Should You Pull for Feixiao or Lingsha in Honkai: Star Rail

As a long-time Honkai Impact player, I’ve seen my fair share of character pulls and team builds. When it comes to deciding between Feixiao and Lingsha, the choice can be quite tricky, much like choosing between a scorching hot bowl of pho on a cold winter day and a refreshing glass of iced lemon tea on a sweltering summer afternoon.

In the world of Honkai Star Rail, I’m thrilled about the latest update, Version 2.5! It’s bringing three fresh faces to the stage: Feixiao and Lingsha as top-tier 5-star recruits, and Moze joining us as a 4-star character. What sets this update apart is the unusual appearance of not one, but three rerun characters—Kafka, Black Swan, and Robin—alongside Feixiao! This unique setup presents quite a challenge for us resource managers who were saving up for these reruns while also being captivated by the new roster. The decision on which banner to prioritize between the fresh blood and returning heroes can be a real conundrum, especially when resources are scarce.

In the game Honkai: Star Rail, selecting between Feixiao and Lingsha may not be overly challenging due to their distinct roles and team compositions. However, both characters are crucial for the developing meta, which means it’s a tough choice for any player, especially those focusing on team composition and playing style. Here’s what players should ponder when deciding whether to aim for either or both characters:

Feixiao Or Lingsha In Honkai: Star Rail

In the end, although personal preference matters most, it’s crucial to be aware of Feixiao and Lingsha’s unique equipment sets, team dynamics, and character builds in order to make a well-informed decision about which character to choose. Fortunately, their roles are distinctly different, making it easier to tell them apart compared to updates that introduce characters who share similar roles like support or DPS. This difference simplifies the process of distinguishing between them.

In this game, Feixiao makes her appearance as a Wind Hunt unit in the initial banner, showcasing her prowess in dealing high damage to single targets, emphasizing her Ultimate and subsequent attacks. She stands out in challenging content such as Memory of Chaos (MoC), where single-target damage is crucial. On the other hand, Lingsha enters the game during its second half as a Fire Abundance unit. She shines in Weakness Break teams, much like Gallagher does, applying a debuff that increases enemies’ Break Damage taken, healing her entire team, dishing out damage with both her skill and Ultimate, and removing debuffs from allies, making her a valuable addition to diverse teams, especially those focused on Break.

If players are in need of a hypercarry single-target unit, especially for follow-up attack teams, Feixiao stands out as one of the best recent options, offering great value for MoC and similar content. However, Feixiao’s utility may be more limited in battles requiring AoE characters, such as Apocalyptic Shadow or Pure Fiction. On the other hand, Lingsha offers versatility as a healer with extra utility for Break teams, though she might feel redundant to those who already have Gallagher. Nevertheless, both Feixiao and Lingsha excel in their respective niches—Feixiao as a high-damage hypercarry, and Lingsha as a versatile healer with added Break DMG utility. Their unique mechanics and strengths make them valuable additions to the Honkai: Star Rail roster. That being said, choosing both characters could offer significant advantages across multiple areas of gameplay, but skipping them may not result in a substantial loss for most meta content. Here’s a deeper look into their strengths, weaknesses, builds, and roles to further guide player decisions.

Roles

As a passionate admirer, let me share my excitement about the arrival of Feixiao, the first five-star Wind Hunt character in Honkai: Star Rail. Up until now, the Wind roster has been relatively sparse, particularly when it comes to high-performing DPS characters. Previously, Blade held the mantle as the primary Wind DPS, but Feixiao brings a new twist to the gameplay. Her abilities set her apart from other Hunt characters, with a focus on her Ultimate and subsequent attacks.

Her performance heavily depends on the harmony within her team. Feixiao thrives when teammates frequently attack to help her consistently build stacks, making her strongest in teams that launch follow-up attacks. If she lacks such a team, the accumulation of her Ultimate’s stacks will slow down, decreasing her overall damage output. Consequently, to fully realize her potential, her team compositions might need high-tier characters.

Instead of Lingsha, opt for the versatile healer, Aventurine, who excels not only in boosting Break DMG, specifically beneficial for characters such as Firefly or Boothill, but also offers healing, debuff removal, and subsequent damage deals. This means she’s not just a powerful endurance unit, but also an indispensable member of offensive teams. Aventurine’s capacity to deal damage, apply debuffs, and heal makes her highly compatible with characters like Feixiao or Acheron. In essence, both Lingsha and Aventurine possess similar traits, with Lingsha providing healing and Aventurine offering shields, but they both significantly boost team survival and offensive capabilities.

Builds

In the game, Feixiao functions as a high-damage per second (DPS) unit specializing in hypercarry roles. To get the most out of her potential damage, players should focus on enhancing specific stats: Critical Rate, Critical Damage, Attack, and Speed. The latter helps maintain her speed during combat. Her optimal relic set is “The Wind-Soaring Valorous,” which increases her Critical Rate, Attack, and Ultimate Damage, perfectly aligning with her single-target focus. For planar ornaments, the “Duran Dynasty of Running Wolves” set is ideal, particularly for teams that rely on follow-up attacks, although it may be rare and time-consuming to obtain. Alternative relics such as “The Ashblazing Grand Duke” or “Izumo Gensei and Takama Divine Realm” serve as suitable alternatives if the primary set is unavailable.

Feixiao’s signature ability is known as “I Venture Forth to Hunt“, which boosts Critical Rate and makes her Ultimate ignore an enemy’s Defense. However, unlike some other 5-star characters like Boothill or Acheron, Feixiao isn’t overly reliant on this signature ability. She can still excel with alternative light cones such as “Baptism of Pure Thought” or “Worrisome, Blissful“. For those seeking more casual options, “Cruising in the Stellar Sea” or “Swordplay” are reliable free-to-play light cones that also enhance her capabilities.

Instead, Lingsha, who is a healer with a focus on support, has a more streamlined design that emphasizes Break Effect, Attack Power (ATK), and Speed (SPD). Depending on the team’s makeup, Lingsha can skillfully utilize artifact sets such as the Iron Cavalry’s Homing Helm, Thief of Shooting Meteor, and Passerby of Wandering Cloud. For planar ornaments, options like the Forge of the Kalpagni Lantern, Talia: Kingdom of Banditry, and Fleet of the Ageless work well based on the team’s requirements.

As a healer, Lingsha’s abilities aren’t strictly tied to her light cone, but her signature skill, “Scent Alone Stays True“, significantly enhances her ability to inflict Break and apply a debuff that boosts enemy damage intake. However, this light cone is quite specific, providing benefits only for Lingsha and Gallagher, making it a substantial investment considering most characters don’t utilize this stat extensively. An alternative 4-star option, “What Is Real?“, is another viable choice for her. Essentially, any light cone, regardless of rarity, can boost Lingsha’s healing capabilities without significantly altering her performance.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Should You Pull for Feixiao or Lingsha in Honkai: Star Rail

Feixiao and Lingsha, each with unique roles, offer different strengths and areas for improvement. Their special skills often counterbalance some of these shortcomings, but it’s crucial for gamers to thoughtfully assess both characters before making a commitment to invest in either one.

Feixiao’s Strengths and Weaknesses:

Strengths	Weaknesses
First limited Wind Hunt Unit, and one of the few Wind DPS options in general. High Single-Target DPS due to her role as a Hunt path character, making her one of the best options for MoC. Feixiao’s Ultimate, not relying on energy but on stacks gained from ally attacks, allows her to deal consistent and powerful damage without waiting for energy to regenerate, in right team compositions. Can launch follow-up attacks, which combined with her Ultimate enables her to strike multiple times in a turn. Not as skill intensive as some other characters, but it is still recommended to use skill over basic attack when possible.	Feixiao’s Ultimate and overall damage potential rely on her team attacking frequently. Without a proper team setup to support her, she may struggle to perform at her best – which may need to include premium characters like Topaz, Robin and Aventurine. As a single-target-focused character, Feixiao may underperform in content that involves multiple enemies, such as Apocalyptic Shadow or Pure Fiction.

Strengths

Weaknesses

First limited Wind Hunt Unit, and one of the few Wind DPS options in general.
High Single-Target DPS due to her role as a Hunt path character, making her one of the best options for MoC.
Feixiao’s Ultimate, not relying on energy but on stacks gained from ally attacks, allows her to deal consistent and powerful damage without waiting for energy to regenerate, in right team compositions.
Can launch follow-up attacks, which combined with her Ultimate enables her to strike multiple times in a turn.
Not as skill intensive as some other characters, but it is still recommended to use skill over basic attack when possible.

Feixiao’s Ultimate and overall damage potential rely on her team attacking frequently. Without a proper team setup to support her, she may struggle to perform at her best – which may need to include premium characters like Topaz, Robin and Aventurine.
As a single-target-focused character, Feixiao may underperform in content that involves multiple enemies, such as Apocalyptic Shadow or Pure Fiction.

Lingsha’s Strengths and Weaknesses:

Strengths	Weaknesses
AoE healing, and debuff removal. Can launch follow-up attacks, deal DMG through her skill and Ultimate. Can debuff enemies – which is especially useful for Break DMG oriented teams. As a sustain unit, have a potential to remain more future proof.	A direct upgrade to Gallagher, which could be quite redundant for some players. More skill point intensive than most sustain. Viable light cone options are somewhat more limited as she scales with Break Effect and ATK.

Verdict: Pulling Feixiao vs Lingsha

When deciding whether to pull for Feixiao or Lingsha, the choice largely depends on the player’s current team needs and their preferred playstyle. Feixiao offers a powerful single-target DPS option, excelling in follow-up attack teams with high damage potential, making her a strong pick for those seeking to dominate boss battles or Memory of Chaos. However, her reliance on team synergy and the need for heavy investment make her less appealing for players without the necessary resources or complementary characters. Lingsha, on the other hand, provides a versatile healing and debuffing role, ideal for players looking to bolster their team’s sustainability while increasing Break DMG. While not as flashy as Feixiao, her utility across a variety of teams and content makes her a valuable addition. For players who already have strong DPS and sustain options, pulling for both may not be necessary, but if you’re in need of a powerful follow-up attacker or a flexible support, either character can be a worthwhile addition to the roster. Ultimately, consider the team’s needs and the resources at hand before deciding to pull for one or both. Below aspects can be quite useful especially when considering for team synergies:

Players should pull for Feixiao if:

They need a single target DPS – and do not have a Wind DPS character like Blade.
Have access to characters like Aventurine, Topaz or Robin.
Are able to optimize her niche relic sets.

Players should pull for Lingsha if:

They are looking for a sustain character for Firefly or Boothill, and haven’t invested in Gallagher, or utilizing him on another team.
They require a support unit for Acheron or Feixiao, that can attack or apply debuffs – especially if they haven’t pulled for Aventurine.

2024-09-10 07:14