The best Honkai Star Rail Himeko build, Light Cones, and Relics

The best Honkai Star Rail Himeko build focuses on the Astral Express owner’s attack and ultimate, so she can lay waste to enemy groups.

Himeko might not do anything spectacular and just missed the S rank on our Star Rail tier list, but she’s a solid fighter whose follow-up attack helps keep enemies on their toes.

If you need some extra Stellar Jade, check out our Star Rail codes list for some freebies.

Honkai Star Rail Himeko build

What is the best Himeko build in Honkai Star Rail?

Himeko’s sills are fairly straightforward, so the most important thing for a good build is just boosting her attack. A specific Light Cone also helps get the most from her follow-up talent, though some more common Light Cones work just as well.

Best Himeko Light Cone – Before Dawn

Night on the Milky Way might have Himeko’s face on it, but Before Dawn suits her skills much more effectively. It raises the user’s critical damage, skill damage, and ultimate damage, and then after they use a skill or ultimate, they generate a somnus corpus. Using a follow-up attack consumes the somnus corpus, which boosts follow-up damage by 48 percent to 96 percent.

It’s a 5-star Light Cone, though, and will only be available in the first version’s second banner. If you don’t manage to get it then, look to the 4-star Make the World Clamor instead. This Light cone regenerates a chunk of energy for its user when a battle starts and then boosts their ultimate damage as well. It’s ideal for a team where Himeko is your main damage dealer, since her ultimate is her most important skill.

The Seriousness of Breakfast is a solid alternative. It raises the user’s overall damage and then buffs their attack after they defeat an enemy, an effect which stacks four times.

You could make any of the 3-star Light Cones work, though we recommend Passkey or Data Bank. Passkey raises the user’s energy regeneration when they use their skill, and Data Bank boosts ultimate damage.

Best Himeko Relics – Cavern Relics

Himeko has two strong Relic choices in the launch version. The obvious choice is the one that raises fire damage, Firesmith of Lava-Forging.

• Two-piece effect: Increases fire damage by 10 percent
• Four-piece effect: Increases user’s skill damage by 12 percent and, after they use an ultimate, the next fire attack deals an extra 12 percent of damage

The other set is Musketeer of Wild Wheat

• Two-piece effect: Raises attack by 10 percent
• Four-piece effect: Raises speed by six percent and basic attack damage by 10 percent

The full set’s effect is a bit lacking for Himeko, so you could always just combine two pieces of Musketeer and two of Firesmith to get a nice 20 percent attack boost instead.

Best Himeko Relics – Planetar Ornaments

For Himeko’s Ornament set, we recommend Space Sealing Station. This solid all-’rounder set increases attack by 12 percent, and after the user’s speed reaches a certain point, their attack gets another 12 percent buff. This set is excellent if you have Asta or Bronya in your party to help push Himeko over that speed threshold.

Is Himeko good?

Himeko landed in the A section of our tier list, but she’s still one of the best characters in the launch version. Her skill makes breaking enemies with fire weakness easy, since, similar to Asta’s skill, it attacks multiple enemies and deals fire damage. Himeko’s ultimate summons a massive blast of fire that deals hefty damage to all enemies on the field.

It’s all pretty standard DPS stuff until you get to Himeko’s talent. After you exploit an enemy’s weakness three times, Himeko jumps in with a follow-up attack that deals fire damage to all foes. It scales based on her attack, hence the need tobuff her attack over everything else, and while it isn’t exceptionally powerful on its own, it helps whittle down tough foes and enemy mobs so you can finish them more quickly.

The downside is that most of her damage comes from her ultimate and then, to a lesser extent, her skill. You’ll need a Path of the Hunt character to deal heavy damage to single targets or at least one other character – Serval, for example – to inflict other status effects and wear foes down.

Like some of Genshin Impact’s more selfish DPS fighters, Himeko will need some extra support. Someone like Bronya or Asta would be excellent for letting Himeko attack more often. Tingyun keeps her energy recharged, and Natasha or Bailu are good choices for keeping Himeko healthy.

Should I pull for Himeko?

Himeko is part of the standard, permanent banner, so you always have a chance of getting her, even if you don’t recruit her in the beginner’s banner. There’s no rush. As for whether it’s worth spending your Jade on the standard banner, it just depends on what your party needs.

Asta and the Fire Trailblazer are reliable sources of fire damage, so you don’t need Himeko just to exploit weaknesses. If you’re not thrilled with Herta and Serval and just need another strong Erudition character, though, it’s worth tossing a few tickets at the banner to see if you get lucky.

If you ended up with a certain scythe-wielding warrior on your team, take a look at our build guide to make the most of her, and don’t forget to increase your Equilibrium Level and tackle the Simulated Universe for some extra rewards.