The Best Build For Black Swan, Honkai: Star Rail’s Mysterious Soothsayer

The first major update to Honkai: Star Rail was released this week in the form of version 2.0. It brings with it a new area to explore, a continuation of the main story, and new characters to pull on the limited banner. Phase 1 of version 2.0 introduces Black Swan, a five-star Wind Nihility character available on the Ripples in Reflection Character Event Warp. Players have until February 29 to bring her home.

And you should definitely be pulling for her while you can. Black Swan is easily one of the best DPS characters in the game at the moment, thanks to her strong Damage over Time (DoT) in the form of the Arcana effect. She’s well suited for players who like a DoT-focused build and/or already run with Kafka in their team. If you are lucky enough to get Black Swan during her banner then you’ll still need to make sure you build her properly. Here’s our recommendation on the best Light Cones, Relics, and more that will make the most out of Black Swan’s skill set.

Best Light Cones for Black Swan in Honkai: Star Rail

As a five-star character, Black Swan does have a Signature Light Cone available on the current Brilliant Fixation banner. “Reforged Remembrance” will be around until the end of Phase 1. The Signature Light Cone uses a stackable effect called Prophet which Black Swan can fully stack when triggering her Ultimate. In addition, “Reforged Remembrance” greatly increases the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate and ATK. If you aren’t lucky enough to get Black Swan’s Signature Light Cone, there are some reliable four-star options to use. Just keep in mind that you should try to choose Light Cones that increase Black Swan’s Effect Hit Rate to best compliment her ability to stack Arcana. Here are our recommendations (stats are for Superimpose level one).

• Reforged Remembrance (5-Star): Increases wearer’s Effect Hit Rate by 40%. When the wearer deals DMG to an enemy inflicted with Wind Shear, Burn, Shock, or Bleed, each respectively grants 1 stack of Prophet, stacking up to 4 time(s). In a single battle, only 1 stack of Prophet can be granted for each type of DoT. Every stack of Prophet increases wearer’s ATK by 5% and enables the DoT dealt to ignore 7.2% of the target’s DEF.
• Patience Is All You Need (5-Star): Increases DMG dealt by the wearer by 24%. After every attack unleashed by the wearer, the wearer’s SPD increases by 4.8%, stacking up to 3 times. If the wearer hits an enemy target that is not afflicted by Erode, there is a 100% base chance to inflict Erode on the target. Enemies afflicted with Erode are also considered to be Shocked and will receive Lightning DoT at the start of each turn equal to 60% of the wearer’s ATK, lasting for 1 turn.
• Eyes of the Prey (4-Star): Increases the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate by 20% and increases DoT by 24%.
• Before the Tutorial Mission Starts (4-Star): Increases the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate by 20%. When the wearer attacks enemies that have reduced DEF, regenerates 4 Energy.

Best Relics for Black Swan in Honkai: Star Rail

When it comes to Relics, the ideal set forBlack Swan is the four-piece Prisoner in Deep Confinement set. In addition to increasing the wearer’s ATK, it will also allow the wearer to ignore 6% of an enemy’s DEF if that enemy is afflicted with DoT. Considering DoT is Black Swan’s bread and butter, this will compliment her skill set perfectly.

Best Ornaments for Black Swan in Honkai: Star Rail

Black Swan is best built around her Effect Hit Rate, so the best Planar Ornament to equip is Pan-Cosmic Commercial Enterprise. The Ornament increases Effect Hit Rate by 10% and increases the wearer’s ATK by 25% of the wearer’s current Effect Hit Rate. If your Light Cone and Relic set are boosting Black Swan’s Effect Hit Rate, then this will give a welcome boost to her ATK. If you are going for a SPD-focused build, then you can instead equip either the Space Sealing Station or Firmament Frontline Glamoth Ornaments to boost Black Swan’s ATK relative to her SPD.

Best Teams for Black Swan in Honkai: Star Rail

The most important thing to keep in mind is that you will need to have a DoT DPS to accompany Black Swan. Her Arcana stacking relies on enemies taking DoT damage at the start of their turn, so the importance of DoT cannot be overstated. You will want to fill out the team with a Support and Healer.

Currently the ideal team for Black Swan is Kafka as DPS (since her kit can provide the Shock DoT on enemies), Ruan Mei as support (to take advantage of her ability to buff the party’s Break Efficiency), and Huohuo as Healer (for the added bonus of giving a boost to ATK). If you want a mostly free-to-play team, then you can use Serval as DPS, Asta as Support, and Natasha as Healer.