Summary
Honkai: Star Railintroduced Blade into the game with a unique mechanic–dealing more damage as his HP drops. He is the first character inHonkai: Star Railto operate like this. However, there is no need to worry about keeping Blade near death, as that isn’t quite how he works. He can still be ran with a healer, but preferably not a shielder.
Blade’s skill and subsequently his normal attacks deal more damage as he gets hit, but not when at lower HP. When compared toHu Tao fromGenshin Impact,there is that one big difference to consider. And since manyHonkai: Star Railplayers came fromGenshin Impact,it’s important to draw that difference. He counts up how much health he loses, but there is no detriment to healing him, unlike Hu Tao.
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Honkai: Star Rail’s Blade’s Kit
When it comes to his kit, the most vital traces to level up areBlade’s skill and normal attack. However, as a DPS character, everything should eventually be leveled as far as the player can get it. But for players who are tight on resources and need to go in order, it’s recommended to alternate between his skill and normal attack since they work hand-in-hand.
Blade dropped with brand-new relic sets that help boost his kit. The Longevous Disciple 2pc set helps boost max HP, and its 4pc provides crit rate when the wearer loses HP–perfect for Blade’s kit. As far as Planar sets go,Rutilant Arena and Fleet of the Agelessalso meet his needs, it just becomes a matter of what the player needs. If they’ve managed to get enough crit rate in sub-stats, players should consider going for the extra HP buff that Fleet of the Ageless provides. Otherwise, Rutilant Arena is a much-needed DPS buff that adds any missing crit rate Blade could need.
Blade’s ability to drain his own HP necessitates the need for a healer. Though his passive can heal him and his burst will set him to half HP (helpful if players have fallen below), there are simply some situations where healing is a godsend for the player.Blade’s team compscan hit a lot of different needs, although overall they tend to follow a similar pattern: Blade as the DPS, an abundance unit, a harmony unit, and a free spot.
With the recent introduction ofFu Xuan and Lynx, a unique team for Blade has entered the charts. If players have pulled for the master diviner, they will find a surprising synergy between her and Blade. Typically, preservation units aren’t good for Blade, since he won’t take damage with their shields. And with a kit surrounding taking damage, that spells bad news for him. However, Fu Xuan is the first preservation unit to not provide a shield. Instead, she distributes damage across the team.
Lynx increasing max HPdoes Blade especially well. Even more so when considering that prior to her introduction, there wasn’t a support that could be labeled ideal for Blade’s specific kit. There was Bronya, but she was good overall, and not uniquely for HP scaling units. Now, since Lynx both heals and buffs max HP, that’s changed. Players can look forward to playing around with these new characters and watching as their Blade reaches new heights.
Blade is a DPS whose abilities all matter, but his skill and normal attack take priority. As a destruction unit, the enemies will be drawn to hitting him, and so pairing him with an abundance character will ensure his safety. After all, Blade only cares about overall damage taken, not how low his current HP is.
Honkai: Star Railis available now on PC and mobile devices, and launches on PS5 starting October 11.
