Honkai: Star Rail tier list for 3.5: Top characters to use in 2025

✓ VideoGamer Summary

• Tier list overview (3.5): Characters are ranked from A to D tier, with A-tier reserved for the strongest and most “broken” picks, while D-tier marks characters that struggle even in mid-game content.
• Ranking criteria: Placements consider ease of obtainability, investment needs (light cones, team comps), and especially endgame performance, where broken builds are required for success.
• Key highlights: Archer and Trailblazer (Remembrance) are strong F2P-friendly picks; Anaxa, The Herta, and Gallagher stand out as highly recommended, while characters like Kafka remain situational due to specific team demands.
• Community-informed balance: The tier list combines personal testing with insights from respected sources like Guoba Certified and subreddit discussions, aiming to reflect both meta efficiency and practical play.

We’re nearing a new era for the game with a fresh update on the horizon, but where does that leave the current Honkai: Star Rail tier list? We’re going through our picks ranked in A to D tiers to see who’s worth pulling, or not. So, whether you’re just starting, are a long-time player, we’re cutting straight through to the current meta. 

Honkai: Star Rail 3.6 update is scheduled to arrive before the end of the month, so it won’t be long before we’re adjusting all the best Honkai: Star Rail characters in 2025 once again. Our tier list goes through 4-star and 5-star picks, analyzes their weapons, elements, and more, so you can make an informed decision of who is right for you. 

How we made our Honkai: Star Rail tier list

We made our Honkai: Star Rail tier list based on three main considerations: 

• How easily they can be obtained 
• Investment 
• Endgame practicality 

✓

• Obtaining: Less important for some, as their big numbers largely overshadow how often they appear on a banner. But where notable, those that can be obtained more easily, such as 4 stars or those with an upcoming banner, will be highlighted.
  
• Investment: If a character requires a good deal of investment with teams and equipment to be sufficiently useful, that is largely an issue. It is important that a character can fit into team compositions without sacrificing a good deal of usefulness and not require a specific light cone to be viable. 
  
• Endgame: The most important factor is how they perform in the endgame. As Honkai ramps up its content in 3.6, broken builds become a necessity, so those that can crush the current endgame are more highly rated.

To ensure fair and balanced placements, this list was also informed by our own insights and personal experiences, combined with player resources such as Guoba Certified and Honkai: Star Rail Reddit discussions. While each of these sources provides different perspectives, we combined their community-driven feedback with our own testing and analysis to create a list that is both reliable and practical for players.

Ultimately, this tier list reflects the current patch environment of version 3.5 and may evolve as new characters, light cones, and game modes shift the meta, so we will be sure to update this tier list when 3.6 releases with the new Honkai: Star Rail characters.

This Honkai: Star Rail characters list is ranked from A-D tier, with ranking within the tiers being largely inconsequential, though major downsides even within the meta tier will be highlighted and somewhat reflected through their position in the tier. 

Each tier will also list the 5-star Honkai: Star Rail characters and 4-stars, so it is clear which is which. 

A-Tier Honkai: Star Rail characters

✓

• 5 stars: Anaxa, The Herta, Cerydra, Cipher, Sunday, Archer, Trailblazer (remembrance), Hysilens, Tribbie, Huohuo, Aglaea, Hyacine, Phainon, Robin, Mydei, Jade, Sparkle, Aventurine, Kafka, Lingsha, Bronya, Ruan Mei, Saber, Silver wolf, Feixiao
• 4 stars: Gallagher

Anaxa and The Herta deserve special mention as very broken characters that will be on the 3.6 banners. Anaxa, especially, is highly dominant between DPS and support-DPS, making him incredibly flexible. Archer is a solid pick for new players as he is free to claim until the end of 3.6 with a good F2P tool kit. 

In a similar vein, Trailblazer (remembrance) is accessible through just the main story, making them quite F2P-friendly while having solid support options.  Gallagher also comes highly recommended due to his great healing abilities for a 4-star character, making him more friendly to those unwilling to whale or wait for the repeat of a banner. 

Lastly, Kafka is a heavily debated character in terms of her usefulness. While she has high potential, this is curbed by the setup required to truly tap into it, requiring specific premium team compositions. 

B-Tier Honkai: Star Rail characters

✓

• 5 stars: Blade, Acheron, Argenti, Black Swan, Jingliu, Yunli, Topaz & Numby, Jiaqiu, Luocha, Boohthill, Firefly, Jing Yuan, Rappa, Tingyun • Fugue, Fu Xuan, Himeko, Trailblazer (Harmony). 
  
• 4 stars: Herta, Tingyun, Serval, March 7th • The Hunt, Pela

The 5-stars in this tier are all solid choices, though, may require investment to truly perform like those in the tier above. However, if like us, you like having Acheron and Black Swan on your team with the right build, you should be viable for the endgame. 

The 4-stars here do deserve some mention as they provide solid, cheaper alternatives across support DPS and amplifier roles. Serval will be in the phase 2 Honkai: Star Rail banner for 3.6, so they are a character that you might find potential use for. 

Tingyun is also a solid amplifier pick across all modes. Trailblazer Harmony lands at the bottom of this tier, not for any major downsides beyond opportunity cost. If you prefer this path, you can easily make it work, but I would highly recommend them in the remembrance path. 

C-Tier Honkai: Star Rail characters

✓

• 5 star: Clara, Dr. Ratio, Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae, Seele, Bailu, Welt, Gepard
• 4 star: Asta, Guinaifen, Lynx, Luka, Qingque, Sampo, Hanya, Moze

In short, the 5-star Honkai: Star Rail characters here can probably get you through mid-game with some investment, but unless Dan Heng is a personal favourite, you may be best looking elsewhere (or claiming his new 5-star variant in 3.6). 

The 4 stars are not bad; however, with decent kits and more frequent availability, but even then, you may want to save for the 4 stars in the tiers above. 

D-Tier Honkai: Star Rail characters

✓

• 5 star: Trailblazer (preservation/destruction), Yanqing
  
• 4 star: Arlan, Dan Heng, Hook, Sushang, Natasha, Misha, Xueyi, Yukong, March 7th

While none of these Honkai: Star Rail characters are inherently bad, there’s nothing they do particularly well to recommend them over those found in the higher tiers. If you enjoy their aesthetics, then you may be won over, but you’ll have an easier time with some of the others in our list. 

FAQs

Why is Honkai: Star Rail so famous?

Hot off the heels of MiHoYo’s massive success with Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail is the latest entry in the Honkai series. With unique turn-based combat, expressive designs, and a fascinating story, it’s earned its fame by delivering another standout free-to-play experience. 

Is Honkai: Star Rail multiplayer?

Technically, yes and no. The core of Honkai: Star Rail is a single-player experience, and a majority of the game is designed around solo play. Although through mini games and other features, such as being able to borrow a friend’s characters, Honkai: Star Rail does have a limited multiplayer experience. 

Is Honkai: Star Rail a dating game?

No. While many may like to date characters such as Kafka, the game does not contain any romance mechanics. Though the characters do have their own interesting relationships, fan content exists to fill the void.

Does your gender matter in Honkai: Star Rail?

No. Male or female Honkai Star Rail Trailblazers can be the gender you want them to be. Besides that, the character selection contains no bias. Whether it be Bishonen male Honkai: Star Rail characters or Bishojo female Honkai: Star Rail characters.