Honkai: Star Rail Boothill Character Guide

Introduction

Boothill is a DPS-Type character who excels at dueling enemies. During a Duel, Boothill obtains a powerful ability and can obtain powerful buffs after winning the duel. Additionally, his Ultimate and Technique can apply Physical Weakness on enemies.

Skills Overview

Basic Attack - Skullcrush Spurs || Enhanced Basic Attack - Fanning the Hammer

Basic Attack - Skullcrush Spurs
Deals Physical DMG equal to 50%—110% of Boothill's ATK to a single target enemy.

Enhanced Basic Attack - Fanning the Hammer
Deals Physical DMG equal to 110%—242% of Boothill's ATK to a single target enemy.
The Enhanced Basic Attack cannot recover Skill Points and can only target the enemy that is in the Standoff.

Skill - Sizzlin' Tango

Forces Boothill and a single target enemy into the Standoff state.
Boothill's Basic ATK gets Enhanced, and he cannot use his Skill, lasting for 2 turn(s). This duration reduces by 1 at the start of Boothill's every turn.

The enemy target in the Standoff becomes Taunted. When this enemy target/Boothill gets attacked by the other party in the Standoff, the DMG they receive increases by 15%—33%/15%.
After this target is defeated or becomes Weakness Broken, Boothill gains 1 stack of Pocket Trickshot, then dispels the Standoff.
This Skill cannot regenerate Energy. After using this Skill, the current turn does not end.

Ultimate - Dust Devil's Sunset Rodeo

Applies Physical Weakness to a single target enemy, lasting for 2 turn(s).
Deals Physical DMG equal to 240%—432% of Boothill's ATK to the target and delays their action by 30%—42%.

Talent - Five Peas in a Pod

Each stack of Pocket Trickshot increases the Enhanced Basic Attack's Toughness Reduction by 50%, stacking up to 3 time(s).

If the target is Weakness Broken when the Enhanced Basic Attack is used, based on the number of Pocket Trickshot stacks, deals Break DMG to this target equal to 35%—77%/60%—132%/85%—187% of Boothill's Physical Break DMG. The max Toughness taken into account for this DMG cannot exceed 16 times the base Toughness Reduction of the Basic Attack "Skullcrush Spurs."
After winning the battle, Boothill can retain Pocket Trickshot for the next battle.

Technique - 3-9× Smile

After the Technique is used, when casting the Skill for the first time in the next battle, applies the same Physical Weakness to the target as the one induced by the Ultimate, lasting for 2 turn(s).

Ascension 2 - Ghost Load

Increase this character's CRIT Rate/CRIT DMG, by an amount equal to 10%/50% of Break Effect, up to a max increase of 30%/150%.

Ascension 4 - Above Snakes

Reduces the DMG this character receives from targets that are not in the Standoff by 30%.

Ascension 6 - Point Blank

When in Standoff and gaining Pocket Trickshot, regenerates 10 Energy. Can also trigger this effect when gaining Pocket Trickshot stacks that exceed the max limit.

TLDR

Quite a lot to understand for Boothill, but his main source of damage would be Talent. Then, you should understand how his, Ultimate, Skill, and Basic Attack works.

First of all, let's talk about his Skill. By using his Skill on a certain target, he will enter the Standoff state with them. In the Standoff, his Basic ATK will turn into Enhanced Basic ATK, dealing more damage.
After this target is defeated or becomes Weakness Broken during that Standoff state, Boothill gains 1 stack of Pocket Trickshot. That stack of Pocket Trickshot is where his Talent comes in. Each stack of Pocket Trickshot increases the Enhanced Basic Attack's Toughness Reduction by 50%, stacking up to 3 time(s). In other words, Boothill will deplete the enemy's Toughness Shield like a hot knife through butter.
IF, if the target is Weakness Broken when the Enhanced Basic Attack is used, he will deal huge, HUGE damage (caps lock to emphasize).

Lastly, it's his Ultimate. Truthfully it's not that big of a deal but what's special about it is with Ultimate, Boothill can apply Physical Weakness to an enemy and delay their action.

Although Boothill is a Hunt character (the path that specializes in single-target), the best scenario is if there are multiple mobs in the battle alongside the boss because Boothill will want to stack his Pocket Trickshot first and who's better than mobs of small enemies with low Toughness bar.
Ideally, Weakness Break a small enemy and kill it = grant 2 stacks immediately.

Traces Priorities

Talent > Skill > Ultimate > Basic ATK

Recommended Light Cones

1. Sailing Towards a Second Life (5⭐)
2. Cruising in the Stellar Sea (5⭐)
3. Swordplay (4⭐)
4. River Flows in Spring (4⭐)

1) Sailing Towards a Second Life

Increases the wearer's Break Effect by 60~100%. The Break DMG dealt by the wearer ignores 20~32% of the target's DEF. When the wearer's Break Effect in battle is at 150% or greater, increases their SPD by 12~20%.

2) Cruising in the Stellar Sea

Increases the wearer's CRIT rate by 8~16%, and increases their CRIT rate against enemies with HP less than or equal to 50% by an extra 8~16%. When the wearer defeats an enemy, their ATK is increased by 20~40% for 2 turn(s).

3) Swordplay

For each time the wearer hits the same target, DMG dealt increases by 8~16%, stacking up to 5 time(s). This effect will be dispelled when the wearer changes targets.

4) River Flows in Spring

After entering battle, increases the wearer's SPD by 8~12% and DMG by 12~24%. When the wearer takes DMG, this effect will disappear. This effect will resume after the end of the wearer's next turn.

Recommended Relics & Planar Set

1. Relics
   • Iron Cavalry Against the Scourge
   • Thief of Shooting Meteor
2. Planar Set
   • Talia: Kingdom of Banditry

Cavern Relics

Relic Set (Iron Cavalry Against the Scourge)

2 Piece: Increases Break Effect by 16%.
4 Piece: If the wearer's Break Effect is 150% or higher, the Break DMG dealt to the enemy target ignores 10% of their DEF. If the wearer's Break Effect is 250% or higher, the Super Break DMG dealt to the enemy target additionally ignores 15% of their DEF.

Relic Set (Thief of Shooting Meteor)

2 Piece: Increases Break Effect by 16%.
4 Piece: Increases the wearer's Break Effect by 16%. After the wearer inflicts Weakness Break on an enemy, regenerates 3 Energy.

Planar Ornaments

Planetary Set (Talia: Kingdom of Banditry)

2 Piece: Increases the wearer's Break Effect by 16%. When the wearer's SPD reaches 145 or higher, the wearer's Break Effect increases by an extra 20%.

Team Recommendations

Super Break Team

Boothill: Main DPS
Harmony Trailblazer: Super Break DMG Buffer
Ruan Mei / Asta / Bronya / Sparkle: Buffer
Gallagher: Healer + Break DMG Buffer

Break Team

Basically the same as the Super Break team but replaced Harmony Trailblazer with another Harmony character.
Boothill: Main DPS
Bronya: Buffer
Ruan Mei: Buffer
Gallagher: Healer + Break DMG Buffer

Eidolons

Best Eidolons: E1, E2, E4 & E6

E1: Dusty Trail's Lone Star ⭐
When the battle starts, obtains 1 stack of Pocket Trickshot. When Boothill deals DMG, ignores 16% of the enemy target's DEF.

E2: Milestonemonger ⭐
When in Standoff and gaining Pocket Trickshot, recovers 1 Skill Point(s) and increases Break Effect by 30%, lasting for 2 turn(s). Can also trigger this effect when gaining Pocket Trickshot stacks that exceed the max limit. But cannot trigger repeatedly within one turn.

E3: Marble Orchard's Guard
Ultimate Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.
Basic ATK Lv. +1, up to a maximum of Lv. 10.

E4: Cold Cuts Chef ⭐
When the enemy target in the Standoff is attacked by Boothill, the DMG they receive additionally increases by 12%. When Boothill is attacked by the enemy target in the Standoff, the effect of him receiving increased DMG is offset by 12%.

E5: Stump Speech
Skill Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.
Talent Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.

E6: Crowbar Hotel's Raccoon ⭐
When triggering the Talent's Break DMG, additionally deals Break DMG to the target equal to 40% of the original DMG multiplier and additionally deals Break DMG to adjacent targets equal to 70% of the original DMG multiplier.