In the world of Honkai: Star Rail, Blade stands tall as a formidable damage dealer, wielding the power of the Wind Element and the Destruction Path. With his unrelenting attacks and self-sustaining playstyle, Blade has captivated the hearts of many players. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve deep into the intricacies of this fierce swordsman, exploring his best builds, team compositions, and gameplay strategies.
The Swordsman of Destruction
Blade, a member of the Stellaron Hunters, is a swordsman who has abandoned his physical form to become a living embodiment of his blade. His true name remains a mystery, shrouded in the depths of his past. As a 5-star character belonging to the Wind Element and the Destruction Path, Blade wields immense power, capable of decimating his foes with a flurry of relentless strikes.
With a unique playstyle that revolves around sacrificing his own health for increased damage output, Blade embodies the essence of a true warrior, willing to risk everything in pursuit of victory. His abilities synergize seamlessly with his self-damaging mechanics, making him a formidable force on the battlefield.
Blade’s Best Builds
Primary Build
Blade’s primary build focuses on maximizing his HP% and CRIT Damage, ensuring that his abilities and Traces are fully optimized for maximum devastation. The Longevous Disciple relic set is the cornerstone of this build, providing a significant boost to his HP% while also enabling him to trigger the set’s powerful 4-piece effect.
To truly unlock Blade’s potential, it’s crucial to maintain a CRIT Rate of at least 50%. This threshold allows him to consistently activate the effect of the Inert Salsotto Ornament, which further amplifies his damage output. With this build, Blade’s damage scales better with HP% than ATK%, making it essential to prioritize HP% stats whenever possible.
Recommended Artifacts and Ornaments
- Relic Set: 4-piece Longevous Disciple
- Ornament: Inert Salsotto
Alternative Builds
While the primary build is highly recommended for maximizing Blade’s damage potential, there are alternative options that can be explored based on your playstyle and resource availability. One such alternative is a 2-piece combination of the Longevous Disciple and Eagle of Twilight Line relic sets. This setup provides a solid foundation for Blade’s damage output while you continue farming for the complete 4-piece Longevous Disciple set.
If you’re looking to squeeze every ounce of damage from Blade, the Rutilant Arena Ornament can be considered. However, keep in mind that the marginal damage increase may not necessarily justify the time and resources required to farm a new Ornament set, especially if your Blade’s Eidolon levels are higher.
Team Compositions
Blade’s versatility and self-sustaining nature make him a valuable addition to various team compositions. Here are some recommended team setups to maximize his potential.
Free-to-Play Team
- Sub-DPS: Blade
- DPS: Dan Heng
- Support: Asta (or Pela as an alternative 4-star option)
- Healer: Lynx
This free-to-play team composition focuses on keeping Blade alive and enhancing his damage through buffs. Lynx’s healing capabilities and ability to increase the chances of Blade being targeted by enemies ensure that he can consistently trigger his Follow-up Attack. Asta or Pela provide valuable support, boosting Blade’s damage output.
Hypercarry Team
- DPS: Blade
- DPS/Support: Silver Wolf
- Support: Bronya
- Healer: Luocha (or Lynx as a 4-star alternative)
In this team, Blade takes center stage as the hypercarry, with the other characters primarily focused on enhancing his damage potential. Silver Wolf applies debuffs to enemies and maintains a positive SP economy, while Bronya’s skill-spamming capabilities provide Blade with consistent buffs. Luocha’s healing synergizes perfectly with Blade’s self-damaging mechanics, ensuring his survival in the heat of battle.
Sub-DPS Team
- Sub-DPS: Blade
- DPS: Jingliu
- Support: Ruan Mei
- Healer: Luocha
Given Blade’s specialization in AoE damage, he can be paired with a character like Jingliu, who excels in single-target damage. This team composition allows Blade to shine as a sub-DPS, complementing Jingliu’s focused damage output. Ruan Mei provides valuable support, while Luocha’s healing ensures the team’s longevity in prolonged battles.
Relics and Ornaments
Equipping the right Relics and Ornaments is crucial for maximizing Blade’s potential. Here are the recommended options:
Recommended Relics
- Longevous Disciple (4-piece): This relic set is Blade’s best choice, offering a significant HP% boost and enabling him to trigger its powerful 4-piece effect.
- Longevous Disciple (2-piece) & Eagle of Twilight Line (2-piece): If you’re still farming for the complete Longevous Disciple set, this combination is a solid alternative, providing a solid damage-dealing foundation.
Recommended Ornaments
- Inert Salsotto: Blade’s best overall Ornament, greatly outperforming Rutilant Arena if Blade has higher Eidolon levels.
- Rutilant Arena: While technically providing the highest damage output, the marginal increase may not justify the time and resources required to farm a new Ornament set, especially if your Blade’s Eidolon levels are higher.
Light Cones
Light Cones are powerful artifacts that can further enhance Blade’s capabilities. Here are the recommended Light Cones to consider:
Recommended Light Cones
- The Unreachable Side: Obtained from the Limited Gacha.
- A Secret Vow: Available through the standard Gacha.
- Flames Afar: Acquired from the Forgotten Hall.
- Something Irreplaceable: Obtainable through the standard Gacha or Starlight Exchange.
- On the Fall of an Aeon: Available in the Herta Store.
- Under the Blue Sky: Obtained from the standard Gacha.
- Nowhere to Run: Included in the Battle Pass.
- Mutual Demise: Acquirable through the standard Gacha.
Gameplay Guide
Trace Priority
When it comes to prioritizing Blade’s Traces, the following order is recommended:
- Basic Attack (★★★★★): Blade’s Basic Attacks are his primary damage-dealing tool and should be leveled up first.
- Skill (★★★★☆): Improving Blade’s Skill increases his damage from all sources, making it the second highest priority.
- Ultimate and Talent (★★★☆☆): These Traces should be leveled up evenly, as they both contribute to Blade’s overall damage output and survivability.
Eidolon Recommendations
Blade’s Eidolons can significantly enhance his performance. Here are the recommended Eidolon levels:
- E1 (★★★★☆): Provides a substantial damage increase to Blade’s Ultimate against single targets.
- E2 (★★★★★): Increases Blade’s CRIT Rate by 15% while in the Hellscape state, making it a great investment.
- E4 (★★★★☆): Increases Blade’s Max HP, which directly translates to higher damage output.
- E6 (★★★★☆): Improves Blade’s Talent by reducing the number of stacks needed to trigger it and increasing its damage.
Playstyle Tips
- Avoid Shielders: Blade’s Talent ability requires him to take damage or consume his own HP to build up charges. Having a shield prevents him from taking damage, so avoid pairing Blade with characters from the Preservation Path, such as Gepard or March 7th.
- Use Ultimate Strategically: Blade’s Ultimate serves two purposes: reaching the 90% total HP loss cap for increased damage and reviving him from near-death situations. Use it wisely to maximize its benefits.
Blade’s Traces and Eidolons
Traces (Skills and Passives)
- Basic Attack (Shard Sword): Deals Wind damage to a target enemy.
- Enhanced – Forest of Swords: Consumes HP equal to 10% of Blade’s Max HP and deals Wind damage based on his ATK and Max HP to a single enemy and adjacent targets. Cannot regenerate Skill Points.
- Skill (Hellscape): Consumes HP equal to 30% of Blade’s Max HP to enter the Hellscape state, increasing his damage dealt and enhancing his Basic Attack for 3 turns. Cannot be used during Hellscape, does not regenerate Energy, and does not end the current turn.
- Ultimate (Death Sentence): Sets Blade’s current HP to 50% of his Max HP and deals Wind damage based on his ATK, Max HP, and total HP lost in the current battle to a single enemy and adjacent targets. Total HP lost is capped at 90% of his Max HP and resets after using his Ultimate.
- Talent (Shuhu’s Gift): When Blade sustains damage or consumes HP, he gains Charge stacks up to 5 times. At maximum stacks, he launches a follow-up attack on all enemies, dealing Wind damage based on his ATK and Max HP, and restores HP.
- Technique (Karma Wind): Immediately attacks the enemy after entering battle, consuming 20% of Blade’s Max HP and dealing Wind damage based on his Max HP to all enemies.
- Bonus Abilities: Provide various stat bonuses and effects, such as increased healing at low HP, HP restoration on hitting Weakness Broken enemies, and increased damage from Talent’s follow-up attack.
Eidolon Resonance Effects
- E1: Increases Blade’s Ultimate damage against single targets based on his total HP loss.
- E2: Increases Blade’s CRIT Rate by 15% while in the Hellscape state.
- E3: Increases the level of Blade’s Ultimate and Talent.
- E4: Increases Blade’s Max HP by 20% when his current HP drops below 50%, stacking up to 2 times.
- E5: Increases the level of Blade’s Skill and Basic Attack.
- E6: Reduces the maximum number of Charge stacks to 4 but increases the damage of Talent’s follow-up attack based on Blade’s Max HP.
Ascension and Trace Materials
To fully ascend and level up Blade’s Traces, you’ll need to accumulate the following materials:
Total Ascension Materials
| Material | Total Required |
|---|---|
| Immortal Scionette | 15 |
| Immortal Aeroblossom | 15 |
| Immortal Lumintwig | 15 |
| Ascendant Debris | 65 |
| Credits | 308,000 |
Total Trace Materials
| Material | Total Required |
|---|---|
| Shattered Blade | 15 |
| Immortal Scionette | 41 |
| Lifeless Blade | 72 |
| Immortal Aeroblossom | 56 |
| Worldbreaker Blade | 139 |
| Immortal Lumintwig | 58 |
| Regret of Infinite Ochema | 12 |
| Tracks of Destiny | 11 |
| Credits | 3,000,000 |
Additional Information
Voice Actors
- English VA: Daman Mills
- Japanese VA: Shinichiro Miki
In-Game Lore
Blade is a member of the Stellaron Hunters, a faction of fierce warriors. His true name remains a mystery, as he abandoned his physical body to become a living embodiment of a blade. Driven by an unknown purpose, Blade’s journey in Honkai: Star Rail is one of relentless destruction and unwavering determination.
