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Honkai Star Rail has over 80 characters, but not every one performs well, especially in end-game content. Some work in almost any team composition, while others only work in very specific lineups. With the arrival of 4.0 penalizing outdated comps, knowing the current meta gives you a reliable base for team building.
April 2026 Meta Snapshot
This tier list for Version 4.0 changed the landscape with the arrival of Sparxie, completing the Elation lineup, as well as a buff for Sparkle that brought her back to relevance, pulling Archer along with her. The Dahlia took Ruan Mei's spot as the premier Break support, and the Apocalyptic Shadow's rotation brought Firefly and Acheron to the top.
How Honkai: Star Rail Characters are Ranked
Characters are ranked at Eidolon 0 with their best 4-star Light Cone. There are three main factors: Endgame mode clear times (Pure Fiction, Memory of Chaos, Apocalyptic Shadow), team flexibility, and skill-point economy. Characters that fare well in only one area generally rank low.
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Version 4.0 Honkai Star Rail Tier List
| Tier | Character | Path |
|---|---|---|
| S | Phainon | DPS (Remembrance) |
| Castorice | DPS (Remembrance) | |
| The Herta | DPS (Erudition) | |
| Sunday | Support (Harmony) | |
| Tribbie | Support (Harmony) | |
| Firefly | DPS (Destruction) | |
| Robin | Support (Harmony) | |
| Acheron | DPS (Nihility) | |
| A | Feixiao | DPS (Hunt) |
| Ruan Mei | Support (Harmony) | |
| Kafka | DPS (Nihility) | |
| Black Swan | Sub-DPS (Nihility) | |
| Aventurine | Sustain (Preservation) | |
| Lingsha | Sustain (Abundance) | |
| Fugue | Support (Nihility) | |
| Jade | Sub-DPS (Erudition) | |
| Sparkle | Support (Harmony) | |
| B | Jing Yuan | DPS (Erudition) |
| Silver Wolf | Sub-DPS (Nihility) | |
| Himeko | DPS (Erudition) | |
| Jingliu | DPS (Destruction) | |
| Boothill | DPS (Hunt) | |
| Topaz | Sub-DPS (Hunt) | |
| Fu Xuan | Sustain (Preservation) | |
| Bronya | Support (Harmony) | |
| C | Seele | DPS (Hunt) |
| Dr. Ratio | DPS (Hunt) | |
| Clara | DPS (Destruction) | |
| Gepard | Sustain (Preservation) | |
| Welt | Sub-DPS (Nihility) | |
| D | Arlan | DPS (Destruction) |
| Yanqing | DPS (Hunt) |
S-Tier: The Best Characters in Honkai Star Rail
These S-tier characters, the best Honkai Star Rail characters, define the meta and determine the standard for judging all other characters. In some cases, others are downgraded for the very fact that one of these S-tiers exists in-game.
- Phainon is still the strongest DPS at E0 and beyond, tearing through MoC with Remembrance teams.
- Castorice serves as the anchor to Remembrance teams, often as both a damage dealer and pseudo-sustain.
- The Herta clears Pure Fiction waves with unmatched Erudition damage.
- Sunday delivers top-tier support with his action-advance kit, which is compatible with almost any DPS.
- Tribbie is the best support for mixed comp thanks to her buff, which scales with the number of Paths on a team.
- Firefly remains the best super break team carry unit and makes quick work of Apocalyptic Shadow bosses.
- Robin is the best support for universal follow-up attack teams.
- Acheron still effectively feeds off Nihility teammates for devastating cycles.
A-Tier: Strong Picks for Any Content
These are characters that perform well but are generally outpaced by higher-tier units.
- Feixiao is arguably the top A-tier character, working best as a follow-up DPS and pairing well with Robin and Topaz.
- Ruan Mei still brings some of the best buffs in speed, All-Type RES PEN, and skill-point efficiency, but was overtaken in raw break-comps.
- Kafka and Black Swan form the core of most DoT teams, but the ceiling of this comp in 4.0 is just not that high.
- Lingsha and Aventurine are the best sustains in the game, with the former for break comps and the latter for most others.
- Fugue and Jade both bring utility to Break and Erudition, respectively.
B-Tier: Highly Functional with Solid Setups
These B-tier characters still work well but require specific setups to use. Jing Yuan only works at his best when paired with Sunday, and Silver Wolf does her best work in Acheron comps by feeding Nihility stacks while implanting weakness. Himeko is still a Pure Fiction specialist who works best in no other content.
Others in this group are Jingliu, Boothill, Topaz, Fu Xuan, and Bronya. These are all characters that are held back by their very limited comps, and still lag behind other options.
C-Tier: High Effort Low Return HSR Characters
These HSR characters can clear content, but at the cost of high investment and very specific team setups. Most of these units are Legacy characters like Gepard and Welt, while Seele and Dr. Ratio used to be top-tier options but have fallen to this lower ranking.
D-Tier: Better Left Untouched
Characters in this tier are best left off your teams, as they add little to no value to any game content. Unless you're a hardcore fan, allocate your resources elsewhere and spare yourself the agony.
Making the most of 4.0 and the Future
With huge changes in the HSR meta from new characters in 4.0, it shouldn't come as a surprise if 4.1 shakes things up just as much. If you're looking to invest in meta safe characters, look toward versatile support units such as Robin and Sunday, which are beneficial to almost any DPS character.
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