Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.1 Tier List (April 2024)

Acheron
Nihility character is supposedly known as characters who apply debuffs to enemies to reduce their combat capabilities. But not Acheron. She's a Nihility character who reduces the enemies' combat capabilities by completely eradicating them from the field. Although she's not F2P-friendly in terms of Light Cones and team members, it's undeniable how high her DPS ceiling is, in addition to a new combat system where she doesn't need Energy to trigger Ultimate. Instead, she needs the help of her party to inflict debuffs on enemies.

Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae
Cooler Dan Heng is known for his overpowered Enhanced Basic ATK that deals damage to maximum of 3 enemies (Blast attacks). The downside is you'll need to sacrifice lots of SP points in return. You can either add characters that can save SP (like Tingyun or Ruan Mei) to his team so you can manage SP efficiently, or add Sparkle to the team so she can increase the maximum SP.

Jingliu
The ice queen (quite literally) gains a lot of Crit Rate and Crit DMG from her Talent and Traces, so investing in her to the maximum is such a huge win. Her normal Skill can deal damage to a single-target, but once she enters her enhanced state, not many enemies can survive her onslaught.

Bronya
A starter character that is valuable even in the end-game where she provides a huge Crit DMG buff to the whole party. In addition, you can cheat the game with Bronya's Skill as she can 100% advance a character's turn in the turn order.

Fu Xuan
Fu Xuan's shield take a unique form which is Matrix of Prescience, where she redirects DMG received from ally to herself. Not only that, she can also increase Crit Rate for the whole team and provide one Crowd Conrol debuff everytime she creates her Matrix. Once she absorbs too many damage until her HP get less than 50%, Fu Xuan will heal herself IF she has at last 1 trigger count from her Talent).
The downside is, it put her in an awkward position as she does not suit Preservation path in the Simulated Universe. It's a minor disadvantage anyway. But if you're wondering, she can synergize well with Destruction and Abundance blessings (Although it's better to focus on blessings for your DPS' path instead).

Huohuo
Since her healing is AoE (heal multiple party members instead of solo), it goes without saying her healing effectiveness on a single target is not as good as Luocha. That's why she may perform below expectation against enemies that deal huge single-target damage. But against enemies that mainly use AoE attacks (and debuffs), Huohuo is the best option ever with her off-field healing and dispelling debuffs.

Luocha
Great emergency healing from both Skill and Talent that makes it hard for your character to die (unless the enemy has a massive single-target damage). His Ultimate can also contribute to some damage as it will attack all enemies while also removing 1 buffs from them all. Definitely a great addition to encounter multiple enemies that has lots of buffs for themselves.

Ruan Mei
Lots of buffs packed in one a feeble scholar: All-Type RES PEN, Weakness Break Efficiency, DMG increased, and SPD. One skill usage can last for 3 turns, which make her the best option for team with SP-hungry DPS.
The best part is her Ultimate can delay an enemies' action that were affected by Thanatoplum Rebloom (read her Ultimate for more information) by a few turns. It's not much, but when you're in a pinch situation with limited rounds, those few turns could help you attain victory.

Silver Wolf
The great hacker's main potential is how she can apply a new type of Elemental Weakness to an enemy, which allow players to bring mono-elemental team. Unfortunately, said skill can only be applied to a single enemy and not every enemies on the field. Same can be said with her Ultimate, it can only debuff a single-target, but with a huge amount of DEF shreds. She is best brought against a boss instead of mob of enemies.

Sparkle
A game-changing support character where she will increase the max number of Skill Points by 2. It seems small in number, but it's actually a huge addition to the battle, especially if you use SP-hungry character like DHIL and Qingque.
In fact, she's great when paired with those SP-hungry character as she can provide DMG buff through SP consumption. The mischievous Masked Fool follower also has a similar skill to Bronya where she can advance an ally in the turn order (but Bronya is 100% while Sparkle is only 50%).

Aventurine
The better Gepard. While many would rage over this sentence, it's true. Aside from being a blond shielder, what Aventurine can do is far better than Gepard. His shield is stackable and has 100% uptime, he can inflict debuff on an enemy so they take more damage, and he himself can deal decent damage to be dubbed as Sub-DPS.

Argenti
One of the best AoE DPS in the game where his Ultimate has 2 triggers depending on his Energy. Since he is an Erudition character, you know he's not suitable for single-boss type situation. But against mobs of enemy or an elite enemy/boss that can summon multiple underlings, he's the knight in shining armor (literally) that you'll want to bring.

Black Swan
If you're looking for a big Ultimate damage, Black Swan ain't the right choice. She is more of a DPS who specializes in stackable DoTs called "Arcana", which becomes stronger the more stacks an enemy has.
Those Arcana stacks can be added when herself or her party members inflict DoT on enemies. That's why she is suitable paired with other DoT DPS like Kafka. But once those Arcana deals damage to enemies, it's like setting off a nuclear bomb on the enemies.

Blade
Blade is one of the rare DPS who has self-sustaining skills that will heal himself after dealing damage (that also consumes his own HP). He is also very efficient in handling SP in the team so you will not struggle in managing the points unlike in other teams. Or you can just bring him along as Sub-DPS to other teams like Jingliu's team.

Clara
Svarog, the real DPS, rely on counterattacking to deal damage on the enemies. With Svarog's help, Clara will take less damage and can remove debuff on herself, which is helpful against enemies that often inflict debuff to your character.

Dr. Ratio
For a free 5-star character, he doesn't perform like one. Instead, this genius deals such a huge single-target damage that some players don't mind puling for his Eidolon because he's that strong. Of course, there's also some disadvantage such as his follow-up attack (main dish) can be activated more easily only if the enemy has a lot of debuffs (maximum 3 debuffs to get 100% chance to activate his follow-up attacks). But that is not such a hard thing to achieve.

Jing Yuan
King Yuan is another great Erudition character, but unlike Argenti, the general focuses more on his follow-up attack instead of Ultimate. The more Hits Per Action Lightning-Lord's has, the higher damage he will deal. When multiple enemies has a Lighting weakness, JY is such a great option.

Kafka
Kafka alone in the team may not provide a bombastic number against an enemy. But pair her up with another DoT damage dealer like Black Swan, Sampo, or Guinaifen to make the stage a colorful number of deaths (3 DoT in her team is also plausible if you want to).

Seele
She may be an old limited character, but she's still gold. Until now, Seele still deals an extremely huge single-target damage that does get better and better if you provide her with the best support (Tingyun or Bronya, etc). She also has a high base SPD, making her have an easy time to have numerous turns in battle. The best part is when she defeated an ally, she will gain an extra turn. This talent starts the whole 'unlimited/infinite turn Seele.'

Topaz & Numby
Topaz - or should we say Numby as it is the main DPS out of the two - is a strong follow-up attack Sub-DPS that can also acts as a support inside a team with follow-up attack DPS like Dr. Ratio. Her Skills allow a single enemy to be afflicted with Proof of Debt and this debuff will make the targeted enemy takes more follow-up attack damage.

Pela
Pela is another DEF shredder like Silver Wolf but her kits focused on multiple enemies instead of a single-target. Another advantage in bringing Pela is that she can remove an enemy buff using her skill. In short, she's a universal debuffer that suits most team and also F2P-friendly.

Tingyun
The best buffer for a 4-star character that can catch up to 5-star buffer. The downside is her Skill increase an ally's attack , not damage, so certain DPS may not be able to make use of said buffs like Blade (who focuses on HP stat).
Since she's a 4-star rarity, getting her Eidolons are not that hard and you can make her an even better support.

Guinaifen
Another DoT damage dealer or debuffer specializing in burning enemies. She can also increase the DMG taken by multiple enemies affected by the Burn status.

Herta
A valuable free character that is a diamon in a rough. Her ability to deal AoE damage and performing follow-up attacks is extremely valuable in Pure Fiction mode where you will face multiple enemies in a single wave that keep spawning mobs. If you're facing rows of enemies, Herta is a great choice, but if you're battling a single boss, better not bring her along.

Himeko
Himeko is a bit similar to Jing Yuan where although they are Erudition by nature, they rely the most on their follow-up attacks to deal damages. Of course, her Skill and Ultimate is catered to deal with multiple enemies so you can expect her to be the best against loads of enemies (especially in Pure Fiction where she shines the most).

Hook
As the boss of The Moles, she loves to battle against another boss (single-target enemy). Her Skill can deal damage to a single enemy, but after using Ultimate, said Skill can hit adjacent enemies.

Qingque
For being a gambler, she can deal an extremely huge damage for a 4-star character, but that also depends on your luck to get the matching tiles to enter "Hidden Hand" state. If you're lucky and often get the matching tiles, or she can get the best blessings from Propagation path (in Simulated Universe), Qingque can hop to the upper tier list instead of A Tier.

Serval
A rare Erudition character that depend (a bit) on her DoT damage where she will inflict Shock to enemies, and prolong the DoT using her Ultimate. Once defeating an enemy, she will further increase her own attacks, making her damage higher further in the battle. Of course, this is mostly plausible when you're against multiple mobs and not bosses.

Xueyi
Unique playstyle where she relies on both follow-up attacks and Ultimate to dish out damage. The part where she is unique is how her Ultimate can deplete the enemy's Toughness bar whether or not they have a Quantum weakness.

Asta
The richest girl in Herta Space Station helps the team out in both offensive and supportive. Her Talent can provide lots of ATK buff while also make the Burning enemies take more Fire DMG. Her main kit is providing SPD buff to the team, which works especially great in a DoT team.

Bailu
While Bailu's healing skill is exceedingly normal for a 5-star character, she can do what no one can in the game; which is reviving a downed character. This is especially great for harder content like Forgotten Hall and Simulated Universe. Unfortunately, this talent can only be used one in a single battle (Unless you have E6 Bailu).

Gepard
Gepard is often overlooked for other healers since he can't heal the whole team. But what he can do is provide shields to the whole team and make enemies hit himself (higher chance) instead of other allies. His talent allow him to withstand a single knockdown and restore his energy to full. With the right build, you can refresh his Ultimate at the right times so the enemies won't be able to take a hit on your party.

Hanya
Hanya's unique kit is how she can recover 1 Skill Point after the team completing some requirements. Obviously, she also has skills that a buffer has; such as increasing DMG dealt on an enemy inflicted with Burden, and increasing the DPS and ATK for a single ally. She is best with a team who uses lots of SP.

Lynx
Her healing is subpar compared to 5-star healers (obviously), but what makes her a great option is (1) she's a free character, (2) she can cleanse debuff from the entire party, and (3) great in a team where Destruction is the DPS, especially one that wants to be hit so they can deal more damage (cough Blade cough). With so many new enemies that can inflict debuff on your party, Lynx is a force to be reckon with.

Welt
Welt is a debuffer while also being a Sub-DPS that can deal decent damage to enemies. His key skill is slowing enemies and delaying their turns using Ultimate. In addition to being slowed, those enemies will also takes more damage, what a flexible character.

Gallagher
He is a unique healer that's for sure. Able to both heal and inflicting debuff on enemies (unlike most healers who cleanse debuff on party members). Unfortunately, his healing is quite lackluster, especially against enemies who deal AoE damage (since he can only heal one person using Skill and a small amount of HP for attackers who hit Besotted enemies with his Talent) and especially huge single-target DPS. No hate for him but if you're after a more comfortable healing, definitely go for Lynx.

Dan Heng
A starter character with a decent (or above average with the best LC and Relics) damage output and can slow enemies through his Skill. His damage will rise even further against slowed enemies.

Luka
The boxing champion is a single-target DoT damage dealer while also inflicting Bleed to the enemy. His Ultimate can also increase the damage taken by the target. But since he's a hybrid of damage dealer and debuffer, his debuff is not as high as normal debuffer like Pela or Silver Wolf.

Misha
Misha is a DPS whose potential is locked behind his Ultimate. Said Ultimate gets stronger through Skill Point consumption (just like Jing Yuan and his Lightning-Lord), either by himself or other team members. His Ultimate deals quite a lot of damage, but it can be bounced to other enemies on the field.

Sampo
A hidden gem among the 4-star roster. Sampo is a DoT damage dealer like Luka, but he can deal AoE damage (more precisely, it will bounce to other enemies) and easily stack Wind Shear to them. The other party is in even more danger if its a boss and has a Wind weakness. His Ultimate also increases the enemies' DoT taken, which makes him a perfect supporter in DoT team.

Sushang
Sushang deals a high single-target damage for a 4-star character. She can deal even higher to an enemy that is currently affected by Weakness Break. With the addition of her E1, she can also helps the team to recover Skill Points.

Yanqing
Just like other 5-star DPS, Yanqing also deals a sum of damages with the help of his own offensive buffs. However, he needs to avoid taking DMG to keep his buff active and this is where everything goes downhill cause even if you have a shielder/character that has a high taunt, facing multiple enemies will undoubtedly increases the chance of him being attacked. That is why he is low on the list. But if you managed to make him invisible to enemies, the damage he dish out is worth the sacrifice.

March 7th
The cutest girl in the world focuses on providing a shield to an enemy while also counterattacking any enemy that attacks the shielded character. Unfortunately, you can't rely on her damage because the numbers are extremely low. But, you can rely on her Ultimate that can freeze all enemies, which may be valuable in Simulated Universe - Remembrance path.

Natasha
She is a healer everyone will get, and life-saver for new players who don't have other healers yet. Natasha can heal a single ally, remove one debuff, while also heal over time using her skill. Her Ultimate also heals the whole party. While she is a good option for beginner content, it may be hard to slot her in end-game content where enemies will deal AoE debuffs to your team, as Natasha can't keep up cleansing everyone since everyone wants to use SP.

Trailblazer (Fire)
Fire MC is a shielder that can taunt enemies and reduce incoming damage using their skill. By using Ultimate, they can create a shield for the whole team. Said Ultimate can also deal some damage based on their DEF, but don't expect the number to be high since they're a shielder, not a damage dealer here.

Yukong
For a supporting character, Yukong can deal some damage through her Ultimate. Unfortunately, she has a downside where you need to focus on properly tune her SPD so she can be in front of your DPS before using her Skill. This may not be the best character for beginner who is still getting the hang of the game's mechanic. But once you get the best Yukong build, she can give you ATK, Crit Rate, and Crit DMG buff for the team.

Arlan
Similar to Blade, Arlan sacrifices his HP for damage (although he can't surpass Blade in any way and far inferior). The damage will be increased based on his missing HP. Although he has a self-sustain ability, that is only if (1) his HP is below 20% and (2) if he is the one defeating the enemy. That's a hard requirement to achieve as one wrong move can kill him. In the game where you can't evade enemies' attacks, kits like Arlan is hard to maneuver especially if your healer is slow in their turn.

Trailblazer (Physical)
Our initial element that deals physical DPS in both single target damage and Blast damage. They can give themselves offensive buffs (ATK bonus) during battle if they inflict Weakness Break and heal the party using their Technique before the battle. Although we don't really have a use for the Technique since Space Anchor exists.