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

The second phase of Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.5 has arrived, bringing with it a new playable character in the form of Lingsha, the new Alchemy Commission head aboard the Xianzhou Luofu. Originally from the Xuming, Lingsha is a talented healer and alchemist with a penchant for receiving favours from the heights of Xianzhou society. As a fighter, Lingsha is our second Fire Abundance unit after Gallagher and, just like Gallagher, she provides an excellent amount of healing as well as additional Break Effect utility for the whole team. 

Here’s how to make the best Lingsha build in Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.5. This guide will cover everything from Lingsha’s kit and how her Traces work, what order you should level them in, what her best Relic and Light Cones sets are, and what team compositions Lingsha works best in. 

If you’re looking for some other Star Rail content, you can find more here on KeenGamer:

1. Honkai: Star Rail | All Lordly Trashcan Locations in 2.2
2. Honkai: Star Rail | All Scorchsand Audition Venue Hidden Challenge Solutions
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

Smoke and Mirrors

Lingsha Release Date and Banner Availability

Lingsha is the leading lady of the second half of Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.5 and, before we dive into her kit and build mechanics, let’s first look at when her Character Event Warp will go live and how long it will be available for. During this time, Lingsha will be running alongside Topaz and Numby, a powerful support-DPS-hybrid character for Follow-Up Attack comps. 

Lingsha’s Limited Character Event Warp, “Let Scent Sink In”, will go live on October 2nd and remain for three weeks until October 22nd when Version 2.5 ends. Any 5-star character you happen to pull while summoning on Lingsha’s banner has a 50% chance to be Lingsha: lose the 50/50 and get a Standard Banner 5-star instead and your next character is guaranteed to be the featured limited unit. During this time, both Lingsha and Topaz will be joined by Natasha, Guinaifen, and Misha as rate-up 4-star characters.

Once Lingsha’s Limited Character Warp expires on October 22nd, you’ll need to wait for her to get a rerun if you don’t manage to get her this time. Characters in Star Rail tend to rerun roughly 6 to 8 months after their initial debut but, since 2.5 has introduced additional rerun banners, Lingsha may pop back up sooner than expected. 

Let Scent Sink In

Honkai Star Rail Lingsha Kit Overview

Votive Incense (Basic ATK)

The first trick up Lingsha’s sleeve is her Basic ATK, Votive Incense. This ability simply deals minor Fire DMG to a single target. 

Lingsha’s niche is as a powerful healer and Break Effect support which already makes her Basic ATK less worthwhile when compared to any of her other abilities. However, even without that in mind, Votive Incense is just… fine. It doesn’t synergise with most of her kit that well (with one key exception), her Skill is ten times more valuable in moment-to-moment combat, and it just doesn’t do a lot of damage. Lingsha’s Basic ATK is fine and that’s all that really needs to be said. 

Stained Fingers

Smoke and Splendor (Skill)

Lingsha’s Skill is where things get a lot more interesting and where her unique position as a Break Effect-healer hybrid comes into action. First and foremost, Smoke and Splendor is an AoE ability that deals Fire DMG to all enemies on the field. At the same time, Lingsha will restore HP equal to a percentage of her ATK for all allies. Secondly, if Fuyuan, Lingsha’s summon, is on the field, using Smoke and Splendor will advance Fuyuan’s next action by 20%.

As an AoE ability with some decent ATK scaling, Lingsha is capable of dealing a good amount of damage (at least for a supporting character) while also lowering Toughness for Fire Weak enemies across the board. This is excellent as Lingsha specialises in increasing Break DMG, making her adept against packs of Fire Weak opponents. Of course, this ability is also one of Lingsha’s healing options, making it a reliable team-wide heal for a variety of scenarios, and it lets you take advantage of Fuyuan, her summon, far more often. 

In general, Lingsha’s Skill has a wide variety of uses – from damage to Break potential to healing – making it the cornerstone of her main gameplay loop. If you’re able to balance the Skill Point economy, Lingsha will be able to reliably keep your team alive while also bringing your opponents within Break range for your stronger, more damage-oriented allies.

Blow It Away

Dripping Mistscape (Ultimate)

Dripping Mistscape is Lingsha’s Ultimate and it’s where the Break Effect enhancement part of her kit comes in. With enough Energy, Lingsha will deal high Fire DMG to all enemies while also inflicting them with Befog and restoring HP for all allies. Opponents afflicted with Befog take increased Break DMG and Befog lasts for 2 turns.

Like Lingsha’s Skill, her Ultimate is a multifaceted ability, providing you with healing, damage, and the all-important Break Effect potency increase. That increase extends to Super Break damage, too, making it an excellent tool for Break-oriented teams. However, similar to Ruan Mei, every character in the game will benefit from that higher Break DMG, making Lingsha a very reliable and safe Abundance pick-up if you’re missing out on other sustain mainstays like Huohuo or Aventurine. 

World of Crimson Mist

Mistdance Manifest (Talent)

Fuyuan, Lingsha’s summon, is tied to her Talent, Mistdance Manifest. Using Lingsha’s Skill will summon Fuyuan onto the field and, once it reaches Fuyuan’s action, it will unleash a Follow-Up Attack that deals minor Fire DMG to all targets. Additionally, it will deal another instance of Fire DMG to a random enemy, prioritising targets who are yet to be Broken and who have a Fire Weakness, while also dispelling 1 debuff from all allies and restoring HP at the same time. Repeatedly using Lingsha’s Skill will increase Fuyuan’s action count. 

Fuyuan gives Lingsha a lot of additional offensive and supportive utility, particularly in giving her a teamwide Cleanse alongside some off-turn healing. Of course, Fuyuan also deals some decent damage and will consistently lower Fire Weakness across the board, similar to Lingsha’s Skill. Think of Fuyuan as a mini-Lingsha: more damage, more healing, more Breaking.

Little Helper Fuyuan

Wisps of Aurora (Technique)

Lastly, Wisps of Aurora is Lingsha’s Technique. For 1 Technique Point, Lingsha immediately summons Fuyuan at the start of the next battle and inflicts all enemies with Befog for two turns.

Like most supports, Lingsha’s Technique is a very useful ability which lets you immediately leap into action and start benefitting from both Befog and Fuyuan on the very first turn. There’s not much else to talk about, honestly: it’s a useful ability and, if you have the Technique Points to spare, it should almost always be used.

Healing Power

Lingsha’s Traces and Passive Abilities

If you unlock all of the stat bonuses in Lingsha’s Trace tree, she will receive the following stat boosts to Break Effect, HP and ATK:

• 37.3% Break Effect Boost
• 18% HP Boost
• 10% ATK Boost

Vermillion Waft is Lingsha’s first Passive Trace, which becomes available at Character Ascension 2, and it is arguably her most important passive ability. This Trace increases Lingsha’s ATK and Outgoing Healing by an amount equal to 25% and 10% of her Break Effect, respectively. While Break Effect is Lingsha’s main niche, ATK and Outgoing Healing are equally important and this Trace lets you invest in one stat for the benefit of three. 

Lingsha’s second Passive Trace is Sylvan Smoke, a relatively simple ability which restores an additional 10 Energy whenever Lingsha uses her Basic ATK. While her Skill is more useful in overall gameplay, this Trace does give her Basic ATK some additional utility, allowing you to get back her Ultimate at a more consistent pace. Lingsha’s Ultimate is a vital part of her kit so having it active more often is never a bad thing.

Finally, Ember’s Echo is her final Passive Trace available at Character Ascension 6. When Fuyuan is on the field and any allied character takes DMG or consumes HP, if a character in the team has their current HP percentage lower than or equal to 60%, Fuyuan will immediately launch the Talent’s follow-up attack. This does not consume Fuyuan’s action count and can trigger again after 2 turns. 

Lingsha’s Trace Tree

Lingsha Trace Priority Order in HSR

1. Smoke and Splendor (Skill)
2. Dripping Mistscape (Ultimate) / Mistdance Manifest (Talent)
3. Votive Incense (Basic ATK)

All of Lingsha’s main abilities – her Skill, Ultimate, and Talent – are, honestly, really important parts of her main kit, making it hard to decide which to prioritise. However, because of how often you’ll be using it for both offensive and defensive purposes, we recommend focusing on Lingsha’s Skill first and foremost. Not only will investing in it increase its damage output, but it will also increase the amount of healing it provides and, as Lingsha’s most reliable ability, you’ll want her to be able to consistently keep your team alive.

Next, though, try and balance levelling Lingsha’s Ultimate and her Talent in equal measure. While her Ultimate won’t be active nearly as often as her Skill or summon, investing in it will drastically increase the additional Break DMG from Befog. On the other hand, investing in Fuyuan’s capabilities with Lingsha’s Talent will greatly improve its healing and damage output. While her Talent’s effects will be felt more often, the improved effects of her Ultimate will be far more noticeable, so keep them both in mind. 

Then, in dead last, we have Lingsha’s Basic ATK. Although the additional Energy from her A4 Trace is useful for accelerating her Ultimate gains, the damage of that Basic ATK is completely separate. And, as mentioned earlier, her Skill is just more useful in almost every situation. Avoid levelling Lingsha’s Basic ATK until all of her other abilities have been sated. 

Alchemy Commission Master

Lingsha’s Eidolons

If you get lucky enough to pull multiple copies of Lingsha while rolling on Let Scent Sink In, you’ll obtain several of her Eidolons. These Eidolons can be used to unlock special additional abilities and passives which drastically improve or change parts of Lingsha’s kit. Here are all six of Lingsha’s Eidolons in Honkai Star Rail: 

1. Bloom on Vileward Bouquet: Lingsha’s Weakness Break Efficiency increases by 50%. When an enemy unit’s Weakness is Broken, reduces its DEF by 20%.
2. Leisure in Carmine Smokeveil: When using Ultimate, Lingsha increases all allies’ Break Effect by 40%, lasting for 3 turns.
3. Shine of Floral Wick: Ultimate Lv. +2 and Talent Lv. +2.
4. Redolence from Canopied Banquet: When Fuyuan takes action, restores HP equal to 40% of Lingsha’s ATK for the ally whose current HP is the lowest.
5. Poise Atop Twists and Turns: Skill Lv. +2 and Basic ATK Lv. +1.
6. Arcadia Under Deep Seclusion: While Fuyuan is on the field, reduces all enemy units’ All-Type RES by 20%. When Fuyuan attacks, additionally deal 4 instance(s) of DMG, with each instance dealing Fire DMG equal to 50% of Lingsha’s ATK and 5 Toughness Reduction to one random Enemy unit. This prioritizes targets with both Toughness greater than 0 and Fire Weakness.

Lingsha’s E1 is a very strong pick-up for those looking to drastically increase her potential and push her further into that Break Effect-enhancing niche. Increased Weakness Break Efficiency means that Lingsha’s AoE attacks will all strip Toughness at a massively increased rate, whereas the DEF decrease on any Weakness Break is just excellent, especially for Lingsha’s best team comps which focus on Super Break. 

A Master’s Smirk

Lingsha’s Best Light Cone in Honkai Star Rail

Best in Slot: Scent Alone Stays True (Abundance)

You can obtain Lingsha’s best in slot Light Cone, Scent Alone Stays True, from the Light Cone Event Warp while Lingsha’s Character Event Warp is still ongoing. Scent Alone Stays True is a 5-star Abundance Light Cone geared towards Break Effect, making it an excellent choice for both Lingsha and Gallagher. 

At max level, Scent Alone Stays True provides the wearer with 1058 HP, 529 ATK, 529 DEF, and access to the Contentment ability. This, firstly, increases the wearer’s Break Effect by a massive 60%. Additionally, after the wearer uses Ultimate to attack enemy targets, it inflicts the targets with the Woefree state for 2 turns. Enemies in the Woefree state take 10% increased DMG, with that effect increasing by an additional 8% if the wearer’s current Break Effect is 150% or higher. 

First and foremost, the extra 60% Break Effect is a huge boost to Lingsha that will increase her Break DMG as well as increase her ATK and Outgoing Healing thanks to her A2 Trace. Then we have the Woefree state which synergises and pairs incredibly well with her Ultimate’s Befog status, letting you double dip in terms of potent debuffs. Woefree’s DMG increase paired with Befog’s Break DMG increase will let Super Break-oriented teams tear apart their enemies with ease, making Lingsha the best healer for any Super Break team, bar none.

Scent Alone Stays True

Best Replacement and 4-Star Light Cones for Lingsha

If you’re low on Jade or are just saving for a future character, Lingsha’s signature Light Cone may be out of reach. Fortunately, Lingsha has several great replacement options depending on what you have at hand. We won’t be recommending any limited 5-star Abundance options in this guide due to their rarity. 

Here are the three best replacement Light Cones for Lingsha in Honkai: Star Rail:

• What Is Real? (4-Star Craftable Light Cone): Increases the wearer’s Break Effect by 24%. After using Basic ATK, restores HP for the wearer by an amount equal to 2.0% of Max HP plus 800. 
• Quid Pro Quo (4-Star Craftable Light Cone): At the start of the wearer’s turn, regenerates 8 Energy for a randomly chosen ally (excluding the wearer) whose current Energy is lower than 50%.
• Shared Feeling (4-Star Craftable Light Cone): Increases the wearer’s Outgoing Healing by 10%. When using Skill, regenerates 2 Energy for all allies. 

Of these options, What Is Real? is your best bet in terms of a straight replacement for Scent Alone Stays True. This was previously Gallagher’s best option thanks to the LC’s high Break Effect increase, something Lingsha can also massively benefit from. What Is Real? also gives her Basic ATK some additional utility, letting it heal Lingsha alongside providing more Energy. You can also S5 this Light Cone relatively easily using the resources collected from Echoes of War and endgame content, increasing its effects even further.

If you don’t have access to What Is Real? or are looking for something to give Lingsha a bit extra in terms of supportive capabilities, there’s Quid Pro Quo or Shared Feelings. Both focus on providing Energy to Lingsha’s allies, with Quid Pro Quo being more focused and potent while Shared Feeling is less impactful but more universal. Shared Feeling also has the benefit of increasing Lingsha’s Outgoing Healing, though, so we would recommend that. 

Lingsha’s Best Light Cones

Lingsha’s Best Relic and Planar Ornament Sets in Honaki Star Rail

When it comes to choosing Lingsha’s Relic and Planar Ornament sets, there’s only really one main option if you want her to perform at her best. As a Break Effect-focused support who has a particular focus on rapidly Breaking Fire Weak enemies, you’ll want to prioritise sets which increase Break Effect or Super Break DMG first and foremost. No set fits this description better than 4-piece Iron Cavalry Against the Scourge. 

• 4pc Iron Cavalry: Increases Break Effect by 16%. If the wearer’s Break Effect is 150% or higher, the Break DMG dealt to the enemy target ignores 10% of their DEF. If the wearer’s Break Effect is 250% or higher, the Super Break DMG dealt to the enemy target additionally ignores 15% of their DEF. 
• 2pc Iron Cavalry + 2pc Watchmaker: Increases Break Effect by 32%.

Full Iron Cavalry is easily Lingsha’s best set, especially if you plan on running her in a Super Break team comp with Firefly or another Break-oriented DPS like Xueyi. Firstly, the extra Break Effect is just a nice way of increasing Lingsha’s damage and healing. Secondly, getting 150%, or even 250%, Break Effect on Lingsha shouldn’t be too hard – especially if you pair her with someone running 4-piece Watchmaker – allowing you to drastically improve her damage output. While Lingsha is a healer first and foremost, her damage is actually really good, especially in a Super Break comp propped up by Iron Cavalry. 

Of course, if you don’t want to run Lingsha in a Super Break comp, 4-piece Iron Cavalry loses some of its lustre. In that circumstance, you should run 2pc Iron Cavalry with 2pc Watchmaker or 2pc Meteor Thief. In this build, Lingsha will have 32% extra Break Effect, greatly increasing her ATK and Outgoing Healing while also improving her overall Break DMG. While you won’t have the super powerful extra ability from Cavalry, you will have a more rounded build which may feel more consistent. 

Lingsha’s Best Relic Sets

Meanwhile, when it comes to Lingsha’s Planar Ornaments, we recommend the following:

• 2pc Forge of the Kalpagni Lantern: Increases the wearer’s SPD by 6%. When the wearer hits an enemy target that has Fire Weakness, the wearer’s Break Effect increases by 40%, lasting for 1 turn. 
• 2pc The Wonderous BananAmusement Park: Increases the wearer’s CRIT DMG by 16%. When a target summoned by the wearer is on the field, CRIT DMG additionally increases by 32%.

If you’re familiar with Firefly’s best team composition, Kalpagni Lantern showing up on this list shouldn’t be a surprise. This Planar Ornament set is the best set to choose for all of Firefly’s squad members and, as one of her best supports, Lingsha is no different. What’s even better is that this set works excellently on Lingsha even without Firefly’s assistance and you’ll most often be running her in battles where Fire Weakness is already present, letting you reliably trigger the extra 40% Break Effect. Oh, and the extra 6% SPD is nice, as well. 

Lingsha does have a strange Planar Ornament choice if you want to go all in on a sub-DPS build for her and that’s 2pc Wonderous BananAmusement Park, one of the newest Planar Ornament sets to be added to HSR. This set focuses primarily on increasing CRIT DMG and, with Fuyuan on the field, Lingsha can get up to 48% CRIT DMG for free. Of course, to benefit from this you’ll need to deliberately build into CRIT Rate with her, something most players may avoid if they want her as a pure support. Put in the work, though, and Lingsha has the potential to become a solid sub-DPS alongside her other responsibilities. 

Lingsha’s Best Planar Ornaments

Most Important Stats for Lingsha

When it comes to Lingsha’s stats, she’s pretty easy to build. As a pure ATK scaler for both her damage and healing, you’ll only need to worry about ATK as her main influential stat. Pair that with some Outgoing Healing and, of course, some Break Effect and you have a very potent, very reliable Lingsha build. 

Here are the main stats you should be looking for on Lingsha’s Relics and Planar Ornaments in Star Rail: 

• Body: ATK% / Outgoing Healing Bonus / CRIT Rate
• Feet: SPD / ATK%
• Planar Sphere: ATK%
• Link Rope: Break Effect

Then, when it comes to Lingsha’s substats, here are the four most important ones you should be searching for:

1. ATK%
2. SPD
3. Effect RES
4. DEF / HP (or CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG if you’re running 2pc BananAmusement)

Good Boy

Lingsha’s Best Team Comps in Honkai Star Rail

Premium Super Break Lingsha Team Comp

We’ve alluded to it a few times in this guide but Lingsha’s best team composition is, easily, the premium Super Break team fronted by Firefly. As the strongest Break and Super Break-focused DPS in all of Honkai: Star Rail, Firefly greatly benefits from all of the various buffs and bonuses provided by Lingsha, especially because she’s another Fire unit. In this comp, Lingsha will be replacing Gallagher as the team’s main healer but she’ll also get to deal some pretty great damage on account of the Trailblazer’s Super Break. 

• Lingsha (Scent Alone Stays True) | 4pc Iron Cavalry + 2pc Kalpagni Lantern
• Firefly (Wherabouts Should Dreams Rest) | 4pc Iron Cavalry + 2pc Kalpagni Lantern
• Harmony Trailblazer (Memories of the Past) | 4pc Meteor Thief + 2pc Kalpagni Lantern
• Ruan Mei (Past Self in Mirror) | 4pc Watchmaker + 2pc Kalpagni Lantern

Firstly, let’s go over the star of this team and that’s Firefly. The Stellaron Hunter is, inarguably, the best Break DPS in the game with the ability to implant Fire Weakness onto any opponent, deal her own instances of Super Break DMG, and take several actions within a single turn with her incredibly high SPD. With Lingsha by her side, Firefly will deal even more damage thanks to the Befog effect and she’ll have another fellow Fire character to help her with Breaking opponents. Meanwhile, Lingsha will be able to keep Firefly alive and always trigger Kalpagni Lantern’s extra Break Effect. 

Of course, Firefly and Lingsha are also accompanied by Ruan Mei and the Harmony Trailblazer as dedicated support units. Ruan Mei is one of Star Rail’s best overall support characters but she shines in Break comps. Her Skill boosts Weakness Break Efficiency while her Ultimate gives Weakness Delay and All-Type PEN RES, all of which will greatly contribute to a massive increase in the team’s damage output. Then we have the Trailblazer who is here to provide the Super Break effect to the entire team, letting Firefly, as well as Lingsha and Ruan Mei, deal massively increased damage.

Premium Lingsha Super Break Team

F2P and Low Investment Super Break Lingsha Team Comp

If you don’t have Firefly but are still looking to run Lingsha in a Super Break comp, there are some other options you can consider, namely one with Xueyi at the forefront. While Xueyi isn’t as powerful as Firefly and she won’t be implanting Fire Weakness, making it harder for the team to trigger Kalpagni Lantern, she is a very viable and strong Break DPS who can benefit from both Lingsha and the Harmony Trailblaze for some absurd single-target damage. 

• Lingsha (What Is Real?) | 4pc Iron Cavalry + 2pc Kalpagni Lantern
• Harmony Trailblazer (Memories of the Past) | 4pc Watchmaker + 2pc Lushaka, The Sunken Sea
• Xueyi (On the Fall of an Aoen) | 4pc Iron Cavalry + 2pc Inert Salsotto 
• Asta (Planetary Rendezvous) | 4pc Meteor Thief + 2pc Kalpagni Lantern

Xueyi is our main DPS for this comp and all players can obtain one copy of her from completing two floors of Apocalyptic Shadow. With her ability to lower Toughness of all types with her Ultimate, Xueyi can serve as a powerful single-target breaker, something only aided by Lingsha and the Trailblazer. Furthermore, Xueyi’s base Break DMG is already very high, as is her follow-up attack damage. Teams built around Xueyi will need to funnel more Energy towards her so that she can get her Ultimate faster but, manage that, and you have a great Firefly replacement specially built for one-on-one showdowns. 

The Trailblazer serves the same role here as they did in the premium team, whereas Asta is here to replace Ruan Mei. While you will lose out on the Weakness Break Efficiency and the All Type RES PEN, Asta will provide additional ATK and SPD, instead. Xueyi will love the extra SPD from Asta’s Ultimate, whereas the extra ATK will help Lingsha deal more damage and heal more. Lastly, Asta is a great Fire Breaker in her own right, meaning that she can take advantage of Lingsha’s buffs, as well as the Trailblazer’s Super Break. 

F2P Lingsha Super Break Team

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