Should you pull for Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae in Honkai: Star Rail?

His true form makes for a powerful character.

Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae using his powers.
Image via miHoYo

If you’ve boarded the Astral Express and explored Honkai: Star Rail at all, you’re certainly familiar with the four-star Wind recruit Dan Heng since he is a key character among the main cast of the game. Dan Heng is the first Honkai: Star Rail recruit to get an upgraded form named Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae, a five-star Imaginary character who you might be debating pulling for.

Recommended Videos

Is Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae worth pulling for in Honkai: Star Rail?

Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae is a brutal and versatile damage dealer who you should absolutely pull for if you can. He is more complex than any other recruit Honkai: Star Rail has seen so far, but all of his complexities work to make him an incredibly powerful unit.

The five-star character wields Imaginary powers and is part of the Destruction path. This means he is a tanky damage dealer who packs a massive amount of health points.

Based on my experience with characters of every path type in Honkai: Star Rail, I’ve found Destruction characters are easily my favorites. Everything about them is quite useful as they will last through any battle while also dishing out impressive damage.

Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae holding a light.
He is a High Elder of the Luofu and the holder of the Azure Dragon’s legacy. Image via miHoYo

Related: Which free five-star should you choose for 300 pulls in Honkai: Star Rail?

Before you decide for certain whether to pull for Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae, you might want to first consider his skills so you know what complexities he possesses.

Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae skills and abilities

The five-star Imaginary recruit has five core skills just like all other recruits, but he also has additional abilities beyond this depending on how his skills are used. This makes him both a powerful and complex character.

All of Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae’s abilities are as follows and are discussed at the lowest and highest levels so you have an idea of where he starts and where he’ll go as you build him.

  • “Beneficent Lotus” basic attack: This single-target attack deals two quick strikes against the selected opponent equal to 50 percent to 130 percent of his attack.
    • “Transcendence” alternate basic attack (one): Applies three strikes of Imaginary damage equal to 130 percent to 338 percent of Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae’s basic attack against a single target.
    • “Divine Spear” alternate basic attack (two): Activates a five-hit attack that deals Imaginary damage equal to 190 percent to 532 percent of Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae’s attack against one target. Starting with the fourth hit, this turns into a blast attack that also deals Imaginary damage equal to 30 percent to 84 percent of his attack against adjacent enemies.
    • “Fulgurant Leap” alternate basic attack (three): Applies a seven-hit attack that deals Imaginary damage equal to 250 percent to 650 percent of Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae’s attack against one selected target. From the fourth strike onward, this attack also deals 90 percent to 234 percent of his attack as Imaginary damage against adjacent foes.
  • “Dracore Libre” skill: Enhances his basic attack to convert it to an alternate variant. His skill can be used up to three times within the same turn and will change the attack to a different variant based on how many times it is used.
    • If the “Dracore Libre” skill is used one time, the “Beneficent Lotus” basic attack becomes “Transcendence.”
    • If the “Dracore Libre” skill is used two times, the “Beneficent Lotus” basic attack becomes “Divine Spear.”
    • If the “Dracore Libre” skill is used three times, the “Beneficent Lotus” basic attack becomes “Fulgurant Leap.”
  • “Azure’s Aqua Ablutes All” Ultimate: Initiates a three-strike attack that deals 180 percent to 360 percent of Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae’s attack as Imaginary damage against a single enemy and Imaginary damage equal to 84 percent to 168 percent of his attack against adjacent enemies. He also gains three Squama Sacrosancta, which is the maximum number that can be obtained at any point. Squama Sacrosancta essentially acts as special skill points only for him that can be consumed by Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae instead of regular skill points.
  • “Righteous Heart” talent: Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae receives one stack of Righteous Heart after each hit that is unleashed during an attack. The Righteous Heart talent increases his damage by five percent to 12.5 percent with up to a maximum of six stacks. These stacks last until the end of his turn.
  • “Heaven-Quelling Prismadrakon” technique: After this ability is used, Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae enters a special Leaping Dragon State. When this state is active, using his attack makes him move forward quickly while striking all foes he comes into contact with and evading incoming attacks. Upon entering a battle while this state is active, Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae deals Imaginary damage equal to 120 percent of his attack against all opponents and gains one Squama Sacrosancta.
Dan Heng striking down with an attack.
This is certainly an upgrade from the regular Dan Heng. Image via miHoYo

Should you pull for Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae or Fu Xuan in Honkai: Star Rail?

Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae and Fu Xuan are two of the most impressive characters Honkai: Star Rail has seen yet, so you should absolutely pull for one or the other. Generally, you should choose between them based on the type of character you need for your team.

If your team is lacking a strong damage dealer, pull for Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae. If your team is missing a versatile support unit, you’ll want to pull for Fu Xuan instead.

Although the last set of banners was a tough matchup between Kafka and Blade, this one might feature an even tougher decision. Both characters are immensely versatile and powerful at what they do, so you can’t go wrong choosing either of them.

I would personally recommend choosing Fu Xuan over Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae simply because she is the best support character Honkai: Star Rail has seen yet there are many other impressive damage dealers already in circulation. Fu Xuan can heal, shield, and buff, which is a ridiculously OP skillset for just one character to have. But I’d still ultimately recommend trying to pull for both characters if you can.

Another reason to consider pulling for Fu Xuan over Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae is his complex skillset. If you like basic, straightforward characters, you might not want Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae since he possesses tiered and complicated mechanics. He is incredibly powerful, but his unique gameplay style won’t be for everyone.

Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae looking to the side.
It’s truly a tough choice to choose between two immensely powerful units. Image via miHoYo

Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae’s “Epochal Spectrum” banner will be live from Aug. 30 to Sept. 20 when Fu Xuan will then take over for the second half of Version 1.3. He likely won’t be obtainable for a long time after, probably at least six months but maybe much more, so be sure to pull for him during his debut banner run if you want to add him to your roster.

Author
Image of Kacee Fay
Kacee Fay
Staff Writer at Dot Esports covering new releases and a wide array of topics including Minecraft, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Phasmophobia, general gaming, streaming, and more. She has been avidly writing and gaming her whole life and now spends her time combining the two. Kacee graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Certificate in Creative Editing and Publishing. She then joined Dot Esports as a Freelance Writer in 2022 before transitioning to a Staff Writer in 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys buying more books than she can read, gaming alone or with friends, drinking too much tea, attending concerts, fangirling over movies and television, listening to music, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets, who are the most important parts of her world.