Archer is a new character in Honkai: Star Rail, released as part of a collaboration with the Fate/Stay night franchise. The character will be obtainable both for free and through a limited-time banner running from July 11th. This guide will cover his abilities, how to build him effectively, and list the best gear and team setups.
Skills
Technique “Clairvoyance”: Attacks an enemy to enter combat. At the start of the battle, deals Quantum Damage equal to 200% of Archer`s ATK to all enemies. Gains one stack.
Basic Attack “Kanshou and Bakuya”: Deals Quantum Damage equal to 50-130% of Archer`s ATK to a single target.
Skill “Caladbolg: Fake Spiral Sword”: Deals damage to a selected enemy and enters the “Chain Connection” state. While in this state, Archer can activate the skill up to 5 times (consuming one Skill Point each time). The skill`s damage increases to 120%, and the character`s turn does not end after using the ability. The “Chain Connection” state ends in three cases: using the skill 5 times, exhausting all Skill Points, or defeating all enemies (or the current wave). After this, the turn passes to the next ally.
Ultimate “Unlimited Blade Works”: Deals Quantum Damage to a single target (up to 1200% of ATK) and gains two stacks.
Talent “Thought Eye”: When a team member attacks an enemy, Archer consumes one stack to perform a follow-up attack on the same target, then recovers one Skill Point. Can hold up to four stacks.
Best Light Cones
“Hell of Burning Ideals” – Archer`s signature Light Cone. Provides significant critical boosts and a powerful increase to skill damage, which is his main source of DPS. This is undoubtedly his best-in-slot option as the combined buffs from the weapon and the character significantly enhance his frequently used skill. Its special effect also provides a large ATK bonus, crucial for scaling his damage.
“Meeting at the End of the Journey” – A strong alternative to Archer`s signature Light Cone. This 4-star cone grants a substantial boost to the wearer`s Critical Damage, significantly increasing damage from both his Skill and his frequently triggered Follow-up Attack. It serves as an excellent substitute and can potentially match the signature cone`s utility at higher Superimposition levels.
“Baptism of Pure Thought” – Dr. Ratio`s 5-star signature Light Cone. It easily meets Archer`s needs, especially regarding Critical stats. It`s ideal for smooth gameplay. The weapon is also beneficial due to its passive effect “Discussion,” which allows the character`s follow-up attacks to ignore a certain percentage of enemy DEF.
“Swordplay” – This 4-star Light Cone is particularly potent at max Superimposition, rivaling other options for Archer. Its passive allows the character to consistently increase their damage by repeatedly attacking the same target. This cone is best equipped for battles against single bosses. If facing multiple smaller enemies, other options might be preferable.
Best Relic Sets
“Wasteland of Digestion” (Described effect: Increases Crit Rate and significantly boosts damage from Skill and Ultimate) – An ideal set for Archer. It increases his Crit Rate and is perfect for significantly boosting damage from his Skill and Ultimate. The best approach is to equip this set and use the Skill after activating the Ultimate for an even greater boost.
“Genius of Brilliant Stars” – An excellent alternative to the previous set, potentially even more effective in certain situations. It increases Quantum damage and allows Archer to ignore a portion of enemy DEF. If the enemy has Quantum weakness (applied by Silver Wolf or Archer himself with E2), the character can ignore an additional 10% of DEF.
Best Planar Ornaments
“Space Sealing Station” – The best set of Planar Ornaments for Archer. It significantly buffs his Crit Rate and additionally increases damage from his Basic Attack and Skill. While the basic attack boost isn`t his primary focus, the skill damage boost is crucial for this DPS.
“Izumo Gensei and Takama Divine Realm” – The best set of Planar Ornaments for Archer if he is the main DPS paired with another character from The Hunt path (e.g., Seele or Topaz). This set increases ATK and Crit Rate if another character from the same Path is in the team, effectively boosting both the ally`s damage and Archer`s own.
Best Teammates
- Sparkle – A highly versatile support character. She not only provides Skill Points (which are critically needed for Archer) but also advances allies` actions. This helps Archer`s follow-up attacks trigger even faster.
- Hanya – Can be considered a budget version of Sparkle, but her 4-star rarity doesn`t make her less valuable. Hanya can restore Skill Points, which is very relevant for Archer and his teammates. Archer will also benefit from her Action Advance and personal buffs.
- Silver Wolf – This Quantum character is effective as both a main DPS and a sub-DPS/debuffer. She can apply numerous debuffs to enemies, including Quantum Weakness, which is highly beneficial for Archer. She has become even more useful following recent character adjustments.
- Moczę – This 4-star character can be an excellent sub-DPS for Archer. He doesn`t consume many Skill Points, dealing most of his damage via follow-up attacks, which is ideal for the “hungry” Archer. Furthermore, the character frequently attacks outside of their turn, allowing the Quantum damage dealer (Archer) to deal even more damage.