skills. He’s a great team support, and his damage is fairly low;
- Yanqing is an Ice Hunt who can take damage on single targets and freeze them. But his inconsistency of freezing effects and the low total damage is what makes him less viable against other DPS-focused Hunt characters;
D-Tier Characters
- Dan Heng is a Wind Hunt character that can do one-target damage that works well most of the time in easy encounters. But he is very slow;
- The Physical Trailblazer version has a low survivability with the AoE physical damage focus;
If you have not found your favorite 5-star character in our Honkai Star Rail tier list, then check the following Wiki page, where each character is described in detail.
Things to Consider When Making the Honkai Star Rail Tier List After a New Update
- Check how each character fared on modes such as Memory of Chaos, Pure Fiction, and Simulated Universe. It’s not just the obvious damage – think of utility, survival, and synergy value. Your best characters should be versatile;
- Focus on the role specialization. All characters have their roles – DPS, support, or healer. Make a team of different characters with various roles;
- Another important aspect is the team’s synergy. Some characters do their best when some companions support the character;
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the S-tier characters of the Honkai Star Rail light cone tier list?
In Honkai, light cones are unique items for each character that give them boosts in base HP, attack, and defense. Who has the best light cones? Well, we like Acheron with debuff use and damage efficacy. Also, you should try all the perks the Bronya’s and Kafka’s light cones give you. Probably you won’t regret it. Lastly, Luocha’s light cone is a necessity for healers, making him extremely effective as a support team member.
Which are S-tier characters in the Honkai Star Rail healer tier list?
Speaking about the healers… A few top support characters can easily go into any Honkai Star rail tier list of healers. First and foremost, Fu Xuan is a great healer who regenerates slowly and offers an AoE heal skill to keep the teammates safe. On the other hand, the burst healing and shields of Huohuo are better for more aggressive teams. Luocha is a healer-DPS combination – he heals in tandem with his attack and gives the team a life-steal effect — another useful character for long games.
Were there any S-tier characters in Honkai Star Rail tier list 2.0.?
The update 2.0. brought us a lot of new characters and events. Some S-tier characters with 5 stars were awesome and still occupy the places in our lists. Once again, we have to mention Acheron, Fu Xuan, Huohuo, Bronya, and Luocha. What can we do? They are just superior. Their buffs and support roles are especially appreciated.
What are some of the best Honkai Star Rail tier list characters with 4 stars?
Using the same system as we did with 5-star characters, but for the tiers from S to B, we’ve picked a few great and average 4-star characters to review. Other 4-star characters can be good, too, but we personally avoid them because of our likes and dislikes.
The best 4-star characters in our Honkai Star Rail tier list are:
- Tingyun – has a great damage regeneration and energy recharging ability, so she’s a great one for high-DPS characters;
- Pela, as an Ice Nihility, is an amazing debuffer who will reduce defenses with her skills;
- Sushang, a centered Physical Hunt character, is a single-target damage attacker you can use for boss battles and one-target heavy attacks;
- Lynx is a Quantum Abundance, a dual-purpose healer;
- Hanya is a Physical Harmony character who gives extra Skill Points to improve the damage and speed of her team. She’s great for Skill-addicted DPS;
- March 7th, as an Ice Preservation character, can be used as a great healer and handler of aggro teams;
Conclusion
Once again, the BandurArt team delivered an exciting review for you to read or get inspired by. Honkai Star Rail has incredible artwork and smooth animations – we love this game for this, too. If you want to learn how to create such games, keep reading our blog. Also, we want to offer you the collaboration to save the world of video games (just like they do in Honkai). Or at least we could work together on awesome gaming projects or some assets/animations. Contact us any day – we’d like to talk to fellow game developers!
