Honkai Star Rail Tier List (January 2025): All Characters, Ranked

Whether you just embarked on the Astral Express for the first time or have been a part of its crew since Honkai: Star Rail debuted, knowing which characters to invest in is a must, as it can both help you glide while in the end-game and pinpoint which banners you should avoid going forward.

But to do that, one question must be answered. After all, which characters among the game’s now 60+ roster are considered the best? Here’s a tier list featuring all Honkai: Star Rail characters, ranked from best to worst.

Honkai Star Rail Tier List

We decided to divide our Honkai Star Rail tier list into S+ and C Tiers, with S+ being the home of all characters capable of both breaking apart any opposition and in some cases even the game itself. You can check out the full list below, as well as a deeper look into each tier. Since most players are not made of money, we decided to account for all 5-star picks at E0, while all 4-stars are ranked at E6.

S+ Tier characters, Explained

Briefly touched upon above, the S+ Tier features the game’s meta-defining picks, capable of carrying you through pretty much all challenges and in the case of both offensive and defensive supports, awaken the utmost in even mid-tier compositions.

Of the characters within the tier, Feixiao and Acheron are by far the best DPSs, while Ruan Mei steals the show as the best offensive support given her Break-focused kit and massive buffs. Lastly and to no one’s surprise, Aventurine’s shielding potential and self-buffs make him all but a gamble when the subject is getting the right sustain (or defensive) support.

S-Tier characters, Explained

In the S-Tier, we have units that although phenomenal in their own right, cannot match the DMG or efficiency of the above unless paired with advantageous conditions or set teammates. Regarding supports and healers specifically, the major factor here will be the weight of their buffs/debuffs or healing output.

The biggest example of the tier lies in Jing Yuan, who even if once one of the game’s BIS, cannot hope to match the overall DPS of Acheron and Feixiao without the use of S+ supports like Sunday, Robin, or Ruan Mei.

A-Tier characters, Explained

In the A-Tier of our list, we have characters who have a hard time matching the output of the above, even if paired with the right team or situation. That can be attributed to many factors, such as the debut of similar picks with better-tuned kits or the game’s shift in focus combat-wise. The biggest examples of the tier for me are Clara, who was completely powercrept by Yunli in her best role, and Kafka, who has been hurt by the way DoT has become less and less valuable in the late game.

B-Tier characters, Explained

In the B-Tier, we have characters who either lack the impact of the above or —in the case of its DPSs specifically— demand a lot if you wish to awaken their full potential, which will in most cases involve the use of either one or multiple S+ or S-Tier teammates, as well as set 5-star Light Cones. Like Argenti and Herta, many of the picks here are also known for only excelling at set game modes, while others, like Serval, can be seen as jacks of all trades but masters of none.

C-Tier characters, Explained

At the bottom of our Honkai: Star Rail Tier List, we have all characters that even if viable in the early to mid-game, fail to match the damage or utility of any of the above even if upgraded to the fullest.

The clearest examples of that can be seen in the Physical (or Destruction) Trailblazer and Yanking, who have been power-creeped to oblivion by pretty much all characters within their path or role. Arlan is another casualty, as he has been unable to offer enough to justify his presence in the field since his debut.