Honkai: Star Rail is a turn-based sci-fi RPG game created by the developers of Genshin Impact, miHoYo. Sharing more than the same graphics art style as Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail also features a cast of cool and cute collectible characters.
Similar to Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail introduces new characters to the game on a monthly basis. While the wait for new characters is excruciating for most players, the intervals between character releases always serve to build up hype for whoever is going to be unveiled next.
Blade is the fifth and latest 5-Star character to be introduced in the game. With the unique mechanic of Damage that scales off of his HP, read on to see a general overview of Blade, his best light cones, and how to build this complex character!
Photo: miHoYo
Character Overview
Blade Character Summary
Photo: miHoYo
Blade is the fifth limited character added to the current version of Honkai: Star Rail. His unique mechanic is that he needs to constantly take damage in order to be played efficiently.
Photo: miHoYo
Because of this, Blade prefers to have Healers on his team instead of Shielders since Shielders stop Blade from taking damage instead of recovering HP he’s already lost. Consider pairing him with the likes of Natasha, Bailu, and Luocha.
At the time of writing, Blade is the only 5-Star Wind DPS character in the game. This, coupled with the fact that Blade deals a very significant amount of AoE damage makes him a valuable character for players who need the elemental coverage.
Photo: miHoYo
If you’re looking for a Wind AoE Burst character, and you haven’t built Dan Heng or Sampo, consider wishing for Blade while he’s still available.
Abilities and Traces
Photo: miHoYo
Blade Abilities
Photo: miHoYo
Photo: miHoYo
Photo: miHoYo
That being said, for players who really want to make the most powerful Blade, we suggest aiming for E4. The Maximum HP Bonus Blade receives grants a substantial boost to his outgoing damage because of how his kit revolves around his HP stat.
Blade Best Build and Relics
Blade Best Cavern Relics
Photo: miHoYo
Longevous Disciple is a new relic set that almost feels like it was made specifically for Blade since it increases Max HP and has a nice Critical Rate buff whenever Blade consumes his own HP.
Photo: miHoYo
Eagle of Twilight Line on the other hand increases his Wind Damage and helps him with his speed issue by pushing his next turns forward whenever he casts his Ultimate.
Coincidentally, you could opt to go for two pieces from each set to get both the Max HP bonus and the Wind Damage bonus if you happen to have some pieces from both sets with good rolls.
Best Cavern Relic Stats
Photo: miHoYo
Photo: miHoYo
Rutilant Arena is another of the newer Planar Ornament sets added to the game. This set increases Blade’s damage consistently because of how often Blade uses his Enhanced Attack and Skill.
Photo: miHoYo
Inert Salsotto boosts the damage of Blade’s Talent, which is helpful but not as consistent because Blade needs to build stacks before he can unleash his follow-up attack.
Photo: miHoYo
Both these sets require a high amount of Critical Rate to trigger their bonus effects. Consider using Inert Salsotto while you’re still looking for Relics to increase your Critical Rate past the 70% threshold required for Rutilant Arena.
If you can get Blade’s Critical Rate to 70%, then Rutilant Arena is the better option for Planar Ornaments.
Blade Best Planar Ornament Stats
Photo: miHoYo
Photo: miHoYo
Of course, no limited-time character has ever been released without their signature Light Cone, and Blade is no exception. The Unreachable Side is the only Destruction Light Cone that offers Max HP while boosting the wearer’s damage whenever they lose some HP.
Photo: miHoYo
The next best Light Cone is the 4-Star Light Cone, The Secret Vow. Since Blade will usually be on the lower end of his current HP, you can easily trigger the damage bonus this Light Cone provides.
Something Irreplaceable is notable thanks to its healing effect and bonus whenever the wearer takes a hit. This can make playing Blade without a healer a little more comfortable. The same goes for the 4-Star Light Cone, Nowhere to Run.
Photo: miHoYo
Lastly, for beginners who don’t have an abundance of stronger Light Cones yet, they can always use Mutual Demise, or purchase the Psuedo 5-Star Destruction Light Cone from Herta’s Shop.
Photo: miHoYo
Conclusion
Photo: miHoYo
Like most other Destruction Characters, Blade is very self-sufficient since he can heal himself with enough Speed. While having a character who is always low on HP can take some getting used to, slotting Blade into your team is well worth it because of the burst damage that he can provide.
Furthermore, Blade is the only 5-Star Wind character who is made for AoE DPS. This means you can consolidate the roles of Dan Heng and Sampo into one character. Instead of building two separate Wind characters, you could just try your luck and pull for Blade.
