HSR Tier List 2026: Best Characters Ranked for Every Game Mode

This guide ranks all Honkai Star Rail characters based on their performance in critical endgame activities. Our goal is to help you build teams that can conquer the game’s toughest challenges. Tier placements consider damage output, team synergy, and versatility across different combat scenarios.

Remember, a lower-tier character can still excel with proper investment and team support. This list serves as a guide for resource allocation and team planning.

Comprehensive HSR Tier List (2026)

The table below provides an overall tier list for Honkai: Star Rail version 3.7, synthesized from current community data.

Character	Path	Element	Overall Tier	Primary Role
Phainon	TBA	TBA	SS	DPS
The Herta	Erudition	Ice	SS	DPS
Castorice	Remembrance	Quantum	SS	DPS/Sustain
Anaxa	Erudition	Wind	SS	Support DPS
Robin	Harmony	Physical	SS	Amplifier
Ruan Mei	Harmony	Ice	SS	Amplifier
Sunday	TBA	TBA	SS	Amplifier
Tribbie	Harmony	Quantum	SS	Amplifier
Huohuo	Abundance	Wind	SS	Sustain
Aventurine	Preservation	Imaginary	SS	Sustain
Feixiao	The Hunt	Wind	SS	DPS
Acheron	Nihility	Lightning	S+	DPS
Firefly	TBA	Fire	S+	DPS
Jade	Erudition	Lightning	S+	DPS
Jingliu	Destruction	Ice	S+	DPS
Mydei	TBA	TBA	S+	DPS
Blade	Destruction	Wind	S+	Support DPS
Bronya	Harmony	Wind	S+	Amplifier
Sparkle	Harmony	Quantum	S+	Amplifier
Cyrene	TBA	TBA	S+	Amplifier
Fu Xuan	Preservation	Quantum	S+	Sustain
Gallagher	Abundance	Fire	S+	Sustain
Dr. Ratio	The Hunt	Imaginary	S	DPS
Black Swan	Nihility	Wind	S	Support DPS
Tingyun	Harmony	Lightning	S	Amplifier
Luocha	Abundance	Imaginary	S	Sustain
Lynx	Abundance	Quantum	S	Sustain
Himeko	Erudition	Fire	A	DPS
Clara	Destruction	Physical	A	DPS
Hanya	Harmony	Physical	A	Amplifier
Gepard	Preservation	Ice	A	Sustain
Bailu	Abundance	Lightning	A	Sustain
Yanqing	The Hunt	Ice	B	DPS
Sushang	The Hunt	Physical	B	DPS
March 7th	Preservation	Ice	B	Sustain
Natasha	Abundance	Physical	B	Sustain
Arlan	Destruction	Lightning	C	DPS
Trailblazer (Physical)	Destruction	Physical	C	DPS

Character Analysis and Team Roles

Top-Tier DPS Characters

DPS characters are the main damage dealers. They are judged on their ability to defeat enemies quickly.

Phainon and The Herta are top-tier damage dealers. They excel in various endgame content. Their kits provide high damage and flexibility.

Castorice is a unique Quantum DPS from the Remembrance Path. She deals massive AoE damage. Her kit includes a revolutionary team-wide revival passive. This ability works even when she is not in the active team. She can also redirect damage from allies to her Memosprite, providing strong sustain.

Feixiao is a premier Wind Hunt character. She delivers devastating single-target damage, ideal for elite enemies and bosses. Her Ultimate ignores enemy toughness bars, making her effective against any foe. She thrives in follow-up attack teams, which quickly recharge her powerful Ultimate.

Essential Support Characters

Supports amplify team damage through buffs and debuffs. They are crucial for enabling DPS characters.

Robin is a top-tier Harmony support. Her Ultimate provides a massive team-wide damage boost and action forwards all allies. She is particularly powerful in follow-up attack teams, enhancing their critical damage.

Tribbie, a Quantum Harmony unit, offers long-duration damage buffs. She is highly skill-point friendly. She also deals supplemental damage with her own follow-up attacks when allies use their Ultimates.

Ruan Mei remains a dominant support. She increases team damage, Break efficiency, and Weakness Break efficiency. Her passive field effect benefits the entire team without using skill points.

Reliable Sustain Units

Sustain characters keep the team alive with healing, shields, or damage mitigation.

Huohuo is an Abundance character with diverse healing. She provides consistent cleansing and healing at the start of each ally’s turn. Her Ultimate regenerates energy and boosts attack, making her both a defensive and offensive asset.

Aventurine is a premier Preservation shielder. His Skill shields all allies. He provides additional reactive shields through his follow-up attacks. His Ultimate also increases the damage enemies take.

Fu Xuan uses damage mitigation instead of traditional healing or shielding. Her Skill redirects a portion of damage from allies to herself. She also provides a critical rate boost, increasing team survivability and damage output.

HSR Tier List Explanation

We evaluate characters against the hardest content, including Memory of Chaos (MoC), Pure Fiction (PF), and Apocalyptic Shadow (AS).

Memory of Chaos favors single-target and blast damage. Pure Fiction rewards strong Area of Effect (AoE) capabilities. Apocalyptic Shadow prioritizes high single-target damage and break effect potential.

Our rankings assume specific conditions. Characters are rated at Level 80 with max Traces and optimal gear. Five-star characters are at Eidolon 0 (E0), and four-star characters are at Eidolon 6 (E6). We consider performance in optimal team compositions

Building Teams with the Tier List

A tier list is a starting point, not a final answer. Understanding character synergies is more important than individual rankings.

Key Character Archetypes

Some characters perform best in specific team compositions.

The Damage-Over-Time (DoT) Archetype relies on effects like Bleed or Shock. Kafka is essential to activate DoTs immediately. Hysilens and Black Swan are core damage dealers in this setup. These characters are rated highly but depend on each other.

The Break Effect Archetype focuses on breaking enemy toughness bars. Lingsha is a top sustain for these teams. Her Ultimate increases the Break damage enemies take.

The Follow-Up Attack Archetype uses characters that attack out of turn. Feixiao, Topaz, Aventurine, and Jade excel here. Robin is the ideal support for these teams due to her follow-up attack buffs.

Understanding Partner Dependencies

Some characters need specific partners to perform at their listed tier.

Archer requires Sparkle for optimal performance. Sparkle provides extra skill points and generation that Archer’s kit needs.

The Herta, an Erudition DPS, often needs another Erudition support like Anaxa to activate her full potential.

Aglaea & Jing Yuan gain significant power from Sunday, who can advance the actions of their summons, like Jing Yuan’s Lightning-Lord.

Using the Tier List Effectively

Your personal account goals and preferences should guide your pulls.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Many players misinterpret tier lists. Avoid these common errors.

First, do not ignore game mode specifics. A top Memory of Chaos character might be average in Pure Fiction. Always check the specific tier list for the content you are tackling.

Second, team synergy trumps individual tier placement. A perfectly synergistic A-tier team will outperform a mismatched S-tier team.

Finally, investment matters. A well-built lower-tier character with a great relic set will beat a poorly built top-tier character every time.

Expert Tips for Resource Allocation

Plan your pulls around supports and sustains. Top-tier DPS characters are quickly power-crept. Strong universal supports like Ruan Mei and Sparkle remain valuable for much longer.

Cover multiple team archetypes. Instead of pulling three top-tier Hunt DPS, invest in a strong AoE character for Pure Fiction and a single-target specialist for Apocalyptic Shadow.

Do not underestimate four-star characters. Tingyun, Pela, and Gallagher are incredibly powerful. They can be seamlessly integrated into many top-level teams.

Conclusion

This HSR tier list for 2026 highlights the most powerful characters. The meta constantly shifts with new character releases and game updates. Use this guide to inform your decisions, but remember that personal preference and smart team building are the true keys to success. For the most current rankings, always refer to the latest community resources.

Do Checkout: Azur Lane Tier List | Fruit Battlegrounds Tier List | Anime Reborn Tier List | FEH Tier List

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How often is this HSR tier list updated?

This tier list is updated regularly with each new game version and character release. The meta can change quickly, so the rankings are revised to reflect new discoveries and team compositions.

Should I only use SS-Tier characters?

No, you should not only use SS-Tier characters. Many A-Tier and S-Tier characters are excellent and can clear all content. Team synergy is often more important than individual tier placement. A well-built team of lower-tier characters can be very powerful.

Why is a character I love ranked low on the list?

A lower ranking does not mean a character is bad. It often means they require more investment, specific teammates, or are outperformed in the current meta. You can absolutely clear content with your favorite characters if you build them correctly.

Are 4-Star characters viable in the endgame?

Yes, many 4-Star characters are highly viable in the endgame. Characters like Tingyun, Gallagher, and Pela are considered top-tier supports and sustains. They are frequently used in even the most challenging content.

What is more important, eidolons or a character’s base kit?

For most 5-star characters, their base kit (E0) is what the tier list evaluates and is perfectly strong. While eidolons can provide power spikes, they are not necessary to clear content. For 4-star characters, reaching higher eidolons (especially E6) can significantly improve their performance.