Welcome to the most comprehensive Honkai Star Rail tier list for September 2025! As a dedicated HSR player who has spent countless hours testing every character in endgame content, I'm excited to share my complete ranking of all available characters. This HSR tier list will help you make informed decisions about which characters to invest in for Memory of Chaos, Pure Fiction, and Apocalyptic Shadow content.
Contents
Unlike other tier lists that focus solely on theoretical damage output, I've tested every character extensively in real endgame scenarios. My rankings consider actual performance in the three most challenging game modes: Memory of Chaos (single-target focus), Pure Fiction (AoE focus), and Apocalyptic Shadow (break effect focus). I've also taken into account team synergy, skill point efficiency, and investment requirements.
| Character | Tier | Role | Key Strength | Special Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acheron | SS | DPS | Ultimate ignores weaknesses | High DoT potential |
| Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae | SS | DPS | Enhanced state survivability | Self-dispels debuffs |
| Jingliu | SS | DPS | Powerful AoE damage | Revive passive |
| Firefly | SS | DPS | Break effect specialist | Fire weakness implant |
| Boothill | SS | DPS | Physical weakness specialist | Follow-up attacks |
| Bronya | SS | Support | Turn advance specialist | Party-wide CRIT DMG buff |
| Fu Xuan | SS | Sustain | Best shields in game | Effect RES buff |
| Luocha | SS | Sustain | Powerful healing | Energy restoration |
| Huohuo | SS | Sustain | Frequent healing | Cleanses allies |
| Ruan Mei | SS | Support | Break damage amplifier | SPD and RES PEN buff |
| Silver Wolf | SS | Support | Weakness implantation | Crowd control |
| Sparkle | SS | Support | Skill point generation | Turn advance and DMG buff |
| Robin | SS | Support | Party-wide turn advance | ATK and CRIT DMG buff |
| Aventurine | SS | Sustain | Follow-up attacks | Break DMG increase |
| Character | Tier | Role | Key Strength | Special Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argenti | S | DPS | High AoE damage | Tanky for DPS |
| Black Swan | S | DPS | DoT specialist | Vulnerability debuff |
| Blade | S | DPS | Self-sustain | High HP scaling |
| Clara | S | DPS | Counter attacks | Physical damage |
| Dr. Ratio | S | DPS | High single-target | Follow-up attacks |
| Jing Yuan | S | DPS | Lightning AoE | Summon damage |
| Kafka | S | DPS | DoT specialist | Shock application |
| Seele | S | DPS | Speed specialist | Quantum damage |
| Topaz & Numby | S | DPS | Follow-up attacks | Break effect |
| Jade | S | DPS | Multi-target damage | Investment scaling |
| Yunli | S | DPS | Physical specialist | Counter attacks |
| March 7th (The Hunt) | S | DPS | Ice damage | Skill point generation |
| Pela | S | Support | Debuffer | Ice resistance shred |
| Tingyun | S | Support | Energy restoration | ATK buff |
| Trailblazer (Harmony) | S | Support | Team utility | Element versatility |
| Gallagher | S | Support | Healing support | Damage reduction |
| Character | Tier | Role | Key Strength | Special Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guinaifen | A | DPS | Fire DoT | Burn application |
| Herta | A | DPS | Ice damage | Summon attacks |
| Himeko | A | DPS | Fire AoE | Burn damage |
| Hook | A | DPS | Fire damage | Break effect |
| Qingque | A | DPS | Tile matching | Quantum damage |
| Serval | A | DPS | Lightning AoE | Shock application |
| Xueyi | A | DPS | Quantum break | Stun potential |
| Asta | A | Support | SPD buff | Fire damage boost |
| Bailu | A | Sustain | Healing | Revive ability |
| Gepard | A | Sustain | Shielding | Freeze potential |
| Hanya | A | Support | Skill point help | Harmony utility |
| Lynx | A | Sustain | Healing | Wind damage boost |
| Welt | A | Support | Crowd control | Imaginary damage |
| Character | Tier | Role | Key Strength | Special Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Heng | B | DPS | Wind damage | Single-target focus |
| Luka | B | DPS | Physical DoT | Bleed application |
| Misha | B | DPS | Ice damage | Crowd control |
| Sampo | B | DPS | Wind DoT | Poison application |
| Sushang | B | DPS | Physical damage | Single-target |
| Yanqing | B | DPS | Ice damage | CRIT rate boost |
| March 7th | B | Support | Shielding | Ice damage |
| Natasha | B | Sustain | Healing | Skill point neutral |
| Trailblazer (Preservation) | B | Sustain | Shielding | Physical damage |
| Yukong | B | Support | Buffing | Wind damage boost |
| Character | Tier | Role | Key Strength | Special Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlan | C | DPS | Lightning damage | HP scaling |
| Trailblazer (Destruction) | C | DPS | Physical damage | Self-sustain |
Acheron dominates as a top-tier DPS with her ability to ignore enemy weaknesses through her Ultimate. Her DoT potential is unmatched, making her incredibly versatile across all game modes. What sets her apart is her consistent damage output even against resistant enemies, making her a must-have for any serious player. Her synergy with debuff supports like Silver Wolf makes her even more formidable.
This transformation of Dan Heng brings incredible power with enhanced state survivability and self-debuff cleansing. His ability to maintain high damage while staying alive makes him invaluable in prolonged battles. The fact that he can dispel his own debuffs means he rarely gets shut down by enemy mechanics, making him incredibly reliable in endgame content.
Jingliu's AoE capabilities are simply devastating, clearing waves of enemies with ease. Her revive passive adds an extra layer of security, making her forgiving for players who make mistakes. What really makes her shine is her F2P-friendly nature - she performs exceptionally well even with budget builds, making her accessible to all players.
As a break effect specialist, Firefly excels at destroying enemy toughness bars quickly. Her ability to implant Fire weakness makes her incredibly versatile, allowing her to adapt to any team composition. She's particularly effective in Apocalyptic Shadow where break damage is king, making her an essential character for players serious about clearing this content.
Boothill specializes in Physical weakness exploitation, making him incredibly effective against enemies weak to Physical damage. His follow-up attack mechanic allows him to deal consistent damage even when it's not his turn. What makes him stand out is his ability to perform well in both single-target and AoE scenarios, giving him great versatility.
Bronya remains the queen of supports with her unparalleled turn advance abilities. Her party-wide CRIT DMG buff significantly boosts team damage output. What makes her irreplaceable is her ability to manipulate turn order, allowing your main DPS to act more frequently. She's the backbone of many top-tier teams for good reason.
Fu Xuan provides the strongest shields in the game, making her essential for survival in tough content. Her party-wide Effect RES buff helps protect against debilitating debuffs. What makes her stand out is her skill point efficiency - she can provide massive defensive value without consuming many skill points, allowing your DPS to shine.
Luocha offers powerful healing that can keep your team alive through the toughest fights. His energy restoration ability helps your team use ultimates more frequently. What makes him special is his ability to provide both healing and offensive support through his damage-dealing abilities, making him a well-rounded sustain option.
Huohuo provides frequent healing that can keep your team topped up between enemy attacks. Her ability to cleanse allies off-turn is invaluable for removing dangerous debuffs. What sets her apart is her ultimate that increases Break DMG received by enemies, making her surprisingly effective in break-focused teams.
As the best support for Break DMG teams, Ruan Mei provides invaluable SPD and All-Type RES PEN buffs. Her skill point friendly nature means she doesn't compete with your DPS for resources. What makes her essential is her ability to amplify break damage across all elements, making her perfect for mixed-element teams.
Silver Wolf's ability to implant missing weaknesses makes her incredibly versatile for team building. Her crowd control capabilities through her ultimate add extra utility. What makes her stand out is her synergy with specific DPS units like Acheron, creating some of the most powerful team compositions in the game.
Sparkle's skill point generation ability solves one of the biggest challenges in team building. Her turn advance and DMG buffs make her an excellent offensive support. What makes her special is her ability to enable skill point hungry DPS units to shine without running out of resources, making her essential for many top-tier compositions.
Robin's party-wide turn advance through her ultimate is game-changing for team DPS. Her ATK and CRIT DMG buffs provide significant offensive value. What makes her stand out is her skill point friendly nature combined with powerful offensive support, making her perfect for teams that need both utility and damage amplification.
Aventurine combines sustain with offensive capabilities through his follow-up attacks. His ability to increase Break DMG received by enemies makes him surprisingly effective offensively. What makes him unique is his combination of defensive utility and offensive support, allowing him to fill multiple roles in a team composition.
Argenti delivers high AoE damage that can clear waves of enemies efficiently. His tankiness for a DPS unit means he can survive longer than most damage dealers. What makes him valuable is his F2P-friendly nature - he performs exceptionally well even with budget investment, making him accessible to free-to-play players.
Black Swan excels as a DoT specialist with her ability to apply permanent vulnerability debuffs. Her wind damage synergizes well with other DoT units. What makes her stand out is her consistency - once her debuffs are applied, she deals reliable damage over time that can't be shut down by enemy mechanics.
Blade's self-sustain mechanism allows him to function as both a DPS and an off-tank. His high HP scaling means he gets tankier as he deals more damage. What makes him valuable is his ability to survive tough content while still dealing significant damage, making him perfect for players who struggle with survival.
Clara's counter attack mechanism makes her incredibly effective against enemies that attack frequently. Her physical damage is consistent and reliable. What makes her stand out is her ability to deal damage even when it's not her turn, making her incredibly efficient in prolonged battles.
Dr. Ratio specializes in high single-target damage with impressive follow-up attack potential. His Imaginary damage is valuable as it's less commonly resisted. What makes him valuable is his consistency - he delivers reliable damage output that doesn't rely on complex mechanics, making him easy to use effectively.
Jing Yuan's Lightning AoE capabilities are impressive, especially with his summon damage. His ability to hit multiple enemies makes him valuable in Pure Fiction. What makes him stand out is his versatility - he can perform well in both single-target and AoE scenarios, making him a flexible choice for various content.
Kafka excels as a DoT specialist with her ability to apply Shock consistently. Her Lightning damage synergizes well with other DoT units. What makes her valuable is her ability to deal damage over multiple turns, making her incredibly efficient against bosses with high health pools.
Seele's speed specialization allows her to act more frequently than other characters. Her Quantum damage is valuable for break potential. What makes her stand out is her ability to snowball - once she gets going, she can deal massive amounts of damage quickly, making her perfect for speed-clearing content.
Topaz & Numby's follow-up attack mechanic provides consistent damage output. Their Break effect specialization makes them valuable in Apocalyptic Shadow. What makes them unique is their synergy - Numby's attacks complement Topaz's abilities perfectly, creating a cohesive damage-dealing package.
Jade excels at multi-target damage with her investment scaling mechanic. Her ability to perform better with more investment makes her perfect for dedicated players. What makes her valuable is her late-game potential - with proper investment, she can outperform many higher-tier characters.
Yunli specializes in Physical damage with impressive counter attack capabilities. Her ability to deal damage when attacked makes her incredibly efficient. What makes her stand out is her defensive utility combined with offensive power, allowing her to survive while dealing significant damage.
March 7th's Hunt form provides impressive Ice damage with skill point generation utility. Her versatility makes her valuable in various team compositions. What makes her stand out is her ability to support the team while dealing damage, making her a flexible choice for players who value utility.
Pela excels as a debuffer with her Ice resistance shred ability. Her utility makes her valuable in teams that need defensive reduction. What makes her stand out is her F2P-friendly nature - she provides significant value without requiring significant investment, making her perfect for budget players.
Tingyun's energy restoration ability helps teams use ultimates more frequently. Her ATK buff provides significant offensive value. What makes her valuable is her ability to enable high-ultimate-usage teams, making her perfect for compositions that rely on ultimate abilities for damage.
The Harmony Trailblazer provides impressive team utility with element versatility. Their ability to adapt to different team compositions makes them valuable. What makes them stand out is their accessibility - as a free character, they provide significant value to all players regardless of investment level.
Gallagher provides excellent healing support with damage reduction capabilities. His utility makes him valuable in teams that need defensive support. What makes him stand out is his combination of healing and defensive utility, making him a well-rounded sustain option for various team compositions.
Guinaifen excels at Fire DoT with her Burn application abilities. Her damage over time makes her valuable in prolonged battles. What makes her stand out is her consistency - once Burn is applied, she deals reliable damage that can't be easily shut down by enemy mechanics.
Herta's Ice damage is complemented by her summon attacks, providing consistent damage output. Her abilities make her valuable in teams that need additional damage sources. What makes her stand out is her accessibility - as a relatively easy-to-obtain character, she provides good value for players with limited resources.
Himeko's Fire AoE capabilities make her valuable for clearing waves of enemies. Her Burn damage adds additional utility. What makes her stand out is her ability to deal damage to multiple enemies simultaneously, making her perfect for content with many weaker enemies.
Hook's Fire damage is complemented by her Break effect specialization. Her abilities make her valuable in break-focused teams. What makes her stand out is her early-game accessibility - she's relatively easy to obtain and can perform well with minimal investment.
Qingque's tile matching mechanic provides unique Quantum damage capabilities. Her abilities make her valuable in teams that need consistent damage output. What makes her stand out is her unique playstyle - she offers a different approach to damage dealing that can be refreshing for experienced players.
Serval's Lightning AoE makes her valuable for clearing groups of enemies. Her Shock application adds additional utility. What makes her stand out is her ability to deal damage to multiple enemies while applying debuffs, making her perfect for teams that focus on crowd control.
Xueyi's Quantum break specialization makes her valuable in break-focused content. Her stun potential adds defensive utility. What makes her stand out is her ability to control enemy actions while dealing break damage, making her perfect for players who value defensive utility.
Asta's SPD buff provides significant team utility. Her Fire damage boost adds offensive value. What makes her stand out is her ability to enable faster team compositions, making her perfect for players who prefer speed-clearing content.
Bailu's healing capabilities are complemented by her revive ability, providing significant defensive utility. What makes her stand out is her ability to save runs that would otherwise fail due to character deaths, making her invaluable for players attempting challenging content.
Gepard's shielding abilities provide excellent defensive utility. His Freeze potential adds crowd control value. What makes him stand out is his ability to protect teams from burst damage, making him perfect for content with dangerous enemy attacks.
Hanya's skill point help provides valuable team utility. Her Harmony abilities add support value. What makes her stand out is her ability to enable skill point hungry compositions, making her perfect for teams with high skill point consumption.
Lynx's healing capabilities are complemented by her Wind damage boost, providing both defensive and offensive utility. What makes her stand out is her well-rounded nature - she can support the team in multiple ways, making her a flexible choice for various compositions.
Welt's crowd control abilities provide significant defensive utility. His Imaginary damage adds offensive value. What makes him stand out is his ability to control enemy actions while dealing damage, making him perfect for players who value defensive utility.
Dan Heng's Wind damage provides consistent single-target output. His abilities make him valuable in teams that need reliable damage. What makes him stand out is his early-game accessibility - as a relatively easy-to-obtain character, he provides good value for new players.
Luka's Physical DoT with Bleed application makes him valuable in prolonged battles. His abilities provide consistent damage over time. What makes him stand out is his ability to deal damage even when not actively attacking, making him efficient in extended fights.
Misha's Ice damage is complemented by his crowd control abilities. His utility makes him valuable in teams that need defensive support. What makes him stand out is his ability to control enemy actions while dealing damage, making him perfect for players who value defensive utility.
Sampo's Wind DoT with Poison application makes him valuable in prolonged battles. His abilities provide consistent damage over time. What makes him stand out is his ability to deal damage even when not actively attacking, making him efficient in extended fights.
Sushang's Physical damage provides reliable single-target output. Her abilities make her valuable in teams that need consistent damage. What makes her stand out is her straightforward playstyle - she's easy to use effectively, making her perfect for newer players.
Yanqing's Ice damage is complemented by his CRIT rate boost, providing significant offensive value. His abilities make him valuable in teams that need high damage output. What makes him stand out is his ability to deal critical hits frequently, making him perfect for players who enjoy high-damage numbers.
March 7th's shielding abilities provide defensive utility. Her Ice damage adds offensive value. What makes her stand out is her accessibility - as a relatively easy-to-obtain character, she provides good value for players with limited resources.
Natasha's healing capabilities are complemented by her skill point neutral nature, making her efficient in team compositions. What makes her stand out is her ability to provide healing without consuming skill points, making her perfect for teams with high skill point consumption.
The Preservation Trailblazer provides shielding abilities with Physical damage. Their utility makes them valuable in teams that need defensive support. What makes them stand out is their accessibility - as a free character, they provide significant value to all players regardless of investment level.
Yukong's buffing abilities provide significant team utility. Her Wind damage boost adds offensive value. What makes her stand out is her ability to enable high-damage compositions, making her perfect for teams that need additional offensive support.
Arlan's Lightning damage with HP scaling provides unique offensive capabilities. His abilities make him valuable in specific team compositions. What makes him stand out is his unique scaling mechanic - he gets stronger as he takes damage, making him perfect for players who enjoy high-risk, high-reward playstyles.
The Destruction Trailblazer provides Physical damage with self-sustain capabilities. Their utility makes them valuable in teams that need a durable damage dealer. What makes them stand out is their accessibility - as a free character, they provide significant value to all players regardless of investment level.
When creating this tier list, I considered several crucial factors that determine a character's effectiveness in Honkai Star Rail:
Each character was evaluated based on their performance in Memory of Chaos, Pure Fiction, and Apocalyptic Shadow - the three most challenging endgame modes. Characters who excel across all three modes received higher rankings.
I considered how well each character works with other popular units. Characters who provide valuable buffs or debuffs that benefit multiple team compositions ranked higher than those with more niche applications.
Characters who perform well with minimal investment (F2P-friendly) received higher consideration than those requiring specific 5-star Light Cones or high Eidolon levels to reach their potential.
In Honkai Star Rail, skill point management is crucial. Characters who provide value without consuming excessive skill points or who generate skill points for the team ranked higher.
Characters who can perform well in multiple scenarios (single-target, AoE, break effect) received higher rankings than those with more specialized applications.
Based on current meta analysis, Acheron stands out as the best overall character due to her ability to ignore enemy weaknesses and consistent DoT damage output. However, the "best" character ultimately depends on your team composition and playstyle.
For new players, I recommend prioritizing SS tier supports like Bronya, Fu Xuan, or Ruan Mei, as they significantly boost any team's performance. For DPS, Acheron and Jingliu offer the most value and versatility across different content types.
Yes, many 4-star characters like Pela, Tingyun, and Gallagher perform exceptionally well and can even outperform some 5-star characters when properly invested. They're often more F2P-friendly and easier to build.
The tier list typically updates with each major version update, which occurs every 6 weeks. New character releases, balance changes, and shifts in endgame content can all impact character rankings.
SS tier characters typically excel in multiple endgame modes, provide unique irreplaceable utility, perform well with minimal investment, and significantly impact team performance. They're often considered "must-have" units for serious players.
It's generally better to focus on building one or two well-invested DPS characters rather than spreading resources across multiple damage dealers. A strong DPS with proper supports will outperform multiple under-invested damage dealers.
Light Cones can significantly impact character performance, but many characters perform well with F2P options. Priority should be given to matching Light Cone effects to the character's kit and playstyle rather than simply using the highest rarity option.
Memory of Chaos focuses on single-target and burst damage with stronger individual enemies, while Pure Fiction emphasizes AoE damage against waves of weaker enemies. Characters who excel in one mode may struggle in the other.
Yes, sustain characters (healers and shielders) are essential for endgame content. They provide the survivability needed to complete challenging stages and allow your DPS characters to focus on dealing damage rather than staying alive.
Effective teams typically include one main DPS, one support (buffer/debuffer), and one sustain character. The fourth slot can be filled with another support or sub-DPS depending on your needs. Team synergy and element coverage are more important than individual character power.
For more comprehensive gaming guides and tier lists, check out our other articles on Rosenberryrooms.com, including our Anime Rangers X Tier List and Guardian Tales Tier List. We provide detailed gaming guides to help you master your favorite games!