Honkai Star Rail introduces a fresh turn-based combat system that differs from the previous popular HoYoVerse games like Genshin Impact or Honkai Impact 3rd. However, there are still some similarities, such as the return of some beloved characters, the use of elemental powers, and the importance of team composition. Fans of the franchise will be excited to see the return of characters like Seele, who brings her unique combat style and elemental abilities to the game.
The turn-based system provides players with more strategic options and allows for greater planning when assembling their teams. The elemental powers can be used to exploit weaknesses in enemy types, while the right team composition can provide significant bonuses and advantages in battle. All in all, while Honkai Star Rail may be a departure from the previous games in terms of combat mechanics, it still manages to retain many of the franchise's defining features that players have come to love, while providing many new areas, a new story and different gameplay mechanics to explore.
Early Team Compositions For Seele
At its release, Honkai Star Rail offers players numerous new characters to experiment with, including several free characters in the beginning and the possibility of obtaining more through the gacha system. Seele, in particular, has many flexible options when it comes to team compositions. Honkai Star Rail differs from other HoYoVerse games such as Genshin Impact by not featuring elemental reactions but toughness and weakness break mechanics. In general, early team compositions in Honkai Star Rail tend to include a primary DPS, two support characters (which could fulfill roles such as buffer, debuffer, sub-DPS, or shielder), and a healer. However, it's worth noting that in early gameplay, it can be beneficial for players to prioritize defensive characters over offensive support when facing tough enemies. This is because the survivability of the team can be just as important as dealing damage, especially in the early stages of the game where resources may be limited.
Nevertheless, players are able to freely swap out characters before battles based on the needs of the combat, rather than being restricted to certain elemental combinations. As players acquire new characters, weapons, 5-star relics and eidolons, they can create even stronger team compositions, regardless of whether they are F2P or spend money on the game. With the addition of future characters, the game will continue to offer players more options and opportunities for experimentation.
Seele Is A Main DPS
- Element: Quantum
- Path: The Hunt
Seele has been a fan favorite in the Honkai franchise for her unique personality and powerful abilities. Seele's kit and Hunt Path in Honkai Star Rail focus heavily on single-target damage, making her a top choice for players looking for a primary DPS character. Additionally, Seele possesses the Quantum element, which gives her the advantage of being able to delay enemy actions and act quickly in combat. Furthermore she is an extremely fast character, who also gains a free action upon defeating an enemy. These aspects combined allows her to deal devastating blows to enemies and even hit multiple enemies in one turn, giving her an advantage in multi-enemy battles that features waves.
Offensive Support
Utilizing other characters in Honkai Star Rail can greatly enhance Seele's already impressive strength. One strategy to consider is incorporating characters from the Nihility and Harmony paths. Nihility characters can deal damage while debuffing enemies, while Harmony characters typically provide buffs to the team. By combining these different character types, players can stack different buffs and effectively tackle tougher enemies. Here are some best offensive support options:
Bronya
- Element: Wind
- Path: Harmony
Fans of Honkai Impact 3rd will be pleased to know that the dynamic duo of Seele and Bronya are just as complementary in Honkai Star Rail. Bronya brings a lot to the table with her ability to increase ATK% for all team members after using her technique, her Skill allows other teammates to gain a turn and DMG increase while dispelling a negative effect from them, and her Ultimate even increases ATK, Crit Rate and Crit DMG. As such, she is an excellent choice for any offensive team looking to maximize their damage output. When paired with Seele's already impressive skillset, the two characters can create a devastating combination that can take down even the toughest opponents.
Welt
- Element: Imaginary
- Path: Nihility
Welt, another returning character, has a unique role in Honkai Star Rail as he doesn't entirely function as a traditional offensive support character. Instead of buffing the team, Welt focuses on debuffing enemies by slowing them down. His ability to reduce enemy speed can be a game-changer in battles, allowing the player's team to deal damage more effectively. In addition to his debuffing capabilities, Welt can also serve as a sub-DPS. He can target a single enemy with his attacks and even deal AoE damage with his Ultimate. Welt's skills complement Seele's playstyle perfectly since she benefits greatly from her speed. By slowing down enemies, Welt enables Seele to take out multiple targets with ease.
Tingyun
- Element: Lightning
- Path: Harmony
Players who manage to obtain Tingyun from the gacha in Honkai Star Rail will have a great support character for Seele, who is arguably the best 4-star support character in the game currently. Tingyun can increase a character's attack based on her own attack with her Skill, and her Ultimate further increases the damage of the targeted character while also giving them 50 energy to use their own Ultimate. This makes her similar to Bennett from Genshin Impact, with her ability to buff and provide utility to the team, though she does not possess any healing capabilities. Overall, Tingyun can greatly enhance Seele's damage output, making her an essential part of any offensive team composition.
Pela
- Element: Ice
- Path: Nihility
Pela is a 4-star character in Honkai Star Rail who has a similar role to Welt in terms of debuffing enemies. Her Technique and Ultimate skills both allow her to reduce the DEF of all enemies, making them more vulnerable to attacks. Additionally, when she is ascended, her trace ability can help allies increase their effect hit rate by 10%. As an ice element character, Pela has the potential to freeze enemies if she breaks their toughness, giving allies a turn advantage. Overall, Pela can be a valuable addition to a team composition that prioritizes debuffing enemies and setting up opportunities for allies to deal more damage.
Asta
- Element: Fire
- Path: Harmony
If players didn't manage to obtain the aforementioned characters through the gacha system, there is still a solid F2P option in the form of Asta. As a free character, players can utilize her skills to increase the SPD and ATK of all allies, giving them the opportunity to perform more attacks before the enemy's turn. Asta is especially useful when paired with Fire main DPS characters like Himeko, as she can also increase the Fire DMG of all allies through her trace ability.
Defensive Support
In Honkai Star Rail, defensive support is just as important as offensive support, if not more so. While offensive support can increase the team's overall damage output, defensive support ensures that the team can survive tough battles. Generally, defensive support characters focus on providing shields, healing, or damage reduction to their allies.
Abundance and Preservation path characters are best suited for the role of defensive support. Preservation characters specialize in providing shields and barriers to their team, while Abundance characters excel in restoring their allies' health. Luckily, there are also plenty of freely obtainable characters for defensive support.
Bailu
- Element: Lightning
- Path: Abundance
Bailu is an exceptional choice for a support character, as she not only provides healing for the team but can also prevent a teammate from being knocked down and revive them in battle once per fight. This can be crucial in tough battles where a teammate's defeat could result in a loss.
Gepard
- Element: Ice
- Path: Preservation
Gepard is a defensive character that excels at tanking damage. His unique ability to attract enemies makes him an ideal candidate for drawing enemy attacks away from more vulnerable teammates. Additionally, Gepard's Ultimate Skill creates a powerful shield that can protect his allies from incoming damage. As an ice character, Gepard is also capable of freezing enemies, providing the team with an opportunity to attack before the enemy can retaliate, potentially resulting in an early victory.
Trailblazer (Fire)
- Element: Fire
- Path: Preservation
Trailblazer, the MC, is a unique 5-star character that players receive for free and can adapt to different elements and paths. This makes Trailblazer a versatile character that can potentially fulfill many roles in the future. Currently, Fire Trailblazer is the most effective choice over Physical Destruction Trailblazer since it is a powerful character that can provide shields while dealing significant damage. In addition, Trailblazer has the ability to taunt all enemies, diverting their attacks to focus on Trailblazer instead of the other team members, thus reducing the team's overall damage taken. Moreover, Trailblazer's ability allows for the recovery of skill points when attacked, uses skill or basic attack, which is particularly useful since Seele heavily relies on her Skill to deal damage.
Natasha
- Element: Physical
- Path: Abundance
Natasha is the sole free healer unit available to players as they progress through the story. As such, she is an ideal choice for F2P players who prefer to have a dedicated healer on their team. While she may not deal any damage, this is not her role, and she can be particularly useful in challenging content where keeping the team alive is crucial to success.
March 7
- Element: Ice
- Path: Preservation
March 7 is a great defensive support character for players who prefer a more defensive playstyle. As a Preservation path character with the Ice element, she is freely given to players during the story and also serves as the game's mascot. March 7 is an excellent choice for players looking to add a shielder to their team. With her skill, she can provide a shield to a team member that lasts for a long duration, making them less vulnerable to enemy attacks. Additionally, she can cleanse negative effects and transfer aggro to the shielded character, allowing them to take hits for the rest of the team.
March 7's ultimate skill is also very useful for defensive purposes. She can freeze multiple enemies, giving the team more time to recover and prepare for the next attack. Moreover, March 7 can be used alongside other defensive options, such as Fire Trailblazer, to ensure that the team always maintains high HP. Overall, March 7 is an excellent defensive support character that players should consider adding to their team.
Honkai: Star Rail is released on April 26th for PC and mobile devices. PS4 and PS5 versions are in development.