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- The Seriousness of Breakfast (S5)
- The Day The Cosmos Fell (S5)
- Eternal Calculus (S5)
- Yet Hope Is Priceless (S1)
- Geniuses' Repose (S5)
- An Instant Before A Gaze (S1)
- Before Dawn (S1)
- Today Is Another Peaceful Day (S5)
- Night on the Milky Way (S1)
- Into the Unreachable Veil (S1)
The Herta
Ice
Erudition
5-StarBuild Guide | Level-Up Materials | Team Composition | Best Light Cone | Back to All Characters
The Herta is a powerful 5-star Ice Erudition unit in Honkai: Star Rail, renowned for her potent self-buffs and impressive damage multipliers. As a damage dealer, she thrives on maximizing CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, and ATK, along with any general damage boosts offered by her Light Cones. Her kit's inherent 80% CRIT DMG buff makes CRIT Rate a priority, often leading to Light Cone choices that emphasize this stat. Boosting her Skill and Ultimate damage is also crucial due to her Interpretation mechanic, with Skill buffs being particularly valuable.
While the ideal combination of CRIT Rate and Skill DMG boosts is rare outside her signature Light Cone, The Herta boasts numerous viable options within the Erudition Path, including both limited and freely available Light Cones. These options deliver comparable performance, making the choice less critical. Below, we'll explore the best Light Cone choices for The Herta in Honkai: Star Rail.
The Seriousness of Breakfast (S5)
Increases the wearer's DMG by 24%. For every defeated enemy, the wearer's ATK increases by 8%, stacking up to 3 times.
The Seriousness of Breakfast is a freely obtainable Light Cone, acquirable through Lucent Afterglow purchases or Echo of War drops. A copy can also be earned by completing a hidden task on the Herta Space Station. While not her optimal choice, it serves as a functional option for new players lacking alternatives. Its straightforward damage boosts make it a reliable placeholder until a superior Light Cone is acquired.
The Day The Cosmos Fell (S5)
Increases the wearer's ATK by 24%. When the wearer uses an attack and affects at least 2 enemies with a Weakness, the wearer's CRIT DMG increases by 40% for 2 turns.
The Day The Cosmos Fell, another free Light Cone obtainable via Lucent Afterglow or Echo of War drops, offers slightly improved performance compared to The Seriousness of Breakfast. However, its effectiveness hinges on consistently maintaining its conditional CRIT DMG buff. Failure to meet these conditions significantly reduces its value. Despite this, it remains a viable temporary option.
Eternal Calculus (S5)
Increases the wearer's ATK by 12%. After using an attack, for each enemy hit, ATK increases by an additional 8%, stacking up to 5 times and lasting until the next attack. If 3 or more enemies are hit, SPD increases by 16% for 1 turn.
Eternal Calculus, a free 5-star Light Cone purchased from Herta's Store using Herta Bonds, provides a substantial ATK% boost. Performance varies depending on the number of enemies hit, making it less effective against fewer targets. Despite this limitation, it remains a solid choice when its effects are fully maximized. The 16% SPD increase at S5 can also be advantageous for reaching specific SPD breakpoints. Like other free options, it serves as a capable placeholder.
Yet Hope Is Priceless (S1)
Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 16%. While in battle, for every 20% CRIT DMG exceeding 120%, follow-up attack DMG increases by 12%, stacking up to 4 times. At the start of battle or after using a Basic ATK, enables Ultimate or follow-up attack DMG to ignore 20% of the target's DEF for 2 turns.
Jade's signature Light Cone, Yet Hope Is Priceless, offers a respectable 16% CRIT Rate increase at S1. While The Herta can't utilize the follow-up attack buffs, it functions as a reliable stat stick. The 20% DEF penetration for the Ultimate can be beneficial if used early in battle, but its reliability is limited, as The Herta ideally avoids Basic ATKs. Its performance is comparable to free alternatives, making it unnecessary to specifically obtain it for The Herta.
Geniuses' Repose (S5)
Increases the wearer's ATK by 32%. When the wearer defeats an enemy, CRIT DMG increases by 48% for 3 turns.
Geniuses' Repose, a strong 4-star Light Cone from the standard Stellar Warp, offers a substantial 32% ATK increase and a 48% CRIT DMG boost at S5. Maintaining the CRIT DMG buff requires The Herta to personally defeat enemies, but this is usually achievable. Its effectiveness diminishes in prolonged battles against single bosses without regular summons.
An Instant Before A Gaze (S1)
Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 36%. When using the Ultimate, Ultimate DMG increases based on Max Energy (0.36% per point, up to 180 Energy).
Argenti's signature Light Cone, An Instant Before A Gaze, provides a 36% CRIT DMG increase and a 64.8% Ultimate DMG boost at S1. While the Ultimate buff is valuable, The Herta benefits more from Skill DMG or general DMG boosts. Its performance is comparable to other options, making it unnecessary to specifically obtain it for The Herta.
Before Dawn (S1)
Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 36%. Increases Skill and Ultimate DMG by 18%. After using a Skill or Ultimate, gains Somnus Corpus. Upon triggering a follow-up attack, Somnus Corpus is consumed, increasing follow-up attack DMG by 48%.
Jing Yuan's signature Light Cone, Before Dawn, is a strong option for The Herta. While The Herta doesn't benefit from the follow-up attack buff, the unconditional stat boosts are excellent. It grants a 36% CRIT DMG increase and an 18% damage boost to both Skill and Ultimate at S1.
Today Is Another Peaceful Day (S5)
After entering battle, increases the wearer's DMG based on Max Energy (0.4% per point, up to 160 Energy).
Today Is Another Peaceful Day is an exceptional 4-star Light Cone providing a substantial unconditional damage boost. The Herta's high Ultimate Energy cost allows her to maximize this effect, resulting in a 64% damage increase at S5. Its high base ATK makes it a top choice for F2P and low-spending players.
Night on the Milky Way (S1)
For each enemy on the field, increases the wearer's ATK by 9%, up to 5 stacks. When an enemy is inflicted with Weakness Break, the wearer's DMG increases by 30% for 1 turn.
Night on the Milky Way, a strong 5-star option from the standard Stellar Warp, performs exceptionally well for The Herta when its effects are consistently maintained. It can achieve a 45% ATK boost at S1 but requires five enemies on the field. Its performance significantly decreases with fewer targets.
Into the Unreachable Veil (S1)
Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 12%. When using the Ultimate, increases DMG dealt by the wearer's Skill and Ultimate by 60% for 3 turns. After using the Ultimate, if it consumed 140 or more Energy, recovers 1 Skill Point.
The Herta's signature Light Cone, Into the Unreachable Veil, is her best-in-slot option due to its significant Crit Rate boost and generous damage increase to both her Skill and Ultimate. It also recovers a Skill Point with each Ultimate use, making it exceptionally effective for SP-heavy teams. Its high base ATK further enhances its value.
