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Honkai Star Rail Tier List (October 2025) Best HSR Characters
By: Osama
Updated On: October 8, 2025
The ultimate Honkai: Star Rail tier list for October 2025, ranking all characters based on their performance in Memory of Chaos, Pure Fiction, and Apocalyptic Shadow. This comprehensive guide analyzes the current meta, highlighting top-tier DPS, supports, and sustain units that dominate endgame content. Whether you're building your dream team or deciding who to pull for, this expert-tier list will help you make informed decisions with detailed character analysis and team composition strategies.
What Makes This Tier List Different?
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.
Contents
Quick Reference: Current Meta Tiers
Tier
Key Characters
Best For
SS/S+
Anaxa, The Herta, Archer, Robin, Tribbie
All endgame modes, consistent performance
S/A
Sparkle, Bronya, Kafka, Aventurine
Specialized teams, high investment builds
B/C
Black Swan, Jingliu, Blade
Situational use, specific team comps
D
Early game characters, limited niche use
Story content, casual play
Understanding This Tier List
Before diving into the rankings, it's crucial to understand how this comprehensive tier list was compiled. We've analyzed data from five authoritative sources including Prydwen.gg, Game8.co, LDShop.gg, VideoGamer.com, and Genshin.gg, combined with insights from the official Honkai: Star Rail Discord and Reddit community.
Ranking Criteria
Our tier list evaluates characters based on:
Endgame Performance: Performance in Memory of Chaos (MoC), Pure Fiction (PF), and Apocalyptic Shadow (AS)
Flexibility: How well characters adapt to different team compositions and enemy types
Investment Requirements: Relic and Light Cone dependencies, Eidolon impact
F2P Friendliness: Accessibility for free-to-play players
Current Meta Relevance: Effectiveness in Version 3.6's content landscape
Tier Definitions
SS Tier: Meta-defining characters that excel in all content with minimal investment
S+ Tier: Extremely strong characters with minor limitations
S Tier: Reliable performers that may require specific team setups
A Tier: Solid choices with noticeable weaknesses or high investment needs
B Tier: Niche characters that can perform well in specific situations
C Tier: Requires significant investment to compete with higher tiers
D Tier: Generally outclassed or requires very specific conditions to shine
Complete Character Tier List (October 2025)
SS Tier: Meta-Defining Powerhouses
These characters represent the absolute pinnacle of Honkai: Star Rail's current meta. They excel across all game modes and provide consistent value regardless of enemy composition or stage buffs.
Anaxa (Imaginary • Harmony)
Strengths: Unparalleled team support with turn manipulation, CRIT DMG buffs, and energy restoration
Best Teams: Pairs exceptionally well with DPS units like Archer and The Herta
Investment: Performs well at E0, but signature Light Cone significantly enhances utility
Why SS Tier: Anaxa's ability to manipulate turn order while providing substantial damage amplification makes him indispensable in the current meta. He enables hyper-carry strategies that dominate Memory of Chaos.
The Herta (Ice • Erudition)
Strengths: Massive AoE damage, self-sufficient with buffs, excellent break potential
Best Teams: Works well with most supports, particularly Robin and Tribbie
Investment: Strong at E0, benefits greatly from signature Light Cone
Why SS Tier: The Herta combines devastating area damage with impressive single-target capabilities, making her versatile across all endgame modes. Her recent buffs in Version 3.6 have solidified her position at the top.
Archer (Physical • Hunt)
Strengths: High single-target damage, F2P-friendly, excellent break potential
Best Teams: Synergizes with Harmony supports like Robin and Bronya
Investment: Performs exceptionally well even without premium investment
Why SS Tier: Archer's accessibility combined with top-tier damage output makes him the best F2P option in the game. His ability to break enemy toughness while dealing substantial damage ensures relevance across all content.
Robin (Wind • Harmony)
Strengths: Party-wide turn advancement, ATK and CRIT DMG buffs, SP-friendly
Best Teams: Essential for most DPS units, particularly skill-heavy characters
Investment: Core functionality available at E0, signature Light Cone enhances utility
Why SS Tier: Robin's ability to accelerate entire team turns while providing substantial damage amplification makes her the premier support character. Her SP-friendly nature allows for more flexible team compositions.
Best Teams: Perfect for quantum-focused teams and general support roles
Investment: Strong base performance, benefits from Eidolon upgrades
Why SS Tier: Tribbie's recent reclassification as an Amplifier has revealed her true potential. Her ability to implant quantum weaknesses while providing team-wide damage amplification makes her invaluable in the current meta.
S+ Tier: Elite Performers
These characters are just a step below SS tier but still represent some of the best investments in the game. They may have minor limitations but consistently deliver outstanding results.
Sparkle (Quantum • Harmony)
Strengths: Skill point generation, turn advancement, damage amplification
Best Teams: Ideal for SP-hungry DPS units and quantum compositions
Investment: Performs well at E0, signature Light Cone significantly enhances utility
Why S+ Tier: Sparkle's ability to generate skill points while providing substantial buffs makes her a top-tier support, though she requires more careful team building than Robin.
Investment: Strong at E0, benefits from signature Light Cone
Why S+ Tier: Bronya remains one of the most versatile supports in the game, offering turn manipulation and damage amplification that benefits nearly every team composition.
Best Teams: Excellent for teams needing both protection and damage amplification
Investment: Performs well at E0, signature Light Cone enhances utility
Why S+ Tier: Aventurine combines the best defensive capabilities with meaningful offensive support, making him the premier sustain unit in the current meta.
Huohuo (Wind • Abundance)
Strengths: Powerful healing, energy restoration, team buffs
Best Teams: Ideal for energy-hungry teams and compositions needing consistent healing
Investment: Strong healing at E0, signature Light Cone enhances utility
Why S+ Tier: Huohuo's ability to provide substantial healing while restoring team energy makes her invaluable for longer battles and energy-intensive compositions.
S Tier: Reliable Meta Choices
These characters form the backbone of many successful teams and consistently perform well in endgame content.
Kafka (Lightning • Nihility)
Strengths: DoT specialist, team synergy, consistent damage output
Best Teams: Core of DoT compositions, particularly with Black Swan
Investment: Requires specific team composition to reach full potential
Why S Tier: Kafka remains the queen of DoT teams, but her effectiveness is heavily dependent on having the right supports and enemies vulnerable to damage-over-time effects.
Best Teams: Works well with most support compositions
Investment: Strong at E0, benefits from signature Light Cone
Why S Tier: Feixiao offers impressive damage output and break potential, making her a solid choice for both single-target and AoE scenarios.
Mydei (Fire • Destruction)
Strengths: High damage output, break potential, self-buffs
Best Teams: Pairs well with Harmony supports and sustain units
Investment: Performs well at E0, benefits from investment
Why S Tier: Mydei's impressive damage potential and break capabilities make him a strong choice for fire-weak content and general use.
Lingsha (Fire • Abundance)
Strengths: Strong healing, break potential, team utility
Best Teams: Excellent for break-focused teams and general sustain
Investment: Performs well at E0, signature Light Cone enhances utility
Why S Tier: Lingsha combines effective healing with meaningful break potential, making her valuable for teams focused on breaking enemy toughness.
A Tier: Solid Performers
These characters are reliable choices that can perform well in the right circumstances but may have noticeable limitations or require more investment.
Black Swan (Wind • Nihility)
Strengths: DoT amplification, debuff application, team synergy
Best Teams: Essential for DoT compositions with Kafka
Investment: Requires specific team composition to shine
Why A Tier: Black Swan is crucial for DoT teams but struggles outside of that specific niche, limiting her overall versatility.
Jingliu (Ice • Destruction)
Strengths: High damage potential, break capabilities
Best Teams: Works well with Harmony supports
Investment: Requires good investment to reach full potential
Why A Tier: Jingliu can deal impressive damage but requires specific building and team support to compete with higher-tier destruction units.
Blade (Wind • Destruction)
Strengths: Self-sufficient damage, sustainability
Best Teams: Works well with various support compositions
Investment: Performs adequately at E0, benefits from investment
Why A Tier: Blade offers solid damage output and self-sustain but lacks the explosive potential of higher-tier destruction units in the current meta.
Jing Yuan (Lightning • Erudition)
Strengths: AoE damage, follow-up attacks
Best Teams: Good for multi-target content
Investment: Requires investment to compete with higher-tier erudition units
Why A Tier: Jing Yuan remains a solid AoE damage dealer but has been surpassed by newer erudition units in terms of raw damage potential and utility.
B Tier: Niche Specialists
These characters excel in specific situations but generally require more investment or have notable limitations.
Seele (Quantum • Hunt)
Strengths: Single-target damage, break potential
Best Teams: Quantum-focused compositions
Investment: Requires significant investment to compete
Why B Tier: Seele was once a top-tier unit but has been power-crept by newer hunt characters, requiring substantial investment to remain relevant.
Clara (Physical • Destruction)
Strengths: Counter attacks, sustainability
Best Teams: Works well with taunt supports
Investment: Requires specific building and team support
Why B Tier: Clara's counter-based playstyle is interesting but generally less effective than direct damage dealers in the current meta.
Himeko (Fire • Erudition)
Strengths: AoE damage, follow-up attacks
Best Teams: Multi-target compositions
Investment: Requires investment to remain competitive
Why B Tier: Himeko offers solid AoE damage but has been surpassed by newer erudition units in terms of both damage output and utility.
Dr. Ratio (Imaginary • Hunt)
Strengths: Single-target damage, break potential
Best Teams: Imaginary-focused compositions
Investment: Requires specific building and team support
Why B Tier: Dr. Ratio can deal impressive damage but requires very specific team compositions and investment to reach his full potential.
C Tier: Limited Use Cases
These characters generally require substantial investment to compete and are often outclassed by alternatives.
Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae (Imaginary • Destruction)
Strengths: Break potential, versatility
Best Teams: Break-focused compositions
Investment: Requires significant investment
Why C Tier: While interesting conceptually, Imbibitor Lunae requires too much investment to compete with higher-tier destruction units.
Bailu (Lightning • Abundance)
Strengths: Healing, revive capability
Best Teams: Early-game compositions
Investment: Outclassed by newer sustain units
Why C Tier: Bailu's healing is adequate but she lacks the utility and damage amplification provided by newer sustain units.
Welt (Imaginary • Nihility)
Strengths: Crowd control, debuff application
Best Teams: Control-focused compositions
Investment: Outclassed by newer nihility units
Why C Tier: Welt's crowd control is situationally useful but he lacks the damage amplification and utility of modern nihility units.
Gepard (Ice • Preservation)
Strengths: Strong shields, team protection
Best Teams: Early-game compositions
Investment: Outclassed by newer preservation units
Why C Tier: Gepard provides solid shields but lacks the utility and damage amplification offered by newer preservation units.
D Tier: Generally Outclassed
These characters struggle to compete in the current meta and should generally be avoided unless you particularly enjoy their playstyle or aesthetics.
Trailblazer (Physical/Preservation)
Strengths: Early-game accessibility
Best Teams: Story content
Investment: Outclassed by nearly every alternative
Why D Tier: While useful early on, Physical Trailblazer is quickly outclassed by nearly every other character in the game.
Yanqing (Ice • Hunt)
Strengths: High damage potential
Best Teams: Ice-focused compositions
Investment: Requires perfect investment and team support
Why D Tier: Yanqing's high damage potential is locked behind苛刻的条件 that are nearly impossible to maintain in actual gameplay.
Early 4-Star Units (Hook, Serval, etc.)
Strengths: Early-game accessibility
Best Teams: Story content
Investment: Outclassed by newer 4-star units
Why D Tier: These early 4-star units have been completely surpassed by newer releases and should generally be avoided for endgame content.
Game Mode Analysis
Memory of Chaos (MoC)
Memory of Chaos favors characters with strong single-target damage and break potential. The best performers here include:
Top DPS: Anaxa, Archer, The Herta
Best Supports: Robin, Tribbie, Sparkle
Best Sustain: Aventurine, Huohuo, Lingsha
Strategy: Focus on breaking enemy toughness quickly while maintaining consistent damage output. Turn manipulation supports like Robin are particularly valuable here.
Pure Fiction (PF)
Pure Fiction is all about AoE damage and multi-target clearing. The top performers include:
Top DPS: The Herta, Feixiao, Jing Yuan
Best Supports: Robin, Bronya, Tribbie
Best Sustain: Huohuo, Lingsha, Bailu
Strategy: Prioritize characters with strong AoE capabilities and skill point efficiency. Erudition units excel here, but destruction units with good AoE can also perform well.
Apocalyptic Shadow (AS)
Apocalyptic Shadow emphasizes single-target damage and break effectiveness. The best choices include:
Top DPS: Archer, Anaxa, Mydei
Best Supports: Robin, Tribbie, Bronya
Best Sustain: Aventurine, Huohuo, Fu Xuan
Strategy: Focus on breaking boss toughness quickly while maintaining high single-target damage. Characters with weakness implantation abilities are particularly valuable.
Team Composition Strategies
Hyper-Carry Teams
These teams focus on maximizing one DPS unit's damage output through multiple supports.
Example Composition:
DPS: Anaxa/Archer/The Herta
Support 1: Robin (Turn advancement + buffs)
Support 2: Tribbie/Sparkle (Additional buffs + utility)
Sustain: Aventurine/Huohuo (Protection + healing)
Strengths: Explosive damage potential, consistent performance Weaknesses: Vulnerable if the main DPS is disabled
DoT Teams
Specialized teams focused on damage-over-time effects, primarily featuring Kafka and Black Swan.
Example Composition:
Main DPS: Kafka
Support 1: Black Swan (DoT amplification)
Support 2: Silver Wolf/Pela (Debuff application)
Sustain: Huohuo/Lingsha (Healing + utility)
Strengths: Consistent damage output, effective against tanky enemies Weaknesses: Slow to ramp up, vulnerable to cleanse effects
Break Teams
Teams focused on breaking enemy toughness quickly and capitalizing on break damage.
Example Composition:
Break Specialist: Trailblazer (Fire)/Mydei
Support 1: Ruan Mei (Break amplification)
Support 2: Bronya/Robin (Turn manipulation)
Sustain: Lingsha (Break-focused healing)
Strengthes: Excellent against high-toughness enemies, consistent performance Weaknesses: Less effective against enemies with break resistance
Investment Guide
Priority Investments
For players looking to optimize their resources, here's the recommended investment priority:
SS Tier Characters: These provide the best return on investment and should be your primary focus
Signature Light Cones: While not always necessary, signature Light Cones often provide the biggest power increase
Key Supports: Robin, Tribbie, and Sparkle benefit nearly every team composition
Versatile Sustain: Aventurine and Huohuo work well across multiple team types
F2P Considerations
Free-to-play players should focus on:
Archer: The best F2P DPS unit, available through story progression
Gallagher: An excellent 4-star sustain unit with great utility
Standard Banner 5-stars: Characters like Bronya and Welt can be obtained through standard banner pulls
Event 4-stars: Many event 4-stars are surprisingly strong and worth building
Whale Considerations
For players willing to invest significantly:
E2 Anaxa: Provides significant power increase and team flexibility
Signature Light Cones: Offer the biggest individual power increases
E1 Support Units: Characters like Robin and Tribbie benefit greatly from Eidolon 1
Duplicate DPS Units: Having multiple copies of top-tier DPS provides team flexibility
HSR Wiki: Detailed character information and game mechanics
FAQ
What makes a character SS tier in Honkai: Star Rail?
SS tier characters excel across all game modes (Memory of Chaos, Pure Fiction, and Apocalyptic Shadow) with minimal investment. They provide consistent performance regardless of enemy composition and often enable new team archetypes. Characters like Anaxa, The Herta, and Archer achieve this status through superior damage output, utility, or team amplification capabilities.
How often should I update my team based on tier lists?
Tier lists typically update with major game patches (every 6 weeks) and significant character releases. However, you should only change your team if:
You're struggling with current content
A new character significantly improves your existing team composition
Your playstyle preferences have changed
Remember that personal enjoyment and team synergy often matter more than tier placement.
Are 4-star characters worth building in 2025?
Absolutely! Several 4-star characters remain highly viable in 2025:
Gallagher: Excellent sustain with break utility
Pela: Great debuffer and SP generator
Tingyun: Solid buffer with energy restoration
Hanya: Versatile support with multiple utility functions
These characters often provide 70-80% of the performance of 5-star alternatives at a fraction of the investment cost.
Should I pull for supports or DPS first?
Generally, you should prioritize supports because:
One good support can benefit multiple DPS units
Supports often have a bigger impact on team performance than individual DPS upgrades
Many top supports (Robin, Tribbie) enable entirely new playstyles
However, if you lack any viable DPS units, you should pull for a primary DPS first. The ideal balance is 2-3 DPS units and 3-4 support/sustain units.
How important are signature Light Cones?
Signature Light Cones typically provide a 20-30% power increase for their respective characters. While not strictly necessary, they're often the best single investment you can make for a character you plan to use long-term. Priority for signature Light Cones should be:
Main DPS units (Anaxa, The Herta)
Key supports (Robin, Tribbie)
Secondary DPS units
Sustain units
What's the best F2P team composition in October 2025?
The strongest F2P team currently consists of:
DPS: Archer (free from story)
Support: Trailblazer (Remembrance/Harmony path)
Sustain: Gallagher (4-star from standard banner)
Flex: Tingyun or Pela (4-star supports)
This team can clear all current endgame content with proper building and investment, demonstrating that F2P players can compete effectively with paying players.
How do I prepare for future meta shifts?
To prepare for future meta changes:
Diversify your roster: Have at least 2-3 viable DPS units from different elements
Invest in versatile supports: Characters like Robin and Tribbie work in nearly any team
Save resources: Avoid spending all your Stellar Jade on one banner
Stay informed: Follow official channels and community discussions for upcoming changes
Should I build multiple teams for different content?
Yes, having multiple specialized teams is recommended for endgame content:
Memory of Chaos Team: Single-target focused with break potential
Pure Fiction Team: AoE focused with SP efficiency
Apocalyptic Shadow Team: Single-target burst with break focus
This approach allows you to optimize for each game mode's specific requirements rather than trying to make one team work for everything.
Conclusion
This comprehensive Honkai: Star Rail tier list for October 2025 provides the most up-to-date character rankings based on extensive research and analysis from multiple authoritative sources. While tier lists are valuable tools for understanding the current meta, remember that personal preference, team synergy, and playstyle often matter more than individual character rankings.
The current meta is dominated by versatile supports like Robin and Tribbie, who enable a wide range of team compositions, while DPS units like Anaxa, The Herta, and Archer provide the raw damage needed to conquer endgame content. As the game continues to evolve with new character releases and balance changes, staying informed through official channels and community resources will help you adapt your strategies accordingly.
Whether you're a free-to-play player working with limited resources or a whale looking to optimize your investment, this tier list provides the foundation you need to make informed decisions about your Honkai: Star Rail journey. Remember to check back regularly for updates as the meta continues to evolve with each new patch and character release.
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