Honkai Star Rail Tier List 4.6 (2026) Best Characters Ranked

How This HSR Tier List 4.6 is Ranked

There are six ranks and they are going to be defined as follows:

• SSS changes how you build the account. These units define an archetype or sit in almost every top clear.
• SS is one step down only because the team around them matters more. Still a first-choice pull for their role.
• S clears every mode with the right shell and does not fall off the moment the weakness list changes.
• A is reliable, especially in one mode or with a specific partner, but no longer sets the pace.
• B still finishes story, Simulated Universe, and lower endgame floors. Investment here is a choice, not a priority.
• C is outscaled. Keep them built only if you like the kit.

Trailblazer is ranked by form, not as one character. Elation and Remembrance sit at the top of the account. Harmony still owns Super Break. Destruction and Preservation are role fillers. Physical is the form you stop using once any other path is unlocked.

SSS Tier: The Characters Who Decide the Clear

Honkai Star Rail 4.6 tier list of characters under the SSS tier is not a list of the highest personal damage numbers. It is the list of units that either are the carry or make the carry legal in the current endgame.

Character	Description
Archer	The Fate collab Hunt carry is also the free 5 star that remains in SS, mainly because Sparkle turns his skill point hunger into a proper cycle. He wants CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, and a Quantum or skill point engine instead of a generic attack buffer. Pair him with Rin Tohsaka, Sparkle, and Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae or Huohuo. Extra eidolons can wait until the team around him is ready.
Ashveil	Repeated follow ups are the core of Ashveil’s damage rather than one huge Ultimate, making Tribbie’s Vulnerability and an attacking healer such as Hyacine or Aventurine • Waverider more useful than a raw attack buff. Mortenax Blade was built to enable this Destruction carry, giving you a second side option when Elation is already locked to the other node.
Aventurine • Waverider	The shields are only the starting point. What pushes the summer Preservation form into SS is the extra attacks, since every team action can add to his damage. He fits beside Mortenax Blade in follow up teams and next to Yao Guang in Elation teams. Build DEF first and CRIT after that. He can replace a healer only when his shield uptime covers the boss’s burst turn.
Castorice	As the Quantum Remembrance carry, Castorice offers one of the safest HP scaling clears. An attack focused Harmony shell is not what she needs. Evernight, Cyrene, and Hyacine keep her memo and HP engine active, so players who already have this trio should not break it apart to chase Pearl.
Evernight	Her strength comes from being the Remembrance partner rather than a solo hypercarry. Memo uptime and the extra HP team damage she provides are what raise Castorice’s ceiling. Taking her outside this setup immediately removes her from the SS level. Traces that extend the memo state should come before extra CRIT rolls.
Evanescia	For a thin roster, the Physical Elation main DPS is the strongest single pull on the 4.6 banners. Certified Banger and Energy convert into each other, part of her CRIT DMG becomes Elation, and Master Fox follow ups use that stored value through repeated Ultimates. She can still clear before Yao Guang is available, with Yao Guang, Elation Trailblazer, and Pearl forming her premium team.
Himeko • Nova	Territory and Assist Skills gain more value when Sunday, Sparkle, and Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae are on the field, making random Harmony units less effective than they would be for a normal Erudition character. Her damage holds up against both single targets and groups, so she can work on either Memory of Chaos node.
Huohuo	Healing, cleanse, and team Energy all come from the same slot, keeping Huohuo in SS even after Pearl arrives. Pearl does not replace her outside Elation, and Huohuo remains the default sustain for Silver Wolf Lv.999, DoT teams, and hypercarries that want their Ultimate a turn earlier.
Hyacine	More than just a Remembrance healer, Hyacine also feeds the team’s HP engine. Castorice and Evernight lose a large part of their ceiling if a generic Abundance unit takes her place. She also serves as the sustain for the Ashveil and Mortenax Blade follow up shell. Speed and HP should come before personal damage when building her.
Mortenax Blade	Debuffs, HP scaling follow up damage, and a self revive give this Fire Nihility hybrid several jobs. He acts as the glue rather than the star, fitting into Ashveil, Elation, and Fate Lightning teams without needing a rebuild. Phase 2 of 4.6 is worth a pull when that glue slot is missing, while a finished follow up account can skip him.
Pearl	The Ice Elation sustain is the first healer that actually takes an Elation team slot. Her Ultimate marks an ally as the Aesthetic Archetype, uses that ally’s stats for Elation damage, and gives an extra turn when four Elation teammates are present. She also recycles Certified Banger into Evanescia. Outside Elation, she remains a sidegrade to Huohuo. Her banner runs through November 10, 2026.
Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae	Nova teams value him for the way Express Crew units raise Himeko • Nova’s Assist Skills. Outside that setup, he provides a second limited sustain who is not tied to Elation or Remembrance. Speed and defensive main stats should come before offensive relics.
Rin Tohsaka	Archer can function without her, but the Fate Quantum team reaches its SS level with Rin Tohsaka, Sparkle, and a sustain together. She makes sense as a pull when Quantum is being built for the second team, but not as a replacement for an already finished Castorice line.
Robin • Summeretto	Team damage, Action Advance, and follow up synergy are what brought this summer form back to the top of the support list. She is the buffer to use when a fight is not an Elation check, while base Robin remains S+. The summer form is also the one still headlining 2026 clears.
Silver Wolf Lv.999	Once Punchline is stacked, this anniversary Imaginary carry can produce excellent single target damage, with high eidolons raising her ceiling even further. Her lack of AoE compensation means Pure Fiction prefers Sparxie beside her instead of relying on a solo clear. Yao Guang, Sparkle or Elation Trailblazer, and Huohuo make up the premium shell.
Sparkle	The Quantum skill point Harmony is central to Archer, Rin Tohsaka, Seele, Imbibitor Lunae, and Himeko • Nova. Without her, all of them lose a tier of value in this setup. She is the support to build before a second limited carry, with CRIT DMG and Speed making up the main relic plan.
Sunday	Summon, Territory, and hypercarry windows all benefit from Sunday’s Action Advance and Energy support. Phainon and Himeko • Nova are his clearest partners, while owning both Sunday and Sparkle lets one account field two different SS teams in the same reset.
Tribbie	A flexible Vulnerability support, Tribbie fits with Himeko • Nova, follow up cores, and any fight where a damage taken modifier is missing. She does not provide healing or act as a skill point engine, so pair her with a proper sustain and a separate Advance unit.
Yao Guang	Hexagram of Feathered Fortune gives All Type RES PEN, while Yao Guang keeps Aha Instant running on schedule for Elation teams. Silver Wolf Lv.999, Sparxie, and Evanescia all drop a step without her. For an account committed to Elation, she is the support pull rather than a luxury eidolon.

SS Tier: One Team Away from the Top

Honkai Star Rail tier list 4.6 holds the best ones in SS tier too as these characters clear the same modes. They just ask for a partner before they look unfair.

Character	Description
Aglaea	Once considered a must pull, Aglaea has slipped into the still excellent range. She clears the nodes that suit her, but no longer sets the pace of the patch. Keep her built if she already fills your Wind or Remembrance adjacent side, but do not break pity for her in 4.6.
Anaxa	Double skill value, high CRIT DMG, and a bounce based kit give this Wind carry strong single target and Toughness damage. Cyrene also makes his kit more flexible. His low eidolon performance remains reliable, making him the Amphoreus DPS most worth keeping for a second team.
Aventurine	Shields, a follow up attack, and Effect Resistance still make base Aventurine a comfortable Preservation sustain. He remains useful for accounts that do not have the Waverider form, which is the version placed in SS. There is no need to bench the original Aventurine.
Black Swan	Arcana stacking sits at the heart of her Wind Nihility kit, with Kafka providing the detonations and Hysilens bringing the newer piece that made the line viable again. Without a detonator, she works more as a debuffer than an S+ carry. Defense Shred and Effect Hit Rate should come before CRIT.
Bronya	When Sparkle and Sunday are already on the other side, Bronya remains the standard Harmony option for advancing a hypercarry. Her skill point cost is the main tradeoff. For a second hypercarry, she fills the 5 star support role rather than competing with Pearl.
Cerydra	A flexible S+ Amphoreus support carry hybrid at E0, Cerydra gets more value from the rest of the region’s roster. Her strength depends on those team options, but she is not a reason to skip the 4.6 Elation banners.
Cipher	In the Quantum node she was designed for, Cipher can spike hard, but neutral fights show a much more ordinary side of her kit. She works better as a second Quantum option behind Castorice and the Fate pair rather than serving as an account’s only carry.
Cyrene	Memo uptime is the key to Cyrene’s value as a Remembrance support. She props up both the Castorice wall and older Amphoreus carries, and that role remains important in 4.6. Nothing has replaced what she brings, keeping her at S+.
Firefly	Toughness is the main resource for this Fire Destruction Super Break carry, not raw attack. Harmony Trailblazer, Fugue or Ruan Mei, and Lingsha or Gallagher form the core shell. For a new account that missed Elation, she is the most forgiving premium carry.
Fugue	By extending the Break window, Fugue keeps Super Break clears relevant in 4.6. She is there as a support rather than a replacement carry, and Firefly, Boothill, and Rappa all value her before another damage focused relic setup.
Gallagher	This 4 star remains difficult to push aside thanks to Break sustain, skill point positive healing, and his ability to replace Lingsha on a second Super Break team. Speed and Break Effect are the main stats to build. He is a sustain worth raising before most standard 5 stars.
Gilgamesh	The free Fate Lightning piece gives Saber the AoE support she needs to make her Pure Fiction performance more convincing. On his own, Gilgamesh is already a strong sub DPS. With Saber and Mortenax Blade, he becomes part of an S+ clear that does not require a limited pull.
Hysilens	Kafka and Black Swan gain more from this newer DoT piece than they do from another generic buffer. Effect Hit Rate and Speed are the main build priorities, while Kafka remains the detonator rather than being replaced by Hysilens.
Kafka	The buffs to DoT have brought Kafka’s archetype back, with her ability to detonate DoT still at the center of the team. A free or already owned Kafka paired with Hysilens and Black Swan can form a complete third team. Shock uptime matters more than personal CRIT.
Lingsha	Healing combined with Break damage makes Lingsha the premium sustain for the first Super Break team, which is why she sits above Gallagher there. Gallagher can cover the second team instead. Speed and Break Effect are the main relic targets.
Mydei	Mydei remains capable of clearing with his preferred support, even though he no longer headlines a banner. Keep him if he is already built, but do not chase eidolons while Pearl is on rate up.
Phainon	When Sunday or Sparkle feeds his Ultimate window, Phainon can still tear through a boss. He is worth keeping built when Elation is not your first team, and Action Advance brings more value to him than adding another damage amplifier.
Robin	Team damage and Action Advance keep base Robin firmly in S+, even after Summeretto took the SS position. Her follow up and dual carry support remain useful, with both Physical and FUA teams still able to open with her.
Ruan Mei	Weakness Break Efficiency and Speed tell most of the story with Ruan Mei. She remains a strong Break and dual carry buffer, and Firefly or Rappa can still use her when Fugue is assigned to the other side.
Saber	The Fate Lightning AoE carry becomes much more convincing in Pure Fiction with Gilgamesh beside her. Without him, she is simply good rather than reaching the same level. Mortenax Blade fills the flexible debuffer role in this setup.
Seele	Resurgence remains the heart of Seele’s playstyle, allowing her to delete a hunted target when the conditions line up. Sparkle is still important for making her feel modern, while Quantum weak single target nodes are where she can match the current SS carries.
Sparxie	Sharing the Punchline economy with Silver Wolf Lv.999 instead of competing for skill points is what makes this dual carry pair so effective. Together they form a high floor team across all three endgame modes. Sparxie sits at S+ alone, but within this shell she performs like an SS unit.
The Dahlia	Firefly gets more time in her Super Break window when The Dahlia works beside Fugue. She is built for Break teams rather than general Harmony use, so her value falls outside that role. Build the Break set instead of a CRIT set.
The Herta	Pure Fiction waves are where this Ice Erudition carry shines, while a single boss makes her look slower. Erudition partners and a Debt or follow up sub DPS give her more value than a standard hypercarry buffer.
Trailblazer (Elation)	The free Punchline engine provides CRIT DMG through the Ultimate, triggers ally Elation skills, refunds skill points, and makes enemies take more damage. Any Elation account should build this form before investing in a second limited support.
Trailblazer (Remembrance)	Mem support, full Action Advance, and True DMG make this free form a natural partner for hypercarries such as Gilgamesh or Himeko • Nova. Speed above 160 and CRIT DMG above 180 are the practical targets for the build.
Welt	Imprison and Action Delay are the main reasons to use this Imaginary Nihility unit, especially as an Express Crew piece in Nova shells. His personal damage is secondary, leaving him as a flexible slot rather than the carry.

S Tier: Still a Clear, No Longer the Headline

Yes, you can consider these Honkai Star Rail characters as the good characters. Although they are quite good at handling different game modes, please note that they are not capable of headlining.

Character	Description
Blade	The HP scaling Destruction carry works best when Hyacine or a strong buffer supports him. Attack scaling supports waste part of what his kit offers. He remains a comfortable second carry, but is not a 4.6 pull target.
Boothill	One elite at a time is where this Physical Break Hunt character shines. Fugue or Ruan Mei is the required support, while Pure Fiction remains his weaker mode. Apocalyptic Shadow is where Boothill still looks premium.
Feixiao	As a Wind Hunt follow up carry, Feixiao wants Topaz or Moze to build her follow up count, along with Robin or Aventurine. Without that setup, it is easier to see why some accounts feel she has fallen off.
Fu Xuan	Preventing one shots and providing CRIT Rate remain Fu Xuan’s main strengths. She does not offer the extra damage that Pearl, Hyacine, or Huohuo bring, so she is best kept for survival checks rather than pulled over a missing support.
Jade	Pure Fiction is where this Quantum Erudition debt unit fits best. She needs a debt partner that attacks often to get the most from her kit. Jade works as a sub DPS rather than a hypercarry.
Jiaoqiu	Effect Hit Rate is the main stat for Jiaoqiu, who serves as Acheron’s best stack partner and a strong general Vulnerability debuffer. He helps keep Acheron in S+ while remaining in S himself.
Jing Yuan	Lightning Lord still needs Speed and a buffer who can advance Jing Yuan, with follow up support helping bring him back into the picture. Sunday style Action Advance is more useful to him than another Attack boost.
Jingliu	The Ice Destruction carry relies on her enhanced state to deal damage. Hyacine or Bronya can keep her clearing, although she no longer sets cycle records on her own. Keeping the enhanced state active matters more than chasing extra CRIT DMG.
Luocha	Automatic healing and emergency debuff removal make Luocha a comfortable sustain choice. His main selling point is that comfort, while his lower offensive sustain value keeps him below Huohuo and Lingsha.
Pela	Defense Shred keeps this 4 star useful across many teams. Ice Pearls and a Resolution style Light Cone let her fit into budget Acheron, Jingliu, and hypercarry shells. Her traces are worth raising before investing in another B tier DPS.
Rappa	Break weak waves and Pure Fiction are where this Imaginary Break Erudition character performs best. Harmony Trailblazer and Fugue are her main partners, while single target bosses are where Boothill or Firefly can take the node instead.
Silver Wolf	Her base form implants a weakness and shreds Defense, making her useful when the node does not naturally match your carry. She sits clearly below Silver Wolf Lv.999 and should not be built as an account’s main DPS in 2026.
Tingyun	The 4 star Energy battery still has a place with hypercarries that rely heavily on their Ultimate. Older Yunli and Jing Yuan teams can use her when Huohuo is assigned to the other side. Attack and Energy Regeneration are the main build priorities.
Topaz	Numby’s mark is the center of this Fire Hunt follow up sub DPS. Feixiao, Jing Yuan, and other follow up carries gain more from her than they would from a generic buffer. She is designed to support the team rather than handle a solo clear.
Trailblazer (Harmony)	The Super Break key turns broken enemies into a Super Break field through the Ultimate. Firefly, Boothill, and Rappa do not have a free replacement for this form, making it an important part of their teams. Build Break Effect and Speed.
Yunli	This Physical Destruction counter carry gets much of her damage from Intuit: Cull, while her Ultimate stores a taunt and enhanced counter. Auto battle can throw away a large part of that damage. Tingyun or a follow up buffer helps her, but the player also needs to actively use her counters.

A Tier: Where Investment Stops Paying

A-tier units still have a job. When you go for this rank in the Honkai Star Rail tier list 4.6, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are bad. But do not invest too much on them because they cannot meet your expectation during the most challenging rounds. B tier is the standard banner roster you already own

Character	Description
Argenti	Pure Fiction remains Argenti’s best home, where he can clear waves but struggles in a boss race. Energy is the key stat for him. He works as a mode specialist rather than a first team carry.
Asta	Team Speed and an Attack buff make Asta the budget support when every limited Harmony unit is already being used. In 2026, Speed stacks are the main reason to invest in her.
Bailu	Healing and one revive give Bailu enough value for story content, but her lack of a cleanse holds her back in harder fights. She sits below Natasha in some situations and below every limited sustain in endgame. She is fine for the story, but not a Memory of Chaos plan.
Clara	Getting hit triggers Clara’s counters, and March 7th or a taunt effect can make that damage more consistent. Follow up buffs help her too. She remains a comfortable Physical option, but does not replace Yunli.
Dr. Ratio	Three debuffs on the target are what let Dr. Ratio’s follow ups perform at their best. Without a debuffer, he drops out of A. He remains the standard Imaginary Hunt option rather than a character you pull specifically for.
Gepard	His Ultimate provides shields while his Skill can Freeze enemies. Effect Hit Rate and Energy make him usable as a Preservation sustain for accounts without Aventurine, although bosses that ignore shields expose his main weakness.
Guinaifen	Burn and a damage taken debuff give Guinaifen a useful place in budget Acheron and DoT teams. Effect Hit Rate should come first when building her.
Hanya	Skill point refunds and an Attack buff give Hanya a place in hypercarry teams that do not have Sparkle. Imbibitor Lunae benefits especially well from her, but she works more as a bridge support than a final team option.
Herta	Pure Fiction is where Herta spins through waves, while single elites leave her with much less to do. She remains a free Ice Erudition option for early waves. The Herta did not make this 4 star useless in that mode, but there is little reason to invest past level 70.
Himeko	Break triggered follow ups still let Himeko clear Fire weak Pure Fiction stages. Himeko • Nova is the version that belongs in SS, while this remains the standard Fire Erudition form already available to players.
Imbibitor Lunae	His Imaginary Destruction kit consumes a lot of skill points, making Sparkle or Hanya an important part of the setup. Without a skill point engine, he feels worse than his stats suggest. He sits in A in 2026 because his high cost remains while the meta has moved forward.
Lynx	Free cleansing and Abundance healing make Lynx useful for story content, while her Skill’s taunt also makes her a natural Clara partner. Huohuo takes over that endgame sustain role once you have her.
March 7th (Hunt)	This free single target partner marks an ally and follows up with attacks alongside them. Hunt is the A tier form, while March 7th’s Preservation form sits in B.
Moze	Marking a target lets Moze add follow up damage from the pocket. Feixiao and Dr. Ratio teams can use him as their 4 star version of Topaz, and he does not need a complete damage build to provide value.
Xueyi	Toughness damage is the main point of this Quantum Destruction Break unit. She is also a featured 4 star on the 4.6 banners, so copies can arrive while pulling for Pearl. Her relics should not take priority over a limited support.

B Tier – Worth for Beginners

The talent drops when you are reaching the B tier from the HSR 4.6 tier list. Please note that these are good for your early stages. But when it comes to later, they aren’t exceptionally powerful at all.

Character	Description
Dan Heng	As the free Wind Hunt option, Dan Heng can make use of Slow and Wind Shear through the story. He is not the Permansor Terrae form, so he should not be given that form’s relics.
Hook	Early game is where Hook’s Fire Destruction burn kit has the most use. Firefly and Guinaifen both cover the same job more effectively later on.
Luka	Luka uses Physical Nihility to apply Bleed, and Acheron can make use of his debuff. For the actual damage role, however, a dedicated Physical carry does the job better.
March 7th (Preservation)	A shield for one ally and Freeze give this form a useful place in the story, especially alongside Clara. For a serious build, the Hunt form is the March 7th option worth investing in.
Misha	Featured on both 4.6 character banners, Misha is an Ice Destruction unit whose extra copies mainly come as a byproduct of those pulls. Freeze and Ultimate damage are not enough to justify farming relics for him over Qingque or a limited 4 star support.
Natasha	The free healer can finish the story and the first Simulated Universe, with her Ultimate also providing a cleanse. Once you have a limited sustain, that role is replaced.
Qingque	Getting a full hand of the right tile can still let this Quantum Erudition gambler wipe a wave. Her inconsistent Skill Point use is what keeps her in B, even though she can be fun to own. She is not a tier list priority.
Sampo	Wind Shear is Sampo’s main contribution, but Black Swan and Kafka have taken away much of the reason to build him. Effect Hit Rate is the main stat to consider if you need a third DoT option.
Serval	The free Lightning Erudition character can use Shock and Ultimate damage to carry early Belobog content. Those tools are not enough to carry a 2026 boss, however.
Sushang	Breaking a single target gives this Physical Hunt character extra Speed, making her useful through the story as the Sword Champion. For endgame, Boothill or Yunli takes over the role.
Trailblazer (Destruction)	The Fire form provides Taunt and Burn, giving it some value as a temporary sustain and DPS option in the early game. Harmony, Remembrance, and Elation all become stronger paths to use once they unlock.
Yanqing	His follow up attacks work best when Yanqing avoids taking damage, since one hit can remove his Soulsteel state. That fragility has kept this Ice Hunt character near the bottom of the 5 star options.
Yukong	CRIT and Attack buffs last for two ally turns, but a poorly managed rotation can make Yukong lose that value. Her ceiling is real, yet the difficulty of using her effectively is why Bronya and Sparkle largely pushed her aside.

C Tier – Not Worthy

You don’t get enough power with these HSR tier list 4.6 characters. They are weak so you better drop them.

Character	Description
Arlan	Arlan uses his own HP to increase his damage, so the team has to keep him low without letting him die. That loop never became worth the extra healer demand. Leave him at the level needed for the story.
Trailblazer (Physical)	The launch Destruction form is enough to clear the tutorial and first planet. Once another Trailblazer path becomes available, this form can be retired. There is no reason to farm a relic set for it.

Please note that the pull order for this patch is narrower than the tier table. Evanescia is the best overall banner if you lack an Elation carry. Pearl is the priority if that carry already exists and your sustain is Huohuo on the other team. Mortenax Blade is the optional Phase 2 pull for follow-up accounts. Everyone else on rate-up is a 4-star copy, not a reason to warp.

That is also where the jade math gets uncomfortable. An Elation core of Evanescia, Pearl, and Yao Guang is three limited characters, and the Express Supply Pass alone rarely covers a lost 50/50 inside a three-week phase. You can close that gap with a top up from through Enjoygm so the Phase 1 window does not expire while they are still short of pity.

Conclusion

So, that is the full Honkai Star Rail 4.6 tier list, character by character. SSS and SS decide the two endgame teams. S still clears with the right partner. A through C are mode specialists, story units, or forms you have already replaced. Pick the best choice as you need and let’s see how you are going to win through every challenge.