Our Honkai Star Rail Aetherium Wars guide walks you through how to play, what the available spirits are, and more. The Aetherium Wars event is basically one big ode to that huge Nintendo franchise about catching pocket monsters, but we won’t say exactly what to avoid a lawsuit. Its Interastral Tournament Convention is taking place on Jarilo-VI, where the Trailblazer joins the fun.
If you fancy another challenge, check out our guide to the Honkai Star Rail’s simulated universe. Or if you need to prepare your builds, here’s everything you need to know about Honkai Star Rail light cones. Plus here are the latest Honkai Star Rail codes for some free stellar jade.
Let’s find out how to win at Honkai Star Rail’s Aetherium Wars!
What is Aetherium Wars in Honkai Star Rail?
Aetherium Wars is a new event that sees you, Honkai Star Rail’s Trailblazer, catch aether spirits – versions of the enemies you fight on all the different planets – and form a team of them. Then, you battle other players and win XP material, chips, and more. Note that you need to be Trailblazer level 21 or above to participate, and to have completed the Jolted Awake from a Winter Dream quest.
Thankfully, this event is hanging around – you can play it any time using the conventional memoir menu, though there are some limited-time rewards to grab.
Within the event, there are four themed zones to battle through – based on locations you’ve been to in the game:
- Corridor of Fading Echoes on Jarilo-VI
- Cloudford on the Xianzhou Luofu
- Herta Space Station
- The Great Mine on Jarilo-VI
Your job is to clear each area by battling challengers and roaming spirits, and the ‘Overlord’ spirit in each level – the boss. In each zone, you run into friendly faces of other playable characters and NPCs that challenge you to battle, while also explaining any puzzle mechanics in the zone.
How do I play Aetherium Wars in Honkai Star Rail?
Playing Aetherium Wars is as simple as progressing through each zone and taking down any opponents in your way. The monsters you run into while in Aetherium Wars’ zones are called aether spirits. You get your own versions of them by defeating roaming spirits in specific locations in each area. Each aether spirit can provide a different role in your team, such as being an attacker, a defender, or a supporter that heals and buffs.
For instance, the first area, set on Jarilo-VI, nets you a Warp Trotter, Imaginary Weaver, Blaze Out of Space, Silvermane Cannonneer, and a Silvermane Gunner. As you progress and complete more battles, you collect expansion chips that you can equip to each spirit to receive stat boosts, shields, and upgrades.
On top of adventuring around different areas, you can play hyperlink battles and exhibition matches against other characters like Welt, Sampo, and Clara, with some NPCs sprinkled in, too. There are a few key Championship Duels once you get good enough, against Luka, Guinaifen, Hook, Topaz, Silver Wolf, and the event’s sponsor, Giovanni.
One of the rewards of the Wars event is getting a free Luka, Hook, Pela, or Serval on your team – or as an eidolon if you already have them. This is on top of a ton of credits, jade, and XP materials, too.
All Aetherium Wars aether spirits
There are three different types of aether spirits in the Aetherium Wars event – these are mechanic, aberrant, and humanoid. In order to quickly and successfully beat each opponent, you need to counter it with a corresponding type. Doing so deals 1.5x as much damage.
Here’s a full list of all currently available aether spirits, along with their type and role in a team:
| Aether spirit | Type | Role |
| Warp Trotter | Aberrant | Healer |
| Imaginary Weaver | Aberrant | Multi-target damage |
| Blaze Out of Space | Aberrant | DPS and AoE |
| Incineration Shadewalker | Aberrant | Tank and debuff |
| Everwinter Shadewalker | Aberrant | Tank and debuff |
| Voidranger: Reaver Abberant Buffer | Aberrant | Buffer |
| Voidranger: Eliminator | Aberrant | Buffer |
| Voidranger: Trampler | Aberrant | Single-target DPS |
| Abundance Sprite: Wooden Lupus | Aberrant | Damage over time |
| Vagrant | Humanoid | Buffer |
| Silvermane Gunner | Humanoid | Single-target DPS |
| Silvermane Lieutenant | Humanoid | DPS and counters |
| Silvermane Cannoneer | Humanoid | Follow-up attacks |
| Silvermane soldier | Humanoid | Buffer |
| Frigid Prowler | Mechanical | DPS and AoE |
| Automaton Spider | Mechanical | Explosive damage |
| Entranced Ingenium: Illumination Dragonfish | Mechanical | Damage over time |
| Entranced Ingenium: Obedient Dracolion | Mechanical | Healer |
| Aurumaton Gatekeeper | Mechanical | Damage over time |
What is the best Honkai Star Rail Aetherium Wars team?
The best team you can make depends on the battle you’re heading into. Countering the types on the opposing team is key, along with having a healer or shielder, and perhaps a buffer, in your team at all times with your chosen DPS. Thankfully, unlike Pokémon, there are only three ‘types’ here, so matching up isn’t too much of a headache.
Really, like any team-based game, your best team depends on how you play. I prefer using two damage units with a healer and shielder, but you may prefer using a buffer and debuff unit to help out your DPS.
There are some key units that work very well in any team. These are:
- Silvermane soldier – offers a shield and buffs
- Silvermane Lieutenant – strong attack unit
- Everwinter Shadewalker – excellent for freezing enemies
- Warp Trotter – offers great healing and support
There you have it – our simple guide to the Aetherium Wars. For more help with Honkai builds, we recommend checking out our pages for Honkai Star Rail’s Gepard, Honkai Star Rail’s Jingliu, Honkai Star Rail’s Sampo, and Honkai Star Rail’s Tingyun.