Honkai: Star Rail is now entering its seventh month of service and has introduced over thirty playable characters. With its relatively simple gameplay, it also comes across as rather easy to single out which characters are the best at the many roles the game offers. This article will cover the author’s opinion on the top five best characters in the game at the time of writing who are the best at support, whether that be supporting oneself or supporting the entire team.

Master Diviner of the Xianzhou Luofu, Lady Fu Xuan

“I am Fu Xuan, head of the Divination Commission. This is our first encounter… or perhaps I should say—our twenty-second first encounter… Through the omniscia, I have met you for the first time, many times…”

• Element: Quantum
• Path: The Preservation
• Released: Version 1.4

The most recent character released in this list, Fu Xuan has almost instantly proven to be a staple character on any player’s team—as a matter of fact, she is so ridiculously good that she is capable of soloing endgame content with hardly any levels to her name, although this feat has only been achieved by a single small YouTuber. Not only can she reduce damage taken by all allies by a flat percentage but she can also redirect damage taken by her allies to herself when her skill is active.

She is also capable of instantly healing herself back to full HP should she have a stack for her talent upon losing half of her HP. Interestingly, Fu Xuan is so far the only character in the game whose damage is scaled off of her HP, resulting in her rather nonstandard builds. Despite this, however, Fu Xuan is considered to be among the easiest units to build.

Best Light Cones

• She Had Already Shut Her Eyes (Fu Xuan’s personal Light Cone)
  • Her best Light Cone as it increases both her max HP and her Energy Regeneration (as her ultimate costs the most energy in the game so far); it can also increase all allies’ DMG when Fu Xuan’s HP is reduced as well as heal units by up to 100% of their respective lost HP with every new wave of enemies
• Texture of Memories (Obtained from Herta’s Shop in Simulated Universe)
  • Grants a shield equal to a percentage of their max HP and if she is attacked while this special shield is deployed, damage taken is reduced by yet another percentage in addition to Fu Xuan’s own damage reduction
• Moment of Victory (Gepard’s personal Light Cone)
  • Maximizes HP effect as this Light Cone draws aggro to Fu Xuan while simultaneously increasing her defense by an initial percentage then increases her defense again when she is attacked; 

Relics

• Main Stat Focus
  • For Fu Xuan, the recommendation is either three HP main stats or two HP main stats and one defense main stat; the latter is more recommended as Fu Xuan scales off of max HP and Fu Xuan’s damage reduction is dependent on her defense and other resistances
• Substat Focus
  • HP, DEF, SPD, and Effect Resistance; should you already have excellent main stats, prioritize DEF and effect resistance since as stated previously her damage reduction is dependent on these two stats
• Relic Sets
  • 2-piece Guard of Wuthering Snow (further reduces damage taken by 8%), 2-piece Longevous Disciple (increases max HP by 12%), and/or 2-piece Messenger Traversing Hackerspace (increases SPD by 6%); alternatively, 2-piece Knight of Purity Palace (increases DEF 15%)
• Planar Sets
  • Broken Keel (increases Effect Resistance by 10% and if Effect Resistance is over 30%, increases all allies’ Crit Damage by 10%) and Fleet of the Ageless (increases max HP by 12% and when SPD is 120 or higher, increases all allies’ ATK by 8%)

Heir of the Supreme Guardian of Belobog, Bronya Rand

“My name is Bronya Rand, heir to Belobog’s supreme guardian and acting commander of the Silvermane… Apologies, I’m used to introducing myself like that—you can call me Bronya.”

• Element: Wind
• Path: The Harmony
• Released: Version 1.0

The young lady of Belobog, Bronya is one of the standard 5-star characters released simultaneously with the game’s official launch. She is an incredibly sought after support, being the character early players most rerolled for. Her skill increases a single ally’s damage and simultaneously allows them to act immediately after Bronya does while her ultimate increases all ally’s ATK and Crit Damage by a percentage of Bronya’s own Crit Damage plus a flat percentage.

For a numerical example, a base Crit Damage of 50%, a main stat relic of ~65%, a combined average of ~46% from relic substats, and a flat 24% bonus from her traces, one can expect a median crit damage of 184% which is subsequently transferred as a teamwide crit damage buff of ~50%.

Best Light Cones

• But The Battle Isn’t Over (Bronya’s personal Light Cone)
  • Increases Energy Regeneration by 10% and regenerates a skill point for every two uses of her ultimate on top of buffing the ally on which her skill is used by a further 30%; should your luck be good enough to achieve Superimposition V, the maximum value this Light Cone can give is 18% Energy Regeneration and a 50% damage bonus
• Past and Future (Obtained from in-game stores and Echo of War)
  • The free-to-play version of Bronya’s signature—while it doesn’t increase her Energy Regeneration, it will still give a damage bonus of up to 32%
• Dance! Dance! Dance! (Obtained from Warps)
  • A solid support Light Cone as upon use of Ultimate, advances forward all allies’ actions by up to 24%—this is incredibly useful for accelerating team rotations, preventing enemies from taking turns

Relics

• Main Stat Focus
  • Crit DMG, SPD, HP or DEF, and Energy Regeneration; this is to ensure that her ultimate buffs are as optimally high as possible (do NOT, however, focus entirely on crit DMG as team synergies must be factored in as well)
• Substat Focus
  • SPD (for speed-tuning with your main DPS units), Crit Damage, Effect Resistance, and HP or DEF; speed-tuning is to ensure that Bronya moves second after your main DPS so she can use her skill and grant them a free second turn with a damage boost
• Relic Sets
  • 2-piece Musketeer of Wild Wheat (ATK increases by 12%) and 2-piece Messenger Traversing Hackerspace (increases SPD by 6%)—by running this, you can lessen the focus on SPD substats as this speed buff will not ruin your speed tuning
  • Alternatively, a 4-piece Eagle of Twilight Line (increases Wind DMG by 10% and Action Forwards character by 25% after use of ultimate), although this isn’t particularly recommended
• Planar Sets
  • Broken Keel (increases Effect Resistance by 10% and if Effect Resistance is over 30%, increases all allies’ Crit Damage by 10%) and Fleet of the Ageless (increases max HP by 12% and when SPD is 120 or higher, increases all allies’ ATK by 8%)

Traveling Merchant-Doctor, Luocha

“I’m a traveling merchant, merely passing through. The name’s Luocha.”

• Element: Imaginary
• Path: The Abundance
• Released: Version 1.1

Arguably the best healing-focused character in the game at the moment, the traveling merchant with a penchant for medicine, Luocha, is one of the first limited 5-stars in the game, and as such, if you weren’t around for the first few months, you will unfortunately have to wait for quite a while as a rerun to obtain this dapper gentleman has yet to be revealed.

With a skill that automatically procs when an ally’s HP drops below 50%, Luocha also has a powered-up mode that activates after a twice-use of the skill where for the duration of said mode, all allies heal a percentage of the damage they deal to enemies. Essentially, Luocha is an auto-healer who scales off of ATK, meaning that he also deals more damage than other healers. 

Best Light Cones

• Echoes of the Coffin (Luocha’s personal Light Cone)
  • Increases wearer’s ATK by up to 24% and increases Energy by a flat number of points for every different target Luocha attacks; further, grants a party-wide numeric SPD buff to all allies upon use of ultimate
• Post-Op Conversation (Obtained from Warps)
  • Essentially the free-to-play version of Luocha’s signature as it grants him up to 16% Energy Regeneration rate, making his playstyle (basic > basic > skill > ultimate, repeat) far easier since Luocha’s ultimate cost is among the lowest in the game; the other effect on the Light Cone is not particularly effective on Luocha as his ultimate does not heal allies (increases outgoing healing by up to 24%)
• Quid Pro Quo (Obtained from in-game stores and Echo of War)
  • A solid support Light Cone as it instantly regenerates up to 16 energy points to an ally whose current Energy gauge is below 50% at the start of Luocha’s every turn

Relics

• Main Stat Focus
  • ATK, SPD, Crit Rate, in that order; depending on whether or not you want to play a faster or slower Luocha, the general focus can change (as Luocha’s healing field is dependent on his turns so, as such, if faster characters take a third turn before Luocha’s second, the field will still remain up and the attacking character recovers HP for the whole team)
• Substat Focus
  • ATK, SPD (for speed-tuning with your main DPS units), and Crit Rate/Crit Damage; as again, Luocha’s most useful trait is his healing field which is dependent on his turns—speed-tuning will ensure that he moves after most characters with high speed to ensure that their attacks count to Luocha’s healing field
• Relic Sets
  • 4-piece Musketeer of Wild Wheat (ATK increases by 12% and increases SPD by 6% and Basic ATK damage by 10%) and/or 2-piece Musketeer of Wild Wheat and 2-piece Wastelander of Banditry Desert (Increases Imaginary DMG by 10%); as Luocha scales off of ATK
• Planar Sets
  • Space Sealing Station (increases wearer’s ATK by 12% and if wearer’s SPD is at or over 120, ATK increases by a further 12%), Fleet of the Ageless (increases max HP by 12% and when SPD is 120 or higher, increases all allies’ ATK by 8%), and Sprightly Vonwacq (increases wearer’s Energy Regeneration by 5% and if wearer’s SPD is at or over 120, Action Forwards character by 40% immediately upon entering battle); any of these sets can work on Luocha as there are currently no specific Planar Sets that can specifically be used for his unique kit

Intelligence Officer of the Silvermane Guards, Pela

“Pelageya Sergeyevna, Silvermane Guards Intelligence Officer, at your service. You can call me Pela.”

• Element: Ice
• Path: The Nihility
• Released: Version 1.0

One of the best, if not the best 4-star character in the game, Miss Pelageya Sergeyevna is so far the only unit in the game to have a kit so attuned to reducing enemy defense—and this is not just single-target either. While initially unhelpful in the early game, Pela’s skill allows her to guarantee an erasure of a single buff from an enemy; this is useful, especially when exploring the Xianzhou Luofo  as the mara-struck soldier enemies have a buff that automatically revives them after one kill.

As for her ultimate, Pela has a guaranteed base chance to reduce enemy defense by 30%. This is a massive benefit as in Honkai: Star Rail, attack buffs have diminishing returns, however, Pela’s defense-shredding is guaranteed to increase overall damage dealt, making her incredibly synergistic with many units, including Jingliu, an incredibly powerful newly released unit.

Best Light Cones

• Before the Tutorial Mission Starts (Event-limited Light Cone)
  • Increases wearer’s effect hit rate by up to 40%—this automatically meets most thresholds for Relics and Planar Sets making them more flexible to build; it also regenerates additional energy upon attacking an enemy who’s defense is shredded
• Resolution Shines as Pearls of Sweat (Obtained from Warps)
  • A massive increase to Pela’s already incredible defense-shredding abilities, this Light Cone has an up to 100% base chance of Ensnaring an enemy—those who are Ensnared have their defense reduced by up to 16% for one turn
• Good Night and Sleep Well (Obtained from Warps)
  • A rather tricky one to use properly, it is, however, an impressive boon to Pela’s damage potential as it increases her damage by a percentage, stacking up to three times for every debuff the target enemy has; it is recommended you have a dedicated debuffer or DoT (damage over time) dealer in order to maximize the effect of this Light Cone

Relics

• Main Stat Focus
  • Effect Hit Rate, SPD, ATK, and Crit Rate, in that order; as Pela’s kit is dependent on her ability to inflict debuffs, it is paramount to increase her chances of inflicting them as various enemies can have various resistances to her debuffs—otherwise, building her can vary depending on whether you are using her more for attacking or for her survivability for long battles
• Substat Focus
  • ATK, SPD (for speed-tuning with your main DPS units), and Crit Rate/Crit Damage; as again, Luocha’s most useful trait is his healing field which is dependent on his turns—speed-tuning will ensure that he moves after most characters with high speed to ensure that their attacks count to Luocha’s healing field
• Relic Sets
  • 4-piece Musketeer of Wild Wheat (ATK increases by 12% and increases SPD by 6% and Basic ATK damage by 10%) and/or 4-piece Hunter of Glacial Forest (increases Imaginary DMG by 10% and increases Crit DMG by 25% for two turns upon use of ultimate)
  • Alternatively, you can cycle between any of the following, 2-piece Messenger Traversing Hackerspace (increases SPD by 6%), 2-piece Musketeer of Wild Wheat (ATK increases by 12%), 2-piece Hunter of Glacial Forest, 2-piece Knight of Purity Palace (increases DEF by 12%), 2-piece Guard of Wuthering Snow (reduces damage taken by 8%), or 2-piece Longevous Disciple (increases max HP by 12%)—due to Pela’s massive utility, it really depends on you on how exactly you want to build her
• Planar Sets
  • Broken Keel (increases Effect Resistance by 10% and if Effect Resistance is over 30%, increases all allies’ Crit Damage by 10%), Space Sealing Station (increases wearer’s ATK by 12% and if wearer’s SPD is at or over 120, ATK increases by a further 12%), and Fleet of the Ageless (increases max HP by 12% and when SPD is 120 or higher, increases all allies’ ATK by 8%); any of these sets can work for Pela, depending on how exactly you want to build her

Amicassador of the Sky-Faring Commission, Tingyun

“My name is Tingyun, the Amicassador for the Luofu Sky-Faring Commission merchant guild. Please look after me from now on, benefactor.”

• Element: Lightning
• Path: The Harmony
• Released: Version 1.0

Last but most certainly not least, we have Lady Tingyun—an elegant wily fox. A solid single-target buffer, Tingyun ensures that whoever receives her blessings will hit harder and stronger than ever before; she can regenerate 50 energy for an ally upon use of her ultimate and further increase their damage, allowing the buffed ally to use their own ultimate faster with a higher damage output.

With her technique usable outside of battle, she can also immediately restore 50 energy to herself, allowing her to almost instantly assist her teamHer skillset and playstyle make her the best free-to-play buffer option if one does not have Bronya as she is among the first 4-stars one receives.

Best Light Cones

• But The Battle Isn’t Over (Bronya’s personal Light Cone)
  • Increases Energy Regeneration by 10% and regenerates a skill point for every two uses of her ultimate on top of buffing the ally on which her skill is used by a further 30%; should your luck be good enough, the maximum value this Light Cone can give is 18% Energy Regeneration and a 50% damage bonus
• Dance! Dance! Dance! (Obtained from Warps)
  • A solid support Light Cone as upon use of Ultimate, advances forward all allies’ actions by up to 24%—this is incredibly useful to speed up team rotations
• Memories of the Past (Obtained from Warps)
  • Enhances her basic ATK as it increases Break Effect and additionally regenerates extra energy for faster recovery of her ultimate

Relics

• Main Stat Focus
  • ATK, HP, and DEF; since Tingyun’s buffing scales off of her ATK stat, it is recommended to have two ATK main stat relic pieces, however, to boost her survivability, two HP or two DEF main stats is also recommended
• Substat Focus
  • ATK, SPD (for speed-tuning with your main DPS units), and HP/DEF; more ATK is always useful for Tingyun on top of granting further survivability stats if main stat focus is on more ATK
• Relic Sets
  • 4-piece Messenger Traversing Hackerspace (increases SPD by 6% and further increases all allies’ SPD by 12% if ultimate is used on an ally), the best recommended set
  • Alternatively, 4-piece Musketeer of Wild Wheat (ATK increases by 12% and increases SPD by 6% and Basic ATK damage by 10%), her best set before the release of Hackerspace
• Planar Sets
  • Space Sealing Station (increases wearer’s ATK by 12% and if wearer’s SPD is at or over 120, ATK increases by a further 12%), and Fleet of the Ageless (increases max HP by 12% and when SPD is 120 or higher, increases all allies’ ATK by 8%). Sprightly Vonwacq (increases wearer’s Energy Regeneration by 5% and if wearer’s SPD is at or over 120, Action Forwards character by 40% immediately upon entering battle); any of these sets can work for Tingyun, depending on how exactly you want to build her (tuned for stronger buffs, tuned for solid support, or tuned for energy regeneration, respectively)

CONCLUSION

While this list only covers five, there are many more support units available in Honkai: Star Rail. The five listed are my personal selections from the characters you can obtain at the moment minus the traveling merchant Luocha and Lady Fu Xuan; Bronya, the only other 5-star in this listing, may be difficult to obtain if your luck is terrible.

Fortunately, while you are unable to use them for any of your endgame content, it is possible, through the friends systems in-game, for you to borrow your friends’ units. If they have either Fu Xuan or Luocha set up as their support character, you are free to utilize them in your team compositions and experience what it is like to have these two characters.