Unleashing the Ultimate Power: Ranking Honkai's Playable Imaginary Characters

Upon the release of Honkai: Star Rail, accessing the Imaginary element has proven to be quite difficult, as Welt is the only available option, and even then, players can only obtain him through the gacha system or limited-time character event banners. However, in the second half of the version 1.1 update, players are introduced to two new Imaginary characters, Luocha and Yukong, with more to come. In version 1.2, Yukong will also become freely accessible to all players, making the Imaginary element more widely available. This is particularly advantageous as challenging content, including bosses like Kafka who are weak against Imaginary, require the use of this element to overcome.

Similar to the Quantum element in Honkai: Star Rail, the Imaginary Element's weakness break effect provides significant benefits to teams. It triggers an Imprisonment effect, which delays the enemies' actions and deals additional damage. This advantage in the action order allows players to attack more frequently than their enemies, making the Imaginary element a valuable choice against enemies weak to this element. However, it's worth noting that each character in the Imaginary roster has unique strengths and weaknesses based on their respective paths, making it difficult to effectively rank them.

3 Yukong

Yukong, the sole 4-star Imaginary character, is a valuable addition to any team composition, especially for players who lack access to 5-star options. As a Harmony path character, Yukong excels as a versatile offensive support unit. Her Ultimate skill not only enhances the Crit Rate and Crit DMG of her allies but also inflicts significant Imaginary DMG on a single enemy. Furthermore, her Skill boosts the ATK of her allies, providing a wide array of buffs. Similar to Asta, Yukong can also amplify Elemental DMG, specifically Imaginary DMG, and aid in breaking weaknesses, making her an invaluable asset in mono-Imaginary teams.

Yukong's buffs are potent, and she is relatively easy to build since the strength of her buffs is reliant on her Trace levels rather than her own stats. However, it is crucial to be aware that her buffs have a short duration and may require skill points to be managed carefully, especially in the absence of her Eidolons. Her buffs last for 2 character Turns, necessitating strategic speed and action order management to fully capitalize on them. For instance, arranging the action order to ensure she acts before the primary DPS unit. This can pose difficulties when pairing her with characters like Seele, who have high base Speed values, unless their action orders are synchronized through specific mechanics. Additionally, some of her buffs are not entirely unique, as other characters such as Tingyun and Asta can already increase ATK values, and Bronya can enhance Crit DMG.

2 Welt

Welt, as a Nihility character, excels in providing a tactical advantage to the party by reducing the speed of enemies. Moreover, he can also function as a sub-DPS with damage modifiers that scale well. Having Welt on the team ensures that players always have the upper hand in terms of attack priority, forcing enemies to wait for multiple turns while the team executes numerous actions. This strategy is particularly effective when paired with characters like Asta, who can increase the team's Speed value. By adopting an offensive approach, players can defeat tough enemies or weaken them before they have the chance to unleash their powerful attacks, potentially preventing team members from being knocked out.

However, one of the main challenges with Welt is maximizing his stats in order to make him an effective sub-DPS. Players must pay close attention to various stats, such as Effect Hit Rate, ATK, and Crit Stats. Additionally, while speed-reducing debuffs are currently not widely utilized, they may become more prevalent as the character roster expands, which could potentially diminish Welt's effectiveness in the future. Nonetheless, Welt remains a formidable ally on whom players can depend for a significant period of time.

1 Luocha

Luocha stands out among the available healer options in Honkai: Star Rail due to his exceptional healing abilities and unique utility. Unlike other characters, Luocha has the ability to dispel both debuffs from allies and buffs from enemy targets, making him a valuable asset to any team. Additionally, his first Eidolon allows him to buff the entire team, granting him abilities similar to Harmony characters. Unlike Bailu and Natasha, Luocha's attacks are scaled with ATK, allowing him to deliver powerful blows while also providing healing support. However, it is important for players to note that Luocha's healing is more focused on single targets, and maintaining his passive healing field may be challenging in certain situations. Furthermore, his lower base HP makes him more vulnerable to being knocked down compared to HP-scaling healers.

Honkai: Star Rail is now available on Android, iOS, and PC. A PlayStation version is in development.