Looking for the best DPS character Honkai: Star Rail? We’ll break down the top offensive characters in the game so you know who to dedicate your resources to. You can also use this list to plan out any characters you might want to pull for in future reruns. Here are the best offensive characters in Honkai Star Rail, ranked.
#11: Himeko
Himeko is a 5-star Erudition Fire character. While she’s regarded as one of the weaker 5-star characters in the game, Himeko’s prowess as an AoE DPS character should not be underestimated. With her follow-up attacks and AoE-focused kit, Himeko can mow down waves of weaker enemies quickly. With the help of other units like Topaz & Numby, her follow-up attacks can be made stronger as well.
Himeko does struggle against some boss content in the game compared to other DPS characters, as she does not excel in “single-target damage.” Himeko is one of the better characters you can use for farming, but you’ll find it somewhat difficult to use her in some of the more difficult boss fights in the game.
#10: Yanqing
Yanqing is the original 5-star Hunt character. This Ice character excels in dealing single-target damage, and he can provide himself with some massive Crit Rate and Crit DMG buffs. Unfortunately, Yanqing has a number of restrictions, as he loses his buffs after being hit by an enemy. It’s recommended to pair Yanqing with a shielder to lower his chances of getting hit, but that can be difficult with all the AoE damage constantly popping off during combat.
Regardless, Yanqing can deal high damage in single-target scenarios, and can also be used in Freeze teams to ensure enemies aren’t able to make a step.
#9: Welt
Welt is a Nihility character who is primarily known for his debuffs. This 5-star Imaginary Nihility character can Slow and Imprison enemies, but he also does a high amount of damage on his own. His Skill is one of the best in the game in terms of single-target damage due to the number of blows it can land, which allows him to function as a sub-DPS or main DPS character.
Welt is a very flexible unit in this regard. He can be used as a debuffer or as a damage dealer. Or, perhaps, he can be used as both. Welt is a very good unit and it’s highly recommended to invest in him if you can get him.
#8: Clara
Clara is a 5-star Physical Destruction character with a unique method of dealing damage. Clara’s robot guardian, Svarog, will launch a strong counterattack whenever Clara takes attack damage. This makes up the brunt of her dealt damage. This means Clara is best paired with characters like March 7th who can increase the odds that Clara is attacked.
This does mean her damage output is a little inconsistent, but Clara still dishes out tons of damage against all types of enemies.
#7: Kafka
Kafka is a 5-star Nihility character who deals the majority of her damage through damage-over-time effects. Her teams are specific and niche, as she works best with characters who can apply many different damage-over-time effects, such as Sampo, Luka, or Guinaifen.
Kafka deals tons of damage this way, but it’s not as strong as some of the others on this list. Additionally, as her teams are quite niche and expensive, she’s a bit difficult to build around.
#6: Jing Yuan
Jing Yuan is a strong 5-star Lightning Erudition character who can deal a ton of damage with his Lightning Lord. His Lightning Lord is a separate entity that deals an insane amount of follow-up damage. Jing Yuan is weak to crowd-control attacks, as this will interrupt the attack pattern of his Lightning Lord.
As such, characters like Fu Xuan who can block enemy crowd control effects is nearly essential if Jing Yuanto is to reach his maximum damage output. Pair him with characters like Tingyun who can refill his energy and allow him to Burst more, increasing his Lightning Lord stacks.
#5: Qingque
Qingque is an incredibly underrated 4-star character who reaches her maximum potential when you reach important Eidolons, such as Eidolon 4 and 6. When you are able to reach this power threshold, Qingque competes with the best 5-stars in the game, able to dish out obscene numbers with her unique mahjong mechanic.
Qingque can use Skill Points to roll mahjong tiles. When she has four matching tiles, Qingque will unleash a powerful attack. Her damage numbers compete with some of the best in the game, making Qingque a worthy DPS character to invest in provided you have the proper Eidolons.
#4: Seele
Seele is the queen of single-target damage, and she can deal tons of damage to the entire enemy team, as her kit gives her a reset whenever she kills an enemy. Seele is the original hypercarry of Honkai Star Rail, and she’s still an incredibly versatile and powerful unit.
Seele’s main weakness is her skill point usage. The more enemies she kills, the more skill points she has to spend to wipe out enemy forces. This is a case of “struggling from success,” as her skill point usage is directly tied to her high damage output.
#3: Blade
Blade is a very strong 5-star Wind Destruction character who sacrifices his own HP for high damage. All of his skills are tied to his HP-drain, as his Skill and Ultimate will use up some HP and trade it in for damage. However, with a strong healer like Luocha, this aspect of his kit is moot, and all you’ll see are the high damage numbers he outputs.
Blade is paired best with supports who can maximize the number of attacks he makes, making him best paired with a character like like Bronya. Blade is also skill point efficient, meaning he can feasibly be used as a sub-DPS for other characters like Jingliu.
#2: Jingliu
Jingliu is a Destruction Ice character and is one of Honkai: Star Rail’s strongest damage dealers. Jingliu is almost like a reverse Blade. Instead of draining her own HP for her skills, she takes the HP of her team, instead. For this, Jingliu deals an incredible amount of damage.
Jingliu provides her own Crit Rate buffs, and works well with many different characters. Jingliu also has one of the best Techniques in the game, able to Freeze enemies and ensure yourself a safer battle.
#1: Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae
Dan Heng is by far the strongest character in the game in terms of raw damage output. After using his Skill three times, Dan Heng empowers his next Basic Attack, which allows it to deal an obscene amount of damage. His multipliers are strictly better than most of the other characters in the game, ensuring that he will remain one of the top DPS characters for some time.
His main weakness is his high skill point usage, so be sure to pair him with characters that can generate skill points. Some characters that come to mind are Luocha, Tingyun, and Pela, all characters who do not use their Skill every turn and can generate skill points for Dan Heng.
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