Aboard the Herta Space Station in Honkai Star Rail, Herta is the real top dog. She may appear as an adorable puppet in a cute little dress, but this sharp-tongued, ice hammer wielder is a top member of the Genius Society, known to have the highest IQ in The Blue. And our HSR Herta guide not only takes a look at who she is, but also her best build, light cones, and relics, as well as all of her eidolons.
To get familiar with the rest of the faces you meet on your trailblazing adventure, check out our list of Honkai Star Rail characters and Honkai Star Rail tier list. We also have other build guides just like this, including Honkai Star Rail’s Dan Heng, Honkai Star Rail’s March 7th, and Honkai Star Rail’s Natasha.
Honkai Star Rail Herta
Who is Honkai Star Rail’s Herta?
Honkai Star Rail’s Herta is known as the human with the highest IQ in The Blue, and the Herta Space Station’s true master. She’s number 83 of the Genius Society, and only does what she’s interested in – dropping whichever project she’s working on as soon as something new comes along. She typically appears in the form of a ranged puppet, which is about 70% similar to how she looked as a child.
Herta’s English voice actor is PJ Mattson, who you may recognise as Sylvanas Windrunner from World of Warcraft, and her Japanese voice actor is Yamazaki Haruka, who has voiced many characters in a huge range of anime. She wields a hammer and has control over the element of ice, and her path is ‘The Erudition’.
What’s the best Honkai Star Rail Herta build?
Herta is a powerful damage dealer who specialises in AoE and follow-up attacks. She makes for a great sub-DPS, especially when you’re taking on large groups or waves of enemies in modes such as the Forgotten Hall and the Simulated Universe. All of her attacks have the ability to freeze enemies, disabling them for a set amount of turns, which offers great utility to her team.
We recommend pairing her up with a strong DPS from the path of The Hunt or The Destruction to form an enemy-shattering team that makes the most of her kit and enables your DPS to shine.
Which light cone should I use for Honkai Star Rail’s Herta?
As with other Honkai Star Rail characters, Herta has her own light cone called the Birth of the Self, which is tailor-made to suit her kit. As such, it’s generally her best-in-slot for most situations.
However, if you’re looking for an alternate, be sure it aligns with the path of The Erudition. Before Dawn is a very strong five-star option that enhances her follow-up attacks. Alternatively, The Seriousness of Breakfast is a good choice as it boost her damage, and pushes her attack up even further after your team defeats an enemy.
| Light cone | Effect | How to obtain |
| The Birth of the Self | Increases damage dealt by the wearer’s follow-up attacks. If the current HP of the target enemy is below 50% of the wearer’s max HP, damage dealt by follow up attacks increases further | Gacha |
| Before Dawn | Increases the wearer’s crit damage by 32%, and their ultimate damage by 20%. After the wearer uses their skill or ultimate, they gain Somnus Corpus. Upon triggering a follow-up attack, they consume Somnus Corpus and their follow-up attack damage increases by 48% | Gacha |
| The Seriousness of Breakfast | Increases the wearer’s damage by 12%. For every defeated enemy, the wearer’s attack increases by 4%, stacking up to four times | Gacha |
Which relics should I use for Honkai Star Rail’s Herta?
We’re still testing out different relics on Herta, but as she relies on dealing ice damage, we recommend Hunter of Glacial Forest. Musketeer of Wild Wheat is also a good alternative as it boosts her attack and speed. Find out more about the different relic sets and our recommendations in our Honkai Star Rail relics guide.
| Relic | Effect | How to obtain |
| Hunter of Glacial Forest | Two equipped: increases ice damage by 10% Four equipped: after the wearer unleashes their ultimate, their crit damage increases by 25% for two turns |
Cavern of Corrosion: Path of Gelid Wind in Herta Space Station’s Storage Zone |
| Musketeer of Wild Wheat | Two equipped: increases attack by 10% Four equipped: increases the wearer’s speed by 6% and their basic attack damage by 10% |
Cavern of Corrosion: Path of Drifting in Jarilo-VI’s Corridor of Fading Echoes |
What are Honkai Star Rail’s Herta’s attacks?
Active:
| Skill | Effect |
| Basic attack: What Are You Looking At? (single attack) | Deal ice damage equal to 50% of Herta’s attack to a target enemy |
| Skill: One-Time Offer (AoE attack) | Deal 50% of Herta’s attack as ice damage to all enemies. If a target’s HP is 50% or higher, damage dealt to that target increases by 20% |
| Ultimate: It’s Magic. I Added Some Magic (AoE attack) | Deal ice damage equal to 120% of Herta’s attack to all enemies |
Talent:
| Skill | Effect |
| I’ll Take a Swing | When any ally attack causes an enemy’s HP to fall to 50% or lower, Herta launches a follow-up attack dealing 25% of Herta’s attack as ice damage to all enemies |
Technique:
| Skill | Effect |
| It Can Still Be Optimized (Enhance) | After using her technique, Herta’s attack increases by 40% for three turns in the next battle |
Traces:
| Trace | Effect |
| Efficiency | The damage boost effect of Herta’s skill on enemies with high HP increases by an additional 25% |
| Puppet | Herta’s resistance to crowd control debuffs increases by 35% |
| Freeze | Herta’s ultimate deals 20% more damage to frozen enemies |
What are Herta’s eidolons?
In Honkai Star Rail, eidolons are similar to Genshin Impact’s constellations, where gaining more than one copy of a character grants you boosts and upgrades for that character. Here are all of Herta’s eidolons.
| Eidolon | Effect |
| Level one – A Well’s Fallen Stone | If the target enemy’s HP is less than or equal to 50% of its max HP, Herta’s basic attack deals an additional 20% of her attack as ice damage |
| Level two – Triumph and Pursuit | Every time Herta’s talent triggers, her crit rate increases by 3% |
| Level three – That’s the Kind of Girl I Am | Increases the level of Herta’s ultimate by two) to a maximum of level 15), and her basic attack by one (to a maximum of level ten) |
| Level four – Hit Where it Hurts | Herta’s damage increases by 10% when her talent triggers |
| Level five – Swear Big or Don’t Swear at All | Increases the level of Herta’s ultimate and talent by two (to a maximum of level 15) |
| Level six – No One Can Betray Me | After using her ultimate, her attack increases by 25% for one turn |
And that’s everything we’ve got on Honkai Star Rail’s Herta at the moment. We’ll be sure to update this guide if we find any better relics or light cones for her. In the meantime, check out our guide to the best games like Genshin Impact for a fun new adventure.
