Honkai: Star Rail is on track to going down as one of the best games this year, with the game’s latest update expanding on our adventure through the Xianzhou Luofu. While game developers miHoYo have always included two brand new characters with every major update, this article would like to look back and focus on a character that has been available since the game’s release: our adoptive mother, Himeko.
Table of Contents
Ability Priority
Ultimate => Skill => Talent => Normal Atk
The majority of Himeko’s damage output comes from her Ultimate attack. Prioritise upgrading the Ultimate before investing in her Skill and then into her talent. The attack can be largely disregarded since you will want to use her skill as much as possible.
Traces
- Starfire – Using attacks has a 50% chance to apply Burn, inflicting 30% of Himeko’s ATK at the start of each turn for two turns.
- Magma – Skill deals 20% more damage to enemies afflicted by Burn.
- Benchmark – Himeko gains 15% extra Crit Rate whenever her HP is 80% or higher.
Himeko’s Traces heavily emphasizes her Burn mechanic. These traces add value to Himeko’s normal attack since they can be used to amplify her Skill damage potentially.
Also, her capstone trace Benchmark is a free damage boost whenever Himeko is close to full HP. Since you will typically want to place her on the opposite side of your tank and healer, this trace will remain active for the majority of your fight/s.
Eidolons
| Eidolon Level | Eidolon Effect |
|---|---|
| E1 | Increases Himeko’s SPD by 20% whenever she triggers her talent. |
| E2 | Deals 15% more DMG to enemies that are below 50% HP. |
| E3 | Ultimate Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15. Talent Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 10 |
| E4 | When Himeko’s Skill breaks an enemy, she gains one extra stack towards her talent. |
| E5 | Skill +2, up to a maximum of Lv15. Basic ATK Lv +1 up to a maximum of Lv 10. |
| E6 | Ultimate deals additional damage twice to random enemies. Dealing 40% of the original damage each time. |
While we normally would not recommend spending your Jades or money unlocking Eidolons, players looking to power up their Himeko even further should aim to unlock E6 Himeko because of how her final Eidolon significantly increases the damage dealt by her Ultimate.
Best Relics on Himeko
Firesmith of Lava-Forging
| Best Relic Stats | ||||
| | Helm | Gloves | Body | Feet |
| Main Stat | HP + | Attack + | Critical Damage% | Speed |
| Sub 1 | Crit Rate, Crit Damage, SPD, ATK% | Crit Rate, Crit Damage, SPD, ATK% | Crit Rate, Break Effect, SPD, ATK% | Crit Rate, Crit Damage, Break Effect, ATK% |
This set is the best set for Fire element damage characters since it boosts Fire-based damage while amplifying this bonus further after using an Ultimate.
Additionally, this set provides a damage increase to any Skills the wearer uses.
Space Sealing Station
| Best Planar Ornament Stats | ||
| | Link Rope | Planar Sphere |
| Main Stat | ATK % | Fire Damage % |
| Sub Stats | Crit Rate, Crit Damage, SPD, +ATK | Crit Rate, Crit Damage, SPD, ATK% |
Space Sealing Station provides Himeko with a total increase of 24% to her ATK stat. Since we’ll be equipping Boots with SPD main stat, triggering the 2nd bonus from this set is guaranteed.
Best Light Cones for Himeko
| Rarity | Light Cone | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| ✦✦✦✦✦ | (Best in Slot) Before Dawn | Time-Limited Gacha |
| ✦✦✦✦ | The Seriousness of Breakfast | Forgotten Hall Store / Echoes of War |
| ✦✦✦ | Data Bank | Gacha |
Himeko’s best LC is actually Jing Yuan’s signature LC, Before Dawn because the bonuses it provides are less conditional than Himeko’s signature LC, Night on the Milky Way.
Her best alternative LCs are The Seriousness of Breakfast and Data Bank.
Conclusion
Even though Himeko is one of the older characters, a fully built Himeko with good stat rolls can still carry your team through most content in Honkai: Star Rail.
For other Honkai:Star Rail character guides, make sure to check out our pages for: Blade, Gepard, and Luocha!