What are the best Honkai Star Rail light cones? Unlike traditional weapons, HoYoverse’s epic intergalactic adventure dispenses with swords and bows in favor of abstract memory cards you can equip for passive benefits to your characters.
As a result, wishing for the best Honkai Star Rail characters at the top of our Honkai Star Rail tier list will only get you so far in the free PC game. For characters to perform at their best, it’s essential that you equip them with the best Honkai Star Rail light cones relevant to their kit. That’s easier said than done, so here are the best light cones available in Honkai Star Rail, as well as how to find and upgrade them.
What are the best Honkai Star Rail light cones?
The best Honkai Star Rail light cones are a five-star rarity, and the ideal character to pair them with is often depicted on the light cone art itself.
You may find that you don’t have a perfect match for your light cone. While you’re free to equip a character with any light cone in the open-world game, you can only activate the light cone’s powerful passive ability by equipping it to a character with a corresponding path. Characters with a different path will still benefit from the boost to health, attack, and defense that all light cones provide, but this is the least optimal use for them.
Here are the best Honkai Star Rail light cones:
| Light Cone | Path | Ability |
| An Instant Before A Gaze | Erudition | Increases the wearer’s crit damage by 36%. When the wearer uses their Uutimate, the wearer’s ultimate damage increases based on their maximum energy. Ultimate damage increases by 0.36% per point of energy, up to 180 Energy points. |
| Baptism of Pure Thought | Hunt | Increases the wearer’s crit damage by 20%. For every debuff on the enemy target, the wearer’s crit damage dealt against this target increases by 8%, stacking up to 3 times. When using their ultimate to attack the enemy target, the wearer receives the Disputation effect, which increases damage dealt by 36% and enables their follow-up attacks to ignore 24% of the target’s defense. This effect lasts for 2 turns. |
| Before Dawn | Erudition | Increases the wearer’s crit damage by 36%. Increases the wearer’s skill and ultimate damage by 18%. After the wearer uses their skill or ultimate, they gain Somnus Corpus. Upon triggering a follow-up attack, Somnus Corpus will be consumed and the follow-up attack damage increases by 48%. |
| Brighter Than the Sun | Destruction | Increases the wearer’s crit rate by 18%. When the wearer uses a basic attack, they will gain one stack of Dragon’s Call for 2 turns. Each stack of Dragon’s Call increases the wearer’s attack by 18% and energy regeneration rate by 6%. Dragon’s Call can be stacked up to two times. |
| But the Battle Isn’t Over | Harmony | Increases the wearer’s energy regeneration rate by 10% and regenerates one skill point when the wearer uses their ultimate on an ally. This effect can be triggered after every 2 uses of the wearer’s ultimate. When the wearer uses their skill, the next ally taking action (except the wearer) deals 30% more damage for one turn. |
| Cruising in the Stellar Sea | Hunt | Increases the wearer’s crit rate by 8%, and increases their crit rate against enemies with health less than or equal to 50% by an extra 8%. When the wearer defeats an enemy, their attack is increased by 20% for two turns. |
| Earthly Escapade | Harmony | Increases the wearer’s crit damage by 32%. The wearer gains Mask at the beginning of the battle for three turns. While the wearer has Mask, the wearer’s allies have their crit rate increased by 10% and crit damage increased by 28%. Every time the wearer recovers a skill point (including skill points exceeding the limit), they gain a stack of Radiant Flame, and when the wearer has four Radiant Flame stacks, removes all the stacks and gains Mask for 4 turns. |
| Echoes of the Coffin | Abundance | Increases the wearer’s attack by 24%. After the wearer uses an attack, they regenerate 3.0 energy for each different enemy hit. Each attack can regenerate energy up to three times this way. After the wearer uses their ultimate, all allies gain 12 speed for one turn. |
| I Shall Be My Own Sword | Destruction | Increases the wearer’s crit damage by 20%. When an ally (excluding the wearer) gets attacked or loses health, the wearer gains one stack of Eclipse, up to a max of three stacks. Each stack of Eclipse increases the damage of the wearer’s next attack by 14.0%. When three stacks are reached, additionally enables that attack to ignore 12% of the enemy’s defense. This effect will be removed after the wearer uses an attack. |
| In the Name of the World | Nihility | Increases the wearer’s damage to debuffed enemies by 24%. When the wearer uses their skill, the effect hit rate for this attack increases by 18%, and attack increases by 24%. |
| In the Night | Hunt | Increases the wearer’s crit rate by 18%. While the wearer is in battle, for every 10 speed that exceeds 100, the damage of the wearer’s basic attack and skill is increased by 6% and the crit damage of their ultimate is increased by 12%. This effect can stack up to six times. |
| Incessant Rain | Nihility | Increases the wearer’s effect hit rate by 24%. When the wearer deals damage to an enemy that currently has three or more debuffs, increases the wearer’s crit rate by 12%. After the wearer uses their basic attack, skill, or ultimate, there is a 100% base chance to implant Aether Code on a random hit target that does not yet have it. Targets with Aether Code receive 12% increased damage for one turn. |
| Moment of Victory | Preservation | Increases the wearer’s defense by 24% and effect hit rate by 24%. Increases the chance for the wearer to be attacked by enemies. When the wearer is attacked, increase their defense by an extra 24% until the end of the wearer’s turn. |
| Night of Fright | Abundance | Increases the wearer’s energy regeneration rate by 12%. When any ally uses their ultimate, the wearer restores health for the ally currently with the lowest health percentage by an amount equal to 10% of the healed ally’s maximum health. When the wearer provides healing for an ally, increases the healed ally’s attack by 2.4%. This effect can stack up to five times and lasts for two turns. |
| Night on the Milky Way | Erudition | For every enemy on the field, increases the wearer’s attack by 9.0%, up to five stacks. When an enemy is inflicted with Weakness Break, the damage dealt by the wearer increases by 30% for one turn. |
| On the Fall of an Aeon | Destruction | Whenever the wearer attacks, their attack is increased by 8% in this battle, up to four times. When the wearer inflicts Weakness Break on enemies, the wearer’s damage increases by 12% for two turns. |
| Past Self in Mirror | Harmony | Increases the wearer’s break effect by 100%. When the wearer uses their ultimate, increases all allies’ damage by 40%, lasting for three turns. Should the wearer’s Break Effect exceed or equal 150%, one skill point will be recovered. At the start of each wave, immediately regenerate ten energy for all allies. Effects of the same type cannot stack. |
| Patience Is All You Need | Nihility | Increases damage dealt by the wearer by 24%. After every attack unleashed by the wearer, the wearer’s speed increases by 4.8%, stacking up to three times. If the wearer hits an enemy target that is not afflicted by Erode, there is a 100% base chance to inflict Erode on the target. Enemies afflicted with Erode are also considered to be Shocked and will receive Lightning DoT at the start of each turn equal to 60% of the wearer’s attack, lasting for one turn. |
| Reforged Remembrance | Nihility | Increases wearer’s effect hit rate by 40%. When the wearer deals damage to an enemy inflicted with Wind Shear, Burn, Shock, or Bleed, they will individually gain one stack of Prophet. This effect can stack up to four times. In a single battle, each type of damage over time can only generate one stack of Prophet. Every stack of Prophet increases wearer’s attack by 5% and the damage over time dealt will ignore 7.2% of the target’s defence. |
| She Already Shut Her Eyes | Preservation | Increases the wearer’s max health by 24% and energy regeneration rate by 12%. When the wearer’s health is reduced, all allies’ damage dealt increases by 9.0%, for 2 turns. At the start of every wave, restores health to all allies by an amount equal to 80% of their respective lost health. |
| Sleep Like the Dead | Hunt | Increases the wearer’s crit damage by 30%. When the wearer’s basic attack or skill does not result in a crit hit, increases their crit rit by 36% for one turn. This effect can only trigger once every three turns. |
| Solitary Healing | Nihility | Increases the wearer’s break effect by 20%. When the wearer unleashes their ultimate, increases DoT dealt by the wearer by 24% for two turns. When the target suffering from the wearer’s DoT is defeated, the wearer regenerates four Energy. |
| Something Irreplaceable | Destruction | Increases the wearer’s attack by 24%. When the wearer defeats an enemy or is hit, immediately restores health equal to 8% of the wearer’s attack. At the same time, the wearer’s damage is increased by 24% until the end of their next turn. This effect cannot stack and can only trigger one time per turn. |
| Texture of Memories | Preservation | Increases the wearer’s effect resistance by 8%. If the wearer is attacked and has no shield, they gain a shield equal to 16% of their max health for two turns. This effect can only be triggered once every three turns. If the wearer has a shield when attacked, the damage they receive decreases by 12%. |
| The Unreachable Side | Destruction | Increases the wearer’s crit rate by 18% and their max health by 18%. When the wearer is attacked or consumes their own health, their damage increases by 24%. This effect is removed after the wearer uses an attack. |
| Time Waits for No One | Abundance | Increases the wearer’s maximum health by 18% and Outgoing Healing by 12%. When the wearer heals allies, record the amount of Outgoing Healing. When any ally launches an attack, a random attacked enemy takes additional DMG equal to 36% of the recorded Outgoing Healing value. This Additional DMG is of the same Type as the wearer’s, is not affected by other buffs, and can only occur 1 time per turn. |
| Worrisome, Blissful | Hunt | Increase the wearer’s crit rate by 18% and their follow-up attacks’ damage by 30%. After the wearer uses a follow-up attack, apply the Tame state to the target, stacking up to two stacks. When allies hit enemy targets under the Tame state, every Tame stack increases the crit damage dealt by 12%. |
How to get Honkai Star Rail light cones
You can acquire light cones as quest and exploration rewards, or by purchasing them with Undying Starlight on the Starlight Exchange. However, if you’re looking for the very best Honkai Star Rail light cones the anime game has to offer, then Honkai Star Rail Warps are your best bet. While there’s only a small chance to pull ultra-rare five-star light cones from Honkai Star Rail banners, their potency leaves their three-star and four-star counterparts in the dust.
How to upgrade Honkai Star Rail light cones
Once you’ve got the best Honkai Star Rail light cones in your possession, upgrading them should be your first priority. You can level them up by consuming enhancement materials, credits, and even low-value light cones – but be aware of occasional level caps that require light cone ascension materials to surpass. Finally, you can increase the effect of your chosen light cone’s passive ability via Superimposition, an upgrade process that can only be initiated by consuming a duplicate light cone.
Now that you have the best Honkai Star Rail light cones, we recommend ensuring your characters can also ascend by increasing your Honkai Star Rail equilibrium levels. A character is only as good as the team they’re on, so check out our guide to building the Honkai Star Rail team comps, as well as our list of the active Honkai Star Rail codes for currency to pull more powerful characters.