Though he may be a man of little words, Honkai Star Rail’s Arlan does a stellar job of protecting the Herta Space Station. Okay, he may not win every battle, but he’s more than willing to put his life on the line to protect those around him. But regardless of how brave or skilled the head of the Herta Space Station’s security department is, no one should have to shoulder such responsibility alone. Luckily, with the help of our Honkai Arlan build guide, you can help lift some of the weight off his shoulders, by getting familiar with all of his attacks and eidolons, and equipping him with the best light cones and relics. Maybe he’ll even reward you by letting you meet Peppy, his adorable little pup.
If you want to introduce yourself to the rest of the inhabitants of Herta Space Station, head over to our Honkai Star Rail tier list and Honkai Star Rail characters guides. We’ve also got a heap more build guides just like this one, including Honkai Star Rail’s Herta, Honkai Star Rail’s Himeko, and Honkai Star Rail’s Bronya.
Who is Honkai Star Rail’s Arlan?
Honkai Star Rail’s Arlan is the head of Herta Space Station’s security department, and is willing to risk his life to protect the staff on board. He’s stoic, inarticulate, and doesn’t really understand the scientific research being carried out by his fellow space station inhabitants, but he wears his scars like battles of honour, considering them a reminder of his ability to protect everyone. Despite his serious demeanour, he can be seen letting down his guard and cracking a rare smile whenever his little dog Peppy is in his arms.
Arlan is a four-star lightning wielder who treads the path of the Destruction. His English voice actor is Dani Chambers, and his Japanese voice actor is Shiraishi Ryoko.
What’s the best Honkai Star Rail Arlan build?
Arlan is a lightning wielding DPS with high damage and low survivability, and plays the role of a glass cannon in most scenarios. He specialises in taking down single targets, and his skill sees him sacrifice a portion of his HP in order to deal more damage, though he can’t use this skill if his HP is insufficient. His passive also sees his damage increase based on his lost HP.
As such, it’s important to pick the right healer for Arlan’s team. We advise against pairing him up with Honkai Star Rail’s Luocha, as his Abyss Flower skill triggers when an ally falls below 50% HP, which interferes with Arlan’s abilities. Honkai Star Rail’s Natasha is more fitting for the role, as you can control when she heals her allies, and her ultimate is a great emergency button if Arlan’s health falls too low to use his skill.
As of the beta, we recommend prioritising attack, HP, and lightning damage boost stats when building Arlan. The reason we recommend HP is because his buffs and skills are based on a percentage of his max HP rather than a flat rate, so ensuring he has high max HP means he can fall below the required threshold without being at risk of dying in one hit. However, we’re still testing builds, so this is subject to change in the game’s full release.
When it comes to team comps, we recommend pairing him with another DPS and a buffer or support in addition to Honkai Star Rail’s Natasha, but you should avoid keeping him consistently shielded unless his HP is within the required range.
Which light cone should I use for Honkai Star Rail’s Arlan?
The four-star light cone A Secret Vow is tailored to Arlan’s kit, both increasing his flat damage and allowing him to deal extra damage when an enemy has a higher HP percentage than him, which, due to his skills, is likely to be almost always active. However, if you can’t get your hands on A Secret Vow for whatever reason, you can equip him with any light cone that aligns with the path of The Destruction, preferably one that also boosts his attack.
| Light cone | Effect | How to obtain |
| A Secret Vow | Increases Arlan’s damage dealt by 20%. Arlan also deals an extra 20% damage to enemies with a higher HP percentage than him | Gacha |
Which relics should I use for Honkai Star Rail’s Arlan?
When it comes to Honkai Star Rail relics, the best set for Arlan as of the beta is the Band of Sizzling Thunder, as it increases his lightning damage and shock damage. For substats, we once again recommend aiming for more attack, HP, and lightning damage. After this, you should ensure that he has a decent crit rate/crit damage ratio and some extra energy restoration.
| Relic | Effect | How to obtain |
| Band of Sizzling Thunder | Two pieces equipped: increases lightning damage by 10% Four pieces equipped: increases Arlan’s attack by 25% for one turn after he uses his skill |
Cavern of Corrosion: Path of Holy Hymn in Jarilo-VI’s Great Mine |
| Fleet of the Ageless | Two pieces equipped: increases Arlan’s max HP by 12%. When his speed reaches 120 or higher, all allies’ attack increases by 8% | Immersion Reward devices in World 3 of the Simulated Universe using 40 Trailblaze Power or one Immersifier |
| Space Sealing Station | Two pieces equipped: increases Arlan’s attack by 12%. When his speed reaches 120 or higher, Arlan’s attack increases by another 12% | Immersion Reward devices in World 3 of the Simulated Universe using 40 Trailblaze Power or one Immersifier |
What are Honkai Star Rail’s Arlan’s attacks?
Active
| Skill | Effect |
| Basic attack: Lightning Rush (single attack) | Deal 50% of Arlan’s attack as lightning damage to a target enemy |
| Skill: Shackle Breaker (single attack) | Consume 15% of Arlan’s max HP to deal 160% of his attack as lightning damage to a target enemy. You can’t use this skill if Arlan’s HP is insufficient |
| Ultimate: Frenzied Punishment (blast) | Deal 210% of Arlan’s attack as lightning damage to a target enemy, and 90% of Arlan’s attack as lightning damage to enemies adjacent to the target |
Passive
| Skill | Effect |
| Pain and Anger | Increases Arlan’s damage based on his lost HP, up to a max of 40% |
Technique
| Skill | Effect |
| Swift Harvest | Immediately attack the enemy. After entering battle, deal 80% of Arlan’s attack as lightning damage to all enemies |
What are Arlan’s eidolons?
Eidolons in Honkai Star Rail are similar to Genshin Impact’s constellations. They’re unique buffs that you can only unlock by pulling more than one copy of a character. Here are all of Arlan’s eidolons.
| Eidolon | Effect |
| Level one – To the Bitter End | Arlan can use his skill when his HP is at least 5% of his max HP. If his HP is insufficient, using his skill reduces his HP to one |
| Level two – Breaking Free | Arlan’s skill damage increases by 10%. When Arlan uses his skill, it dispels a debuff inflicted on him |
| Level three – Power Through | Increases the level of Arlan’s skill by two, up to a maximum of level of 15, and increases the level of his basic attack by one, up to a maximum of level ten |
| Level four – Turn the Tables | When struck by a killing blow, instead of becoming incapacitated, Arlan immediately restores back to 25% of his max HP. This effect can only trigger once per battle |
| Level five – Hammer and Tongs | Increases the level of Arlan’s ultimate by two, up to a maximum of level 15, and increases the level of his talent by two, up to a maximum of level 15 |
| Level six – Self-Sacrifice | When Arlan’s HP is lower than 50%, his ultimate’s damage increases by 20% and the damage multiplier on adjacent targets increases to that of the target enemy |
That’s everything we’ve got on Honkai Star Rail’s Arlan as of the beta. We’ll be sure to update this guide as soon as the Honkai Star Rail release date rolls around. In the meantime, head over to our Honkai Star Rail codes guide to see if you can grab any freebies.
