The unforgiving and unpredictable gacha system present in Honkai: Star Rail makes it quite difficult to obtain five-star recruits, but luckily there is one way for every player to obtain a standard five-star character for free. You’ll be able to unlock a free five-star by pulling on a warp banner as you usually would, but the hard part is deciding which of the free five-star units you should pull for once you reach the 300 pull requirement.
How to get a free five-star in Honkai: Star Rail
All Trailblazers will be allowed to choose between the available roster of standard five-star characters after pulling on the standard Stellar Warp banner 300 times. Players can see this special reward and how close they are to being able to claim it by selecting the “additional rewards” option located in the bottom right corner of the Stellar Warp banner.
The total 300 pulls required for this banner only count when players pull specifically for the Stellar Warp banner. All pulls on the beginner Departure Warp, the Character Event Warps, and the Light Cone Event Warp do not count toward players’ 300 pulls.
Related: Best Light Cones for each character in Honkai: Star Rail
This reward is also a one-time-only instance so players will not receive a free five-star recruit upon reaching another 300 pulls.
Which free five-star should you choose in Honkai: Star Rail?
Of all the available options, the character you should choose as your free five-star in Honkai: Star Rail should be Gepard or Clara.
You will be presented with seven options with each character possessing a unique path and walking a distinctive path. All seven recruits that players can choose from are:
- Himeko
- Rarity: Five-star
- Element: Fire
- Path: The Erudition
- Welt
- Rarity: Five-star
- Element: Imaginary
- Path: The Nihility
- Bronya
- Rarity: Five-star
- Element: Wind
- Path: The Harmony
- Gepard
- Rarity: Five-star
- Element: Ice
- Path: The Preservation
- Clara
- Rarity: Five-star
- Element: Physical
- Path: The Destruction
- Yanqing
- Rarity: Five-star
- Element: Ice
- Path: The Hunt
- Bailu
- Rarity: Five-star
- Element: Lightning
- Path: The Abundance
Is Himeko good in Honkai: Star Rail?
Himeko is by no means a bad character, but compared to all six of the other characters players can choose from, she is the overall worst option. She’s great at area of effect damage but is not very effective against single targets and can be outperformed by many other recruits.
If you’re looking for a solid multi-target damage dealer, Clara is also an option and is more powerful in combat. But Himeko may also appeal to you because of her storyline and appearance in which case pulling for her may still be the best course of action based on your own personal preferences.
Is Welt good in Honkai: Star Rail?
Welt is a fan favorite due to his immensely unique backstory and his being the singular character that is exactly the same as he was in Honkai Impact 3rd. Many other recruits are inspired by those from Honkai Impact 3rd but Honkai: Star Rail’s Welt is actually the same character.
Welt is a supporting character focused on debuffing foes so his teammates can deal more powerful damage. He is an overall solid recruit but not one of the top contenders among the seven unless players specifically desire his skillset.
Is Bronya good in Honkai: Star Rail?
Bronya is one of the top-tier options players can add to their roster due to her powerful buffing abilities. She is a well-rounded unit and will help bolster the rest of the team she is placed within. If you’re looking for powerful support that will grant your team the upper hand in any battle and apply powerful effects that increase the overall effectiveness of your team, Bronya is the recruit you should choose.
Is Gepard good in Honkai: Star Rail?
For tough shields that will create a safe environment, Gepard is an excellent choice and is generally regarded as one of the best characters players can recruit in Honkai: Star Rail. His defensive mechanics are so solid that enemies will have a tough time dealing any damage at all against your characters.
There’s also no one like Gepard which makes him both a unique and powerful unit to add to your roster. If you make it to 300 pulls and don’t have Gepard, I highly recommend choosing him as your free five-star unit.
Is Clara good in Honkai: Star Rail?
While many players might place other recruits above Clara, I’ve found she is an unstoppable force that is capable of withstanding any fight and outlasting even the toughest of foes. I believe she is the second-best character players can choose because her immense damage is matched with extremely high health.
Clara also functions as an incredibly versatile recruit that can assist and aid within any team composition players might make. Her abilities allow her to deal strong blows against singular targets and equally impressive area-of-effect hits which makes her an all-around brutal and unstoppable force.
Is Yanqing good in Honkai: Star Rail?
This lieutenant might rank higher if not for the existence of Seele, who also walks The Hunt path and makes him look weak in comparison. If you can’t get Seele and are seeking a strong single-target damage dealer then you’ll be happy with Yanqing, but he is certainly nowhere near as powerful as Seele.
As more featured five-star characters come out, all other standard recruits of a similar type will likely feel a bit weaker in comparison but they will also all remain reliable units regardless.
Is Bailu good in Honkai: Star Rail?
Bailu is an immensely powerful healing force that will help any team lineup stay standing throughout even the toughest of battles. She is one of the best characters players can choose because she will help any team lineup stay alive.
As an added bonus, Bailu is one of Honkai: Star Rail’s most unique characters. She has a fish-like tail, tiny horns, and is much smaller than all other current recruits. Her appearance alone will likely inspire many to choose her and she luckily has an even better skillset to go with it.
Which standard five-star Honkai: Star Rail character is best?
Out of the seven different standard five-star characters, I believe Gepard is the best recruit if you’re seeking an immensely solid support unit while Clara is the best option if you are seeking a brutal damage dealer. Gepard is the best choice overall because there are no other characters like him while there are many other recruits you can use instead of Clara for powerful damage dealing.
Based on my experience with each playable recruit, I believe they rank as follows and that you should pull for whichever one is the highest on the list that you have not obtained yet.
- Gepard
- Clara
- Bailu
- Bronya
- Welt
- Yanqing
- Himeko
Each character is starkly different from the rest, so figuring out which one you should choose can be quite a difficult and daunting task. Luckily, there are a few ways you can analyze these characters to decide which one will benefit you the most if you want to make this decision based on strategy.
You can choose between these recruits based on an overall comparison of their skillsets, but this is tough to do since each character has a unique role and functions entirely different from the rest. A general comparison can still be made based on how these seven characters perform in their unique role in contrast with the rest.
The best characters players can choose when they are simply seeking the general best units are Gepard for shielding support and Clara for a tank with endless health points and brutal damage output. Bronya is best if you want a buffing unit and Bailu is phenomenal if you are seeking a healer. Welt is a strong debuffer, Yanqing is a solid single-target damage dealer, and Himeko is good for AoE damage.
Another way you can choose between the seven available options is to consider what kind of unit your team is missing. This can be done by considering the seven in comparison to the characters you already have to decide what kind of character best complements the lineup you are crafting.
Most battles will be nearly impossible to beat without a fairly equal balance between damage-dealing units and support recruits which means players should ensure they have at least one of each. Generally, having two of each is the best way to go unless you have a character that performs well as both.
The pity system guarantees you’ll gain a five-star recruit every 90 wishes or sooner which means you’re guaranteed to have at least four five-star units by the time you get to your 300 pull reward which will hopefully make the decision a bit easier for you. Depending on how your luck plays out, you might receive the same character multiple times and unlock Eidolons for the character rather than a new recruit.
No matter which character you choose to add to your roster, you’re sure to become more powerful as these characters will always be reliable and powerful recruits.
