Hook — Honkai Star Rail Character Guide

Hook is a Fire Destruction DPS in Honkai: Star Rail, and this HSR build guide covers teams, relics, light cones, and investment priority. Best teams use Tingyun, Huohuo, Asta; recommended relics are Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters with Rutilant Arena; the top light cone is On the Fall of an Aeon; the first investment target is E6; Hook is strongest in Memory of Chaos (MoC T5).

Fire Destruction DPS · MoC T5 · PF T5 · AS T5

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

Overview

Single-target Fire DPS who applies Burn and deals bonus damage against Burned enemies. Gets Blast AoE after Ultimate, but plays more like a Hunt character than Destruction. Simple kit with a low performance ceiling.

Single-target Fire DPS who applies Burn via Skill (100% base chance, 65% ATK/turn DoT) and deals bonus damage against Burned enemies through Talent (100% ATK additional Fire DMG + 5 Energy per hit). Ultimate deals 400% ATK single-target damage and enables one Enhanced Skill with Blast AoE (280% ATK main + 80% ATK adjacent). A6 trace grants 20% action advance and 5 Energy on Ultimate use, accelerating her cycle. Simple rotation with no complex resource management.

Key Mechanics

Burn uptime is critical — Talent bonus damage (100% ATK), self-healing (A2: 5% Max HP), and energy generation (5 Energy) all require the target to be Burned. 100% base chance means Effect RES enemies can resist Burn, cutting Hook's output significantly.
Enhanced Skill is Hook's only AoE and is gated behind Ultimate every time. Without frequent Ultimates, she functions as a pure single-target character despite being on the Destruction path.
Energy cycle is faster than expected: 30 Energy from Skill + 5 from Talent procs + 5 from A6 + 5 from Ultimate itself + 20 from Basic when used. With Tingyun or Huohuo providing additional Energy, Hook can achieve 2+ Ultimates per cycle.
Simple ATK-scaling kit with no complex interactions — ATK directly scales direct damage, Burn DoT, and Talent bonus damage. CRIT and ATK are equally important with no diminishing returns or special scaling.

Best Hook Teams

Standard Hypercarry

Straightforward single-target DPS setup. Hook uses Skill to apply Burn, collects Talent procs (100% ATK bonus damage + 5 Energy per proc) while building to Ultimate, then fires Ultimate to enable the Enhanced Skill Blast. Amplifiers buff ATK and CRIT while sustain keeps the team alive. No special archetype requirements — works with whatever roster is available.

B-tier: Hook, Tingyun, Huohuo, Asta
C-tier: Hook, Tingyun, Asta, Trailblazer • Preservation

Burn DoT

Leverages Hook's Burn application alongside other DoT characters to stack multiple Burn instances and amplify DoT damage. Hook provides reliable Burn at 100% base chance on Skill, becoming the primary Burn applicator while teammates like Guinaifen extend debuff counts for Pioneer Diver stacking. Ruan Mei's Weakness Break Efficiency boosts Toughness damage for more Break opportunities. Better in multi-target content where spreading Burn is worth the setup.

C-tier: Hook, Guinaifen, Ruan Mei, Huohuo

Best Hook Teammates

Amplifiers: Tingyun (B), Asta (C), Bronya (C), Sparkle (C), Ruan Mei (C)

Sustains: Huohuo (B), Gallagher (C), Aventurine (C), Trailblazer • Preservation (D)

Hook Investment Priority

E6 — Universal 20% DMG bonus to all Burn targets is a permanent buff in single-target. Best damage eidolon and first real stopping point for dupes.
E4 — Spreads Burn to adjacent enemies on Talent proc — best eidolon for multi-target scenarios like Pure Fiction where Hook otherwise struggles.
E1 — 20% bonus DMG on Enhanced Skill, her best hit. Minor but the first noticeable power spike.
LC S5 — On the Fall of an Aeon S5 provides stacking ATK% and Break DMG bonus, the only accessible 5-star for Destruction DPS.

Hook Relics and Stat Targets

Recommended: Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters with Rutilant Arena

Stat targets: SPD 134 / 143 / 160, CRIT Rate 60-70%+, CRIT DMG 120-140%+, ATK 2300-2700+

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

Best Hook Light Cones

On the Fall of an Aeon (Best in Slot): Best accessible option from the Herta Store. Provides ramping ATK% (up to 64% at 4 stacks, S5) and a DMG% bonus on Weakness Break. Hook builds stacks naturally through Skill spam and frequent actions from A6 action advance. Contested across Destruction DPS — check if another character needs it more.
Something Irreplaceable: Standard banner 5-star. Provides ATK% on taking damage and a one-time 30% HP heal. Hook naturally absorbs hits as a frontline DPS, keeping the buff active. Strong if you have it, but not worth pulling specifically for her.
Woof! Walk Time!: ATK% and DMG% bonus to enemies afflicted with Burn or Bleed. The Burn condition synergizes directly with Hook's kit since she maintains near-permanent Burn on targets. Best 4-star option if available, though it is event-exclusive and may not be accessible.
A Secret Vow: Standard banner 4-star providing a flat DMG% boost plus extra DMG against enemies with higher HP than Hook. Condition is often active early in fights. Solid accessible option with no strings attached.

Hook FAQ

Who works best with Hook in HSR?

Hook's best team options include Tingyun, Huohuo, Asta. StarGuide rates teammates by role and composition fit so the recommendation reflects how the character is actually played.

What relics should Hook use?

Hook's recommended relic setup is Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters with Rutilant Arena, with stat targets around SPD 134 / 143 / 160, CRIT Rate 60-70%+, CRIT DMG 120-140%+.

What is the best light cone for Hook?

On the Fall of an Aeon is the top listed light cone for Hook. Best accessible option from the Herta Store. Provides ramping ATK% (up to 64% at 4 stacks, S5) and a DMG% bonus on Weakness Break. Hook builds stacks naturally through Skill spam and frequent actions from A6 action advance. Contested across Destruction DPS — check if another character needs it more.

How should I invest in Hook?

Hook's first listed investment priority is E6. Universal 20% DMG bonus to all Burn targets is a permanent buff in single-target. Best damage eidolon and first real stopping point for dupes.

Important Notes

No endgame viability in current meta — many stronger Fire DPS options exist (Firefly, Himeko) and generalist DPS far exceed Hook's ceiling. Best used in early/mid game or Overworld content.
Burn application has 100% base chance but can miss against enemies with high Effect RES. Talent damage and E6 damage bonus both require Burn to be active — missing Burn significantly cuts output.
Enhanced Skill (Blast AoE) is gated behind Ultimate every time. Without frequent Ultimates, Hook functions as a pure single-target Hunt-type character despite being on the Destruction path.
Simple kit with no complex interactions means there is no optimization path that closes the gap to meta DPS characters. Investment improves her modestly, not competitively.