Boothill — Honkai Star Rail Character Guide

Overview

Break-focused single-target Physical DPS with guaranteed Weakness Implant. Uses Standoff to lock onto targets, deal extreme Toughness damage, then explode Broken enemies with Pocket Trickshot Break DMG. Completely shut down by locked Toughness bars.

Break-focused Hunt DPS who uses Standoff to lock onto a single enemy, rapidly deplete their Toughness bar with Enhanced Basic ATK, then deal massive Pocket Trickshot Break DMG to Broken enemies every turn. Manages Pocket Trickshot stacks (max 3) gained from Breaking or defeating Standoff targets — each stack increases Toughness Reduction by 50% and unlocks higher Break DMG multipliers. Ultimate provides guaranteed Physical Weakness Implant, making him element-agnostic against any enemy without a locked Toughness bar.

Key Mechanics

• 80-90% of total damage comes from Break DMG (Pocket Trickshot), which scales only with Break Effect, enemy level, max Toughness, and DEF/RES modifiers. ATK%, DMG%, and CRIT have minimal impact on overall output.
• Standoff locks Boothill to one target with mutual Taunt. He cannot use Skill during Standoff and cannot change targets with Basic ATK. Only Ultimate can hit other enemies during Standoff.
• Pocket Trickshot Break DMG triggers even on already-Broken enemies — as long as the enemy is Weakness Broken when Enhanced Basic ATK is being used, the finger gun finisher fires. This means Boothill continues dealing massive Break DMG every turn after the initial Break.
• Against non-Physical-weak enemies, Boothill relies on Ultimate Weakness Implant (2-turn duration) or Fugue's Foxian Prayer to create Physical Weakness. Without either, he cannot Break enemies or trigger Pocket Trickshot.
• Completely shut down by locked Toughness bars (e.g., Gatekeeper Aurumaton) — if an enemy locks its Toughness, Boothill cannot Break it and his entire damage engine stops.

Best Boothill Teams

Break Hypercarry

Boothill's universal playstyle. Stack Break Effect and Toughness damage to deplete enemy bars quickly, then repeatedly trigger Pocket Trickshot Break DMG on the Broken target every turn. Works with any combination of Break supports (Fugue, Ruan Mei, Harmony Trailblazer) or action advancers (Sunday, Bronya). Guaranteed Weakness Implant from Ultimate makes him element-agnostic for any enemy that doesn't lock its Toughness bar.

• S-tier: Boothill, Tingyun • Fugue, Ruan Mei, Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae
• S-tier: Boothill, The Dahlia, Ruan Mei, Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae
• S-tier: Boothill, Tingyun • Fugue, Sunday, Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae
• A-tier: Boothill, Tingyun • Fugue, Ruan Mei, Gallagher
• A-tier: Boothill, Bronya, Ruan Mei, Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae
• B-tier: Boothill, Trailblazer • Harmony, Ruan Mei, Gallagher

Sustainless Break

Maximum damage by replacing sustain with a third amplifier. Fugue and The Dahlia form the core: Fugue's Exo-Toughness doubles Pocket Trickshot charge generation, Dahlia provides Zone Super Break, ~100% BE buff, and 18% DEF shred. Third amplifier is Ruan Mei or Harmony Trailblazer. Boothill's A4 trace provides 30% DMG reduction from non-Standoff targets and his natural SP-positivity makes him the most survivable Break DPS for sustainless. Best for speed-clearing single-target content.

• S-tier: Boothill, Tingyun • Fugue, The Dahlia, Ruan Mei
• A-tier: Boothill, Tingyun • Fugue, The Dahlia, Trailblazer • Harmony

Best Boothill Teammates

Amplifiers: Tingyun • Fugue (S), The Dahlia (S), Ruan Mei (A), Sunday (A), Bronya (A), Mortenax Blade (A), Trailblazer • Harmony (B), Sparkle (C), Pela (C), Silver Wolf (C)

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

Boothill Investment Priority

1. E1 — Eliminates ramp-up by granting 1 free Pocket Trickshot stack at battle start, plus permanent 16% DEF ignore on all damage — directly boosts both kit hits and Break DMG. High priority first target.
2. LC S1 — Signature provides 60% Break Effect, 12% SPD, and 20% DEF shred — all three stats are exactly what Boothill wants. Massive damage jump over all alternatives.
3. E2 — SP recovery on Pocket Trickshot gain makes Boothill genuinely SP-positive and enables SP-hungry support pairings. Worthwhile stopping point after signature.

Boothill Relics and Stat Targets

Recommended: Iron Cavalry Against the Scourge with Forge of the Kalpagni Lantern

Stat targets: Break Effect 260-340%, SPD 145/160/200

Main stats: Body: HP% / DEF% · Feet: SPD · Sphere: HP% / DEF% · Rope: Break Effect

Best Boothill Light Cones

• Sailing Towards A Second Life (Best in Slot): Signature and best-in-slot by a wide margin. Provides 60% Break Effect, 12% SPD (active at 150%+ BE which Boothill easily reaches), and 20% DEF shred on Break DMG. All three stats are exactly what Boothill wants — Break Effect amplifies every Pocket Trickshot hit, SPD means more turns, and DEF shred is a multiplicative Break DMG increase.
• Shadowed by Night: Best 4-star option when available. Grants Break Effect plus a SPD buff triggered on battle entry or after dealing Break DMG — which Boothill triggers constantly. Even S1 outperforms all other non-signature alternatives. Gacha-only so requires patience to obtain, but worth waiting for if skipping the signature.
• Cruising in the Stellar Sea: Most consistent F2P baseline from the Herta Store. CRIT Rate and ATK buffs improve kit damage while depleting Toughness bars but do not scale Break DMG. No conditional requirements — just works. The best unconditional option if Shadowed by Night is unavailable and signature is skipped.
• Swordplay: DMG% buff stacks up when hitting the same target repeatedly, which Boothill does naturally via Standoff. Does not boost Break DMG, only kit damage. Straightforward budget option when Shadowed by Night and Cruising are both assigned elsewhere or unavailable.

Boothill FAQ

Who works best with Boothill in HSR?

Boothill's best team options include Tingyun • Fugue, Ruan Mei, Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae. StarGuide rates teammates by role and composition fit so the recommendation reflects how the character is actually played.

What relics should Boothill use?

Boothill's recommended relic setup is Iron Cavalry Against the Scourge with Forge of the Kalpagni Lantern, with stat targets around Break Effect 260-340%, SPD 145/160/200.

What is the best light cone for Boothill?

Sailing Towards A Second Life is the top listed light cone for Boothill. Signature and best-in-slot by a wide margin. Provides 60% Break Effect, 12% SPD (active at 150%+ BE which Boothill easily reaches), and 20% DEF shred on Break DMG. All three stats are exactly what Boothill wants — Break Effect amplifies every Pocket Trickshot hit, SPD means more turns, and DEF shred is a multiplicative Break DMG increase.

How should I invest in Boothill?

Boothill's first listed investment priority is E1. Eliminates ramp-up by granting 1 free Pocket Trickshot stack at battle start, plus permanent 16% DEF ignore on all damage — directly boosts both kit hits and Break DMG. High priority first target.

Important Notes

• Completely non-functional against enemies with locked Toughness bars — Gatekeeper Aurumaton and similar mechanics hard-counter this kit entirely.
• Heavily Ultimate-reliant against non-Physical weak enemies when Fugue is not on the team — if Ultimate cooldown is not maintained, he cannot Break those enemies.
• Pure single-target outside of E6 — struggles significantly in Pure Fiction without the AoE splash from E6 Crowbar Hotel's Raccoon.