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- Cipher is a 5-Star Quantum Nihility unit and is one of the Chrysos Heirs!
- Cipher is a hyper-speed quantum sub-DPS!
- Cipher offers one of the most consistent and versatile damage amplifications in the game1
The Version 3.3 update of Honkai: Star Rail releases the much-anticipated 5-star character Cipher. She is a Quantum character following the Path of Nihility. This Honkai: Star Rail Cipher Build Guide will help you get the most out of her abilities by offering a detailed breakdown of her skills and recommending the best configurations to optimize her performance.
Cipher Gameplay
Cipher is a hyper-speed quantum sub-DPS who thrives on recording team-wide damage and releasing it later as true damage. Her unique mechanic, Patron Tally, lets her track a percentage of damage dealt to a marked enemy each turn and then release it with her Ultimate, dealing high True DMG based on that tally.
She contributes consistent FUA (follow-up attacks) once per turn and provides a small debuff to enemy damage through her Skill. With proper setup and speed tuning (especially hitting 170 SPD which is important), she can ramp up high amounts of damage. Most of her power is locked behind bonus abilities and Ascensions rather than just Trace levels, making her less dependent on full investment.
Materials Needed for Cipher in Honkai: Star Rail
Refer to the detailed farming guide for Cipher as we break down her materials and how to obtain them effectively. To summarize the materials in this Honkai Star: Rail Cipher Build Guide
Character Level-Up Materials
- 65x Darkveil Moonlight
- 15x Ethereal Omen
- 15x Echoing Wail
- 15x Eternal Lament
- 3x Travel Encounters
- 3x Adventure Log
- 289x Traveler’s Guide
- 888,000x Credit
Trace Level-up Materials
- 18x Fiery Spirit
- 69x Starfire Essence
- 139x Heaven Incinerator
- 41x Ethereal Omen
- 56x Echoing Wail
- 58x Eternal Lament
- 12x Daythunder Anamnesis
- 8x Tracks of Destiny
- 3,000,000x Credit
Honkai Star Rail Cipher Best Relics and Planar Ornaments
When building Cipher, there are several strong relic options, making her highly adaptable based on team composition and playstyle. In this section of the Honkai: Star Rail Cipher Build Guide, we will discuss what relics, main stats, and planar ornaments you need to focus on for Cipher.
- Body: Crit DMG
- Feet: SPD
- Planar Spear: ATK/Quantum DMG
- Link Rope: ATK/ERR (depending on how often you want to Ult)
Relic Set
| Sacerdos’ Relived Ordeal/Warrior Goddess of Sun and Thunder | These are great if you’re aiming to hit that 170 Speed breakpoint without much effort. Plus, you can just slap on some of those double crit pieces you’ve farmed while building supports—no need to chase perfect substats or 30+ crit value gear. |
| Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters | Ideal if you can keep enemies debuffed consistently. |
| Genius of Brilliant Stars | Works well if you’re stacking DEF shred and want more consistent damage. |
Planar Ornaments
| Lushaka, the Sunken Seas | For general team buffing. |
| Firmament Frontline: Glamoth | Best for general damage builds, especially since she crosses 160 Speed easily. |
| Izumo Gensei and Takama Divine Realm | Great in an Acheron-focused team. |
| Broken Keel/Sprightly Vonwacq | Also viable, depending on utility and speed needs. |
Honkai Star Rail Cipher Best Light Cone
| Lies Dance on the Breeze (Cipher 5* Light Cone) | This light cone is a stacked one, even if you don’t have Cipher. You get an instant 18% Speed buff, which is a massive deal for Nihility characters. On top of that, her LC gives you a 120% chance to apply a 16% DEF reduction on hit.
Because the cap is 120%, you only need 39% Effect Hit Rate to fully guarantee it lands. And if your Cipher has 170 Speed or more, she’ll apply an additional 8% DEF reduction, bringing the total to 24%. What makes this cone shine, though, is how reliable and consistent it is. The debuff lasts two turns. This gives your DPS a much safer and more consistent window to capitalize on the shred, even if enemies act in between. It also means Cipher can reapply the debuff even if she acts twice in a row. If you’re investing in Cipher, this cone honestly gives more value than her first Eidolon. |
| Resolution Shines As Pearls of Sweat (4*) | It’s a decent light cone. It lowers DEF and works on basic attacks, but the uptime is awkward. The debuff only lasts one turn, and it won’t reapply if you act twice quickly.
That makes it unreliable in certain rotations and weakens its battery potential, too. |
| Before the Tutorial Mission Starts (4*) | This one applies a debuff when the wearer hits with a basic, ultimate, or follow-up attack. But here’s the catch:
Cipher doesn’t naturally apply debuffs through her basic or skill, so unless you’re pairing her with another ally who can help enable it (like Pela or Silver Wolf), it’s a bit awkward to make full use of. It can work, but it’s niche and takes more setup than it’s worth in most cases. |
Best Team Comps for Cipher in Honkai Star Rail
So, where does Cipher fit in when it comes to team comps? Well, the short answer is: just about anywhere you’d use a top-tier universal support like Ruan Mei or Tribbie. Cipher offers one of the most consistent and versatile damage amplifications in the game.
That alone makes her a fantastic plug-and-play option in many high-level team setups. Honestly, anyone who appreciates universal amplification. That includes Dr. Ratio, E1 Aventurine, or even Anaxa setups. In multi-DPS teams, she becomes an ideal option due to her buffs applying to everyone with zero downtime.
She fits perfectly into fast-rotating advance-forward teams and shines with characters that self-buff a lot already. And she’s fine with HP-scaling DPS, because she doesn’t interfere with their scaling, she just makes it all hit harder.
Acheron Team
With Acheron, things get even better, especially if you have Cipher’s S1 Light Cone. That’s because her high-speed kit guarantees debuff uptime, helping Acheron consistently generate Slashed Dreams. Cipher’s LC allows her to keep the cycle going, avoiding gaps in debuffing. She even helps front-load Acheron’s burst with her recorded damage, smoothing over the downtime between dream bursts.
If you’re an E0 Acheron enjoyer, then having at least one of the big three: Cipher, Jiaoqiu, or Silver Wolf, will make a huge difference. And you can run two of them together for a monster support line. Compared to units like Pela or Welt, these three are on another level in terms of consistency and team amplification.
Feixiao Team
With Feixiao, Cipher’s permanent 40% vulnerability is just much more reliable, which only applies to a single target at a time. Cipher’s buffs work on skill damage, follow-ups, ultimates, and even sustain units. Her support is universal, not locked behind any damage type or attack type tags.
Is Cipher worth pulling in HSR
Cipher is worth considering if you enjoy technical characters who reward smart rotations and team synergy. She’s not a traditional power-creep DPS but instead acts as a delayed true damage amplifier for your team, especially valuable in multi-phase or wave-based content.
Her ability to store and unleash damage precisely when needed can trivialize boss mechanics or help secure breaks at key moments. That said, she doesn’t bring immediate raw output like some limited DPS units and may feel underwhelming in teams without strong baseline damage.
She shines brightest when paired with high-output allies and speed supports. If you’re missing a flexible, future-proof sub-DPS or want a unit that scales with your roster rather than becomes outdated by it, Cipher is a high-skill, high-reward addition to your team.
Honkai Star Rail Reroll Guide | Honkai Star Rail Redeem Codes | Honkai Star Rail Tier List | Honkai Star Rail Next Update | Honkai Star Rail Paths | Honkai Star Rail Elements | Honkai Star Rail Pure Fiction | Honkai Star Rail Simulated Universe Swarm Disaster | Honkai Star Rail Simulated Universe Gold and Gears
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