When you first step foot into the Astral Express ofHonkai: Star Rail, you soon find yourself introduced to a huge cast of characters, each with unique abilities, personalities, and playstyles. Yet, despite being a Gacha game, not all of them require a deep dive into our wallets. Some of the best characters in the game are completely free-to-play, and with enough relic investment and Eidolons, they can even be as effective as their premium counterparts.
Whether you’re a seasoned member of the Astral Express, or a new Trailblazer building their first team, these characters can hold their own in most situations.From powerful supportsto reliable damage dealers, here’s a breakdown of the best F2P characters in Honkai: Star Rail. Let’s dive into the top picks to help you journey through the stars without touching your savings account.
9Trailblazer (Physical and Fire)
Let’s start with the most obvious one, you, or more technically the Trailblazer. The Trailblazer starts as a Physical damage dealer, but they eventually get a Fire version, giving you access to a potent Preservation unit. As one of your first DPS units, the Physical version is solid for single and splash-based damage, dishing out heavy attacks and providing some basic utility to the team with physical break capabilities.
The Fire Trailblazer, on the other hand, takes a sharp turn into tank territory. Suddenly, you’re all about soaking up hits, taunting enemies, and keeping your team alive. The swap from a straight-up DPS to a tank might feel weird at first, but after hanging up a baseball bat for a fiery lance, you won’t mind the shift. Plus, the new animations just look cooler.
8March 7th (Preservation)
Besides having a name that makes you double-check your calendar, March 7th is one of the best early supports in the game. Her main appeal is her shield ability, which allows her to protect teammates from incoming damage while dishing out counterattacks when her allies are hit.
But March 7th isn’t just a shield-bot. Her warm goofy attitude is a stark contrast to her ice-cold abilities, and she frequently leaves enemies frozen and unable to take action. This is invaluable for giving your team breathing room during hectic battles. Her personality might be quirky, but on the battlefield, she’s nothing short of dependable.
7Dan Heng
Dan Heng is one of those characters who at first glance, looks like they would stand in the back of a crowd and silently judge your life choices. But once you see him in action, you’ll quickly realize he’s not to be ignored. As a Wind element character following thepath of the Hunt, Dan Heng specializes in single-target slaying.
Since his skill reduces the speed of enemies with a critical hit, it synergizes extremely well with the rest of his kit, which provides damage buffs against slowed enemies. This makes him perfect for taking down tough enemies, especially early-game bosses who need a lot of focus-fire to be brought down.
6Serval
If you’re in the mood for someone who rocks, then Serval is the character for you. This electric guitar-wielding engineer follows the path of Erudition, and can easily zap her way through large groups of enemies. She will likely be your first AOE character, which makes her viable in scenarios like Pure Fiction, where you’re dealing with multiple enemies at once.
Serval also brings a bit of flair to your team. Her rockstar vibes give her an energetic edge that makes battles more fun, even when you’re grinding for that perfect Relic. Her ultimate ability unleashes a thunderstorm with the strum of her guitar, which will decimate the enemies in Belobog who are often weak to lightning damage. If you want to clear waves of enemies while feeling like you’re at a futuristic rock concert, Serval’s your girl.
5Natasha
As enemies start to hit harder, you won’t get far in Honkai: Star Rail without a solid healer, and Natasha fits the bill perfectly. As a Physical healer, she provides reliable and straightforward healing for your team. Sure, her healing abilities might not be the flashiest, but when you’re one hit away from a wipe, the reliability of an emergency heal from her ultimate is a gift that keeps on giving.
Natasha also brings the utility of a debuff cleanse with her first trace, which is a great bonus. In short, she’s the dependable medic you didn’t know you needed, and you’ll be thankful for her every time she saves your team from the brink of disaster.
4Asta
The preppy-looking Asta might not be the most imposing character visually, but don’t let her nerdy appearance fool you. As a Fire Harmony unit, she brings a lot of utility to the table, primarily through her ability to boost the speed of your entire team with her ultimate. In a game where getting in multiple attacks in one turn can make all the difference, Asta’s speed buff can be a game-changer, especially in difficult fights.
Asta’s Fire attacks are nothing to scoff at either. Her skill contributes decent damage and helps break enemies vulnerable to her element. Astas speed-boosting capabilities make her scale fairly well, even against her limited 5-star competition. If you’re able to pick up some Eidolons for her, she will make a case as part of your core team.
3Herta
Herta is an interesting character, and not just because she tended to turn you into a test subject. What makes her unique is her ability to perform an AOE follow-up attack every time an enemy’s health drops below 50%. This talent turns her into a wrecking ball, constantly chipping away at enemy health without any extra effort.
Her Erudition kit makes her invaluable for Pure Fiction, a game mode that relies heavily on AOE damage to clear enemy waves. For a free character, she’s fantastic, and you’ll likely be relying on her long into the lifetime of your account.
2March 7th (Hunt)
March 7th took a surprising turn when she decided totake up the blade. Instead of freezing enemies, this version focuses on supporting your main DPS while also augmenting her own damage based on their corresponding Path. The nature of this skill allows her to slot into a large variety of teams, whether you want to focus on breaking enemies or dealing critical damage. When fully built, she’s able to dish out a significant amount of pain to her enemies.
This boba-drinking sword disciple is a powerful asset to your roster, and her flexibility makes her one of the strongest free-to-play units you have access to.
1Trailblazer (Harmony)
When the Trailblazer took up the fedora with the Harmony path, they effectively created a whole new meta. Ushering in the age of the Super Break mechanic, the Harmony Trailblazer quickly became an essential staple in any break team.
The Harmony Trailblazer is all about generating energy to activate their powerful ultimate, which gives the whole team a buff that allows them to deal additional damage to any weakness-broken foe. As of this article, there is no other free-to-play character who has been able to dance their way into the top of the meta like the Harmony Trailblazer.
