Clara — Honkai Star Rail Character Guide

Overview

Counter-based Physical DPS who retaliates against attacks with follow-up counters. Ultimate enhances Svarog's counters to AoE blasts and dramatically increases aggro draw. Struggles against slow or non-aggressive enemies.

Counter-based Physical DPS built around Svarog's retaliatory follow-up attacks. Clara passively reduces incoming DMG by 10% and Svarog automatically counters any enemy that hits her, dealing Physical DMG scaling with ATK. Ultimate enhances Svarog's counters to Blast AoE with doubled multipliers and massively increases Clara's aggro draw for 2 turns. Wants to stay at 90 base SPD (lowest in the game) to maximize counter frequency and buff coverage between turns.

Key Mechanics

• All counter damage is classified as follow-up attacks, making FUA-specific buffs (Robin Concerto, Duran Dynasty set, Dance at Sunset Firedance) fully effective on Clara's primary damage source.
• Clara wants to be the sole target of all enemy attacks. Pairing with taunt-based sustains (Gepard, Preservation Trailblazer) steals aggro and directly reduces counter frequency, energy generation, and damage output.
• At 90 base SPD, Clara takes very few turns relative to enemies and teammates. This means buffs applied to Clara persist across many enemy actions, and each enemy turn is an opportunity for a counter and 5 Energy.
• Mark of Counter at E0 is consumed when Skill is used. Using Skill before enemies attack wastes existing Marks. E1 makes Marks permanent, eliminating this timing dependency.
• Enhanced Counters from Ultimate are Blast AoE (320% ATK to main target + 160% ATK to adjacent). With 3 targets, a single Enhanced Counter deals up to 640% ATK total — entirely outside Clara's turn.

Best Clara Teams

Counter Hypercarry

Clara as solo DPS with two amplifiers and one sustain. The goal is maximizing counter frequency: stay at 90 SPD (lowest in the game), draw all enemy attacks via aggro manipulation, and have every counter buffed by persistent team-wide ATK and CRIT DMG buffs. Action advancers give Clara more turns without losing buff coverage, since her 90 SPD means she takes fewer turns than most DPS characters anyway. Sustain keeps her alive while tanking the entire enemy team.

• S-tier: Clara, Robin, Sunday, Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae
• S-tier: Clara, Robin, Sparkle, Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae
• A-tier: Clara, Sunday, Tribbie, Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae
• B-tier: Clara, Tingyun, Trailblazer • Remembrance, Lynx

Follow-Up Attack Team

Clara embedded in a follow-up attack-focused team to maximize Duran set bonuses and FUA-based buffs. Topaz's Proof of Debt debuff amplifies damage taken by enemies Clara counters. Multiple FUA sources (Clara counters, Topaz Numby, Permansor Terrae Souldragon) rapidly stack Duran to 5 merit for 25% CRIT DMG bonus. Works best in dual-carry structures where Topaz contributes independent damage.

• A-tier: Clara, Topaz & Numby, Tribbie, Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae
• A-tier: Clara, Robin, Topaz & Numby, Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae

Best Clara Teammates

Amplifiers: Robin (S), Sparkle (A), Sunday (A), Tribbie (A), Mortenax Blade (A), Trailblazer • Remembrance (B), Topaz & Numby (B), Tingyun (B), Ruan Mei (C), Hanya (C)

Sustains: Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae (S), Huohuo (A), Aventurine (B), Lynx (B), March 7th (C)

Clara Investment Priority

1. E1 — Highest-value eidolon by far. Makes Marks of Counter permanent, so every countered enemy takes double Skill damage indefinitely. Fundamentally improves Skill consistency and multi-target damage.
2. LC S1 — Thus Burns the Dawn or Dance at Sunset both dramatically boost Clara's counter damage. Get a premium 5-star LC before further eidolons.
3. E4 — Adds 30% DMG reduction on hit, stacking with Talent (10%) and Ultimate (25%) for up to 65% total. Enables sustainless strategies in easier content.
4. E6 — Extends counter coverage to protect entire team and adds a third enhanced counter per Ultimate. Notable quality-of-life and damage upgrade for invested players.

Clara Relics and Stat Targets

Recommended: Poet of Mourning Collapse with Duran, Dynasty of Running Wolves

Stat targets: CRIT Rate 60-70%+, CRIT DMG 120-140%+, ATK 3200-3600+, SPD 90 base

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

Best Clara Light Cones

• Thus Burns the Dawn (Best in Slot): Phainon's signature but top-ranked option on Clara. Clara's low base SPD and frequent Ultimate usage reliably maintain the 60% DMG buff and 18% DEF ignore from Blazing Sun. The DEF ignore applies to all counter damage — both regular and enhanced. The +12 base SPD is largely irrelevant on Clara who actively wants low SPD, but the DMG and DEF ignore bonuses are very strong.
• Dance at Sunset: Yunli's signature and Clara's most-used premium option. Greatly increases aggro draw ensuring Clara is targeted more often, directly increasing counter frequency and energy generation. Also provides 36% CRIT DMG at S1 and 36% FUA DMG per Firedance stack (up to 2 stacks after Ultimate). The aggro multiplier is uniquely valuable for Clara's playstyle.
• Something Irreplaceable: Clara's own signature LC providing 24% ATK and 24% DMG buff (at S1) when hit or defeating enemies. The self-healing on hit (8% ATK restored) provides a useful safety net while tanking. Solid option that activates reliably given Clara's playstyle, but lacks the aggro multiplier that makes Dance at Sunset and Thus Burns the Dawn stronger.
• On the Fall of an Aeon: Best accessible F2P option from the Herta Store. Provides stackable ATK% (up to 64% at S5) and a 24% DMG buff on Weakness Break. Physical weakness is common in endgame making the Break condition easy to trigger. Completely free and straightforward to S5. Weaker than limited alternatives but the go-to budget choice.

Clara FAQ

Who works best with Clara in HSR?

Clara's best team options include Robin, Sunday, 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 Clara use?

Clara's recommended relic setup is Poet of Mourning Collapse with Duran, Dynasty of Running Wolves, with stat targets around CRIT Rate 60-70%+, CRIT DMG 120-140%+, ATK 3200-3600+.

What is the best light cone for Clara?

Thus Burns the Dawn is the top listed light cone for Clara. Phainon's signature but top-ranked option on Clara. Clara's low base SPD and frequent Ultimate usage reliably maintain the 60% DMG buff and 18% DEF ignore from Blazing Sun. The DEF ignore applies to all counter damage — both regular and enhanced. The +12 base SPD is largely irrelevant on Clara who actively wants low SPD, but the DMG and DEF ignore bonuses are very strong.

How should I invest in Clara?

Clara's first listed investment priority is E1. Highest-value eidolon by far. Makes Marks of Counter permanent, so every countered enemy takes double Skill damage indefinitely. Fundamentally improves Skill consistency and multi-target damage.

Important Notes

• Clara wants to stay at 90 base SPD — the lowest in the game. Avoid SPD boots unless running multiple action advancers who compensate for lost turns.
• Damage output has meaningful variance: not all enemies will target Clara on every turn even with high aggro values. Performance is stronger in content with fast, aggressive enemies.
• Struggles against slow enemies and bosses that skip attacks — fewer hits means fewer counters, less energy, and weaker Ultimate uptime.
• Mark of Counter is consumed when Skill is used at E0. Without E1, using Skill before enemies attack removes all existing Marks, wasting their double-damage potential.
• Avoid pairing with taunt-based sustains (Gepard, Preservation Trailblazer) — they steal the aggro Clara needs to counter consistently.