In any RPG, even a turn-based one, a party isn't complete without a tank, someone to draw attention away from the rest of the group. In Honkai: Star Rail, the characters on the Path of Preservation generally act as tanks and damage sponges in one way or another. It could be through shields, damage splitting, or some other mechanic.
Honkai: Star Rail - Fire Trailblazer Build Guide
Fire Trailblazer is one of Honkai: Star Rail's premier tanks who can dish out and absorb absurd amounts of damage.
Preservation light cones focus on enhancing survival stats and providing the team with protection, usually increasing the character's defense or HP. Because many of them have similar effects, it can be hard to determine which ones to level up.
14 Pioneering
|
HP |
43-952 |
|
ATK |
12-264 |
|
DEF |
12-264 |
|
Effect |
When the wearer Breaks an enemy's Weakness, the wearer restores HP by 12/14/16/18/20% of their Max HP. |
The 3-star light cone Pioneering heals the user after they inflict Weakness Break on an enemy. The amount of healing scales off the user's HP and superimposition level. While this may seem useful at first, it has many drawbacks. Most importantly, Preservation characters break weaknesses that often. They normally use basic attacks to create skill points unless their skill is needed.
Basic attacks do low toughness damage compared to skills and ultimates, which a DPS will be doing frequently. With nothing else to offer, a different light cone would be best.
13 Defense
|
HP |
43-952 |
|
ATK |
12-264 |
|
DEF |
12-264 |
|
Effect |
When the wearer unleashes their Ultimate, they restore HP by 18/21/24/27/30% of their Max HP. |
Despite the name being Defense, this light cone actually does not increase the user's defense stat. After the user uses their ultimate, they restore some of their HP. This recovery is scaled off the user's maximum HP and superimposition level. This is useful for teams without a healer, and because Preservation units are naturally tough, they won't take too much damage.
This light cone can only heal and offers no other stat boosts or effects. It can be handy in a pinch, but for the most part, these characters should be able to minimize damage anyway.
12 Amber
|
HP |
38-846 |
|
ATK |
12-264 |
|
DEF |
15-330 |
|
Effect |
Increases the wearer's DEF by 16/20/24/28/32%. If the wearer's current HP is lower than 50%, increase their DEF by a further 16/20/24/28/32%. |
Of the 3-star options, Amber is the most useful for new players, giving the user a defense boost that doubles when their health is low. It's a simple effect, but one that gets great mileage because most Preservation characters create shields based on their defense stat.
However, there is no reason to continue using this light cone after players can afford the F2P options available in in-game stores. Those light cones offer a higher defense boost along with a secondary effect.
11 Trend of the Universal Market
|
HP |
48-1058 |
|
ATK |
16-370 |
|
DEF |
18-396 |
|
Effect |
Increases the wearer's DEF by 16/20/24/28/32%. When the wearer is attacked, there is a 100/105/110/115/120% base chance to Burn the enemy. For each turn, the wearer deals DoT that is equal to 40/50/60/70/80% of the wearer's DEF for 2 turn(s). |
Trend of the Universal Market is a good light cone for building stats, since it gives up to 32% extra defense to the character. However, that's about all it does. The second effect is applying a burn on enemies who attack the user. The burn damage is equal to a percentage of the user's defense.
Honkai: Star Rail — Best Acheron Team Compositions
Here are two good examples of the best Acheron teams in Honkai: Star Rail that can squeeze the most mileage out of this unique Nihility unit.
The DoT damage is pretty negligible given the scaling doesn't exceed 80% of the user's defense. Even with a large amount of defense, the damage in return wouldn't matter. This light cone gets more use in Acheron and Dr. Ratio teams since they need debuffs to do more damage, and DoTs count.
10 Destiny's Threads Forewoven
|
HP |
43-952 |
|
ATK |
16-370 |
|
DEF |
21-463 |
|
Effect |
Increases the wearer's Effect RES by 12/14/16/18/20%. For every 100 of DEF the wearer has, increases the DMG dealt by 0.8/0.9/1/1.1/1.2% to a max increase of 32/36/40/44/48%. |
Effect Resistance is important for sustain characters like Preservation and Abundance since it can stop DoT effects and stuns. Building as much Effect Resistance as possible is an important part of keeping the team alive. This light cone gives some Effect Resistance for free. It's not much, but every little bit helps.
The second effect converts the user's defense into extra damage. Generally, Preservation characters aren't designed to do damage. Until Aventurine was released, no other Preservation character could output enough damage while still protecting the team.
9 Concert for Two
|
HP |
43-952 |
|
ATK |
16-370 |
|
DEF |
21-463 |
|
Effect |
Increases the wearer's DEF by 16/20/24/28/32%. For every on-field character that has a Shield, the DMG dealt by the wearer increases by 4/5/6/7/8%. |
Concert for Two is great for boosting defense. With high superimpostition, the bonus goes up to 32%. The other effect of this light cone is increasing damage based on the number of characters who have a shield. For characters like Aventurine and Gepard, it'll be easy to get max value, but other characters may struggle.
The problem with damage-based light cones is that the scaling is different. Basic attacks and damaging skills or ultimates usually scale on attack while shielding scales on defense. A properly built tank would do low damage anyway, and a damage bonus won't change that. The only exception is Aventurine.
8 This Is Me!
This Is Me! Is the Preservation light cone from the battle pass. It offers up to 32% extra defense and will directly add defense scaling to the character's ultimate ability. The extra damage is equal to a percentage of the user's defense stat. This light cone is different from other damage boosters because it adds its own multiplier rather than a damage bonus.
Unfortunately, being on the battle pass means it'll take time and money to get the most of this light cone, up to five battle pass cycles. Either way, it's only usable on March 7th, Aventurine, or Trailblazer.
7 We Are Wildfire
|
HP |
33-740 |
|
ATK |
21-476 |
|
DEF |
21-463 |
|
Effect |
At the start of the battle, the DMG dealt to all allies decreases by 8/10/12/14/16% for 5 turn(s). At the same time, immediately restores HP to all allies equal to 30/35/40/45/50% of the respective HP difference between the characters' Max HP and current HP. |
We Are Wildfire is a great F2P option for players who haven't rolled on many banners or are still in the early stages of the game. For the first five turns of combat, all team members will take less damage, up to 16%. This is one of the few light cones with a team-wide buff. It will also heal the team at the start of battle.
Honkai Star Rail: How to Get Light Cones
There are several ways for players to obtain high-rarity Light Cones without having to rely on the gacha system.
The buff will last as long as it takes the user to go through 5 turns, which will vary depending on how much speed the user has, but it's best used on teams that can clear content fast to maximize its effectiveness.
6 She Already Shut Her Eyes
|
HP |
57-1270 |
|
ATK |
19-423 |
|
DEF |
24-529 |
|
Effect |
Increases the wearer's Max HP by 24/28/32/36/40% and Energy Regeneration Rate by 12/14/16/18/20%. When the wearer's HP is decreased, increases the DMG of all allies by 9/10.5/12/13.5/15% for 2 turns. At the beginning of each wave, restores HP equal to 80/85/90/95/100% of HP already lost by the character themselves for team. |
Fu Xuan is the only Preservation character to scale on HP rather than defense, and it shows in her light cone. It provides the user with extra HP, and when the user's health is reduced, the entire team gains a damage boost. It's perfectly tailored to her kit, but that means it's less useful on other units.
For those who have this light cone but no Fu Xuan, it's still a great stat builder as a 5-star, but past that, it doesn't provide much utility. The damage boost effect won't trigger because other characters will usually have shields to block damage. The Trailblazer might be able to use it, but it's situational.
5 Landau's Choice
|
HP |
43-952 |
|
ATK |
19-423 |
|
DEF |
18-396 |
|
Effect |
The wearer is more likely to be attacked, but DMG taken is reduced by 16/18/20/22/24%. |
Aggro score is a hidden stat that isn't seen in-game. It's essentially the likelihood of being attacked, and Preservation and Destruction characters have a higher aggro score than the other paths. This light cone will further increase the user's aggro score, allowing them to take more damage for the team.
While it might seem bad to take more damage, it also gives the user a good amount of damage reduction. If given a shield, that unit would be more or less safe. This is great for Gepard and Fu Xuan who want to take damage for their team.