Celebrating its second anniversary, Honkai: Star Rail has generated excitement among both longstanding fans and newcomers alike. As we look toward 2025, many players might be eager to know which characters are worth pursuing. This guide will highlight some of the top general units available in the game, emphasizing that their roles and utility might vary in team compositions.
Currently, the game predominantly favors characters that specialize in AoE (Area of Effect) attacks or possess high HP and HP reduction capabilities. Consequently, shielders like Aventurine and single-target DPS characters such as Feixiao may not be as versatile across all scenarios. It’s crucial to recognize that the game’s meta is constantly evolving. Depending on the game mode and preferred DPS, your character selection might vary. For instance, while Huohuo could struggle pairing with Castorice, she truly excels alongside Aglaea. Ultimately, selecting characters that align with your specific needs often outweighs simply going for those that top tier lists.
This article prioritizes characters that are user-friendly for F2P (Free-to-Play) players, showcase excellence across multiple game modes, and possess versatile kits adaptable to various archetypes. We’ve excluded 4-star characters from the main list, but it’s worth mentioning excellent options such as March 7th (Hunt), Pela, and Gallagher. Although there have been no new 4-star introductions since Moze, these characters remain beneficial investments.
The Herta
The Herta stands out as an exceptional DPS character well-suited for the current AoE-centric meta. Even if the game escalates past this stage, her utility persists in modes like Apocalyptic Shadow or Pure Fiction, which require taking down numerous foes swiftly. While it may not be optimal, utilizing F2P units alongside an alternative Light Cone can still yield significant damage output, differentiating The Herta from characters like Acheron or Castorice through her adaptability.
Tribes
Tribbie emerges as an outstanding support character, capable of enhancing all Allies’ All-Type RES PEN and amplifying the damage enemies endure. Beyond support, she can function as a secondary DPS due to her follow-up attack triggered by allies’ Ultimates. The low cost of activation for her follow-up attack, coupled with her capacity to benefit any team composition, makes Tribbie a wise investment regardless of your desired character roster.
Ruan Mei
Ruan Mei, along with her counterpart Robin, has consistently ranked among the top Harmony supports in the game. The debate regarding who takes the lead is ongoing; while Robin boosts ATK, Critical DMG, and overall damage while moving the entire party forward, we lean slightly toward Ruan Mei owing to her broader buff applications. Specifically, Ruan Mei enhances SPD, All-Type RES PEN, Weakness Break Efficiency, overall DMG, and Break Effect, alongside extending Weakness Break duration by one turn. Crit DMG may not appeal to everyone, but Ruan Mei’s buffs are universally beneficial.
Lingsha
Lingsha embodies the adage “I’m a healer, but…” in the form of an adorable dragon lady. Like Ruan Mei, she excels as a universal healer, particularly in Break teams. Besides serving as a sub-DPS through her summon, she increases Break DMG inflicted on enemies via her Ultimate. In contrast to other healing units like Huohuo or Aventurine, Lingsha provides an invaluable panic response with her Ultimate or via Ember’s Echo when situations become dire.
Huohuo
After a year of accolades, Huohuo continues to be among the best sustain characters available, offering auto-heal, cleanse, and Energy regeneration. Additionally, she can enhance the entire party’s ATK. While some characters, such as Feixiao and Castorice, do not rely on standard Ultimate charges, a significant portion of the roster does. Although she may lack the versatility and damage output seen in Lingsha, Huohuo remains a worthwhile investment of your Stellar Jades.
You can explore Honkai: Star Rail on platforms like PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices.
