Honkai: Star Rail Black Swan Build Guide | Best Black Swan Light Cones, Relics, Teams

After being teased in the first Myriad Celestia trailer so many months ago, Black Swan has finally arrived as a playable character in Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.0. The beautiful and aloof Black Swan is a Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection, the faction that worships Fuli, the Aeon of Remembrance, and she plays an important in the Penacony main story. As a character, Black Swan is a 5-star Wind Nihility unit that uses a special type of damage-over-time effect called Arcana to rend and shred her opponents, especially when paired with other characters who can do Bleed, Burn, Shock or Wind Shear.

Here’s how to make the best Black Swan build in Honkai: Star Rail. This guide will include a deep dive into Black Swan’s kit, how her unique Arcana DoT debuff works, what Light Cones and Relic sets you should run on her, and what F2P or premium teams she belongs in. 

Want more Honkai: Star Rail guides and content? Then you can find more, including our other character build guides, here on KeenGamer:

1. Honkai: Star Rail Ruan Mei Build Guide
2. Honkai: Star Rail | Simulated Universe World 4 Guide (Easy F2P Clear)
3. Honkai: Star Rail | Simulated Universe World 6 Guide (Easy F2P Clear)
4. Honkai: Star Rail | The Seven Errors of Cycranes Guide
5. Honkai: Star Rail | Luminflux Pyxis Day 3 Puzzle Guide

Black Swan Ascension Materials

First and foremost, let’s discuss what materials you’ll need to grind out to take your Black Swan to maximum Ascension level in Honkai Star Rail: 

• 15x Extinguished Core / 15x Glimmering Core / 15x Squirming Core (Enemy Drop)
• 65x Ascendant Debris (Stagnant Shadow Material)
• 308k Credits

Cores are the main material which drops from defeating Fragmentum monsters. From the bat-like Frostspawn to the looming Guardian Shadows, there are a lot of different Fragmentum creatures who drop the Cores you need, with most of them being on Belobog or the Herta Space Station. Fragmentum creatures can usually be found roaming the wastes of Rivet Town or the Corridor of Fading Echoes but, if you want a more consistent farm, play through the first six worlds of the Simulated Universe where these enemies spawn in abundance.

When it comes to Black Swan’s Stagnant Shadow Material, she needs Ascendant Debris, the latest Wind-aligned Shadow drop to be added to HSR. The Shape of Celestial Stagnant Shadow can be found within the Alchemy Commission and it pits you against an Ascended, a humanoid pawn of the Abundance who can inflict your party with Prana-Siphon, capping their max HP. Ascended are weak to Physical, Ice and Lightning DMG so be mindful of that to maximise your success in this Shadow. 

Lastly, it’s important to note that Black Swan doesn’t use the same Nihility materials as other Nihility units. Instead of using the Obsidian series of Talent materials from the Great Mine, Black Swan requires a new set of drops from a Crimson Calyx in the Alchemy Commission. These drops include Fiery Spirit, Starfire Essence and Heaven Incinerator.

In the Palm of Her Hand

Black Swan Kit

Percipience, Silent Dawn (Basic ATK)

Black Swan is a 5-star Wind Nihility unit so you may not expect much from her Basic ATK, Precipience, Silent Dawn. This deals minor Wind DMG to a single target but with the bonus of having a 50% base chance of applying the Arcana effect with each attack. Additionally, if that same targeting is suffering from any DoT effects (Bleed, Burn, Shock or Wind Shear) there is a 

Arcana is the name of Black Swan’s unique damage-over-time effect and you’ll be seeing it pop up everywhere in her kit. You can think of it like an upgraded version of Wind Shear which stacks a multitude of times, with her Basic ATK being a cheap and easy way to apply it without needing to spend Skill Points. This gives her a ton of flexibility when taking on a single target, allowing her to be paired with more SP-intensive units without needing to sacrifice her damage or utility.

Black Swan’s Basic ATK

Decadence, False Twilight (Skill)

If Black Swan’s Basic ATK is how she consistently applies Arcana to a single target, then her Skill, Decadence, False Twilight, is how she can spread that Arcana to multiple targets at once. When cast, Black Swan will deal Wind DMG to a single enemy target as well as to any adjacent targets, with a 100% base chance of applying Arcana to any enemy hit. Furthermore, there is also a 100% base chance of lowering the DEF of each target hit by upwards of 20% for 3 turns. 

Not only is Black Swan’s Skill an excellent way to apply multiple Arcana stacks at once, but it’s also a great general debuffing tool because of its DEF-lowering capabilities. This DEF decrease does allow DoT effects like Arcana to deal more damage, allowing Black Swan to act as a support for the rest of the team without needing to stop her damage output, only adding to her versatility and flexibility as a unit. 

Between her Basic ATK and her Skill, Black Swan has a way to apply Arcana no matter the situation: if you are drowning in Skill Points and are looking to get in a bit of extra damage, go with her Skill, whereas SP poor players can simply rely on her Basic ATK to afflict all the Arcana they need. When it comes to DoT characters, Black Swan is one of the most generous and easy to use in all of Honkai: Star Rail. 

Black Swan’s Skill

Bliss of Otherworld’s Embrace (Ultimate)

Next is Black Swan’s Ultimate, Bliss of Otherworld’s Embrace, and aside from having one of the best Ultimate animations in the entirety of Honkai Star Rail, it synergises perfectly with the rest of her kit. When cast, this attack deals a high amount of Wind DMG to all targets on the field based on Black Swan’s ATK. Additionally, and more importantly, Black Swan will also inflict all enemies with the Epiphany debuff. 

Epiphany lasts for 2 turns and causes afflicted enemies to take upwards of 30% more DMG during their turn, massively improving the damage of any DoT effect, including Arcana. Furthermore, during Epiphany’s duration, any of Black Swan’s Arcana effects are considered as being Bleed, Burn, Shock of Wind Shear and their stacks aren’t reset when the Arcana effect is triggered at the start of their next turn. 

In short, Bliss of Otherworld’s Embrace lets Black Swan supercharge both her Arcana damage and her Arcana generation rate. By considering Arcana as a standard DoT effect under Epiphany, Black Swan can spawn additional Arcana stacks via her Basic ATK without needing another DoT present, and it also lets characters like Kafka trigger and exploit Arcana when they otherwise couldn’t. On top of that, the extra 30% DMG Epiphany allows is simply absurd, especially if you combine various DoT effects as they will all benefit from the 30% boost. 

Black Swan’s Ultimate

Loom of Fate’s Caprice (Talent)

Black Swan’s Talent, Loom of Fate’s Caprice, is where everything comes together because this is what determines her Arcana damage. While afflicted with Arcana, enemies will take a massive amount of Wing DMG based on Black Swan’s ATK, with each individual stack of Arcana increasing the damage multiplier. Arcana itself can stack up to 50 times and will be reset once the damage is dealt. If that wasn’t enough, Black Swan’s Talent also gives her a chance to spawn an Arcana stack whenever an enemy receives DoT DMG at the start of their turn. 

If Arcana is the only DoT effect to deal damage at the start of a turn, Black Swan will trigger several additional effects. When there are 3 or more Arcana stacks present, she will deal major Wind DMG to adjacent targets alongside the main target, with a chance to afflict them with Arcana. Then, when there are 7 or more Arcana stacks present, it enables the current DoT instance to ignore a percentage of the target’s DEF.

This Talent would still be crazy if it only increased the damage of Arcana but no, it instead turns Black Swan into a DoT damage super weapon. The potential damage 50 stacks of Arcana can deal in a single instance is insane, especially when you pair it with the DEF decrease of her Skill. Also, Black Swan is far more reliable than most other DoT Nihility units because she can work excellently with or without other sources of DoT, allowing her to be self-sustaining without losing out on much damage. Black Swan is a stupidly strong character and her Talent is a large reason for that strength. 

From Facade to Verite (Technique)

Last but not least, From Facade to Verite is Black Swan’s Technique. For Technique Point, Black Swan will have a 150% base chance of afflicting all targets with Arcana when she next enters battle. When Arcana is successfully applied in this manner, it will attempt to apply another Arcana stack until the process fails. 

If you get lucky with this Technique, you’re potentially looking at starting a fight with upwards of 5 or more Arcana stacks without even needing to lift a finger. Combining this with the vast array of buffs and bonuses Black Swan’s Arcana stacks get and this is another really strong part of her kit that you should definitely consider using Technique Points on, especially if you’re going into a boss fight or a battle with a lot of enemies. 

Black Swan’s Technique

Black Swan’s Traces and Passives

Aside from Black Swan’s core Traces and abilities, she has many important upgrades and passives which she can unlock from her Trace Tree. These passives are game-changing in that they allow Black Swan to more confidently step into the role of a main damage dealer by improving the consistency and lethality of her Arcana, as well as by providing her with a ton of useful stat bonuses. Black Swan is already, at baseline, at a really good unit and her Traces just make that even more apparent. 

First off, let’s go over all of the stat bonuses you can receive from investing in Black Swan’s Minor Traces which, in some way shape or form, increase her damage output significantly. 

• 28% ATK Bonus
• 14.4% Wind DMG Bonus
• 10% Effect Hit Rate Bonus

Black Swan’s Trace Tree

Black Swan’s first major Trace is Viscera’s Disquiet which is unlocked at Character Ascension Level 2. After using her Skill to hit an enemy that has Bleed, Burn, Shock or Wind Shear, each of these debuffs respectively has a 65% base chance of inflicting 1 extra stack of Arcana. This Trace makes Black Swan even more lethal when paired with other DoT users, allowing her to piggyback off their debuffs to quickly accelerate her own Arcana generation, leading to a massive amount of damage on the next turn from both effects. 

Her next Trace, Goblet’s Dredges, is available at Ascension Level 4 and it gives a 65% chance to instantly afflict enemies with 1 Arcana stack whenever they enter battle. Additionally, every time an enemy target takes damage from a DoT effect during an ally’s attack, there is a 65% base chance for that target to be inflicted with 1 stack of Arcana, stacking up to 3 times during 1 attack. This is simply another way for Black Swan to generate as many Arcana stacks as possible while also making her a perfect pairing for Kafka, a character who can detonate DoTs on her turn using her Skill. 

Lastly, Candleflame’s Portent is unlocked at Character Ascension 6 and it increases Black Swan’s DMG by an amount equal to 60% of her Effect Hit Rate, up to a maximum of 72% extra DMG. DMG increases in Honkai: Star Rail are the best and most powerful kind of buff in the game as opposed to a single stat increase, already making this a great Trace to invest in. The cherry on top is that the stat you need to build is Effect Hit Rate which will increase Black Swan’s ability to inflict DoT on even the most resistant targets. 

So, in short, Black Swan’s Traces are all about empowering her Arcana debuff by making it deal more damage, synergise better with other DoT effects, and have an easier time generating new stacks. There isn’t much else to say, to be honest, they simply improve the already absurd potential Black Swan has, letting her be a better damage dealer or DoT support.  

The Beauty of Memory

Black Swan Trace Priority

1. Loom of Fate’s Caprice (Talent)
2. Decadence, False Twilight (Skill)
3. Bliss of Otherworld’s Embrace (Ultimate)
4. Percipience, Silent Dawn (Basic ATK)

The damage of Black Swan’s Arcana debuff is entirely dependent on her Talent level. Arcana is how Black Swan can operate effectively as either a main damage dealer, sub-DPS or DoT support, meaning that her Arcana has to be as strong as it possibly can be. Increasing the level of her Talent will not only improve Arcana’s damage across the board but also how likely it is to generate new stacks when enemies enter the field or when Arcana hits adjacent targets. Lethality and consistency are both factors of her Talent, making it a number one priority when it comes to levelling her Traces. 

Black Swan’s Skill is second in terms of levelling priority for two main reasons. Firstly, it’s her main and most consistent way of applying Arcana to multiple targets at once, allowing her to get the ball rolling on her damage much sooner. Secondly, levelling her Skill will also increase the DEF decrease the Skill provides, allowing Black Swan to impair her enemies much better and deal more damage as a result. Compared to her Ultimate (which requires a stream of Energy) and her Basic ATK (which is single-target), her Skill is simply more important. 

As for her Ultimate and Basic ATK, neither are bad and you need to keep them both relatively high: just because they’re less important than her Skill or Talent doesn’t make them useless. However, her Ultimate just inches a win over her Basic ATK because of the strength of Epiphany and how it can significantly boost the damage of both Arcana and any other DoT effects. Meanwhile, her Basic ATK’s Arcana generation is already excellent even at lower levels of investment, making it the least important when it comes to prioritising Black Swan’s Talents. 

Black Swan, Master Diviner

Black Swan’s Eidolons

If you pull a duplicate of a character you already have in Honkai Star Rail, you’ll receive one of that character’s Eidolons, instead. These Eidolons do wonders for a character’s kit, often improving their viability and strength considerably, Black Swan included. However, as a limited 5-star, Black Swan’s Eidolons are far more difficult to obtain than for standard 5-stars or 4-stars as you’ll have to pull on her limited-time Character Event Warp, Ripples in Reflection, and get lucky enough to summon her multiple times.

1. Seven Pillars of Wisdom: While Black Swan is active in battle, enemies afflicted with Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn, or Shock will have their corresponding Wind, Physical, Fire, or Lightning RES respectively reduced by 25%.
2. Weep Not For Me, My Lamb: When an enemy target afflicted with Arcana is defeated, there is a 100% base chance of inflicting 6 stacks of Arcana on adjacent targets.
3. As Above, So Below: Increases Skill Lv. +2  and Talent Lv. +2.
4. In Tears We Gift: While in the Epiphany state, enemy targets have their Effect RES reduced by 10%. Additionally, at the start of their turn or when they get defeated, Black Swan regenerates 8 Energy. This Energy Regeneration effect can only trigger up to 1 time while Epiphany lasts and is reset when a new Epiphany instance is cast.
5. Linnutee Flyway: Increases Ultimate Lv. +2 and Basic ATK Lv. +1
6. Pantheon Merciful, Masses Pitiful: When enemy targets get attacked by Black Swan’s allies, Black Swan has a 65% base chance of inflicting 1 stack of Arcana on the target. Also, each time Black Swan inflicts Arcana on an enemy target, there is a 50% fixed chance to additionally increase the number of Arcana stacks afflicted by 1.

In terms of Black Swan’s best Eidolons, her E1, E2 and E6 all stand out. Black Swan’s E6 is obviously a huge boost to her damage and Arcana generation, allowing her to consistently hit the upper echelons of her Arcana damage multipliers, but her E1 makes her an even stronger pair with other DoT characters like Kafka, Guinaifen, Sampo and Luka. Meanwhile, her E2 is a way to weaponize defeating enemies, allowing Black Swan to become a confident carry in modes like Pure Fiction. 

Dance with the Divine

Best Light Cone for Black Swan

Best in Slot: Reforged Remembrance (Nihility)

When it comes to Black Swan’s best Light Cone in Honkai: Star Rail, the answer is easily her signature Nihility Light Cone, Reforged Remembrance (Nihility). This Light Cone is available on the Brilliant Fixation Light Cone Event Warp while Black Swan’s Ripples in Reflection Character Warp is still ongoing, meaning that it is a limited-time Light Cone: fail to pull it and you’ll need to wait for Black Swan’s rerun. As for what it does, it directly improves Black Swan’s damage and stability while only increasing her compatibility with other DoT users.

At level 90, Reforged Remembrance will give the wearer 1058 HP, 582 ATK and 463 DEF along with access to the Crystallize effect. This increases the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate by 40% and grants them 1 stack of Prophet whenever they hit an enemy afflicted by a DoT effect (Bleed, Burn, Shock or Wind Shear), which stacks up to 4 times. Every stack of Prophet increases the wearer’s ATK by 5% and enables their DoT effect to ignore 7.2% of the target’s DEF.

Reforged Remembrance is excellent for several reasons. Firstly, the extra Effect Hit Rate improves Black Swan’s ability to afflict foes with Arcana (especially when going against enemies with high debuff resistance) as well as her damage thanks to her A6 Trace. Secondly, the Prophet effect lets Black Swan synergise even better with other DoT users, drastically increasing their damage. However, even without other sources of DoT, Black Swan’s Ultimate will allow her own Arcana stacks to be considered as Bleed or Shock: other DoT characters simply make it easier to trigger Prophet, they don’t stop her from benefitting if they aren’t on the team or actively attacking. 

If you have some spare Stellar Jade after pulling Black Swan and are looking for a powerhouse of a Light Cone which works well on any DoT-centric Nihility unit, Remembrance Reforged is the choice for you. Between the debuff consistency increase and the ability to easily generate extra damage with Prophet stacks, it is well worth your Jade.

Remembrance Reforged, Black Swan’s BiS

Recommended 4-Star Light Cones for Black Swan

While true that Black Swan’s signature Light Cone is her best option, many Black Swan-havers won’t be able to get her and her Light Cone, forcing them to pick a lesser option. Well, as luck would have it, Nihility is full of Light Cones which are perfect for Black Swan’s playstyle, allowing her to still thrive even without Reforged Remembrance. 

We do want to note that, outside of one obvious exception, the only Light Cones in this section will be 4-star in rarity. While some 5-star Nihility Light Cones such as Patience is All You Need are excellent on Black Swan, many players likely won’t have them: even if you do, you’d likely want to run them on the DoT characters that you pair with Black Swan. If you do have a spare 5-star Nihility LC, give it a spin on Black Swan but don’t fret if you only have access to 4 stars.

Speaking of, the best replacement Light Cones for Black Swan in Honkai: Star Rail include It’s Showtime, Good Night and Sleep Well, and Solitary Healing.

It’s Showtime

It’s Showtime is the newest 4-star Nihility Light Cone outside of Reforged Remembrance and it’s available to purchase at the Light Cone Manifest within the Priceless Jewels Store. At level 90, it’ll provide 1058 HP, 476 ATK and 264 DEF to the wearer. Meanwhile, the Self-Amusement effect causes the wearer to gain a stack of Trick for 1 turn whenever they inflict an enemy with a debuff, with each stack increasing the wearer’s DMG by 6%. Additionally, if the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate is above 80%, their ATK will also increase by 20%. Black Swan’s Arcana are some of the easiest debuffs to generate in the game and she already has the incentive to get high amounts of Effect Hit Rate thanks to her A6, making this LC a great pairing with her kit. 

The next Light Cone on the list is Good Night and Sleep Well which you can obtain from any of the Warp Bannes. At level 90, Good Night provides 952 HP, 476 ATK and 330 DEF along with the Toiler effect. This increases the user’s damage by 12% for every debuff the target is afflicted with, stacking up to 3 times. Good Night and Sleep Well is a very simple and sweet Light Cone in a similar vein to It’s Showtime by once again easily boosting Black Swan’s damage thanks to how easily she can generate a lot of Arcana stacks.

Lastly, we have a bit of a rule-breaker with Solitary Healing, a 5-star Nihility Light Cone which you can get for free at Herta’s Shop in the Simulated Universe, making it an excellent F2P option for all players. At level 90, Solitary Healing gives 1058 HP, 529 ATK and 396. Chaos Elixir, Solitary Healing’s main effect, does a lot of different things, starting with a 20% increase in Break Effect. In addition, it increases the wearer’s DoT DMG by 24% for 2 turns after they cast their Ultimate and regenerates them 4 Energy whenever an enemy under the effect of a DoT is defeated. The multitude of buffs from this LC are great for any Nihility character, Black Swan included. 

Solitary Healing

Black Swan’s Best Relic and Planar Ornament Sets

Compared to most other characters in Honkai: Star Rail, Black Swan has a really simple path when it comes to her Relics and Planar Ornaments, to the point where her best options eclipse everything else and make them almost not worthy of acknowledgement. For Black Swan’s Relics, we’re looking for set bonuses which improve her damage output with Arcana, which means either raising ATK to directly boost it or dip into Effect Hit Rate because of her Ascension 6 Trace. 

Because of Black Swan’s focus on DoT damage above all else, there’s only one option when it comes to her main Relic set and that is Prisoner in Deep Confinement, one of the two sets in the Path of Darkness Cavern of Corrosion. With all 4 pieces of Prisoner equipped, Black Swan will benefit from a 16% ATK boost and when dealing damage to an enemy she can ignore 6% of their DEF for every DoT they are suffering from, up to a maximum of 3 DoTs. 

Everything about this set makes Black Swan sing. From the ATK increase which will directly improve both her ability and Arcana damage to the ability to easily bypass DEF with her abundant amount of debuffs, there’s no better set for her in Honkai Star Rail. This set hyperfocuses on raising Black Swan’s damage output and, when paired with the various effects baked into her kit, she can become a great damage dealer.

The Path of Darkness Cavern

As for her Planar Ornament set, the best choice is full Pan-Cosmic Commercial Enterprise, the Effect Hit Rate set from the Simulated Universe. Firstly, this set increases the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate by 10% and, secondly, it also increases their ATK by 25% of their Effect Hit Rate, up to a maximum of 25%. That second half of the bonus is very similar to Black Swan’s A6, allowing her to double up on buffs and grow incredibly strong from just stacking Effect Ht Rate which, as we previously mentioned, also improves her debuff consistency. 

While Deep Cofindement and Commercial Enterprise are Black Swan’s best pairing, you can substitute the latter for Firmament Frontline Glamoth, if you plan on running your Black Swan build with a lot of SPD. This set increases the wearer’s ATK by 12% and then increases their damage by a further 12%/18% when they reach a total SPD of 135/160 or higher. DoT characters need a good amount of SPD to ensure they can pile as many debuffs on the target before their turn making this a relatively good option if you happen to have a ridiculously high amount of SPD on Black Swan. However, we still mainly recommend Commerical Enterprise for simplicity and synergy purposes. 

Best Relics for Black Swan

Most Important Stats for Black Swan

Separate from the Relic set bonus are the Relics themselves which you’ll need to grind for the right main and substats which match your character. For Black Swan’s build, she’s a relatively simple damage dealer who scales primarily off of a single stat (ATK) making her farming process pretty straightforward. As such, here are the main stats you’ll be searching for on Black Swan’s Relics and Planar Ornaments: 

• Body: ATK%
• Feet: ATK% / SPD
• Planar Sphere: Wind DMG Bonus
• Link Rope: ATK% / Energy Recharge

Alongside the central main stat, each Relic has four smaller substats. Despite being a smaller amount than the main stats, it’s in these substats where your build really starts to come to life. With that in mind, here are Black Swan’s most important substats in Honkai: Star Rail in the order you should prioritise them:

1. ATK%
2. Effect Hit Rate
3. SPD
4. Energy Recharge

Cannot Escape Fate

Best Teams for Black Swan

Premium Black Swan DoT Team

Finally, let’s go over Black Swan’s two best teams, one premium and one completely F2P. Starting with the premium team, we’re looking for a composition where Black Swan can comfortably act as a damage dealer alongside other DoT units who can fuel her various buffs and effects. In return, Black Swan’s DEF shred and variety of Arcana buffs should similarly aid any other DoT units, making this a nice cyclical team. We’ll also need someone to balance out the low health and survivability of most Nihility and damage-over-time centric units. 

To make the best premium Black Swan DoT team in Honkai Star Rail, run her alongside Kafka, Huohuo and Guinaifen or Sampo. 

We alluded to this earlier but Black Swan’s greatest ally is none other than everyone’s favourite Stellaron Hunter, Kafka. As another Nihility unit, one focused on Shock, Kafka is already a good pairing because her DoT synergises excellently with Black Swan’s Arcana. However, thanks to Kafka’s unique ability to instantly detonate DoT effects using her Skill, she can turn Black Swan’s Arcana into a small nuke. Because Arcana isn’t considered an ordinary DoT, you will have to be under the Epiphany effect from Black Swan’s Ultimate for this to work but, when it does, you’ll have a ton of power in the palm of your hand. Aside from that amazing synergy, Kafka is just an excellent main DPS who can output a ton of damage and a ton of DoT without breaking a sweat. 

Kafka of the Stellaron Hunters

Our next member of the team is another DoT user and, depending on your preferences, the team composition can change slightly. The two best contenders are Guinaifen and Sampo, who deal with Burn and Wind Shear, respectively. Guinaifen’s Firekiss debuff shreds enemy DEF, allowing her, Kafka and Black Swan to deal insane damage with their respective DoT effects. Meanwhile, Sampo’s Ultimate increases the damage the enemy takes from all DoT sources. Ultimately, the choice is yours because both units are excellent. As a side note, if you run Sampo and Black Swan together, consider swapping Black Swan’s Planar Ornament out for Penacony, Land of Dreams for the same type DMG Bonus. 

Finally, DoT characters tend to be pretty squishy, meaning that you need a competent healer to carry you through. Enter Huohuo, the little Judge from the Xianzhou Luofu. Huohuo’s ability to not only heal but also raise ATK and Energy Recharge – two extremely important stats to all members of this team – is great, making her the prime pairing for Black Swan and Kafka. Additionally, her cleanse will be useful in getting rid of any debuffs which may threaten your team, allowing you to avoid certain bad situations. 

Black Swan Premium DoT Team

F2P Black Swan DoT Team

Of course, Kafka isn’t on the table for every Trailblazer and some players may not have that many characters. Fortunately, the best Black Swan F2P team is almost the same as the premium one, barring two major characters, making it a cheap and easy investment for any player. The DoT play style is dominated by 4-star like Luka, Sampo, Guinaifen and even Serval, making it super F2P friendly, especially if you happen to get your hands on Black Swan. 

For the best F2P Black Swan team in Honkai: Star Rail, run her alongside Sampo, Guinaifen and Natasha. 

Lil Guinaifen, the Xianzhou’s Leading Lady

Instead of having to compete for one spot, this team can run Guinaifen and Sampo together, allowing you to benefit from Guinaifen’s Firekiss DEF decrease and Sampo’s DoT effectiveness increase at the same time. This also means that you get to run Burn and Wind Shear simultaneously, allowing you to still have 3 DoTs on an enemy target at one time, synergising excellently with Black Swan’s Arcana generation abilities. All three of our main damage units will be hitting hard and hitting often. 

Of course, we also have to switch out the team’s healer. Instead of Huohuo, we’ll be running Natasha, the first 4-star Abundance character in HSR and still one of its best. You do have the option of running Lynx but between Natasha’s AoE Ultimate heal, her ability to easily cleanse with her Skill and the fact that she can use her Basic ATK to keep the Skill Points high, she will make the best choice for this team, specifically. 

Black Swan F2P DoT Team

That was how to make the best Black Swan build in Honkai: Star Rail.