Honkai: Star Rail Jing Yuan Character Guide

Introduction

Jing Yuan is a Lightning-Type character following the Path of Erudition. Jing Yuan can summon the Lightning Lord to aid him in combat. His Skill and Ultimate accumulate Hits Per Action for the Lightning Lord. When the Lightning Lord takes action, it deals damage based on the number of accumulated Hits Per Action and resets the number of Hits Per Action to its base value.

Skills Overview

Basic Attack - Glistening Light

Jing Yuan deals Lightning DMG equal to 50%–110% of his ATK to a single enemy.

Skill - Rifting Zenith

Deals Lightning DMG equal to 50%–110% of Jing Yuan's ATK to all enemies and increases Lightning-Lord's Hits Per Action by 2 for the next turn.

Ultimate - Lightbringer

Deals Lightning DMG equal to 120%–216% of Jing Yuan's ATK to all enemies and increases Lightning-Lord's Hits Per Action by 3 for the next turn.

Talent - Prana Extirpated

Summons Lightning-Lord at the start of the battle. Lightning-Lord has 60 base SPD and 3 base Hits Per Action. When the Lightning-Lord takes action, its hits are considered as follow-up attacks, with each hit dealing Lightning DMG equal to 33%–72.6% of Jing Yuan's ATK to a random single enemy, and enemies adjacent to it also receive Lightning DMG equal to 25% of the DMG dealt to the target enemy.

The Lightning-Lord's Hits Per Action can reach a max of 10. Every time Lightning-Lord's Hits Per Action increases by 1, its SPD increases by 10. After the Lightning-Lord's action ends, its SPD and Hits Per Action return to their base values.
When Jing Yuan is knocked down, the Lightning-Lord will disappear.
When Jing Yuan is affected by Crowd Control debuff, the Lightning-Lord is unable to take action.

Technique - Spirit Invocation

After the Technique is used, the Lightning-Lord's Hits Per Action in the first turn increases by 3 at the start of the next battle.

Ascension 2 - Battalia Crush

If the Lightning-Lord's Hits Per Action is greater or equal to 6 in the next turn, its CRIT DMG increases by 25% for the next turn.

Ascension 4 - Savant Providence

At the start of the battle, immediately regenerates 15 Energy.

Ascension 6 - War Marshal

After the Skill is used, the CRIT Rate increases by 10% for 2 turn(s).

TLDR

As like most Erudition character, Jing Yuan's Basic ATK doesn't have any important role, especially since it won't increase Lightning-Lord's Hit Count (let's just call it stacks).

What you will often use is his Technique, Skill and Ultimate.
Technique > Increases Lightning-Lord's stacks by 3.
Skill > Deals Lightning DMG to all enemies and increases Lightning-Lord's stacks by 2.
Ultimate > Deals Lightning DMG to all enemies and increases Lightning-Lord's stacks by 3.

Lightning-Lord (LL) will always start with 3 stacks. And you need to increase the stacks to at LEAST 6 so it can trigger Jing Yuan's A2 that increase LL's Crit DMG.
Ideally, LL wants 8+ stacks before each time it strikes, so it can get the Crit DMG bonus & reach the max number of stacks for The Ashblazing Grand Duke (4p) relic set.

In practice, Jing Yuan will most likely use his Skill at least 2 times before Lightning-Lord strikes, which means 7 stacks. These are the following possible rotations:
Skill + Skill = 7 stacks
Skill + Ultimate = 8 stacks
Skill + Skill + Ultimate = 10 stacks

Traces Priorities

Talent > Ultimate = Skill > Basic ATK

Recommended Light Cones

1. Before Dawn (5⭐)
2. Today Is Another Peaceful Day (4⭐)
3. Night on the Milky Way (5⭐)
4. The Day The Cosmos Fell (4⭐)
5. The Seriousness of Breakfast (4⭐)
6. The Birth of the Self (4⭐)
7. Geniuses' Repose (4⭐)

1) Before Dawn

Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 36~60%. Increases the wearer's Skill and Ultimate DMG by 18~30%. After the wearer uses their Skill or Ultimate, they gain Somnus Corpus. Upon triggering a follow-up attack, Somnus Corpus will be consumed and the follow-up attack DMG increases by 48~80%.

2) Today Is Another Peaceful Day

After entering battle, increases the wearer's DMG based on their Max Energy. DMG increases by 0.20~0.40% per point of Energy, up to 160 Energy.

3) Night on the Milky Way

For every enemy on the field, increases the wearer's ATK by 9.0~15.0%, up to 5 stacks. When an enemy is inflicted with Weakness Break, the DMG dealt by the wearer increases by 30~50% for 1 turn.

4) The Day The Cosmos Fell

Increases the wearer's ATK by 16~24%. When the wearer uses an attack and at least 2 attacked enemies have the corresponding Weakness, the wearer's CRIT DMG increases by 20~40% for 2 turns.

5) The Seriousness of Breakfast

Increases the wearer's DMG by 12~24%. For every defeated enemy, the wearer's ATK increases by 4~8%, stacking up to 3 time(s).

6) The Birth of the Self

Increases DMG dealt by the wearer's follow-up attacks by 24~48%. If the current HP of the target enemy is below 50% of Max HP, increases DMG dealt by follow-up attacks by an extra 24~48%.

7) Geniuses' Repose

Increases the wearer's ATK by 16~32%. When the wearer defeats an enemy, the wearer's CRIT DMG increases by 24~48% for 3 turn(s).

Recommended Relics & Planar Set

1. Relics
   • The Ashblazing Grand Duke
   • Band of Sizzling Thunder
2. Planar Set
   • The Wondrous BananAmusement Park
   • Inert Salsotto

Cavern Relics

Relic Set (The Ashblazing Grand Duke)

2 Piece: Increases the DMG dealt by follow-up attacks by 20%.
4 Piece: When the wearer uses follow-up attacks, increases the wearer's ATK by 6% for every time the follow-up attack deals DMG. This effect can stack up to 8 time(s) and lasts for 3 turn(s). This effect is removed the next time the wearer uses a follow-up attack.

Relic Set (Band of Sizzling Thunder)

2 Piece: Increases Lightning DMG by 10%.
4 Piece: When the wearer uses their Skill, increases the wearer's ATK by 20% for 1 turn(s).

Planar Ornaments

Planetary Set (The Wondrous BananAmusement Park)

2 Piece: Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 16%. When a target summoned by the wearer is on the field, CRIT DMG additionally increases by 32%.

Planetary Set (Inert Salsotto)

2 Piece: Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 8%. When the wearer's current CRIT Rate reaches 50% or higher, the wearer's Ultimate and follow-up attack DMG increases by 15%.

Main & Sub Stats Priority

Team Recommendations

King Yuan + Sunday

A new team with Sunday, the buffer of summons! With him, Jing Yuan can no longer be called Mid Yuan. After all, Sunday can advance the action of both DPS and their Summons, which means Lightning Lord can't slack off and will immediately moves after Jing Yuan. In addition, Sunday can also remove a debuff from a character with his Skill so Jing Yuan can be free from any possible CC-ed.
Jing Yuan: Main DPS
Sunday: Buffer (Irreplacable)
Robin (Other Harmony or Nihility characters): Buffer 2 / Debuffer
Huohuo / Aventurine: Healer / Shielder

When both Sunday and JY is in the team, pay attention to their SPD!
If Jing Yuan has no SPD, make sure Sunday has 160 SPD to Hypercarry JY
But if Jing Yuan has 135 SPD, make sure Sunday has 134 SPD (-1 SPD from Main DPS) so the rotation can be Jing Yuan > Sunday (use Skill on JY) > Jing Yuan again.

Jing Yuan + Harmony + Harmony/Nihility + Abundance/Preservation

Jing Yuan: Main DPS
Tingyun: Buffer
Sparkle / Bronya (Other Harmony or Nihility characters): Buffer 2 / Debuffer
Huohuo / Fu Xuan: Healer / Shielder

Eidolons

Best Eidolons: E2, E4 & E6

E1: Slash, Seas Split
When Lightning-Lord attacks, the DMG multiplier on enemies adjacent to the target enemy increases by an extra amount equal to 25% of the DMG multiplier against the target enemy.

E2: Swing, Skies Squashed
After Lightning-Lord takes action, DMG caused by Jing Yuan's Basic ATK, Skill, and Ultimate increases by 20% for 2 turn(s).

E3: Strike, Suns Subdued
Ultimate Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.
Basic ATK Lv. +1, up to a maximum of Lv. 10.

E4: Spin, Stars Sieged
For each hit performed by the Lightning-Lord when it takes action, Jing Yuan regenerates 2 Energy.

E5: Stride, Spoils Seized
Skill Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.
Talent Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.

E6: Sweep, Souls Slain
Each hit performed by the Lightning-Lord when it takes action will make the target enemy Vulnerable.
While Vulnerable, enemies receive 12% more DMG until the end of the Lightning-Lord's current turn, stacking up to 3 time(s).