Honkai: Star Rail 1.6 banners: Ruan Mei, Dr. Ratio, and Xueyi debut

Every new and returning character coming with the update

Author:
Marco Wutz
Publish date:
Dec 15, 2023 6:49 AM EST

The Honkai: Star Rail 1.6 update is almost here and will come out just in time to devour your end of year bonus – you’ll be able to expand your roster of playable Honkai: Star Rail characters with a trio of newcomers on top of two banners featuring returning characters.

That’s right, HoYoverse is already offering two rerun banners in this upcoming version, allowing players to pull for characters they missed previously or need Eidolon Levels for. For PS5 users this will be their first chance at getting two of the most renowned figures the game has to offer.

Honkai: Star Rail artwork of Dr. Ratio, Xueyi, and Ruan Mei. — The Honkai: Star Rail 1.6 banners have been revealed.
HoYoverse

Here’s everything you need to know about the Honkai: Star Rail 1.6 character and Light Cone banners.

Honkai: Star Rail 1.6 banners: Phase 1

Starting on December 27, 2023, with update 1.6’s release, you’ll be able to call upon two new characters:

Ruan Mei (5-Star character, Ice, The Harmony), Xueyi (4-Star character, Quantum, The Destruction), March 7th (4-Star character, Ice, The Preservation), and Tingyun (4-Star character, Lightning, The Harmony).
Blade (5-Star character, Wind, The Destruction), Xueyi (4-Star character, Quantum, The Destruction), March 7th (4-Star character, Ice, The Preservation), and Tingyun (4-Star character, Lightning, The Harmony).
Past Self in Mirror (5-Star Light Cone, The Harmony) and three 4-Star Light Cones.
The Unreachable Side (5-Star Light Cone, The Destruction) and three 4-Star Light Cones.

Ruan Mei

Ruan Mei, a member of the Genius Society, may rival Bronya for the position as best support character in the game. She can increase the damage, Speed, and Weakness Break Efficiency of her entire team on top of making Weakness Break last longer on enemies and dealing some damage against them herself.

Blade

Blade is an incredible DPS against single targets as well as multiple enemies, though he does consume his own HP to make it so. Luckily there are many great sustain characters in the game by now, making this one drawback a small one. Just take care to not cut yourself on his edge.

Xueyi

Xueyi, one of the judges of the Ten-Lords Commission, inhabits a puppet body to serve in her role even after her natural body’s demise. She can deal Quantum Damage to single targets as well as groups and ignores Weakness Types with her Ultimate. She can unleash strong follow-up attacks when the Toughness of enemies has been repeatedly reduced.

March 7th

March 7th is a competent shielder everyone in the game has access to. While her power is limited as a 4-Star character, she is a fantastic addition to any Clara team and can save your life many times with her shield and cleanse effect.

Tingyun

Tingyun remains one of the strongest support characters in the game, providing an offensive buff as well as filling up the Energy of allied characters. The downside is that seeing her in your team will make you cry for her tragic fate in the story.

Honkai: Star Rail 1.6 banners: Phase 2

Phase 2 will begin on January 17, 2024, and run for three weeks from that point on. You’ll be able to get one brand-new character in this time period:

Dr. Ratio (5-Star character, Imaginary, The Hunt), Natasha (4-Star character, Physical, The Abundance), Hook (4-Star character, Fire, The Destruction), and Sushang (4-Star character, Physical, The Hunt).
Kafka (5-Star character, Lightning, The Nihility), Natasha (4-Star character, Physical, The Abundance), Hook (4-Star character, Fire, The Destruction), and Sushang (4-Star character, Physical, The Hunt).
Baptism of Pure Thought (5-Star Light Cone, The Hunt) and three 4-Star Light Cones.
Patience Is All You Need (5-Star Light Cone, The Nihility) and three 4-Star Light Cones.

Dr. Ratio

Dr. Ratio is a member of the Intelligentsia Guild and rather eccentric. In combat, he’s a strong single-target DPS that has a chance of launching follow-up attacks against enemies. Since any debuff on his target increases the chance of a follow-up attack happening, a team composition with debuff characters should be preferred.

Kafka

Kafka is the best DPS in the game when it comes to dealing damage over time, whittling your foes down with a thousand little cuts – or electro shocks, in her case. She’s a really fun one to have on your team and gives characters like Sampo, Luka, and Guinaifen a lot of value, as they are great for supporting her.

Natasha

Natasha is the bread-and-butter healer everyone in the game gets, making her a nostalgic one for many players – we’ve been through thick and thin with her. While basically every healer in the game is better than her, she still gets the job done and the more Eidolon Levels you can get for her, the better.

Hook

Hook is an alright DPS, especially when combined with some characters who can enhance the effect of DoTs. Definitely not top-tier, though.

Sushang

Sushang is limited by her 4-Star rating, but a well-built version will still do a fantastic job as a single-target DPS. She’s able to save the team Skill Points as well by attacking targets that had their Toughness depleted.

Three weeks after the second phase of version 1.6 begins, the next patch will be released – bringing Black Swan as well as Sparkle and Misha into the game.