With the launch of the Penacony area in Honkai: Star Rail, players are now able to immerse themselves in new storylines and the continuation of Trailblazer's journey. They can also meet new characters and explore unique parts of this world. Additionally, players can expect a new variety of playable characters to be introduced with subsequent patches, allowing them to build even more versatile teams if they wish.
Honkai: Star Rail – Black Swan Build Guide
Black Swan is an excellent debuffer in Honkai: Star Rail, befitting of her role as someone from the path of Nihility.
In the version 2.0 update of Honkai: Star Rail, the first 5-star characters added to the roster are Black Swan and Sparkle. Both characters have gathered considerable interest among the fanbase, especially due to their looks and animations. However, while this alone might be tempting to pull for both, players interested in saving their resources might need to pay attention to certain aspects of their game to make a decision on which character might be more worth pulling for them. Ultimately, the decision still relies on which character players find more fun, but here is some more information on what players can expect from these characters and whether they should pull for either.
Black Swan Or Sparkle In Honkai: Star Rail
Black Swan joins the roster as a Wind element Nihility character, similar to Sampo in both path and element, despite the differences in rarity. Like Sampo, Black Swan is also quite focused on Damage over Time (DoT), but in a different, more complex manner. On the other hand, Sparkle is a Quantum element Harmony character, allowing Quantum to finally have access to characters from all paths and bringing more versatility to mono-Quantum teams.
Honkai Star Rail Redeem Codes
Stellar Jades is a crucial currency in Honkai: Star Rail as players need them to get new characters in the game.
With this in mind, they bring different aspects to the table, both taking on a non-DPS or healer-focused role. As they will replace either a sub-DPS or support unit in team compositions, players should pay attention to how these characters fit into their roster and their ease of build. Overall, if players find that their roles align with their team compositions, either of them can be very worthwhile to pull.
Roles
Black Swan, as a Nihility character, aligns more with the type of Nihility characters that focus on Damage over Time (DoT) application, unlike others like Pela or Welt that specifically focus on reducing enemies' stats. Nevertheless, Black Swan excels in both areas, as she can also reduce the DEF of enemies with an AoE and make them take more damage. In that sense, players might consider her useful even without any DoT abilities. However, since her own stack application of Arcana benefits from already applied DoTs and further increases DoT damage, it is worth considering Black Swan as a sub-DPS for DoT-oriented teams.
Sparkle, on the other hand, is a Harmony unit, similar to Bronya in comparison, as she is able to increase the Crit DMG of an ally based on her own Crit DMG and an added base modifier, as well as advance them forward. However, Sparkle brings a unique benefit to team compositions as well since she can generate extra skill points and increase the maximum skill point cap. While this is the case, she also further increases the team's DMG based on the skill point usage and Cipher stacks. Additionally, for mono Quantum teams specifically, Sparkle's 6th Ascension trait is quite useful as it increases the ATK of Quantum-Type allies by greater amounts based on the existing number of Quantum characters in the team. Nevertheless, she is still useful even for non-Quantum teams as well.
With these considerations in mind, the decision between the two characters ultimately depends on whether players want another unique buff support or a debuff/dot-oriented sub-DPS character. This decision may heavily depend on the current roster of characters players have access to and the specific needs of their team compositions.
Builds
Considering that Black Swan relies heavily on DoT and debuffs as a sub-DPS, she is a great candidate for utilizing the 4-piece set of Prisoner in Deep Confinement. This set not only increases Black Swan's ATK but also allows her to ignore enemies' DEF when they have DoTs applied to them. However, she still has some flexibility in choosing other relic options, such as the 4-piece set of Eagle of Twilight Line or even the 4-piece set of Genius of Brilliant Stars if players don't have access to the Prisoner in Deep Confinement set. These sets can provide non-DoT-related benefits such as a Wind DMG boost and advancing forward, or ignoring DEF on enemies.
Honkai: Star Rail – Black Swan Ascension and Trace Materials
If you plan on getting Black Swan in Honkai: Star Rail, make sure you grab all of these materials first so you can get her up to snuff ASAP.
Similar options are available for Planar Ornaments, where she can choose between multiple options such as the 2-piece set of Firmament Frontline: Glamoth or the 2-piece set of Pan-Cosmic Commercial Enterprise. The first option allows Black Swan to gain additional ATK% and DMG% based on her speed, a useful stat for her in general. On the other hand, Pan-Cosmic Commercial Enterprise increases her Effect Hit Rate and ATK%, which is also quite useful for her, as her base chance of inflicting certain effects is not always 100% and having added EHR also add to her own damage further. Players will need to decide the right set for her based on their availability and consider how they can min-max her the best. As for the light cone options, undoubtedly her best option is Reforged Remembrance, her signature light cone, since it offers added Effect Hit Rate, DoT DMG, as well as ATK%. However, those interested in saving resources can also find a lot of benefit from the 4-star options like Eyes of the Prey or Good Night and Sleep Well, so players are not entirely reliant on pulling for her light cone to benefit well from her.
For Sparkle, while the team options are more versatile, the build options might feel a little more limited. This is because her best set is 4-piece Messenger Traversing Hackerspace, as it will further increase her own Speed, as well as the team's speed upon Sparkle using her Ultimate, aligning well with her Advance Forward mechanic. For the Planar Ornaments, however, players can choose between either 2-piece Broken Keel for general use, or if they are specifically interested in utilizing her in Mono-Quantum teams, they will benefit significantly from 2-piece Penacony Land of Dreams, as she is one of the few that can use this Planar Ornament set to its best ability as of now. With the main/sub stats, however, players may notice that she may be a little easier to min-max in comparison to Black Swan, since she typically only needs to focus on Crit DMG, Speed, ER, and other stats for survivability like DEF or HP, making it potentially possible to use Bronya's set pieces if possible as well.
In terms of light cone options, she has access to a bit more variants, depending on what players have available. Her signature light cone, Earthly Escapade, is the best option for her, since it will not only increase her Crit DMG further, but also increase allies' Crit Rate and Crit DMG. With that, it can even be a good option for other Harmony characters, if players have the resources to consider it. Those that want to save on resources, however, can also benefit from Bronya's Signature light cone, But the Battle Isn't Over Yet, the 4-star Gacha option Planetary Rendezvous for Mono-Quantum Teams, and even the new F2P option, Dreamville Adventure through the Lightcone Manifest shop, though this option requires careful planning based on speed and the used ability type.
Strengths and Weaknesses
While both Black Swan and Sparkle offer unique abilities that can provide a fun gameplay experience and a lot of utility for teams, it is worth it for players to consider their strengths and weaknesses before deciding to pull for either of them or save up their resources for upcoming characters.
Black Swan's Strengths and Weaknesses:
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Sparkle's Strengths and Weaknesses:
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Verdict: Pulling Black Swan vs Sparkle
Understanding both characters' strengths, and weaknesses, and how they synergize with existing team members can help players make informed decisions about whether to pull for these characters or wait for future releases. Additionally, considering factors like available resources, desired playstyle, and long-term team-building strategies can also play a significant role in making the right choice. However, it is also important to consider below specific details considering Black Swan is more specialist and Sparkle is more generalist to make the most informed decision:
Players should pull for Black Swan if:
- They have access to characters like Kafka or Sampo, and enjoy DoT oriented team compositions.
- They do not require new Harmony characters and have heavily invested in those like Bronya (potentially with Eidolons).
- Looking for a new sub-DPS who can deal AoE dmg, DoT and also debuff enemy.
Players should pull for Sparkle if:
- If they require unique and versatile Harmony character options, and have not yet obtained Bronya or invested in her.
- They are particularly interested in playing hyper-carry DPS characters like Dan Heng - Imbibitor Lunae, who is quite skill point heavy, or otherwise Quantum DPS options like Seele or Qingque.
- Have Silver Wolf and Xueyi for further excellent synergy.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 90%
- Released
- April 26, 2023
- ESRB
- Teen / Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Simulated Gambling, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
WHERE TO PLAY
They call them, "Aeons" in this galaxy. They construct reality, erase stars, and leave their marks on countless worlds. Together with your companions you'll travel across the galaxy on the Astral Express, following the path once traveled by the Aeons. From here, you will explore new civilizations, meet new comrades, and begin new adventures among countless fantastical worlds. All the answers you seek will be uncovered among the stars.
Well what're you waiting for? Are you ready to begin this trailblazing journey?
Honkai: Star Rail is a new HoYoverse space fantasy RPG. Hop aboard the Astral Express and experience the galaxy's infinite wonders filled with adventure and thrills.
Players will meet new companions across various worlds and maybe even run into some familiar faces. Overcome the struggles together caused by Stellaron and unravel the hidden truths behind it! May this journey lead us starward!
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Turn-Based RPG
Honkai: Star Rail – All 5-Star Characters, Ranked
5-Star Characters in Honkai: Star Rail are in high demand due to their unique abilities, but some are stronger and more versatile than others.