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Yunli is a Physical Destruction character that acts as a counterattack-based DPS.
Honkai: Star Rail version 2.4 is finally here and with it comes the debut of Yunli! She wields the Physical element and follows the Path of Destruction, with her kit focusing on tanking enemy attacks and retaliating with hard-hitting counterattacks. This makes her a versatile damage-dealer, shining as the Main DPS in a Hypercarry composition or as the Sub DPS in a dual carry setup.
If you were lucky enough to have pulled Yunli, then read on as we break down how to best build her as well as her best gear and teammates:
Yunli's kit is centered around her Talent, Flashforge, which lets her unleash a counterattack on any enemies that attack her. Yunli's counterattack is a Blast-type ability, with the attack hitting the enemy that attacked her and any adjacent enemies. Additionally, Yunli's Talent will also regenerate extra energy for her on top of what she normally gets when both attacking and receiving attacks.
Yunli's counterattacks are enhanced when she uses her ultimate, Earthbind, Earthbreak. Upon using this ability, Yunli enters the Parry state, taunts all enemies, and increases the Crit DMG of her next Counter. Yunli's next counterattack will also have different effects based on what happens while she is in her Parry state.
When Yunli is attacked during the Parry state, she will unleash Intuit: Cull, which will deal additional instances of damage. But when the Parry state ends with Yunli not getting attacked, she will instead unleash Intuit: Slash, which will trigger an enhanced counterattack but without additional instances of damage.
Yunli's ultimate has a couple of quirks that players will need to keep in mind. While her ultimate has a 120 energy cost, Yunli herself has a max energy of 240. This lets players trigger two powerful counterattacks in quick succession when Yunli's energy is maxed out. Additionally, any damage dealt by Yunli from her ultimate will be considered Ultimate DMG, which will affect her relic choices.
Since Yunli is meant to tank a lot of enemy attacks, she can sustain herself with her skill, Bladeborne Quake. When used, it will regenerate a portion of her Max HP while unleashing a Blast-type attack.
Meanwhile, Yunli's major Traces boost her effectiveness while her ultimate is active and after she unleashes counterattacks.
Yunli's A2 Trace, Fiery Wheel, guarantees that her enhanced counterattack will always be Intuit: Cull after every use of Intuit: Slash. Her A4 Trace, Demon Quell, lets her resist crowd control debuffs and reduces all DMG she receives by 20% while in the Parry state. And Yunli's A6 Trace, True Sunder, increases her ATK by 30% for 1 turn after unleashing a counterattack.
Finally, using Yunli's Technique, Posterior Precedence, lets her unleash a more powerful version of Intuit: Cull on a random enemy upon entering battle.
When levelling up Yunli's abilities, prioritise her Talent and ultimate first followed by her skill, though you want to max them all out eventually. You also don't need to level up her basic attacks, so you can ignore levelling it up if you want to save up on resources.
In battle, you need to make sure that Yunli will be tanking enemy aggro as much as possible to constantly trigger her counterattacks. You can do this by positioning her in the second and third slots in the party set up to ensure multi-target enemy attacks always hit her or by using aggro-drawing supports like Lynx or Preservation March 7th.
When Yunli has at least 120 energy, make sure to use her ultimate just before an enemy attack in order to guarantee that her next counterattack will be Intuit: Cull. Should you miss this window, her A2 Trace will guarantee that her next ultimate usage will unleash her most powerful counterattack.
Yunli's best gear
Light Cones
Yunli's best Light Cone is no doubt her signature, Dance at Sunset. Her limited 5-star alternatives are Clara's signature, Something Irreplaceable, and Blade's signature, The Unreachable Side. But if those aren't available, go for On the Fall of an Aeon, which is her best free-to-play Light Cone as it can be acquired and superimposed for free through the Simulated Universe's Herta Store.
If you have no 5-star Light Cones available, then go for any DMG or ATK-boosting 4-star Light Cone like The Moles Welcome You, A Secret Vow, Under the Blue Sky, Woof! Walk Time!, and Nowhere to Run.
Relics
Yunli's best Cavern of Corrosion relic set is the 4-piece Wind-Soaring Valorous set, which increases her ATK by 12%, her Crit Rate by 6%, and her Ultimate DMG by 36% for 1 turn after using a follow-up attack.
Alternatively, you can go for the follow-up ATK DMG-boosting 4-piece The Ashblazing Grand Duke set. You can also go for a mix of the 2-piece The Ashblazing Grand Duke set to go with any other 2-piece set with ATK or DMG boosts.
As for Yunli's Planar Ornament relics, go for the 2-piece Duran, Dynasty of Running Wolves or the 2-piece Inert Salsotto sets. The former gives Yunli a max of 50% Crit DMG bonus for every follow-up attack unleashed by every ally while the latter increases her Crit Rate by 8% and her Ultimate and follow-up attack DMG by 15% (doesn't stack unfortunately).
The main stats you should go for are Crit Rate/DMG for the body, ATK for the feet, Physical DMG bonus for the Planar Ornament, and ATK for the Link Rope. Substats you should go for are Crit Rate/DMG and ATK, though the occasional DEF or HP substat isn't wasted since Yunli does tank a lot of enemy attacks. You also don't need to go for any Speed since most of Yunli's damage output will happen off-turn.
Yunli's best teammates
The two things Yunli needs the most from her supports are aggro manipulation and energy regeneration. Lynx and Preservation March 7th have abilities that help draw enemy aggro to Yunli while Tingyun and Huohuo can help her fill up her energy bar faster.
Harmony or Nihility supports that can increase Yunli's damage output outside of her turns are also welcome additions to her team. Ruan Mei, Robin, and Yukong should be your picks among the Harmony supports while Silver Wolf and Pela also work as DEF-shredding Nihility supports.
While Yunli does shine the best in a Hypercarry team, she can also function as the off-turn Sub DPS in a dual carry setup alongside another damage-dealer that can cover other damage needs. The best DPS to pair with Yunli is Topaz, as she buffs follow-up attack DMG while also dishing out tons of single-target DMG to pair with Yunli's Blast-type attacks.
Another fun team composition you can run with Yunli is a counterattack-focused lineup that pairs her with Clara. This team works best against enemies with multi-target attacks, as you can position Yunli and Clara in the second and third slots in the party set up to ensure all enemy attacks hit them and trigger their counterattacks.