Gepard Landau is one of the strongest fve-star defensive characters in Honkai: Star Rail. He’s the captain of the Silvermane Guards and belongs to the Preservation path. This Ice-type character shows his brilliance in the later parts of the game.
Here’s how you can get the best defense build for Gepard and turn him into a robust tank.
Gepard’s skills in Honkai: Star Rail
Gepard’s forte lies in shielding his whole team and he is the best in this craft. His shielding abilities also depend on his defense stat and you must focus on a build that amplifies it.
You must prioritize those Light Cones, Relics, and Traces that increase his defense and help him soak enemy damage for a longer period. It will also allow him to provide larger shields to his teammates, while they are busy with dealing damage.
- Basic attack: Gepard deals Ice damage equal to 50 percent of his ATK to a single enemy.
- Skill: Gepard deals Ice damage equal to 100 percent of his ATK to a single enemy. He also has a 65 percent base chance to Freeze the enemy for one turn, during which they can’t take action and also receive additional Ice damage equal to 30 percent of his ATK.
- Ultimate: Gepard’s Ultimate gives a Shield to all his allies for three turns. This shield can absorb damage up to 30 percent of his defense plus 150.
- Talent: Gepard gets revived with 25 percent of his maximum HP when he receives a fatal attack. This effect can be triggered only once per battle.
- Technique: After Gepard uses his Technique, all his teammates will receive a Shield for two turns at the start of the battle. The shield can absorb damage up to 24 percent of his defense plus 150.
By leveling up Gepard’s Traces, you will be able to turn him into a more well-rounded support character from a one-trick shield-providing option.
- Integrity: Gepard has a chance to trigger taunt and be targeted by his enemies.
- Fighting Spirit: Gepard’s ATK increases by 35 percent of his current defense. This effect refreshes at the start of each turn.
- Commander: When Gepard revives through his talent, his energy will be fully restored.
Gepard’s best build in Honkai: Star Rail
Light Cones
You should try to equip Gepard with his signature five-star Light Cone or weapon, Moment of Victory. If you cannot get it through the in-game store or Warp pulls, other Light Cones like Trend of the Universal Market, Landau’s Choice, and We Are Wildfire are also suitable to be used with him.
You should prefer a Light Cone that increases Gepard’s defense and helps him taunt enemies. It will allow him to attract enemy aggression and protect his allies.
Moment of Victory
- Rarity: Five Stars
- Path: Preservation
- Ability: Increases the wearer’s defense and Effect Hit Rate by 24 percent. It also makes them more likely to be attacked. If they get attacked, their defense is increased by an extra 24 percent until the end of the turn.
Trend of the Universal Market
- Rarity: Four Stars
- Path: Preservation
- Ability: Increases the wearer’s defense by 16 percent. When they are attacked, they have a 100 percent base chance to apply Burn DoT equal to 40 percent of their defense for two turns.
Landau’s Choice
- Rarity: Four Stars
- Path: Preservation
- Ability: The wearer is more likely to be attacked and their damage taken is reduced by 16 percent.
We Are Wildfire
- Rarity: Four Stars
- Path: Preservation
- Ability: At the start of the battle, allies receive eight percent reduced damage for five turns. It also restores the HP of all allies equal to 30 percent of the difference between characters’ maximum HP and current HP.
Relics
Unlike other characters, Gepard has two Relic sets that he can equip depending upon the situation. They are the Knight of Purity Palace and Guard of Wuthering Snow. The former makes his shield stronger while the latter increases his survivability in long-multiple fights (like in the Simulated Universe).
For his Planar Sphere and Link Rope, choosing Belobog of the Architects seems to be the only viable choice. The set grants percent defense stats to him.
Rather than waiting for the perfect five-star Relic, getting their four or even three-star versions and leveling them up will be more helpful for you in the game. The set bonuses provided by the Relics can help you survive against slightly higher-level enemies quite easily. Just remember to level up your Relics occasionally.
Knight of Purity Palace
- Two-piece set bonus: Increases defense by 12 percent.
- Four-piece set bonus: Increases the maximum damage absorbed by his shield by 20 percent.
- Location: Cavern of Corrosion, Echo of War, Storage Zone, Herta Space Station
Guard of Wuthering Snow
- Two-piece set bonus: Reduces the damage taken by eight percent.
- Four-piece set bonus: At the start of the turn, if the wearer’s HP is less than or equal to 50 percent, it restores eight percent of their maximum HP along with 5 Energy.
- Cavern: Cavern of Corrosion: Path of Providence
- Location: Storage Zone, Herta Space Station
Belobog of the Architects
- Two-piece set bonus: Increase the wearer’s defense by 15 percent. When their Effect Hit Rate is 50 percent or more, they gain an additional 15 percent.
- Location: Simulated Universe, Herta’s Office, Herta Space Station
You can level up Light Cones and Relics and ascend them as your Equilibrium Level increases through in-game progression. Having an aggression-attracting tank character like Gepard will help your team survive in the later parts of the game when the enemies start dealing immense damage.
When it comes to building a team around him, Yanqing is a good choice to have. Freeze is the most effective crowd control ability in the game currently as the enemy turn is skipped when they are frozen. With both Gepard and Yanqing having a 65 percent chance of Freezing enemies, you can chain-lock enemies for a long period. The addition of a healer and a buff/debuff character will make this team completely overpowered.
You can also check out our guides for other five-star Fire characters like Himeko and Fire Trailblazer in Honkai: Star Rail.
