Arlan — Honkai Star Rail Character Guide

Overview

HP-consuming Lightning DPS who sacrifices health via Skill to reach up to 72% bonus DMG at low HP. Fully SP positive, enabling SP-hungry supports, but requires shielders exclusively — healers restore HP and gut his damage bonus.

HP-sacrificing Lightning Destruction DPS who trades health for damage via Skill (15% Max HP cost per use, no SP cost). Talent grants up to 72% bonus DMG scaling linearly with missing HP, peaking at 1 HP. Operates at perpetually low HP, requiring shields instead of healers to preserve the damage bonus. Fully SP positive since Skill never consumes SP, enabling SP-hungry teammates.

Key Mechanics

• Arlan has the lowest base DEF of any character (330 at level 80). At 1 HP, any unshielded hit is instantly lethal. Shield uptime must be near-permanent — even brief gaps between shield applications can result in death.
• Since Skill costs HP instead of SP, Arlan generates +1 SP every turn unconditionally. This makes him ideal for funding SP-hungry supports like Sparkle or Sunday, but the team must include a shielder rather than a healer.
• Speed investment is a double-edged sword: faster Arlan takes more actions (more damage) but also takes hits more frequently, accelerating shield depletion. Shielder speed must keep pace with Arlan's speed to maintain coverage.
• DEF is more valuable than HP for Arlan because his Skill costs a fixed 15% of Max HP. Higher Max HP means more HP drained per Skill use, while DEF reduces incoming damage without increasing the self-damage cost.

Best Arlan Teams

Shielded Hypercarry

Arlan sacrifices HP with every Skill use to maximize his Talent bonus (up to 72% more DMG at 1 HP). Shields protect him at that threshold instead of restoring HP, preserving the damage bonus. He is fully SP positive so SP-hungry amplifiers are welcome. Speed buffs and frequent action advances accelerate shield depletion — a faster Arlan takes more hits before shields refresh, increasing the risk of death. Shielders with high uptime like Aventurine are strongly preferred over Gepard.

• A-tier: Arlan, Tribbie, Sunday, Aventurine
• B-tier: Arlan, Ruan Mei, Silver Wolf, Aventurine
• B-tier: Arlan, Tingyun, Trailblazer • Remembrance, Gepard

Best Arlan Teammates

Amplifiers: Tribbie (S), Sunday (A), Sparkle (A), Ruan Mei (A), Cipher (A), Silver Wolf (A), Trailblazer • Remembrance (B), Tingyun (B), Bronya (D)

Sustains: Aventurine (S), Hyacine (A), Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae (A), Gepard (A), Fu Xuan (C), Gallagher (D)

Arlan Investment Priority

1. E6 — Transforms Ultimate into full 320% AoE damage hitting all 3 targets equally (instead of 320%/160%) — his most meaningful power spike and primary stopping point for Pure Fiction and multi-target Memory of Chaos stages.
2. E2 — Removes 1 debuff on Skill or Ultimate use, providing meaningful survivability against ATK reduction and enemy Bans. Secondary priority after E6.
3. LC S1 — On the Fall of an Aeon at S1 provides strong ATK stacking (up to 64% at 4 stacks) and DMG bonus on Weakness Break. Grab it if eidolons are unavailable.

Arlan Relics and Stat Targets

Recommended: Scholar Lost in Erudition with Rutilant Arena

Stat targets: CRIT Rate 60-70%, CRIT DMG 120-140%+, SPD 134+, ATK 2400-2800+

Main stats: Body: CRIT Rate > CRIT DMG · Feet: SPD > ATK% · Sphere: Lightning DMG > ATK% · Rope: ATK%

Best Arlan Light Cones

• On the Fall of an Aeon (Best in Slot): Top accessible option from the Herta Store. Provides ramping ATK% (up to 64% at 4 stacks) and a DMG bonus on Weakness Break. Stacks accumulate quickly since Arlan attacks frequently at low HP. Highly recommended due to accessibility and consistent uptime.
• Something Irreplaceable: Strong standard-banner option with ATK% and a DMG boost triggered when defeating enemies or taking hits — both occur constantly with Arlan's low-HP playstyle. Higher base ATK than Aeon. Requires RNG trigger to maintain the DMG buff.
• The Unreachable Side: Provides CRIT Rate and Max HP with a DMG buff that activates when Arlan is attacked or consumes HP — both occur constantly. The HP increase is a double-edged sword: more HP means the 15% Skill cost drains more total HP, making DEF more valuable. Decent option when available from standard banner.
• A Secret Vow: Best budget option. Increases DMG by a flat amount and adds extra DMG against enemies with HP% equal to or higher than Arlan's — which is nearly always true at low HP. Conditional bonus is reliably active in his intended playstyle.

Arlan FAQ

Who works best with Arlan in HSR?

Arlan's best team options include Tribbie, Sunday, Aventurine. StarGuide rates teammates by role and composition fit so the recommendation reflects how the character is actually played.

What relics should Arlan use?

Arlan's recommended relic setup is Scholar Lost in Erudition with Rutilant Arena, with stat targets around CRIT Rate 60-70%, CRIT DMG 120-140%+, SPD 134+.

What is the best light cone for Arlan?

On the Fall of an Aeon is the top listed light cone for Arlan. Top accessible option from the Herta Store. Provides ramping ATK% (up to 64% at 4 stacks) and a DMG bonus on Weakness Break. Stacks accumulate quickly since Arlan attacks frequently at low HP. Highly recommended due to accessibility and consistent uptime.

How should I invest in Arlan?

Arlan's first listed investment priority is E6. Transforms Ultimate into full 320% AoE damage hitting all 3 targets equally (instead of 320%/160%) — his most meaningful power spike and primary stopping point for Pure Fiction and multi-target Memory of Chaos stages.

Important Notes

• Requires shielders exclusively — any healer that restores HP eliminates or reduces the Talent damage bonus, making Arlan deal significantly less damage
• DEF stat is the lowest of any character (330 base at level 80), making him extremely fragile; a single unshielded hit at 1 HP is lethal
• Speed buffs increase how often Arlan acts and takes hits, accelerating shield depletion — ensure shielder speed supports the faster Arlan
• Not worth heavy investment compared to other DPS of equal resources; best reserved for players who enjoy his unique playstyle