Honkai: Star Rail Beginner Guide: Teams, Relics and Warps
Honkai: Star Rail is HoYoverse's turn-based space RPG. The combat looks simple, but the game rewards planning: which characters you build, where your daily stamina goes and when you pull on banners. This guide covers the habits that make the early and mid game much smoother.
Last updated: Beginner guide · Oct 18, 2026 · 3 min read
How combat works
Every enemy has a Toughness bar and a set of elemental weaknesses. Hitting a weakness lowers Toughness, and breaking it delays the enemy and applies an extra effect based on the element. Building a team that covers common weaknesses — and saving Ultimates for the right moment — matters more than raw levels.
Skill Points are shared across the team. Some characters spend them, others generate them, so a good team balances the two instead of using every character's Skill every turn.
Build a balanced first team
Most teams follow the same structure:
- One or two damage dealers who carry most of the fight.
- A support from the Harmony or Nihility paths who buffs allies or weakens enemies.
- A sustain unit from Preservation or Abundance who shields or heals.
- Start with the free characters you receive from the story, then replace them as you pull stronger ones.
Spend Trailblaze Power wisely
Trailblaze Power is your daily stamina and refills over time, so never let it sit at the cap. Early on, spend it on character experience, Light Cone experience and ascension materials for your main team. Relic farming has random results and is best saved until your characters are leveled and Equilibrium Level is higher.
Relics and Light Cones
Relics give the biggest stat boosts once a character is leveled. Focus on getting the right main stats first — for example, critical rate or damage on a damage dealer's body piece, or speed on boots for supports — and worry about perfect substats later. Light Cones are weapons; a lower-rarity Light Cone with the right path and effect is often better than a higher-rarity one that doesn't suit the character.
Warps without regrets
Warps use Stellar Jade and passes. Banners have a pity system that guarantees a 5-star character after a set number of pulls, and the next featured character after a lost 50/50. Save for characters you really want instead of pulling on every banner, and track your pity. Daily training, events, Simulated Universe and endgame modes such as Memory of Chaos give a steady stream of Stellar Jade.
Endgame modes
Once you've cleared the story, endgame modes reward well-built teams and refresh regularly. Clearing them every rotation is one of the best free sources of warps, so building two solid teams pays off.
Frequently asked questions
What should I spend Trailblaze Power on first?
Character and Light Cone experience and ascension materials for your main team. Save heavy relic farming for later.
How does pity work in Honkai: Star Rail?
Character banners guarantee a 5-star after a set number of pulls, and if you lose the 50/50 the next 5-star is the featured character. Pity carries over between banners of the same type.
Who should be on my first team?
One or two damage dealers, a support who buffs or debuffs, and a healer or shielder for sustain.
Is it better to buy an account or start fresh?
Starting fresh is the full experience. Players who want specific characters right away sometimes buy a starter account — use a marketplace with escrow and change the login details after delivery.