Images: HoYoverse
Honkai: Star Rail released a total of 20 playable characters throughout 2024, here's how we think they all stack up in terms of value.
With seven (soon to be eight!) different Paths and many other team archetypes, each playable character in Honkai: Star Rail's expansive roster is valuable to different players in their own ways. Some are unmatched in battle, others are pretty to look at, but a select few are both. So, let's look at all of the different Honkai: Star Rail characters released in 2024 and rank them according to how much value they provide to players:
20. Misha - 4-star Ice, Destruction
Despite how important he was in the story of Penacony, Misha was unpopular as a playable character. As a 4-star Destruction character, he belonged to a Path that featured many of the game's most powerful 5-stars. His Ice elemental alignment – which fell out of favour in the version 2 metagame – and skill point-intensive playstyle only served to further sour players on him. Misha doesn't deserve to be ranked this low, but unfortunately his underwhelming kit leaves me little choice.
19. Moze - 4-star Lightning, Hunt
Moze has one of the most unique kits in the game for a 4-star character, with his skill letting remove himself from the action order and attack a single enemy target for every 3 attacks it receives from his allies. This makes Moze a great Sub DPS, especially for Feixiao, though he can't do much else. Moze's potential as a Main DPS is hampered by the fact that his kit removing himself from the action order prevents him from receiving buffs from most Harmony characters, one of the biggest reasons why I have him ranked 19th in this list.
18. Hunt March 7th - 4-star Imaginary, Hunt
March 7th's Hunt version is much more versatile than her original Preservation version, acting as a hybrid Harmony-Hunt character with Sub DPS capabilities. Her skill's Speed boost and follow-up attack mechanic makes her a particularly good teammate for the likes of Feixiao, though some creative players have also made her work in Break compositions to increase her versatility. The fact that all of Hunt March 7th's Eidolons can be acquired for free further increases her value, making her a 4-star character players should try building when they can.
17. Jiaoqiu - 5-star Fire, Nihility
Jiaoqiu is this list's lowest-ranked 5-star character at 17th, but this doesn't mean he's a bad character. He's just really niche, specifically as a dedicated support for Acheron for his debuff generation and Ultimate DMG buffs. He can also work in damage-over-time (DoT) teams, though you will need to get his E2 first for him to be effective in this role. Make no mistake, Jiaoqiu shines in his niche – it's just he's not a must-pull for players even so as Acheron has plenty of other teammate options like Silver Wolf and Pela that are strong and more accessible alternatives.
16. Yunli - 5-star Physical, Destruction
Yunli is the game's second character with a kit built around counterattacks after Clara. While Yunli's damage output with her counterattacks is on par with most other top tier DPS characters, it is dependent on enemies constantly attacking her. This makes it difficult for Yunli to synergise with the best Harmony characters like Robin and Sunday, thus limiting her damage ceiling. With that said, Yunli can clear just about all endgame content, just not as fast as the game's heaviest hitters like Acheron, Firefly, and Feixiao. Though it should be noted that a Yunli-Clara counterattack team is very, very fun to play.
15. Jade - 5-star Quantum, Erudition
Jade fulfills an interesting role as a follow-up attack enabler and Sub DPS for Erudition characters, similar to how her Ten Stonehearts comrade Topaz performs in single-target-focused lineups with other Hunt characters. Because of this, Jade excels in combat situations against large waves of enemies in Pure Fiction or Summon-based bosses. If players want her to be effective in Memory of Chaos, they will have to get her E1 first – and not all players may be willing to invest vertically on her if they can just get another character. Even so, Jade provides solid value for any account as more Erudition characters and content tailored to them get released in the future.
14. Boothill - 5-star Physical, Hunt
Boothill is the first character of the powerful Break team archetype to appear in this list. And while 14 may seem like too low of a rank for our favourite intergalactic cowboy, it's really through no fault of his own – it's just that Firefly exists as THE Break DPS and many other characters in different roles provide better value. With that said, a well-built Boothill ran alongside his best teammates can compete with the best DPS characters out there. Holy forkeroni!
13. Rappa - 5-star Imaginary, Erudition
Rappa is in the same boat as her fellow Galaxy Ranger Boothill, as she is the Erudition Break DPS. Firefly is still a league above our beloved galactic ninja, but we give her the edge over Boothill as she is a top pick in Pure Fiction while still performing well in Memory of Chaos – which has steadily seen bigger waves of enemies for players to clear. And while it's not exactly affecting her gameplay performance, Rappa's unique ultimate animation that temporarily turns Honkai: Star Rail into a first-person POV game gets some bonus points from me for just how cool it is.
12. Sparkle - 5-star Quantum, Imaginary
Sparkle was touted as one of the best Harmony characters in the game – just behind Ruan Mei – when she released, thanks to her ability to buff her allies' ATK, DMG, and Crit DMG while also advancing a single ally's action by 50% and providing tons of skill points to the entire team. However, Sparkle has since been usurped in Hypercarry lineups by the likes of Robin and Sunday while Ruan Mei's value only increased further with the release of the Break team archetype. With that said, Sparkle remains a strong pick for the Harmony support spot, excelling in both Hypercarry and dual DPS compositions. And while other Harmony characters have come to lap her, Sparkle's value can still increase should a new DPS character that perfectly synergises with her gets released.
11. Gallagher - 4-star Fire, Abundance
Gallagher is the highest-ranked 4-star character in this list, and for good reason, as he is hands-down one of the best 4-stars in the game. While his healing can't quite match those from the likes of Huohuo, Lingsha, and Luocha, Gallagher brings a whole lot of utility to the table: debuff cleansing, off-turn healing, skill point generation, and even a bit of Break DMG vulnerability to enemies as a bonus. Gallagher's versatility further increases his value, he's a good pick as the sustain support for an Acheron team and is the second-best sustain for all Break teams. If you haven't build your Gallagher yet, then you really should.
10. Lingsha - 5-star Fire, Abundance
Lingsha breaks into the Top 10 of our list as she is basically the 5-star version of an already strong 4-star in character. Lingsha provides bigger and more frequent healing, teamwide debuff cleansing, more effective emergency healing, and stronger Break DMG vulnerability to enemies. Just that is enough to make Lingsha a strong pick for any account, but her value gets further boosted by her potential to act as a hybrid healer and DPS. When paired with Fugue, Lingsha becomes a very strong Break DPS. Heck, building her as a traditional Crit-based DPS and pairing her with Sunday even makes her a surprisingly strong damage-dealer.
9. Fugue - 5-star Fire, Nihility
As the last character to be released in 2024, Fugue aka 5-star Tingyun certainly didn't disappoint. Not only did she mark the return to life of a beloved character, Fugue also nicely rounds out the Break team archetype as its best support that is not Ruan Mei. With the Trailblazer set to get a new Remembrance Path next year, Fugue will serve as his replacement by enabling the Super Break mechanic and increasing the Toughness DMG of the Break DPS trio of Firefly, Rappa, and Boothill. Not only that, Fugue's skill allowing its ally target to reduce an enemy's Toughness regardless of their elemental weakness while also reducing an enemy's DEF also makes her a great teammate for the likes of Himeko, Xueyi, and Acheron. Thank you Ruan Mei for making our beloved Foxian's strength finally match her beauty.
8. Harmony Trailblazer - 5-star Imaginary, Harmony
The Trailblazer's Harmony version is hands-down their best version yet, serving as the must-have Super Break support for the game's powerful Break teams until the arrival of Fugue to close out 2024. Super Break is a powerful mechanic by itself, but the Trailblazer's overall kit is nothing to scoff at either – with Weakness Breaks giving them more energy giving them excellent synergy with the powerful Dance! Dance! Dance! Light Cone. While Fugue brings a bit more to the table compared to the Harmony Trailblazer, what gives our hat-wielding raccoon the edge is the fact that players can get them and their E6 all for free.
7. Black Swan - 5-star Wind, Nihility
Black Swan was the first 5-star character to be released in 2024 and the second 5-star DoT character, forming a perfect pair with Kafka to supercharge the DoT archetype to the top of the metagame in version 2.0. Sadly, DoT has been neglected with no other characters released after Black Swan. But this doesn't take anything away from our beautiful Memokeeper, whose pairing with Kafka is still enough to make DoT very competitive with follow-up attack and Break teams despite having virtually no support. Not much else can be said about Black Swan, she dishes out tons of damage both on-turn and off-turn – what more can we ask for? Oh, I know dedicated Harmony and sustain supports for DoT teams. HoYoverse, how long will Kafka-Black Swan mains like myself have to wait before you throw us a bone?
6. Feixiao - 5-star Wind, Hunt
Follow-up attack teams have always been one of the strongest archetypes in the game since its launch, with the frequency of their attacks almost making players sometimes forget that Honkai: Star Rail is a turn-based game. Feixiao represents the peak of follow-up attack teams so far, as she charges her ultimate the more she and her allies unleash attacks and boasting the highest single-target damage output in the entire game. Feixiao's premier team, which consists of her, Topaz, Robin, and Aventurine, is among the Top 3 in all of Honkai: Star Rail – but that doesn't mean she can't shine even in low investment compositions, with the likes of Moze and Hunt March 7th also serving as strong alternatives for Feixiao's teammates. When it comes to value for a player's account, Feixiao is among the best DPS characters you can get.
5. Firefly - 5-star Fire, Destruction
The Break team archetype quickly rose to the top of the Honkai: Star Rail metagame as soon as it was introduced, and Firefly spearheaded its rise as THE Break character. Exploding onto the battlefield in her fearsome SAM armor, Firefly breaks the Toughness of enemies regardless of their elemental weakness and destroys them in a brilliant, fiery display of Super Break DMG numbers. What makes Firefly so good compared to most other DPS characters is how much she can shine even with low investment. She only needs ATK and Break Effect stats (no need for tedious Relic grinding for the perfect Crit Rate/DMG ratios) and her second-best Light Cone is On the Fall of an Aeon, which can be acquired and Superimposed for free. It's no surprise that Firefly is one of the biggest fan-favourites in the game.
Not only does she boast one of the best stories and designs of any character in the game (I mean, who doesn't love a cute girl in a badass mecha?), Firefly is also one of the strongest characters any players can get. Honestly, ranking her fifth feels a bit too low – other characters in more valuable roles just pushed her down.
4. Acheron - 5-star Lightning, Nihility
Acheron was the game's first-ever character to not utilise an energy bar, instead relying on debuffs being inflicted on enemies to charge up her powerful ultimate. When she first released, Acheron was arguably the game's strongest DPS character even if her dedicated supports haven't been released yet. But with the eventual arrivals of Jiaoqiu and Sunday, Acheron has only gotten stronger. And this isn't looking like her final form yet either.
What sets Acheron apart from the rest of the game's roster of damage-dealers is that she will pump out damage regardless of the situation. Break teams aren't effective if the enemy's Toughness isn't broken yet or has been locked while Feixiao's premier team still struggles is purely single-target. But Acheron's powerful ultimate will simply shred through anything, be it single-target bosses or large waves of enemies. Her in-game strength perfectly captures her lore status as an Emanator of Nihility, Acheron weeps for the departed – both the enemies facing her blade and the players' Stellar Jade spent pulling for her signature Light Cone and Eidolons.
3. Aventurine - 5-star Imaginary, Preservation
Aventurine is hands-down the game's best sustain character, boasting a nigh-impenetrable shield that automatically refreshes as enemies try to break through it to no avail. Ask any player with a well-built Aventurine on their account, having him on your team will free you of any worry from enemy attacks. Even the best healers can't do anything if a teammate gets one-shot by a boss, but Aventurine just shrugs it off.
But what really pushes Aventurine to the Top 3 of our list is that he can also act as a team's Sub DPS on top of keeping his teammates alive. And you don't really have to grind too much to do this either, as simply stacking up as much DEF on him lets him pack a strong punch. The Preservation Path has been the game's most neglected one so far with just five characters, but the developers were really cooking with Aventurine.
2. Sunday - 5-star Imaginary, Harmony
Sunday quickly became a fan-favourite character when he first appeared back in version 2.0, though his fans had to wait a very long time before he could join the playable character roster in version 2.7 right at the end of 2024. And boy was he worth the wait.
Sunday is arguably the second-best Harmony support in Honkai: Star Rail (you can probably guess who's the first) as he can provide massive DMG and Crit Rate/DMG buffs, 100% action advance, debuff cleansing, and energy regeneration all while remaining skill point neutral. Not only that, but he also provides bigger buffs to allies with Summons – meaning he will be the premier support for upcoming Path of Remembrance characters. Even if the ally he’s supporting doesn’t have a Summon, Sunday’s buffs are more than enough to make him a top-tier pick. What more can you ask for? Just don't let him tell you about the tale of the Charmony Dove…
1. Robin - 5-star Physical, Harmony
This is Robin's world and we're all just living in it. Honkai: Star Rail's intergalactic superstar is our pick for the character to be released in 2024, and it's hard not to see why. She provides massive DMG and Crit DMG buffs to the entire party while also advancing all of her teammates' actions by 100% with her fabulous ultimate. With all of the game's endgame content practically being a race to defeat enemies in a very limited number of cycles, Robin's ability to provide extra turns for her teammates is truly invaluable.
Not only that, Robin also puts the ‘Harm’ in Harmony as her ultimate also lets her dish out tons of damage alongside her allies attacks that she can even sometimes outshine her team's damage-dealer. To further illustrate my point, just look at the one character who almost always appear in every video of a zero-cycle clear in Memory of Chaos. That's right, it's none other than Robin. So, let's sing the praises to the best Honkai: Star Rail character released in 2024: Welcome to my – woooOOOoorrrrlllld~
