Archer — Honkai Star Rail Character Guide

Archer is a Quantum Hunt DPS in Honkai: Star Rail, and this HSR build guide covers teams, relics, light cones, and investment priority. Best teams use Rin Tohsaka, Sparkle, Huohuo; recommended relics are As Navigator Isee Sees It with Tengoku@Livestream; the top light cone is The Finale of a Lie; the first investment target is LC S1; Archer is strongest in Memory of Chaos (MoC 80 Meta).

Quantum Hunt DPS · MoC 80 Meta · PF 60 Strong · AS 80 Meta

For account-specific results, use the HSR team builder, compare upgrades in Pull Advisor, optimize equipment in the LC Optimizer, or read the StarGuide methodology.

Guide

Overview

Free collab DPS firing up to 5 consecutive 360% ATK Skills per turn, stacking Skill DMG buffs to +200% from the third shot onward. Massive SP consumption demands SP-positive teammates and a raised SP cap.

Single-target Quantum Hunt DPS who fires up to 5 consecutive Skills per turn via the Circuit Connection state. Each Skill keeps its 360% ATK base multiplier while successive shots gain a stacking Skill DMG bonus: +100% on the second shot and +200% from the third shot onward. Massive SP consumption (up to 10 SP per turn) demands SP-positive teammates and an increased SP cap. Talent Follow-up Attacks triggered by ally actions restore SP, and Ultimate delivers a 1000% ATK nuke while granting Charges for more Follow-ups.

Key Mechanics

  • Circuit Connection Skill spam is the core damage source. The first Skill has no bonus, the second has +100% DMG, and the 3rd through 5th all have +200% DMG. Maximizing shots at +200% DMG is critical — if SP is insufficient for at least 3 Skills, using Basic ATK to save SP for next turn may deal more total damage.
  • Each Skill use during Circuit Connection independently triggers 30 Energy gain and 20 Toughness damage, making a full 5-Skill rotation generate 150 Energy and 100 Toughness damage in a single turn.
  • A6 CRIT DMG buff (120%) requires 4+ SP when an ally gains SP. Turn order must be planned so teammates generate SP before Archer acts, and SP must not drop below 4 during that generation.
  • Talent Follow-ups can trigger mid-Circuit Connection when allies use Ultimates or off-turn effects (e.g., Sparkle Ultimate injecting 4 SP during Skill spam), recovering SP and enabling additional Skill shots.
  • SPD is deliberately kept low to allow teammates maximum time to regenerate SP between Archer turns. Action advance from Sparkle (50%) pulls Archer forward without requiring SPD investment.

Archer FAQ

Who works best with Archer in HSR?

Archer's best team options include Rin Tohsaka, Sparkle, Huohuo. StarGuide rates teammates by role and composition fit so the recommendation reflects how the character is actually played.

What relics should Archer use?

Archer's recommended relic setup is As Navigator Isee Sees It with Tengoku@Livestream, with stat targets around CRIT Rate 100%+ in-combat, ATK 2500-3000 precombat.

What is the best light cone for Archer?

The Finale of a Lie is the top listed light cone for Archer. Ashveil's signature and Archer's best overall cone. Umbra Devourer starts active, then refreshes after every 4 personal Follow-up ATKs; Archer begins with 2 Charges from Technique plus A4 and gains 2 more per Ultimate. Its ATK and enemy Vulnerability multiply his full kit. Do not chase it if The Hell Where Ideals Burn is already owned.

How should I invest in Archer?

Archer's first listed investment priority is LC S1. The Finale of a Lie is the largest first upgrade through CRIT Rate, ATK, and enemy Vulnerability. Skip this pull if The Hell Where Ideals Burn is already owned.

Important Notes

  • True limited collab character — once the banner ends he cannot be obtained again from standard pool or reruns.
  • Requires 4+ SP when an ally gains SP to activate A6 CRIT DMG buff — plan turn order and SP expenditure deliberately each rotation.
  • Pure single-target kit limits Pure Fiction ceiling compared to AoE specialists, but pairing with FUA sub-DPS teammates like Ashveil and SP-positive sustains enables competitive PF scores through sustained focus-fire and follow-up chains.
  • Sparkle remains the easiest SP-cap and action-advance partner, but Rin's 4 SP joint-attack refund substantially reduces Archer's dependence on Sparkle; Rin-less teams still need deliberate SP planning for 5 consecutive Skills.

Build

Archer Investment Priority

  1. LC S1 — The Finale of a Lie is the largest first upgrade through CRIT Rate, ATK, and enemy Vulnerability. Skip this pull if The Hell Where Ideals Burn is already owned.
  2. E1 — The 2 SP refund stabilizes Rin-less and sustainless rotations. In the flagship Rin + Sparkle + sustain shell it is close to redundant, so those accounts can move directly to E2.
  3. E2 — Adds 20% Quantum RES reduction and Quantum Weakness for 2 turns, but only to the target hit by Ultimate. Valuable for focused off-element fights, not a wave-wide implant.

Archer Relics and Stat Targets

Recommended: As Navigator Isee Sees It with Tengoku@Livestream

Stat targets: CRIT Rate 100%+ in-combat, ATK 2500-3000 precombat

Main stats: Body: CRIT Rate · Feet: ATK% · Sphere: Quantum DMG > ATK% · Rope: Energy Regen > ATK%

Best Archer Light Cones

  • The Finale of a Lie (Best in Slot): Ashveil's signature and Archer's best overall cone. Umbra Devourer starts active, then refreshes after every 4 personal Follow-up ATKs; Archer begins with 2 Charges from Technique plus A4 and gains 2 more per Ultimate. Its ATK and enemy Vulnerability multiply his full kit. Do not chase it if The Hell Where Ideals Burn is already owned.
  • The Hell Where Ideals Burn: Archer's signature and a near-BiS alternative. It supplies 16% CRIT Rate and ramps to 80% ATK at S1 during his first 4-Skill chain, with the SP-cap condition permanently met by A2. The Finale of a Lie has the higher ceiling, but the gap is too small to justify replacing an already-owned copy of Hell.
  • Baptism of Pure Thought: Dr. Ratio signature. Requires debuff-focused teammates (Silver Wolf, Cipher, Pela) and fast Ultimate rotation for Disputation buff uptime. With 3 debuffs and 80% buff uptime, approaches signature performance. High CRIT DMG stat pairs well with the 120% CRIT DMG from A6 trace. DEF ignore applies only to the Talent Follow-up (200% multiplier), not Skills.
  • Cruising in the Stellar Sea: Best F2P option from Herta Store. Conditional 16% CRIT Rate (vs enemies at 50%+ HP) creates build awkwardness — either waste stats above 100% or lose damage at high HP. ATK buff on kill requires consistent kill uptime. Calculated at S5 with 90% ATK buff uptime assuming consistent enemy kills in fights.

Teams

Best Archer Teams

Premium Quantum Hypercarry

Archer with Sparkle as the SP backbone and a top-tier second amplifier — Rin Tohsaka as the premium partner, or Robin, Trailblazer Remembrance, Silver Wolf, Cipher, or Tribbie. Sparkle's +2 SP cap combines with Archer's A2 for 9 total (11 with Rin), her Ultimate injects 6 SP mid-rotation, and her A6 provides 45% unconditional teamwide ATK plus 10% All-Type RES PEN on the Skill target. Permansor Terrae anchors sustain by operating on Basic ATK only — fully SP-positive.

Best Archer Teammates

DPS Partners: Ashveil (A)

Amplifiers: Rin Tohsaka (PARTNER), Robin (A), Robin • Summeretto (S), Mortenax Blade (S), Sparkle (S+), Trailblazer • Remembrance (S), Tribbie (A), Silver Wolf (A), Cipher (A), Yao Guang (B), Sunday (B), Ruan Mei (C)

Sustains: Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae (S), Gallagher (A), Huohuo (A), Fu Xuan (A), Aventurine (B), Luocha (B)