Honkai Star Rail Characters Tier List – Best Character for each Path

While it has a very diverse cast, most of the characters in Honkai Star Rail can pack a big punch. Many players will be looking to pull that shiny 5 Star through warps, but the fact of the matter is that most of the in-game content can be completed with well-built free units. That said, there are some behemoths in the five-star pool that make the game much easier.

All Characters in Honkai Star Rail, ranked

While every character in Honkai Star Rail is usable, players will get better results with the higher-tiered characters. Remember that players are only really guaranteed one 5-star, which means that their lineups will have to be filled with some free-to-play units. I got use out of characters like Dang Heng and Asta all throughout Jarilo VI.

Note: Even though Five-Star Characters and S Tier characers are the best, doesn't mean you can solo with them. For example, Seele is the best Hunt Character, but she'll do terribly against a boss that isn't weak to the Quantum element.

In Honkai Star Rail it battles can be won easier by focusing on matching Elements and Weakness Breaks.

S Tier

Tingyun

Of the several Harmony characters in Honkai Star Rail, Tingyun is the only one that can buff energy. Who doesn't want to use their ultimates more? Tingyun offers more damage output than any other support character in the game.

Fire Trailblazer

Aside from being a massive tank, the Fire Trailblazer can attract damage their way with increased Taunt. This can synergize with things like March 7th's shield to reduce damage taken severely.

Seele

Every time this character gets a kill, they can act again. With good Light Cones and support, Seele can become a one-woman army.

Best Characters in the Destruction Path

A Tier

Clara stands at the top of the tier list for Destruction characters, thanks to Mr. Svarog being an excellent source of follow-up attacks. If Clara gets targeted often, Mr. Svarog will often counter, dealing more damage and shredding toughness bars if the enemies are weak to physical damage.

Best Characters in the Preservation Path

S Tier

Once the Trailblazer gets their Fire typing, they also get a whole new kit. Part of the reason they are so strong is that they have a Taunt, which attracts enemy damage. Fire Trailblazer is also a huge tank, so there's no need to worry about them dying, especially on a team with a healer.

Best Characters for The Hunt Path

S Tier

What really separates Seele from the other Hunt characters is how well she does in battles with multiple enemies. Although characters from The Hunt are supposed to excel at one-on-one combat, Seele can get a buff and an extra turn with her Talent. Therefore, she can pick off a weak enemy and immediately unleash another huge attack.

Best Characters for the Harmony Path

S Tier

It's honestly a pretty close margin between Tingyun and Bronya in the Harmony category. The difference comes in Tingyun's ability to restore an ally's energy. It can help tremendously in plenty of boss fights if allies can afford to fire off their Ultimate attack more often, and Tingyun enables that.

Related: Is Honkai Star Rail Steam Deck compatible?

Best Characters for the Erudtion Path

A Tier

Serval is a great Erudition character because she can deal extra shock damage with her Talent. Her Skill can also apply splash damage, which can seriously deplete toughness bars against Lightning-weak enemies.

Best Characters for the Abundance Path

A Tier

Any healer in this game is good, but Bailu gets a lot of extra utility for healing allies past their max HP. This means she can even turn glass cannons like Seele or Dan Heng into tanks by giving them loads of extra HP that they wouldn't usually have.

Related: Where to find Yujin in Honkai Star Rail

Best Characters for the Nihility Path

A Tier

While every character down this path can provide decent utility, Welt is the only one that affects turn order. Many of his skills, including his Ultimate attack, slow the enemies. The rest of Welt's kit gets more powerful the more slowed the enemies are. He also is one of very few characters with Imaginary damage.

Want more Honkai Star Rail guides? Pro Game Guides has you covered with Honkai Star Rail—Best builds for March 7th, Light Cones, Relics, and More!