The version 1.5 update of Honkai: Star Rail introduces two new 5-star playable characters, Huohuo and Argenti, providing players with opportunities to diversify their rosters with unique playstyles. Alongside these additions, the inclusion of the 4-star support character Hanya and the long-awaited rerun of Silver Wolf adds further options for players to consider. As a result, players might find themselves contemplating the best choice for pulling in the 1.5 update while also strategically conserving resources for future patches.

Honkai Star Rail_ Best Support Units
Honkai: Star Rail – Best Support Characters, Ranked

Discover the top-ranked support characters in Honkai: Star Rail for optimal gameplay.

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Fortunately, the limited-time characters introduced in this update offer distinct functionalities, as they offer different support and DPS roles. This distinction is particularly evident between Argenti and Huohuo. However, the decision to pull for these characters should not be solely based on the need for a new DPS or healing character. Other factors, such as evolving gameplay content and the evolving roster of Honkai: Star Rail, play a crucial role in determining the relative utility of characters.

Huohuo Or Argenti In Honkai: Star Rail

Huohuo Or Argenti In Honkai_ Star Rail

Huohuo enters the Honkai: Star Rail roster as a Wind Abundance character. Conversely, Argenti is a Physical Erudition character, making her a primary AoE DPS option.

An essential aspect that increases Huohuo's worth is her unique position as the second limited-gacha Abundance character released, following Luocha. This becomes particularly crucial for players who may have skipped Luocha, as it leaves them with fewer versatile healer options for their diverse teams otherwise. Notably, the game has introduced numerous DPS characters in previous patches, leading to a potential shortage of support-oriented characters. This scarcity could influence players to prioritize pulling for Huohuo over another DPS character like Argenti.

honkai star rail best dps characters ranked
Honkai: Star Rail – Best DPS Characters, Ranked

From single-target, AoE, pure damage, to DoT, there are multiple types of DPS in Honkai: Star Rail and some are stronger than others.

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Huohuo primarily focuses on AoE healing and providing offensive support by boosting the ATK of a target character. She also contributes additional energy to teammates through her Ultimate ability. This aligns her with the supportive role, sharing similarities with Tingyun, a notable 4-star support character. Huohuo's unique contribution as damage-buffing support, enabling more frequent use of allies' Ultimates, adds another layer to her utility. This allows her to fill a Harmony character role, and opens a spot for another type of support benefit, such as for a Nihility character instead. Consequently, players should consider Huohuo not just as a primary healer but also as a healer with robust offensive support capabilities. The decision to pull for her becomes crucial for achieving a well-balanced and effective team composition.

In contrast, Argenti enters the roster as a dedicated DPS character, marking the first appearance of a Physical Erudition character with no support abilities for the team. Nevertheless, he compensates for the lack of team support by bolstering his self-sufficiency. Argenti significantly boosts his own Crit rate and generates energy for himself, creating a self-reliant playstyle. With both his skill and Ultimate being entirely AoE-focused, players seeking a specialized AoE DPS to tackle specific content may find Argenti to be a valuable addition to their teams.

honkai star rail every playable physical character ranked
Honkai: Star Rail – Every Playable Physical Character, Ranked

Physical characters in Honkai: Star Rail can deal Bleed damage upon weakness break.

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Given the distinctive roles of Huohuo and Argenti, the decision to pull for either character depends on several factors. Players should assess their current roster, identifying areas where improvement or synergy is needed. Personal playstyle preferences, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each character, should also be considered. The choice between these characters in the 1.5 version update is ultimately influenced by the unique dynamics of individual teams and player preferences.

Strengths and Weaknesses

honkai-star-rail-1.5-special-program-announcement-huohuo-argenti

While both Huohuo and Argenti bring distinctive playstyles and utility to the table, players should also consider their weaknesses to set realistic expectations when incorporating them into their teams.

Huohuo's Strengths and Weaknesses:

Strengths

Weaknesses
  • Good single target and AoE healing abilities.
  • Dispels a debuff from an ally.
  • Can buff allies' ATK and provide them Energy, giving her some Harmony character utilities and opening up a spot in team compositions.
  • Her talent can further heal allies and dispel debuffs.
  • Her Ultimate buffs are not reliant on her own stats, but on the trace level, making her less reliant on optimal build for her buff support utility.

  • Players will need to pay some attention to character order in the party composition.
  • Does not entirely synergize well with characters that don't scale with ATK, or benefit from Ultimate as a DPS character in particular.
  • Might not be as future-proof with release of future Abundance characters that bring more unique abilities.

Argenti's Strengths and Weaknesses:

Strengths

Weaknesses
  • Great AoE DPS modifiers while being able to attack all enemies.
  • Can self-buff with basic attack, skill and Ultimate
  • Can utilize his Ultimate often due to self Energy regeneration utility.
  • Can synergize well with a large variety of support characters, since he can benefit from almost all buffs they provide, including Hanya, who has increased probability under his banner.
  • First Physical Erudition character to be released.

  • Doesn't bring any other utility to the team except DPS.
  • There is already many other DPS characters that provide similar DPS power as him.
  • Not as viable against strong single bosses that do not summon many adds as he lacks high DPS modifiers specifically for single-target.
  • No Bleed DoT in kit except for weakness break.

Verdict: Pulling Huohuo vs Argenti

Honkai_ Star Rail - Huohuo and Argenti Split

Ultimately, both characters exhibit more strengths than weaknesses, making them potentially worth pulling for players who aren't interested in upcoming characters like Dr. Ratio or Ruan Mei, or for the Silver Wolf rerun. However, if players plan to pull for any of the aforementioned characters and wish to save resources, neither Huohuo nor Argenti are considered must-pull or future-proof at the moment. For those torn between the two, here are some additional aspects to consider:

Players should pull for Huohuo if:

  • They haven't pulled Luocha, or have not well invested in other healers like Lynx or Natasha
  • Often utilize DPS characters that highly rely on using their Ultimates like Seele or Kafka.
  • Do not primarily rely on DPS characters like Blade, who scales with HP instead of ATK
  • Are looking for a healer character who can double as a Harmony character in order to make space for another specific character in their team composition.

Players should pull for Argenti if:

  • They have a limited number of characters in their DPS roster, and are interested in a strictly AoE DPS character.
  • Have not invested in another Physical DPS character like Sushang or, in particular, Clara (especially if she has her Eidolons activated.)
  • Are interested in also pulling Hanya (while not interested in pulling Silver Wolf)
  • Have enough built support characters and viable build options (relics, lightcones etc.) To optimize him effectively without needing to spend a large amount of additional resources.

Honkai: Star Rail is now available on Android, iOS, PC and PlayStation.

More: Honkai: Star Rail – All Character Guides | Builds, Teams, Light Cones, Materials, And More