Welcome to our Honkai Star Rail tier list for May 2025! We’ve got the scoop on the top-performing characters in DPS, support, and healing roles. If you’re wondering who to include in your teams, we’ve got you covered.
While the free characters from Honkai: Star Rail are great for clearing the story, it’s essential to have a variety of characters and teams ready for different challenges. Even the best characters have their limits, and sometimes, brute force alone won’t cut it.
In this article, we’ll provide you with our Honkai Star Rail (HSR) tier list, giving you the inside track on the standout characters. Stay tuned to make the most of your gaming experience!
Honkai Star Rail tier list Ranking – Best Characters
We rank and categorize the characters in the Honkai Star Rail tier list based on their performance, ranging from S to C.
| Tier | Detail |
|---|---|
| S | Overpowered |
| A | Strong |
| B | Good |
| C | Average |
Best Honkai Star Characters May 2025
Here are all our top picks for HSR top characters:
HSR Tier List – Tier S Characters
We believe these S-tier characters as the top-notch picks in Star Rail. They shine because they provide exceptional support, apply debuffs, or offer both passive and active abilities that bring extra advantages to your team beyond just dealing damage to enemies weak against their elemental type.
| Tier | Characters |
|---|---|
| S | Bronya, Gepard, Luocha, Seele, Silver Wolf, Tingyun, Bailu, Blade, Clara, Imbibitor Lunae, Kafka, Jing Yuan, Pela, Trailblazer (Fire), Welt, Yukong |
Bronya – The Harmony
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Wind
Bronya is all about giving you that extra turn! Her skill removes all debuffs from a character and lets them take another turn immediately. This means you can switch to a character who’s ready to act again, whether it’s a DPS, healer, or support.
Her Ultimate Technique also boost the attack and critical damage for your whole team, making her a valuable addition to any team setup, no matter what Element you need.
Gepard – The Preservation
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Ice
Gepard shines in battles with one or two targets because he can freeze enemies and apply ice damage over time. His Ultimate provides shields to your entire party, and his Talent lets him revive himself after taking a fatal blow.
In shorter battles, Gepard can even replace a healer because enemies can’t attack when they’re frozen solid. But for longer, tougher fights, pairing him with a healer is a smart choice.
Luocha – The Abundance
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Imaginary
Luocha is a unique healer who scales his healing with attack. When he accumulates two Abyss Flower stacks, he creates a Field that heals allies when they attack. His Ultimate doesn’t heal, but it deals Imaginary damage to all enemies and removes one of their buffs.
With some investment in his Traces, Luocha becomes the best passive healer in Star Rail. Just keep attacking in the Field, and your party will keep healing without using Skill Points. In challenging battles, having Luocha on your team is a game-changer.
Seele – The Hunt
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Quantum
Seele breaks the mold for Hunt characters. While most excel at single-target damage, Seele shines in multi-target situations.
Her passive ability grants her an extra turn when she defeats an enemy, and when combined with her Ultimate, she can have four consecutive turns! Pair her with supports that boost her Speed, Crit, or attack stats, and she becomes your go-to damage dealer for a wide range of battles.
Silver Wolf – The Nihility
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Quantum
Silver Wolf is your Nihility debuffer and can even add a new elemental weakness to enemies. This is especially handy against boss and elite enemies when you lack a damage-dealer with the right element.
The catch is that the element she adds is random from your current party lineup, so you might need a few tries. But having Silver Wolf on your team ensures your damage dealers can get the job done eventually.
Tingyun – The Harmony
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Lightning
Pair Tingyun with a high DPS character, and both their attacks get a boost when she uses her skill. Her Ultimate is one of the best in the game, restoring Energy to an ally while increasing their damage. She’s a fantastic 4-Star support who can also add some lightning damage when needed.
Bailu – The Abundance
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Lightning
Bailu is a must-have for your team, especially in those long battles like boss fights or the Simulated Universe. Her skill is great at healing multiple allies, and she even has a unique ability to revive a fallen teammate once per battle. She’s a fantastic Abundance character for keeping your team in top shape.
Blade – The Destruction
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Wind
The Blade is a very strong character but he is a bit of a risk taker. He uses his HP to boost his spells and can also recover himself.
He’s like a mix of Harmony, Abundance, and Destruction characters in one, but you have to be careful with his health.
It’s a good idea to bring a healer along to keep Blade in the fight. With the right team, he’s one of the best attackers in the game.
Clara – The Destruction
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Physical
Clara is a unique character who thrives on teamwork. Her buddy Svarog counters when Clara gets hit. So, having a good shielder or healer on the team is key to keeping Clara alive so Svarog can unleash powerful Physical attacks. Get enemies to target Clara, and you’ll maximize her DPS potential, as long as she stays alive.
Imbibitor Lunae – The Destruction
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Imaginary
Imbibitor Lunae dishes out some serious damage in Star Rail. However, he’s a bit skill-hungry and uses a lot of Skill points, even with his unique kit that lets him spend build-up stacks instead.
To make the most of his damage potential, you’ll need to work on his build and carefully balance Skill Points with your ideal team setup.
Kafka – The Nihility
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Lightning
Kafka shocks enemies, causing damage over time (DoT), and her best perk boosts the damage of all DoT effects on an enemy. She shines when paired with teammates who can apply Shock, Wind Shear, Bleed, or Burn.
While her numbers may not look as flashy as some other DPS characters, Kafka’s DoT attacks deliver both immediate and delayed damage, making her a force to be reckoned with. The catch is, you’ll need other DoT characters to maximize her potential.
Jing Yuan – The Erudition
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Lightning
Jing Yuan may belong to The Erudition, but he packs a mean Lightning punch against single-target enemies. He’s quite skill-hungry, so you’ll want to build his Lightning-Lord stacks for maximum damage.
With the right team and skill management, Jing Yuan is a fantastic damage dealer, making quick work of enemies with a Lightning weakness, especially in the Simulated Universe and Forgotten Hall.
Pela – The Nihility
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Ice
Pela is a solid choice for your team. She debuffs enemies while gaining Energy with her Skill, which is great against annoying elites and bosses.
Her Ultimate applies Ice damage to all enemies and reduces their defense, setting the stage for your AOE damage dealers.
While she’s slightly less effective against single-target enemies, she shines in situations where you need to support your team.
Trailblazer – The Preservation
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Fire
The Fire version of Trailblazer is a fantastic tank. She draws enemy attacks with her Skill and gains Magma Will stacks by attacking or blocking, unleashing powerful fire damage. She’s especially effective against tough Elites weak to fire.
However, her damage output isn’t as impressive against enemies resistant to fire. Still, she excels at drawing enemy attention.
Welt – The Nihility
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Imaginary
Welt’s speed reduction makes him a highly sought-after character, especially if you have teammates with high base speed.
Slower enemies mean more turns for your characters, granting more opportunities for attacks, healing, and support abilities.
His slowing Technique at the beginning of a fight gives you a significant advantage.
Yukong – The Harmony
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Imaginary
Yukong is a useful Harmony character. Her Skill boosts the attack stat of all allies, and her Ultimate increases the Crit Rate and Crit Damage of all allies when Roaring Bowstrings is active.
Just be mindful of your rotation to keep that Roaring Bowstrings active when your DPS characters are using their most potent moves. She’s not as straightforward as Tingyun, but she’s equally effective at enhancing your DPS characters and pairs well with other Imaginary characters.
Honkai Star Rail tier Tier List – Tier A Characters
The A-tier characters possess significant potential to shine in ideal combat scenarios or specific team compositions. However, they may have certain limitations that make their usage less straightforward. In some cases, there might be another character who outperforms them in their niche, or they lack the versatility required to adapt to various team setups.
| Tier | Characters |
|---|---|
| A | Asta, Himeko, March 7th, Natasha, Yanqing |
Asta – The Harmony
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Fire
Asta might surprise you with her effectiveness. Her Ultimate boosts the speed of all your party members, potentially giving them an extra turn if their own speed stats are high.
This extra turn can be a game-changer, turning a potential loss into a win, especially in challenging areas like the Forgotten Hall. To make the most out of her fire attack potential, you’ll need to invest in her Traces and build wisely.
Himeko – The Erudition
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Fire
Himeko deals area-of-effect (AOE) damage and launches follow-up attacks when allies exploit enemy weaknesses. She’s a top choice when facing multiple enemies weak to fire, but don’t underestimate her in single-target battles either.
Her Ultimate unleashes a massive wave of Fire damage while also regenerating her energy, making it possible to use it frequently, especially when equipped with the right Relics.
March 7th – The Preservation
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Ice
March 7th, despite being a free character, offers versatile protection for your party, even when facing enemies not weak to ice.
She provides various forms of support, such as shielding an ally with her Skill (which can also bait enemies to target a specific character), counterattacking when a shielded ally is attacked, and freezing groups of enemies with her Ultimate.
Her usefulness shines in longer battles, allowing your DPS characters to handle enemies comfortably. By enhancing her abilities in the Simulated Universe, you can further improve her effectiveness.
Natasha – The Abundance
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Physical
Natasha is an indispensable healer for your team, especially if you lack other healing characters. Her Skill heals one ally, and her Ultimate heals the entire party.
While she may not have flashy abilities, her healing support is essential for clearing various content, which is why we highly recommend building Natasha.
Yanqing – The Hunt
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Ice
Yanqing excels against single-target enemies weak to Ice. He can also serve as a mini-support thanks to his chance to freeze enemies when an Empathic Sword Link is triggered by using his Skill.
If his freezing and attack buffs were more consistent, he would rank even higher due to his utility and damage potential against Ice-weak foes. However, the random nature of his abilities makes him an unpredictable ally at times.
Honkai Star Rail tier Tier List – Tier B Characters
B-tier characters are strong when matched against their ideal adversaries and often possess unique abilities that can make them a viable choice, though not necessarily the top pick, in various combat situations. It’s worth noting that enhancing the Eiolons of many of these characters can significantly enhance their utility.
| Tier | Characters |
|---|---|
| B | Luka, Qingque, Sampo, Serval, Sushang |
Luka – The Nihility
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Physical
Luka is true to his Belobog fighter background, excelling at causing bleed damage in single or low-target scenarios.
As he levels up, he regains energy when using Fighting Stacks, allowing him to use his Ultimate more frequently, dealing significant damage and debuffing the target by increasing the damage they receive.
Luka also has the ability to dispel one buff from an enemy using his Skill (after unlocking a passive ability), making him versatile in various situations.
Serval – The Erudition
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Lightning
Serval is a straightforward character, making her a great choice when you need AOE Lightning damage for your team. Her attacks can shock enemies, and when she hits a shocked enemy, Serval deals additional damage.
While she doesn’t offer much else, there are many enemies weak to Lightning in the main story, especially in the early stages, as well as in Forgotten Hall and Simulated Universe modes. Serval’s simplicity and effectiveness make her a valuable “basic” character.
Sushang – The Hunt
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Physical
Sushang shines against single-target enemies weak to Physical, but she can also hold her own when facing other foes. After using her Skill, she gets an extra turn, making her a formidable damage dealer.
In multi-target encounters, her Technique hits all enemies at the start of a battle, and when any enemy’s break bar is destroyed, her speed increases, granting her an additional turn. While there’s some randomness in her Skill’s damage, Sushang is an excellent choice for a 4-Star damage dealer.
Qingque – The Erudition
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Quantum
Qingque’s kit relies on luck, as she needs to match four of the same tiles to boost her attack damage. Her Skill allows her to draw more tiles without ending her turn, but the randomness of tile-matching can hinder her performance.
However, as one of the few Quantum characters currently available, Qingque is valuable at launch. With patience and willingness to repeat battles, she can secure victories in specific situations.
Hook – The Destruction
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Fire
Hook’s playstyle is straightforward—hit enemies with all you’ve got and inflict Burn.
While she deals immediate damage at the start of a fight, she faces tough competition from the Fire Trailblazer in longer, more challenging encounters.
The Fire Trailblazer also excels in a tank role, whereas Hook focuses primarily on Fire damage. She’s a good team member but not necessarily essential.
Sampo – The Nihility
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Wind
If you need AOE Wind damage, Sampo is your go-to character. His Technique is useful for slowing enemies at the beginning of a fight, granting your party more turns.
However, Sampo’s AOE Wind damage from his Skill has some randomness, so it may not hit every enemy. To maximize Wind damage, you’ll want to activate his Ultimate as often as possible.
Honkai Star Rail (hSR) Tier C Characters
Our C-tier characters can find their usefulness in certain scenarios, but they provide minimal, if any, extra advantages beyond their elemental attributes. They aren’t subpar, but they lack distinctive traits that set them apart.
| Tier | Characters |
|---|---|
| C | Arlan, Dan Heng, Dan Heng, Trailblazer (Physical), Herta |
Arlan – The Destruction
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Lightning
Arlan is a strong character when built correctly, but there’s a catch – his skill costs health every time it’s used, which can be problematic in certain battles. However, bringing a healer or shielder alongside him can mitigate this issue.
The key advantage of having Arlan on your team is that he doesn’t consume a Skill Point to use his skill. This allows other party members to utilize their Skill Points, potentially boosting your damage per turn. Arlan shines in places like the Forgotten Hall, where optimizing Skill Points can be crucial.
Dan Heng – The Hunt
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Wind
Dan Heng is a reliable choice for progressing through the story and handling a good portion of the Forgotten Hall and Simulated Universe challenges.
He excels against single-target enemies weak to Wind and can even hold his own in multi-target situations, provided the enemies are either weak to Wind or have low enough health to be eliminated in one strike.
His limitation is that he doesn’t offer much beyond that. While his skill has a chance to reduce an enemy’s speed, it’s limited to single targets and not guaranteed. In scenarios with multiple targets, other characters may perform this role more effectively.
Trailblazer – The Destruction
- Rarity: 5-Star
- Element: Physical
The Physical version of the Trailblazer brings good survivability and both AOE and single-target Physical damage to the table. Their healing Technique can come in handy in the Forgotten Hall and Simulated Universe, although it’s not essential if you already have a healer on your team.
In general, other Physical damage dealers may provide more utility to your team, but don’t overlook the Physical Trailblazer when you need AOE Physical Damage. They can be a valuable addition in specific situations.
Herta – The Erudition
- Rarity: 4-Star
- Element: Ice
Herta is a decent character, especially if you require AOE Ice damage in your team composition. However, she doesn’t especially stand out among other characters.
Her special ability is starting a follow-up attack when an ally reduces an enemy’s health below a certain threshold. Beyond this, her primary contribution lies in dealing AOE Ice damage.
Herta can be a useful addition when you need Ice damage for your team, but she doesn’t offer a wide range of unique perks or abilities beyond her area-of-effect ice attacks.
Disclaimer: This HSR tier list is just our opinion and might not always be right. Games can change, and everyone likes different things. So, try out different characters and have fun playing the game your way!Conclusion
In conclusion, we hope that our Honkai Star Rail tier list has been a valuable resource in helping you select the best characters for your journey. Whether you’re seeking to maximize your team’s potential or strategize for specific challenges, our tier list aims to guide you.
For further insights and articles on Honkai Star Rail, including “Blade Ball Skill Tier List,” “Titanfall 2 Weapons Tier List,” and “Mortal Kombat 1 Tier List,” as well as more tier list content, don’t hesitate to explore our Tier List category.
We’re here to assist you on your gaming adventure, so stay tuned for more helpful content and updates. Happy gaming!