Honkai: Star Railis gearing up to launch its 3.0 update, but how have the essential DPS units handled themselves since launch? 3.0 is looking to be the biggest update the game has seen yet. Along with tons of new mechanics and quality-of-life updates, the hit gacha game is getting its first new Path. The Remembrance Path is focused on summoning servants to assist with damage, and though this may be a pure DPS class, it may have some hybrid characters to expand its uses.
Though the meta has shifted numerous times since launch, the core team of Star Rail has hardly changed. Teams are almost always one DPS, two support characters and one sustain to keep everyone alive. The two areas where this is not the case are DOT teams, which have been largely neglected since the launch of Black Swan, and Pure Fiction, which usually benefits from two DPS units to quickly clear enemy waves.
Jade and Kafka share a spot due to their current niche uses but immense potential. Jade has a role for future Pure Fiction-focused teams with options like The Herta. There is also a chance future Remembrance or Erudition units will allow her to make the most of her kit. Unfortunately, given the niche nature of this kit, it is unlikely she is ever anything more than a Pure Fiction specialist.
On the other hand, Kafka is the premier enabler of DOT teams but suffers from a lack of teammates. If Star Rail swings back to this type of meta, Kafka will be a top option to prock stacks often. However, there is the worry that a newer unit will come out that can do its job better, or at least with a new element.
9 Imbibitor Lunae Works But Is Clunkier
5-Star Imaginary Destruction
Lunae was a powerful addition to the roster when he was released, and while he can still dish out damage, he isn't a top choice anymore. This is partially due to the meta going away from him, and partially how clunky he is. Given that his most powerful attack needs to consume three skill points, the rest of his team needs to be extremely SP-positive, the only alternative is when he uses his ultimate to get free skill points.
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With these restrictions, the best teammates for Lunae are premium options that revolve around having Sparkle, one of Star Rail's best Harmony units, for extra skill points. Without Sparkle, Lunae's teams get trickier to manage. Not to the point that he is unusable, but not as flexible and consistent as the top options.
8 Rappa The Weakest Of Break DPS
5-Star Imaginary Erudition
Despite how strong Break teams are, Rappa still manages to be slightly underwhelming. Though her kit is fun and flashy, it is not as strong as her Break rivals. She can be a strong option for Pure Fiction, but that alone is not enough to warrant a high ranking.
Even though the teams they use are the same, Rappa struggles with the fact she is the only Break DPS without a weakness implant. This makes her hard to put into any battle that doesn't have a heavy number of enemies weak to Imaginary. This may change a bit with the release of Tingyun Fugue, who can give her some toughness ignore, but will still leave Rappa behind Boothill and Firefly.
7 Dr. Ratio Is Still Amazing For A Free Unit
5-Star Imaginary Hunt
Given that he was a free giveaway that most players have, Dr. Ratio is a near-top-tier DPS option. If it wasn't for Feixiao, he would be the best follow-up attack DPS. He is relatively easy to build and can dish out more than enough damage to clear most content in the game.
If Ratio does have a downside, it would be his best teams are not very free-to-play friendly. His best team adds in Topaz, Robin, and Aventurine, who all combine for a powerhouse team with amazing synergy. He does have some beneficial 4-Star replacements for more budget accounts, but the downgrade of his best teammate is noticeable.
6 Boothill Is Strong If You Play Around Him
5-Star Physical Hunt
Boothill was the first Break DPS added to HSR but currently stands as the second best. For comparison, he uses the same Break team units and has high scaling damage overall. His problem is similar to Rappas, which is the need for Physical weak enemies to be at his most effective. He has more wiggle room since his ultimate can inflict Physical weakness, but is still slower than Firefly.
Boothill, even more than Rappa, may get the biggest boost from HSR's Tingyun Fugue. She would provide his already heavy break-enhanced attack with the ability to ignore some toughness. With this, he will be able to get his stacks and ultimate faster, speeding up his stop-and-go playstyle.
5 Jing Yuan Keeps Getting "Buffs"
5-Star Lightning Erudition
When Jing Yuan was released, he was a cool character who was unfortunately weak. His personal damage was minimal, and his Lightning Lord was too inconsistent. However, as characters like Sparkle, Robin, and Sunday with his best builds have been released, Jing Yuan has kept getting indirect buffs that have raised his status.
Another reason to watch for Jing Yuan is future support characters meant for Rememberance's summons. Since his Lightning Lord counts as one, any support units that boost the damage, abilities, or speed of summons can work for him too. It's unlikely any of these make him a top-tier option, but give him a respectful role given his age and initial low ranking.
4 Yunli Is Extremely Strong While Being Underrated
5-Star Physical Destruction
Yunli was a semi-quickly forgotten character since she was released right before Feixiao, but her strength isn't to be ignored. This counterattack specialist is simple to build and deals incredible damage with her scaling stats. She also has more budget-friendly teams than most top options, making her a beneficial unit for Physical weak enemies.
The struggle with Yunli is consistency. Since most of her damage is from when she counters an attack, her signature Light Cone is nearly essential to maximize when she is attacked. Without her Light Cone, Lynx can be used as a bandage solution, but this won't be as sustainable as better options. Yunli is still noticeably powerful with these downsides but shows her true strength when she can have her best setup.
3 Acheron Is Holding Strong
5-Star Lightning Nihility
Though she has fallen from her top spot, Acheron is still a premiere DPS option. When built correctly, and surrounded by the right team, her damage is immense, and her ultimate can be acquired quickly. It helps to have her Light Cone, but some alternate options have been around that help this. Regardless, she can still dish out some of the highest damage numbers in the game.
Acheron's largest detractors are the parts of her kit that limit her teammates. Without her second Eidolon she needs two other Nhility characters to maximize her ultimate damage, so to fit a Harmony support, Sparkle being her best option, some of this needs to be sacrificed. Her best Nihility support is Jiaoqiu who, while useful, was so niche and came out among highly anticipated characters that he was skipped by many. This leaves Pela as a good substitute, but not the best in slot anymore.
2 Feixiao Has Earned Her Top Spot
5-Star Wind Hunt
Feixiao was arguably the most anticipated character of the 2.0 updates, and she lived up to it. This FUA specialist deals amazing damage with her follow-ups and her flexible ultimate. Everything that is built into Feixiao's kit makes her an amazing option for any content, regardless of mechanics or enemy weaknesses.
Feixiao also has little downside, if any at all. She is easy to build, has flexible Light Cone options, and budget-friendly teams. Her premier team of Topaz, Robin, and Aventurine stand out the most, but don't lap her other options by that much. Overall, anyone with Feixiao has a unit that can likely clear most of HSR's toughest content for the foreseeable future.
1 Firefly Is The Queen Of Honkai: Star Rail
5-Star Fire Destruction
As good as the other top options are, they just can't compete with the flexibility and strength of Firefly. Despite already being a fan-favorite when she was released, her kit proved she deserved all the attention. This Break DPS can easily implement Fire Weakness onto enemies, and her powerful kit can dish out the most Super Break damage of all three options.
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The other thing that has helped Firefly is the Break support units. Lingsha's Fire element perfectly works with Firefly, and before her Gallagher could make use of it too. Tingyun Fugue may not buff Firefly as much as the other two, but she can also work as a mini DPS unit to quickly break units. All of this allows Firefly to maximize her time doing Super Break damage. Firefly may not be the top option for long with a new Path coming, but she is the one unit on this list that is most likely to never fall off in HSR's future.
Overall, the beauty of HSR is that, while metas and modes shift. Few DPS units are truly left behind to the point of being unplayable. The only big issues with this have been Blade and Seele, who are unfortunately now too niche to be used constantly. However, the rest are all still respectable units that occasionally see indirect buffs from new characters. Regardless, going into 3.0, these are the ten best DPS characters in Honkai: Star Rail.
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