I built this Honkai: Star Rail tier list after grinding through 4.2 for the past three weeks, clearing every Memory of Chaos floor and burning way too many Stellar Jade trying to figure out who actually pulls their weight. The 3rd anniversary patch shook things up more than I expected. Silver Wolf Lv.999 dropped, the Elation path keeps printing money, and a few old favorites quietly slid down the rankings.
Here’s what I’m covering:
- Every character ranked S to D for 4.2 endgame
- The teams I’m actually running in MoC right now
- Whether Silver Wolf Lv.999 is worth your jades
- Real talk on Phainon vs Castorice
- FAQ from questions I see asked every week on Reddit
I learned a few of these rankings the hard way after blowing 90 pulls on the wrong unit, so hopefully this saves someone the headache.
Table of Contents
How I Ranked Everyone (Without The Fluff)
Quick context before the tables. I’m rating characters at E0 with their signature Light Cone optional, not assumed. Most of you aren’t whaling and I’m not gonna pretend Castorice is god-tier if you don’t have Tribbie. That’s a setup-dependent S, not a universal one. I weighted three things:
- Endgame performance in Memory of Chaos, Pure Fiction, and Apocalyptic Shadow
- Team flexibility (does this unit fit lots of comps or just one premium build?)
- Investment cost (do you need eidolons or specific 5-star supports to make them work?)
The current 4.2 endgame heavily favors Elation and Remembrance archetypes, which is why those names dominate the top.
My S-Tier — The Characters Bending 4.2 In Half
These are the units that walk into endgame and just delete it. Own any of them at E0 and you’re set for the patch.
S-Tier DPS
| Character | Path | Element | Why They’re Here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phainon | Destruction | Physical | Best E0 DPS in the game, near-immortal Khaslana state |
| Castorice | Remembrance | Quantum | Massive AoE through Netherwing, broken in PF and MoC |
| The Herta | Erudition | Ice | PF wave-clearer with absurd follow-up damage |
| Anaxa | Erudition | Wind | Top S-tier when paired with The Herta team |
| Silver Wolf Lv.999 | Elation | Imaginary | New 4.2 anniversary unit, Elation hypercarry monster |
| Cipher | Nihility | Quantum | Damage-recording mechanic enables nuke turns |
S-Tier Supports & Sustains
| Character | Path | Element | Why They’re Here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Harmony | Imaginary | Best support in the game, period |
| Tribbie | Harmony | Quantum | Universal Vulnerability + RES PEN buffer |
| Cyrene | Harmony | Ice | Mandatory in Remembrance teams |
| Ruan Mei | Harmony | Ice | Still cracked for any Break or general team |
| Robin | Harmony | Physical | Best ATK buffer for FUA teams |
| Hyacine | Remembrance | Wind | New gold standard for sustain |
| Aventurine | Preservation | Imaginary | Defensive sustain GOAT |
| Huohuo | Abundance | Wind | Energy + ATK buff in one kit |
If you don’t have a sustain yet and you’re sitting on jades, Hyacine should be the very next thing you pull. Period.
Phainon Is Still The DPS King After Two Patches
I want to talk about this because I see way too many players hesitating on Phainon banners since “he’s been around a while now.” Look — being available since 4.0 doesn’t make him weaker. He’s still the strongest single-target DPS in the game at E0, and his Khaslana ultimate state basically removes the need for a sustain in some comps.
What sold me was running him with just Sunday and Cerydra plus a flex sustain. Zero investment in his signature Light Cone. Two-cycle Memory of Chaos clears, no problem. I tried swapping in Tingyun and Remembrance Trailblazer for an F2P-friendly version and still cleared with three cycles to spare.
The catch? His rotation matters more than his stats above a certain point. If you don’t understand when to pop your skill versus banking Coreflame stacks, you’re gonna underperform. I learned this the hard way wasting two MoC attempts because I burned my ult too early on the wrong wave. Aim for around 136 base SPD if your supports are running 134+, or build him with ATK boots if your supports are at 160+ SPD.
A-Tier — Strong Picks That Still Slap
A-tier in 2026 is honestly stacked. These characters clear all endgame content comfortably with proper teams, they just don’t have the bonkers ceiling of S-tier units.
| Character | Tier | Role | Why They’re Here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acheron | A | DPS | Still nukes in Nihility comps, just no longer dominant |
| Firefly | A | DPS | Got a 4.2 buff, Super Break with Dahlia is real |
| Feixiao | A | DPS | FUA queen, struggles in no-Wind floors |
| Mydei | A | DPS | Solo DPS with sustain built into the kit |
| Archer | A | DPS | Quantum Hunt, eats single-target bosses alive |
| The Dahlia | A | Sub-DPS | Break archetype anchor, Firefly’s best friend |
| Yunli | A | DPS | Counter playstyle, still relevant |
| Saber | A | DPS | Wind Hunt, hit hard by AoE-heavy 4.2 phase |
| Sparxie | A | DPS | Elation staple, eats SP for breakfast |
| Yao Guang | A | DPS/Support | Hybrid Elation enabler, criminally underrated |
| Cerydra | A | Support | Phainon’s BFF, niche outside of him |
| Bronya | A | Support | Power-crept by Sunday, still good budget pick |
| Sparkle | A | Support | SP-positive Harmony for SP-hungry teams |
| Fugue | A | Support | Best for Break Effect comps |
| Kafka | A | DPS | DoT lead, still works but specific |
| Black Swan | A | DPS | DoT staple, needs Kafka or Hysilens |
| Aglaea | A | DPS | Lightning Remembrance, eidolon-hungry |
| Lingsha | A | Sustain | Top offensive healer for Break teams |
| Jade | A | DPS | Erudition with niche but real value |
| Hysilens | A | DPS | DoT enabler, best with Kafka core |
The honest take: most A-tier units actually outperform S-tier in their specific niche. Acheron in a tuned Nihility comp still 3-cycles MoC. The reason she’s not S-tier anymore is she needs more babysitting, and her support pieces are more demanding than what Phainon or Castorice need.
B-Tier — Functional, Not Fabulous
These characters can absolutely clear content but they’re either heavily power-crept or they need such specific team conditions that they’re hard to recommend over the top tiers.
| Character | Tier | Role | Why They’re Here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jing Yuan | B | DPS | Still hits 85%+ PF clears, just slow rotations |
| Topaz & Numby | B | Sub-DPS | FUA enabler, mostly outclassed by newer Hunt units |
| Boothill | B | DPS | Standalone Break DPS, awkward team comp |
| Imbibitor Lunae | B | DPS | Massive damage but eats every skill point alive |
| Jingliu | B | DPS | Once a queen, now needs Sunday or struggles |
| Blade | B | DPS | Drains his own HP, sustain becomes complicated |
| Argenti | B | DPS | AoE specialist, not dominant in current PF |
| Welt | B | DPS | Reworked but supports outclass him |
| Clara | B | DPS | Counter playstyle works but Yunli does it better |
| Rappa | B | DPS | Strong-ish Break unit, sidelined by Firefly |
| Misha | B | DPS | Decent budget Ice DPS, nothing more |
| Trailblazer (Ice/Lightning/Imaginary) | B | Various | Free units that punch above weight in budget teams |
| Pela | B | Support | Still the F2P debuff queen |
| Gallagher | B | Sustain | Best F2P sustain, holds up with Firefly |
| Tingyun | B | Support | Energy + ATK buff stays useful |
| Silver Wolf | B | Support | Implant + DEF shred, niche but real |
| Fu Xuan | B | Sustain | Solid pre-Hyacine, falling off |
I keep Gallagher in B not because he’s bad — he’s actually elite for what he does — but because if you have any 5-star sustain alternative, you’ll usually run that instead. He shines specifically in Break teams where Lingsha isn’t available.
C and D-Tier — The Bench Warmers
| Character | Tier | Role | Why They’re Here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seele | C | DPS | The original queen, brutally power-crept |
| Dr. Ratio | C | DPS | Needs perfect debuff setup to compete |
| Dan Heng | C | DPS | Decent early, falls off hard |
| Asta | C | Support | Bronya does her job better |
| Hanya | C | Support | Niche SP-positive support, mostly skip |
| Yukong | C | Support | Outclassed across the board |
| Hook | D | DPS | Cute, useless past mid-game |
| Sushang | D | DPS | Light infliction is too rare to matter |
| Qingque | D | DPS | RNG nightmare, hard to recommend |
| Arlan | D | DPS | Self-damage scaling that doesn’t pay off |
| Luka | D | DPS | DoT done worse than every other DoT unit |
| Sampo | D | Support | Power-crept by Pela and Silver Wolf |
| Serval | D | DPS | Free unit, gets benched fast |
| Natasha | D | Sustain | Free healer, replace ASAP |
| Lynx | D | Sustain | Nothing she does isn’t done better elsewhere |
| Herta (4-star) | D | DPS | Don’t confuse with The Herta — totally different unit |
Some of these feel mean to write but I’d rather be honest. Seele especially. She was my first 5-star and watching her drop tiers each patch is rough, but the meta moved past pure single-target nukes a year ago.
My Best Memory of Chaos Teams In 4.2
Tier lists are fine but teams matter more. Here’s what’s actually clearing for me right now:
- Phainon Hypercarry — Phainon + Sunday + Cerydra + Hyacine. Zero-cycles most floors when the weakness lines up. This is the team I’d build around if you only have one strong DPS.
- Remembrance Quantum Bomb — Castorice + Evernight + Cyrene + Hyacine. The full premium Remembrance comp. AoE damage that just doesn’t stop. Cyrene is non-negotiable here. Without her, Castorice loses like 30% of her output.
- Elation Spam — Silver Wolf Lv.999 + Sparxie + Yao Guang + Aventurine. The new 4.2 hotness. Silver Wolf’s Punchline gen plus Sparxie carrying the AoE while Yao Guang feeds the engine. SP-hungry but the damage numbers are stupid.
- F2P Friendly — Phainon + Tingyun + Remembrance Trailblazer + Gallagher. If you only have one limited unit, this works for 30-star clears with proper relics. I tested it on a friend’s account and it cleared MoC 11 with two cycles to spare.
- DoT Comp For DoT Diehards — Kafka + Black Swan + Hysilens + Aventurine. Still real, still a thing. AoE DoT that ignores most defensive mechanics. Won’t top leaderboards but consistently clears.
Should You Pull Silver Wolf Lv.999 Or Save For 4.3?
Real talk on the 4.2 banners. Silver Wolf Lv.999 is genuinely strong, but she’s also extremely team-dependent on Elation pieces. If you don’t already own Sparxie or Yao Guang, you’re pulling a powerful character whose damage ceiling you can’t fully access.
My take:
- Got Sparxie and Yao Guang already? Pull her. She completes the Elation trifecta and the damage is unhinged.
- Got just one Elation unit? It’s a coin flip. Wait until 4.3 leaks drop and see what’s coming.
- Got zero Elation units? Skip. Pull Phainon or Castorice on rerun instead, or save for what 4.3 brings.
Phase 2 brings Evanescia (Physical Elation) and the rerun banner has Tribbie, Feixiao, and Sunday. If you’re missing Sunday, that’s the priority pull regardless of who else is available. Best support in the game, makes every DPS you’ll ever pull better.
For F2P players sitting on under 80 pulls, my honest advice is to save. 4.3 is rumored to bring more Elation pieces and another anniversary-tier banner cycle. Don’t blow your stash on a half-built Elation team you can’t fully run.
FAQ: Honkai: Star Rail Tier List Questions
Phainon or Castorice — who should I actually pull?
Phainon. He’s more F2P-friendly because he doesn’t need premium supports to function. Castorice is technically just as strong but she’s borderline mandatory paired with Tribbie or Cyrene to hit her damage ceiling. If you already have those supports, Castorice slaps. If you don’t, Phainon is the safer pull.
Is Silver Wolf Lv.999 worth pulling without other Elation units?
Not really. Her hidden MMR mechanic depends on Punchline generation, and without Sparxie or Yao Guang in the team, she’s playable but underwhelming. She’s an anniversary unit so she’s strong on paper, but the Elation archetype is what makes her broken — not just her own kit.
What’s the best F2P sustain in 4.2?
Gallagher, hands down. He’s a 4-star, easy to E6, and his synergy with Firefly and other Break teams is unreal. Pair him with whoever your main DPS is and you’ll clear endgame fine. If you have Hyacine, run her instead — but Gallagher carried me through most of the 3.x cycle without breaking a sweat.
Is Acheron still good in 4.2?
Yes, just not S-tier anymore. She still 3-cycles MoC in a built Nihility comp with Jiaoqiu and Aventurine. The reason she dropped is she needs specific team conditions and her ceiling no longer matches Phainon or Castorice. If you already invested in her, keep using her — don’t shelf those relics.
Can I clear endgame as F2P in 4.2?
Absolutely. Memory of Chaos and Pure Fiction are both clearable with a single limited 5-star DPS, two 4-star supports, and Gallagher. I’ve watched friends 30-star MoC with Trailblazer (Imaginary) + Tingyun + Pela + Gallagher. You don’t need eidolons or signature Light Cones for full clears — you need to understand your team’s rotation.
What’s the deal with the new Anomaly Arbitration mode?
Anomaly Arbitration is the 4.0 endgame mode that mixes Knight stages and King stages. The mechanics favor Elation and Remembrance teams hard right now because most Knight stages have CRIT damage reduction debuffs. Phainon brute-forces it because of his True DMG scaling. If you want max stars without an Elation core, pull Phainon or Castorice for sure.
Should I pull eidolons for my main DPS?
Only if you’ve maxed out everything else. E2 Phainon and E2 Castorice are massive damage upgrades, but for most players, building a second DPS or strong support gives you more account-wide power than dumping 90 pulls into an eidolon. The exception is if you’re chasing leaderboard times in PF, where eidolons matter a lot.
Is the Elation path going to keep being meta?
Probably for the rest of 4.x at minimum. The current endgame buffs heavily favor Elation triggers and follow-up attacks, and HoYoverse historically shills new path archetypes for 4-6 patches after release. Don’t be surprised if 4.3 or 4.4 drops another Elation unit too.
Whether you’re chasing 30-star Memory of Chaos clears or just trying to figure out who’s worth your next 90 pulls, this Honkai: Star Rail tier list should give you a clearer picture of where the meta sits in 4.2. Things will shift again when 4.3 drops, but for now, prioritize Phainon if you don’t have a top DPS, Sunday or Hyacine if you do, and don’t sleep on the F2P-friendly comps that still clear endgame just fine.
May the RNG gods be kind to you on your next 50/50.