Best Honkai Star Rail characters in 2026, ranked from S to B

How we ranked them

This tier list reflects the August 2026 post-3.5 meta (Amphoreus arc finale). Rankings cover all three endgame modes: Memory of Chaos (single-boss fights), Pure Fiction (AoE waves), and Apocalyptic Shadow (the newest boss-rush mode).

Criteria (weighted equally):

Endgame clear rate across all three modes
Banner availability — characters you can actually

pull right now

Build cost — F2P-friendly characters rank higher
Versatility — characters that work in multiple team

comps rank higher

S tier — the strongest in the format

The Herta

The strongest Erudition DPS in the format, and the best AoE character since Jade. The Herta is the defining unit of the 3.5 meta — her ultimate deals 600%+ multiplier AoE damage, and her skill provides free action advance. Pull priority: highest. Works in any AoE-heavy comp.

Best comp: The Herta + Jade + Ruan Mei + Huohuo. Triple Erudition with the strongest buffer + healer.

Saber (Fate collab)

The new Wind Destruction DPS, the strongest single-target Wind since Blade. Saber's burst window is unmatched — her ultimate deals 800k+ damage to a single target with the right setup. Banner is limited (Fate collab), so pull immediately if you want her.

Best comp: Saber + Bronya + Sparkle + Luocha. Classic hyper-carry single-target setup.

Archer (Fate collab)

The new Quantum Hunt DPS, the highest-burst single-target in the game. Archer's kit revolves around stacking Quantum stacks and detonating them with her enhanced skill. Banner is also limited (Fate collab). Pull priority: highest alongside Saber.

Best comp: Archer + Sparkle + Silver Wolf + Luocha. Mono-Quantum comp that exploits Archer's Quantum stacking.

Acheron

The strongest Nihility DPS and the most-consistent across patches. Acheron's kit is built around her unique Slashed Dream mechanic, which charges her ultimate through debuff application. She has been top-tier since 2.0 and remains the most-safe pull in 2026.

Best comp: Acheron + Jiaoqiu + Silver Wolf + Gallagher. The standard debuff-spam Acheron team.

A tier — strong meta picks

Firefly

The strongest Break DPS and the most-meta-defining since Blade. Firefly's Super Break mechanic revolutionized Break teams, and she remains the best-in-slot for the Break playstyle. Limited banner — pull if you missed her original run.

Jingliu

The strongest Ice DPS and the highest-HP-scaling character. Jingliu's kit revolves around entering the "Swordsage" state, which doubles her damage output. Still top-tier for Ice-heavy MoC stages.

Ruan Mei

The best Break support and the universal buffer. Ruan Mei is in 70%+ of the top Memory of Chaos comps — her Weakness Break Efficiency and All-Type RES PEN make her the most- flexible support in the game.

Sparkle

The best Quantum support and the universal mono-Quantum buffer. Sparkle's Advance Forward + ATK buff combo is unmatched for hyper-carry comps. Pull priority: high for Quantum-heavy players, medium otherwise.

Robin

The new Harmony support, the strongest ATK buffer since Tingyun. Robin's ultimate is a 100% team-wide ATK buff plus 50% action advance — every team comp wants her. Best-in-slot for the 3.5 meta.

Sunday

The new Imaginary support, designed to support summoners and follow-up attackers. Sunday's kit is niche but his ultimate provides 100% team-wide action advance. Works well with summoners (Topaz, Numby) and Blade.

B tier — off-meta but viable

Kafka

The strongest DoT DPS but Acheron outclasses her in

Kafka's DoT detonation is still top-tier in

specific matchups (DoT-susceptible bosses), but the meta has moved toward hyper-carry comps.

Black Swan

The best DoT sub-DPS, the perfect pair with Kafka. Black Swan's Arcana debuff stacking works in any DoT team. Niche but dominant in the DoT matchup.

Bronya

The universal advance-forward support, still strong but Power Creep has caught up. Bronya was the best-in-slot support in 2023-2024 but Ruan Mei and Sparkle have overtaken her in most comps.

Luocha

The best F2P-friendly healer. Luocha's auto-heal mechanic means he requires zero SP investment, making him the most-accessible healer in the game. Best in single-target healing comps.

Huohuo

The best battery healer and the most-popular 4-star healer. Huohuo's ultimate provides team-wide energy restoration — invaluable for ultimate-spam comps.

How to use this tier list

If you have 0-2 limited 5-stars, prioritize:

Ruan Mei — universal buffer, every team comp wants

her. Pull on her rerun.

Robin — same reason. Pull on her rerun.
Sunday or Sparkle — depending on whether you

play summoners or hyper-carry comps.

If you have 2-4 limited 5-stars, prioritize:

The Herta — she's the 3.5 meta-defining DPS, and

her banner is current.

Acheron — the most-consistent DPS, still top-tier

in 2026.

Saber or Archer (if you missed the Fate collab)

— limited banners, won't return for a long time.

If you have 5+ limited 5-stars, prioritize:

Build depth — every DPS should have at least 2 builds

and at least 1 light cone option.

The Fate collab characters (Saber, Archer) — limited

banners won't return for 12+ months.

F2P recommendations

For F2P players, the priority list is different:

Ruan Mei — the universal buffer. Pull on any

rerun, even at low Stellar Jade counts.

Luocha — the F2P healer. He's a 4-star alternative

to Huohuo, and the 4-star is more accessible.

Bronya — still strong, the most-pullable of the

A-tier.

Acheron — if you can save up, she's the most-

reliable DPS for F2P.

Skip The Herta if you're F2P — her banner is long but she's replaceable with Evernight or other Erudition DPS.

What's next

The 3.5 meta is dominated by the Fate collab characters (Saber, Archer) and the 3.5 releases (The Herta). The next big changes to watch:

September 3.6 patch — the 3rd anniversary update, 30

free pulls plus a free 5-star selector

October 3.7 patch — new characters, new meta
November 3.8 patch — the final 2026 patch
2027 expansion — major story arc, new planets

FAQ

Which S-tier should I pull first?

The Herta if you want the meta-defining DPS, Saber or Archer if you want a limited Fate collab character. Acheron is the safe pull if you already have other strong DPS.

Is Acheron still top-tier in 3.5?

Yes. She's the most-consistent DPS in the format, even with the new Erudition characters. Her debuff-spam mechanic scales with enemy debuff count, so she's stronger against bosses with many debuffs.

Are the Fate collab characters limited?

Yes — Saber and Archer are limited characters. Their rerun schedule is unannounced, but typical collab rerun cadence is 12-18 months.

Should I pull Sunday or Sparkle?

Depends on your team comp:

Sunday if you play Topaz, Numby, Blade, or any

summoner/follow-up attacker

Sparkle if you play mono-Quantum comps or hyper-

carry DPS like Acheron

What's the best F2P team for new players?

The Herta + Ruan Mei + Huohuo + Asta. A full 4-star comp that clears MoC floor 10. Upgrade to limited 5-stars as you pull them.

The 3.6 anniversary patch launches in September 2026 with 30 free pulls plus a free 5-star selector. The next limited banner after that is unannounced.