Welt is one of my favorite characters in my teams on Honkai: Star Rail. He is a great asset in battle with his world-changing abilities and an interesting character to have as a companion on the Express.

Who is this fine older gentleman, though? He is the wise and experienced former Anti-Entropy Sovereign who inherited the name of the world - Welt. He has saved Earth from annihilation time and time again.

Let’s rephrase that for easier comprehension: Welt had a role in Honkai Impact 3rd as well and saved the Earth multiple times. Now, he has embarked on another mission alongside us on the Astral Express - the Trailblazers, March 7th, Dan Heng, Himeko, and Pom-Pom.

Welt is important in the game since he is one of our permanent companions with whom we travel across the galaxy. He probably will have another role in the story too. It may be related to Belobog or Luocha, but as of now, we have to wait and see.

Gameplay-wise, he is very important, since he was the first and only Imaginary character to be released in the game in the beginning. Even at this point, Imaginary units are limited and the only 4-star is Yukong. This way, Welt is still pretty special.

Welt’s Strengths:

• He slows enemies down, or as I like to say, he snails them down. The effect delays the enemy’s turn, allowing your team to attack first even if they aren’t the speediest. This skill is also neat since the debuff reduces the enemy’s defense as well.
• With his technique, you can slow down the enemies from the beginning of the fight and imprison them which of course is very profitable.
• He can synergize well with most characters, although Welt can be a bit skill-point hungry, so it is recommended to pair him up with characters like Pela or the Fire Trailblazer who aren’t as skill-point hungry.
• He has a pretty flexible role. He is not limited to being a debuffer/support. He can also fulfill the role of a sub-DPS if needed.
• Thanks to his bounce skill flexibility, he can attack a wide area and single targets with almost impressive prowess.
• His element is rare which means that he is valuable in a team where the enemy is weak to Imaginary.

3. The Free To Play Build 

Calm your body and mind.

This is the build that is best suited for players new to the game, or those who play casually and just have Welt as a 5-star character. It works by equipping Welt with the least costly resources (light cones, relics, ornaments), as well as pairing him up with characters that can be obtained for free. It’s currently one of the best builds because it is easy to obtain and it does a decent job at clearing most content.

This build is not the best available, but it works. When thinking about its power and capabilities, it may fall short compared to the others, but the point here is to accommodate players who can’t afford the best equipment. Considering its purpose, I believe it is pretty good, especially if you manage to get in some good main stats or substats.

How to play this build:

What The Free To Play Build Excels In:

• It excels in providing an affordable option for building Welt. It’s pretty neat that Welt doesn’t even need a 4-star Light Cone to be good.
• This is the perfect build for beginners and those who play casually and just want to get the job done.
• It is cost and resource-efficient compared to the other builds. Considering Honkai: Star Rail puts a lot of focus on building your characters, it can be pretty time-consuming to get the perfect build for your characters. This one may not be “perfect’, but it is still good enough.
• This build lets you have another character as your primary focus. Thus, Welt plays more of a Support role in this case.

Build Details:

• Let’s talk about ascension materials first. In addition to the necessary XP, you will need 308K Credits, 15x Silvermane Badge, 15x Silvermane Insignia, 15x Silvermane Medal, and 65x Golden Crown of the Past Shadow.
• For leveling up traces to level 10 you will need 3M Credits, 41x Silvermane Badge, 56x Silvermane Insignia, 58x Silvermane Medal, 18x Obsidian of Dread, 69x Obsidian of Desolation, 139x Obsidian of Obsession, 12x Destroyer’s Final Road, 8x Tracks of Destiny.
• The most appropriate light cones for this build are Loop and Void, both of which are 3-star.  The former increases damage to Slowed enemies by 24% while the latter increases the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate by 20% for 3 turns at the start of the battle.
• There are other neat light cones you could get such as Resolution Shines As Pearls of Sweat and Good Night and Sleep Well or even We Will Meet Again. Having these greatly depends on your gacha luck though, that is why I can’t recommend them first for this build.
• For his Traces, the priority is Skill = Talent > Ultimate > Basic Attack because this build focuses on his Support abilities which arise from his Skill/Talent.
• For other Traces, you should focus first on unlocking his Bonus Abilities when you can(Judgement, Retribution, and Punishment), and then Attack with Imaginary. Lastly, Effect Resistance. It’s a bit strange his trace nodes don’t contain Effect Hit Rate, since Welt can greatly benefit from that stat.
• His best relic set for this particular build is Musketeer of Wild Wheat. It can be easily obtained and it provides a 10% attack increase as well as a speed(6%) and basic attack(10%) increase. Not too bad.
• For his Planar Ornaments, especially in the beginning, Space Sealing Station is the best. It can be obtained from World 3 and it increases damage from Welt if you don’t have Attack main stats. Also great if you don’t need or care for Effect Hit Rate.
• Time to mention his best stats now. For the Body, effect hit rate or critical rate or even critical damage would be good on him. For his Boots, speed is best. As for the Planar Sphere, Imaginary damage, as you’d probably expect. Lastly, the Link Rope benefits quite a bit from the Energy Regeneration Rate.
• The best substats, in this case, are Crit Rate > Crit Damage > Attack > >Speed > Effect Hit Rate 

Best Team For This Build:

Welt + Dan Heng + Asta + Natasha. This is the best team for this build because Welt and Dan Heng slow the enemy down while Asta speeds up the team. Welt also provides a neat defense reduction debuff on enemies. 

Natasha is an all-round great healer, but if you have another one, you are most welcome to use them. Asta can also be replaced by the Fire Trailblazer for better skill point efficiency, but that is not always necessary. It’s up to you to choose your fighters.

2. The Support-Oriented Build

The galaxy is vast beyond compare.

This build is one further step to greatness as it focuses on Welt’s Support capabilities and has even better equipment to show for it. It works by maximizing his effect hit rate, thus taking advantage of his Slow debuff to the maximum. It is currently one of the best builds because it does the things Welt does best: applying debuffs, imprisoning, and slowing enemies into oblivion.

I used this build previously to some degree, and it is pretty good! This lets a main DPS such as Seele, Silver Wolf, Yukong, and Dan Heng, do their thing best. This maximizes the times you can attack before an enemy has a  chance to do so.

What The Support Oriented Build Excels In:

• It applies consistent debuffs on enemies. Lower their defense, slow them, and Imprison them to death! What better experience could you ask for?
• It also is great with Main DPS such as Seele who can attack more than once provided she breaks the enemy. Welt lets her try this more than once in a single turn.
• It has the best balance between damage and cost. Ever felt like you could invest a bit but not a lot? This is the best choice for that. Although you may need a bit of luck for the relics

Build Details:

• Once again, the ascension materials are 308K Credits, 15x Silvermane Badge, 15x Silvermane Insignia, 15x Silvermane Medal, and 65x Golden Crown of the Past Shadow.
• For leveling up traces to level 10 you will need 3M Credits, 41x Silvermane Badge, 56x Silvermane Insignia, 58x Silvermane Medal, 18x Obsidian of Dread, 69x Obsidian of Desolation, 139x Obsidian of Obsession, 12x Destroyer’s Final Road, 8x Tracks of Destiny.
• The natural choice for a light cone if we want to maximize Welt’s Effect Hit Rate is Eyes of the Prey, which increases the Effect Hit Rate 20%) of the wearer and their DoT (24%).
• If you don’t own that one, Resolution Shines as Pearls of Sweat, Good Night and Sleep Well, or We Will Meet Again could also work. Just remember that they aren’t the optimal choice.
• In this case, we want to prioritize Talent > Skill > Ultimate > Basic Attack.
• For his other major traces, we prioritize Retribution > Judgment > Punishment. As for the smaller ones, you’ll be okay with attack > imaginary > effect resistance.
• In this case, his best set may be a combination of Musketeer of Wild Wheat and Wastelander of Banditry Desert if you are low on resources. The Eagle of Twilight one is a solid choice at 4 pieces since it advances Welt’s actions by 25% after he uses his Ultimate.
• For his Ornaments, the best choice is Pan-Galactic Commercial Enterprise. It raises the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate by 10%. Meanwhile, his attack also increases by 25% of his Effect Hit Rate up to a whopping 25%.
• For his best stats, as you may have guessed, the body piece benefits most from Effect Hit Rate. You could go for Critical Rate or Critical Damage in a pinch, though. For Boots/Feet, the best is still Speed. Planar Spheres are best with Imaginary Damage, and Link Ropes with Energy Regeneration Rate.
• Welt’s best Support substats are Effect Hit Rate > Crit Rate > Crit Damage > Speed > Attack

Best Team For This Build:

Welt + Tingyun +  Seele +  Luocha. This build helps Welt break the enemies’ toughness bar. By casting multiple buffs debuffs on enemies and buffing your party, Seele can deal an insane amount of damage while capitalizing on Slowed enemies with her high Speed.

Luocha is a great healer since he can remove enemy buffs, but you could technically use any Healer or Shielder in this team composition. Instead of Seele, you could also go for Dan Heng or even Sushang.

1. The Sub-DPS (potentially main DPS) Build

Witness the stars shatter before you... Survive or be destroyed, there is no other choice.

This build is the cream of the crop. Why is that? Because it gives you the best numbers Welt can produce.

This is the sub-DPS build that almost breaks into being a main DPS one. Here is a fine line between the two, so let’s just call it a DPS build. It works by maximizing Welt’s attacking opportunities by slowing the enemies down and imprisoning them to a degree. The primary focus, though, is on providing him with the best stats for high damage, not on his debuff abilities.

This is currently one of the best builds - if not the best build - because Welt’s damage-dealing potential is maximized and it uses the best currently available equipment for him.

I currently use this build, with some modifications, and it is extremely satisfying to see it in action. Not only does Welt utilize his abilities effectively, but he also deals significant damage while doing so. Admittedly, imprisonment doesn't always occur, but I still believe it's a small price to pay for witnessing him perform at his best. 

How to play this build:

What The DPS Build Excels In:

• As you might expect, this build excels in dealing as much damage as Welt can do thanks to high multipliers and a focus on critical stats as well as attack.
• This build utilizes the best equipment available for Welt, hence it is the most optimal one.
• It also maximizes investment versus profit. The more effort you put into building Welt, the more you will benefit from his presence in your team.

Build Details:

• As always, repetition is key. The ascension materials are 308K Credits, 15x Silvermane Badge, 15x Silvermane Insignia, 15x Silvermane Medal, and 65x Golden Crown of the Past Shadow.
• As for leveling up traces to level 10, you will need 3M Credits, 41x Silvermane Badge, 56x Silvermane Insignia, 58x Silvermane Medal, 18x Obsidian of Dread, 69x Obsidian of Desolation, 139x Obsidian of Obsession, 12x Destroyer’s Final Road, 8x Tracks of Destiny.
• The best light cone for Mr. Welt is…his signature light cone! Who would’ve t guessed, right? It is called In the Name of the World.  It increases the wearer’s damage against debuffed enemies by 24%. When the wearer uses their skill, their Effect Hit Rate increases by 18% and their attack by 24%.
• If you don’t have his signature light cone, all the previous ones would work too (Resolution Shines as Pearls of Sweat, Good Night and Sleep Well, We Will Meet Again, etc.) Of course, we are looking at the cost of being optimal. That isn’t to say the others are bad - they just fit Welt less.
• For this particular build, we prioritize Skill > Talent > Ultimate > Basic Attack
• For his other major traces, we once again prioritize Retribution > Judgment > Punishment. As for the smaller ones, you’ll still be okay with attack > imaginary > effect resistance.
• The best set for the most damage is a 4-piece Wastelander of the Banditry Desert set. This increases both Welt’s imaginary damage and crit stats which, indeed, helps with damage.
• The best ornaments (which I also use) are the Space Sealing Station ones because they are great for attack and if you don’t need Effect Hit Rate.
• For stats, the Body benefits best from Crit Rate/Crit Damage, Feet/Boots from Speed, Sphere from Imaginary damage, and for the Rope either Energy Regeneration or Attack.
• His best DPS substats are Crit > Attack > Speed > Effect Hit Rate.

Best Team For This Build:

You have two choices here: you could either build a mono Imaginary team, or a more varied one. For the mono one, you can have Welt + Silver Wolf  + Yukong + Luocha. For the varied one, you can have Welt + Bronya + Pela + Luocha(or a solo sustain). This option is also slightly more FTP-friendly.

It’s up to you whether you want to take full advantage of debuffing enemies in one way or the other. The first team has stronger debuffs and an attack buff for Welt, while the second one can advance Welt’s actions. What is the way you rock?

You may also be interested in:

• Honkai: Star Rail Best Light Cones
• Honkai: Star Rail Best Relics for Every Character
• Honkai: Star Rail Best 5 Star Characters