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The Honkai Star Rail tier list for February 2025, reflecting version 3.0, provides an overview of the top characters, including the most effective DPS, support, and healing roles, to assist you in selecting the optimal members for your teams.
The free characters offered in Honkai: Star Rail are quite effective for progressing through the narrative content. However, it is essential to maintain a diverse roster of characters and teams to address various combat situations, as even the most proficient characters cannot overcome every challenge through sheer strength alone.
Below is our Honkai: Star Rail tier list, accurate as of version 3.0 in February 2025.
Also read: Honkai Star Rail Codes
Honkai Star Rail tier list
We highly recommend that you read the detailed descriptions provided for each tier list before making any decisions about character upgrades. To give you a brief overview of the current status of each character, we have compiled this information into a simple table below.
As of February 2025, with the release of version 3.0, we present our updated tier list for Honkai Star Rail.
| Tier | Characters |
|---|---|
| SS-tier | Aventurine, Fugue, Fu Xuan, Lingsha, Robin, Ruan Mei, Sparkle, Sunday, Topaz |
| S-tier | Acheron, Bronya, Feixiao, Firefly, Huohuo, Kafka, Luocha, Pela, Rappa, The Herta, Tingyun, Trailblazer (Harmony) |
| A-tier | Argenti, Black Swan, Blade, Boothill, Dr Ratio, Gallagher, Hanya, Himeko, Imbibitor Lunae, Jade, Jingliu, Jing Yuan, Lynx, March 7th (Hunt), Moze, Qingque, Seele, Silver Wolf, Welt, Yunli |
| B-tier | Asta, Bailu, Clara, Gepard, March 7th (Preservation), Xueyi, Yukong |
| C-tier | Guinaifen, Herta, Luka, Misha, Natasha, Sampo, Serval, Sushang, Trailblazer (Fire), Yanqing |
| D-tier | Arlan, Dan Heng, Hook, Trailblazer (Physical) |
It is essential to remember that even characters classified as lower-tier can achieve outstanding results when positioned in ideal scenarios or when accompanied by a devoted team aimed at elevating their performance.
Divided into tiers, this report outlines a detailed assessment of our views on each character featured in Honkai: Star Rail.
Honkai Star Rail tier list for SS-tier characters
In our assessment, these SS-tier characters represent the highest echelon in Star Rail, distinguished by their outstanding support capabilities, debuffs, and both passive and active attacks that contribute additional benefits to your team, surpassing the mere potential for damage against adversaries weak to their Element.
Below is our tier list for Honkai: Star Rail, organized alphabetically, which includes every SS-tier character as of version 3.0 in February 2025.
Read also: Honkai Star Rail 3.1 Livestream Codes
Here is the requested table format for the Honkai: Star Rail SS-Tier Characters (Version 3.0, February 2025):
| Name | Rarity | Element | Path | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aventurine | 5-Star | Imaginary | The Preservation | Provides a guaranteed shield for the entire team, enhances follow-up attacks, boosts Crit Damage and Effect Resistance. His Ultimate and follow-up attacks also make him a strong damage dealer, making him a top-tier sustain pick. |
| Fugue | 5-Star | Fire | The Nihility | Excels in Break and Super Break teams by applying ‘Foxian Prayer’ to allies, enabling them to reduce enemy Toughness regardless of Weakness. Reduces enemy defense and activates Super Break Damage. Also effective as a Fire attacker and Breaker. |
| Fu Xuan | 5-Star | Quantum | The Preservation | Functions as an excellent tank by taking damage meant for allies. Automatically heals when HP drops below 50%, ensuring extended survival for the team. Highly effective for sustain-based strategies. |
| Lingsha | 5-Star | Fire | The Abundance | A versatile healer with follow-up attack potential via her pet Fuyuan. Excels in Break and Super Break teams while offering powerful healing capabilities. |
| Robin | 5-Star | Physical | The Harmony | Provides buffs to party damage, attack, follow-up attacks, Crit Rate, and Crit Damage. Enables allies to act immediately, making her a powerful Harmony character. |
| Ruan Mei | 5-Star | Ice | The Harmony | Enhances team-wide damage and Weakness Break Efficiency, delays enemy Weakness recovery, and increases Speed, Break Effect, and damage. An excellent all-around buffer for any team. |
| Sparkle | 5-Star | Wind | The Harmony | Provides extra Skill Points, boosts team damage, and advances turns. Especially effective in Mono Quantum teams and allows flexible team compositions with multiple DPS characters. |
| Sunday | 5-Star | Imaginary | The Harmony | A versatile buffer combining elements of Bronya, Tingyun, and Hanya. Enhances Crit Rate, cleanses allies, and improves Summon effectiveness. His Ultimate regenerates Energy and buffs Summoned entities, making him invaluable in most team compositions. |
| Topaz | 5-Star | Fire | The Hunt | Best suited for follow-up attack (FUA) teams, enhancing their effectiveness. Her Summon, Numby, performs additional follow-up attacks, making her a key damage amplifier in FUA-based teams. |
Honkai Star Rail tier list for S-tier characters
These S-tier characters are highly effective in fulfilling their designed roles and can adapt to numerous combat situations outside of their Elemental type. However, they may not match the performance of SS-tier characters with similar capabilities or may have minor drawbacks that restrict their potential.
Below is our tier list for Honkai: Star Rail, organized alphabetically, featuring all S-tier characters as of version 3.0 in February 2025.
| Name | Rarity | Element | Path | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acheron | 5-Star | Lightning | The Nihility | Builds Ultimate through debuffs on enemies. Best with Nihility allies. Works well in DoT teams. Requires specific characters for optimal performance. |
| Bronya | 5-Star | Wind | The Harmony | Can advance an ally’s turn by 100%. Buffs team attack and Crit damage. Essential for turn manipulation. |
| Feixiao | 5-Star | Wind | The Hunt | Excels in follow-up attacks. Ideal for single-target fights. Thrives with fewer enemies. |
| Firefly | 5-Star | Fire | The Destruction | Dominates Break Damage meta. Weakness Break maximizes damage. Can apply Fire Weakness for versatility. |
| Huohuo | 5-Star | Wind | The Abundance | Great healer with energy regeneration. Acts as a secondary Harmony character. Boosts DPS and frees up team slots. |
| Kafka | 5-Star | Lightning | The Nihility | Specializes in DoT. Enhances Shock, Wind Shear, Bleed, and Burn effects. Requires a DoT team for full potential. |
| Luocha | 5-Star | Imaginary | The Abundance | Healing scales off attack. Passive healing via Abyss Flower stacks. Ultimate removes enemy buffs. |
| Pela | 4-Star | Ice | The Nihility | Debuffs enemies and reduces defense. Great against elites and bosses. Better in AoE fights than single-target encounters. |
| Rappa | 5-Star | Imaginary | The Erudition | Ignores Weakness and enhances Break Effect. Ideal for Pure Fiction and Break Teams. Needs high attack stats for full damage. |
| The Herta | 5-Star | Ice | The Erudition | Works best with Erudition allies. Grants extra boosts and immediate actions. Effective in multi-enemy battles. |
| Tingyun | 4-Star | Lightning | The Harmony | Buffs DPS allies. Restores energy and increases damage. Versatile 4-Star support. |
| Trailblazer | 5-Star | Imaginary | The Harmony | Enables Super Break Damage during Weakness Break. Great synergy with Ruan Mei and Xueyi. Free character with strong utility. |
Honkai Star Rail tier list for A-tier characters
Although these characters have substantial potential to succeed in their ideal combat environments or team arrangements, they are often constrained by limitations that make their application cumbersome, the existence of another character who excels in their function, or insufficient versatility to accommodate multiple team dynamics.
Below is our tier list for Honkai: Star Rail, organized alphabetically, featuring every A-tier character as of version 3.0 in February 2025.
| Name | Rarity | Element | Path | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argenti | 5-Star | Physical | The Erudition | Argenti is an easy-to-master character focused on building up his second Ultimate for massive AOE damage. He excels in multi-target battles like Pure Fiction, benefiting from passives that enhance his damage further. Managing Skill Points and Energy is key to optimizing his performance. |
| Black Swan | 5-Star | Wind | The Nihility | Black Swan thrives alongside Kafka due to her ability to boost DOTs. Her playstyle is simple, and she performs well in various modes, including Memory of Chaos and Simulated Universe, thanks to her DOT stacking mechanics. |
| Blade | 5-Star | Wind | The Destruction | Blade is a high-risk, high-reward character who sacrifices HP to boost his attacks but can also self-heal. While powerful, he requires careful health management and works best with a healer in the team. |
| Boothill | 5-Star | Physical | The Hunt | Boothill excels in Physical Weakness implantation and single-target DPS. His ability to reduce enemy Toughness quickly makes him a strong pick for Memory of Chaos and Simulated Universe, though his lack of AOE damage is a downside for Pure Fiction. |
| Dr Ratio | 5-Star | Imaginary | The Hunt | Dr Ratio is a strong single-target attacker who launches follow-up attacks when allies strike marked enemies. He fits into multiple team compositions and performs best when enemies are debuffed. |
| Gallagher | 4-Star | Fire | The Abundance | Gallagher becomes an excellent healer after unlocking his second Eidolon. He offers solid healing, Effect Resistance boosts, and enemy attack reduction, making him a strong support choice. |
| Hanya | 4-Star | Physical | The Harmony | Hanya is great for managing Skill Points while buffing allies’ damage and speed. She works exceptionally well with Skill-hungry DPS characters, though other supports can also fill her role. |
| Himeko | 5-Star | Fire | The Erudition | Himeko is a powerful AOE attacker who follows up when allies break weaknesses. Her Ultimate is a strong Fire attack that regenerates Energy, allowing her to unleash it frequently. |
| Imbibitor Lunae | 5-Star | Imaginary | The Destruction | One of the highest DPS characters, Imbibitor Lunae has immense damage potential but consumes many Skill Points. He requires an optimized team to balance his resource-heavy playstyle. |
| Jade | 5-Star | Quantum | The Erudition | Jade synergizes well with AOE attackers, applying Quantum damage when marking allies as ‘Debt Collectors.’ However, she takes HP from them, making her best suited for characters benefiting from HP loss, like Blade. |
| Jingliu | 5-Star | Ice | The Destruction | Jingliu is a burst DPS character who must maximize her Spectral Transmigration state for peak damage. She works well with Blade in dual DPS setups and benefits from low Skill Point usage. |
| Jing Yuan | 5-Star | Lightning | The Erudition | Despite being an Erudition character, Jing Yuan performs well against single targets. He requires careful Skill Point management and his signature Light Cone to compete with top-tier DPS units. |
| Lynx | 4-Star | Quantum | The Abundance | Lynx is a strong healer who also draws enemy attacks to Destruction and Preservation characters, benefiting them in battle. Her Ultimate can also cleanse team debuffs. |
| March 7th | 4-Star | Imaginary | The Hunt | March 7th’s Hunt path allows her to support main attackers by applying Shifu, which alters damage types or increases Toughness Reduction. She also boosts Crit Damage and Break Effect. |
| Moze | 4-Star | Lightning | The Hunt | Moze specializes in follow-up attacks when marking enemies as ‘Prey.’ He improves significantly at Eidolon 1, which helps with his energy needs. |
| Qingque | 4-Star | Quantum | The Erudition | Qingque’s damage output relies on luck, as she needs four matching tiles for maximum power. At Eidolon 6, she becomes much more reliable, but her randomness can be a drawback. |
| Seele | 5-Star | Quantum | The Hunt | Seele is a rare Hunt character that excels in multi-target battles. Her passive grants extra turns upon enemy kills, allowing her to string multiple attacks together when paired with speed and crit buffers. |
| Silver Wolf | 5-Star | Quantum | The Nihility | Silver Wolf can implant a random elemental weakness in enemies, making her invaluable for countering bosses when your team lacks the right element. However, the randomness of her implants can be a drawback. |
Honkai Star Rail tier list for B-tier characters
Our B-tier characters perform admirably against their preferred opponents and typically feature special abilities that allow them to remain a viable option in different combat contexts, though they may not be the most optimal choice. Additionally, upgrading the Eidolons of most of these characters can greatly improve their overall utility.
Our tier list for B-tier characters in Honkai: Star Rail is presented below in alphabetical order, corresponding to version 3.0 as of February 2025.
| Name | Rarity | Element | Path | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asta | 4-Star | Fire | The Harmony | Asta boosts team speed with her Ultimate, allowing extra turns for high-speed characters. This can turn a loss into a win, especially in the Forgotten Hall. However, she requires investment in Traces, build, and team composition. |
| Bailu | 5-Star | Lightning | The Abundance | Bailu excels in healing multiple allies and has a passive ability to revive a fallen ally once per battle. She is essential for long fights but lacks a cleansing ability. |
| Clara | 5-Star | Physical | The Destruction | Clara relies on her companion, Svarog, who counters when she is hit. To maximize her potential, a good shielder or healer is needed. Baiting attacks toward Clara can increase DPS, but she must survive the battle. |
| Gepard | 5-Star | Ice | The Preservation | Gepard is valuable in single-target or two-target battles due to his freeze ability. His Ultimate grants shields to the entire party, and his Talent allows him to revive once per battle. He can sometimes replace a healer in short fights. |
| March 7th | 4-Star | Ice | The Preservation | March 7th provides shields, counterattacks, and freezing abilities, making her useful even against non-Ice-weak enemies. She excels in prolonged battles, and buffs in the Simulated Universe can enhance her potential. |
| Xueyi | 4-Star | Quantum | The Destruction | Xueyi is a strong 4-Star attacker with an Ultimate that ignores Weakness Types and reduces enemy Toughness. Her AOE Quantum damage and follow-up attacks make her effective with strong supports, particularly in the Simulated Universe. |
| Yukong | 4-Star | Imaginary | The Harmony | Yukong boosts her team’s Attack, Crit Rate, and Crit Damage with her Skill and Ultimate. She requires careful rotation management to maximize Roaring Bowstrings, making her a bit more complex but highly effective. |
Honkai Star Rail tier list for C-tier characters
Our C-tier characters are applicable in specific circumstances, but they yield very few, if any, supplementary advantages apart from their elemental affiliation. They are not considered subpar, yet they do not exhibit any unique characteristics.
Below is our tier list for every C-tier character in Honkai: Star Rail, organized alphabetically and applicable to version 3.0 as of February 2025.
| Name | Rarity | Element | Path | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guinaifen | 4-Star | Fire | The Nihility | An excellent choice for Burn DoT application, making her a great companion for Kafka. Her Firekiss effect also increases enemy damage intake, providing additional debuffing. |
| Herta | 4-Star | Ice | The Erudition | A solid AOE Ice damage dealer, especially in Pure Fiction mode, where her follow-up attack triggers when an enemy’s health drops below a threshold. Performs well in Simulated Universe with proper Blessings. |
| Luka | 4-Star | Physical | The Nihility | Specializes in causing Bleed DoT and debuffing enemies. His Ultimate increases enemy damage received, and his Skill can remove buffs, making him versatile for many scenarios. |
| Misha | 4-Star | Ice | The Destruction | Works well as a secondary DPS in Skill Point-heavy teams. His Ultimate deals more damage when charged but may not be as efficient as other flex-slot alternatives. Best suited for Freeze teams. |
| Natasha | 4-Star | Physical | The Abundance | A crucial healer, especially for early-game players. She can cleanse debuffs with her Skill while her Ultimate provides team-wide healing. |
| Sampo | 4-Star | Wind | The Nihility | Effective AOE Wind damage dealer with DoT capabilities. His Technique slows enemies, giving allies more turns. Works well with Kafka for DoT synergy. |
| Serval | 4-Star | Lightning | The Erudition | A simple but effective AOE Lightning damage dealer. She inflicts Shock status, and hitting shocked enemies increases damage. Ideal for early-game and Simulated Universe. Pairs well with Kafka. |
| Sushang | 4-Star | Physical | The Hunt | Excels in single-target battles due to her extra turn mechanic. Gains speed boosts when an enemy’s break bar is destroyed, allowing additional actions in combat. |
| Trailblazer (Fire) | 5-Star | Fire | The Preservation | A powerful tank that absorbs enemy attacks using their Skill. Generates Magma Will stacks for enhanced fire-based counterattacks. Most effective against enemies weak to Fire. |
| Yanqing | 5-Star | Ice | The Hunt | A strong single-target Ice DPS with a chance to freeze enemies. However, his attack buffs and freezing effects can be inconsistent, making him less reliable compared to other DPS characters. |
Honkai Star Rail tier list for D-tier characters
The characters classified as D-tier possess one or two specific abilities in which they excel, such as gathering materials or depleting weakness bars. However, their utility is limited beyond these functions, rendering them less effective compared to other characters within the same Path or Element.
Our tier list for every D-tier character in Honkai: Star Rail is presented below in alphabetical order, corresponding to version 3.0 as of February 2025.
| Name | Rarity | Element | Path | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlan | 4-Star | Lightning | The Destruction | Arlan can be strong with proper setup, but his Skill drains his HP, making survival challenging. However, he does not consume Skill Points, allowing other team members to use them for increased DPS. This makes him useful in the Forgotten Hall, especially when paired with a healer or shielder. |
| Dan Heng | 4-Star | Wind | The Hunt | A solid single-target DPS option for the story, Forgotten Hall, and Simulated Universe. While effective against Wind-weak enemies, his damage potential is lower than 5-Star alternatives. His Skill can reduce an enemy’s speed, but it’s not guaranteed, making other characters better for crowd control. |
| Hook | 4-Star | Fire | The Destruction | A straightforward Fire damage dealer specializing in Burn application. While effective in quick fights, she struggles in prolonged battles where stronger Fire characters outperform her. Not a bad choice, but not essential either. |
| Trailblazer (Physical) | 5-Star | Physical | The Destruction | Offers good survivability and balanced AoE and single-target Physical damage. Their healing Technique is useful in Forgotten Hall and Simulated Universe, but a dedicated healer is usually preferable. Best suited for situations requiring quick AoE Physical attacks. |
Honkai Star Rail tier list explained
Understanding the potential of 5-Star and 4-Star characters can aid in making informed choices about which Banner to Warp on and how to invest your resources. However, it is crucial to note that having a full team of 5-Star characters is not required to navigate the content in Star Rail.
The effectiveness of a team built around the specific requirements of each combat situation is more critical than the inclusion of characters regarded as S-tier, especially if their abilities do not work in concert or if the enemies are not disadvantaged by their Elemental types.
Our tier list evaluates the desirability of a character across all combat situations, rather than solely focusing on their optimal configurations. This assessment includes engagements in story content, confrontations with formidable bosses, participation in the Simulated Universe, Swarm, and the Forgotten Hall.
Furthermore, if there are two characters that fulfill comparable roles, yet one excels in performance, it is probable that they will not be categorized within the same tier. However, this does not imply that the character in the lower tier should be disregarded.
Conclusion…
The release of Honkai: Star Rail 3.0 introduces a rich variety of characters, each specializing in different roles and combat situations. Whether your aim is to assemble powerful DPS units, reliable support characters, or sturdy defenders, it is essential to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each character to optimize your team’s effectiveness. While 5-Star characters are often highlighted for their impressive stats and abilities, several 4-Star units can also serve as viable options, particularly with adequate investment. The foundation of success lies in achieving team synergy, strategically utilizing elemental interactions, and leveraging character abilities to maximize both damage and survivability.
As the game continues to receive updates, the competitive meta may shift, making it imperative to stay informed about character rankings and synergies to ensure your team remains competitive.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most effective DPS is contingent upon the specific scenario, yet characters like Seele (Quantum – The Hunt) and Jingliu (Ice – The Destruction) stand out as premier selections because of their substantial single-target and AoE damage potential.
Yes, many 4-Star characters continue to be competitive, especially when optimized with the right builds and team dynamics. Characters like Guinaifen, Sushang, and Natasha provide robust utility and damage, making them significant assets in a variety of team setups.
The best team composition is reliant on the specific content being addressed. A well-balanced team generally consists of a DPS, a support or buffer, a healer or shielder, and a secondary damage dealer or debuffer. Teams that focus on damage over time (DoT) effects, especially those based on Kafka, demonstrate significant strength in version 3.0.
Focus on improving your characters, upgrading their Light Cones, and enhancing their Traces. It is important to gather relevant materials and Relics to increase their stats. Prioritize characters that fit harmoniously within your team composition to ensure the highest level of effectiveness.
2. Are 4-Star characters viable in Honkai: Star Rail?
Yes, several 4-Star characters remain competitive, especially with proper builds and team compositions. Characters like Guinaifen, Sushang, and Natasha offer strong utility and damage, making them valuable assets in many team setups.
3. What is the best team composition in Honkai: Star Rail 3.0?
The best team composition depends on the content you’re tackling. A balanced team typically consists of a DPS, a support or buffer, a healer or shielder, and a secondary damage dealer or debuffer. Teams built around DoT (damage over time) effects, such as Kafka-based teams, are particularly strong in version 3.0.
4. How do I upgrade my characters effectively?
Focus on leveling up your characters, enhancing their Light Cones, and upgrading Traces. Farming relevant materials and Relics to boost their stats is also essential. Prioritize characters that fit well into your team composition to maximize effectiveness.
5. Will the tier list change in future updates?
Yes, as new characters, Light Cones, and mechanics are introduced, the meta will continue to evolve. Balance changes and new enemies may also impact the rankings of certain characters. It’s recommended to stay updated with tier lists and community discussions to keep your team optimized.
[…] your schedule for the exciting upcoming HSR events, it is advisable to review our Honkai Star Rail tier list to determine if your trailblazing team is adequately prepared for the challenges ahead. […]