The world of Honkai is familiar to some, but a complete mystery to others. We’re here to explain just what Honkai Star Rail light cones are in the game. Think of light cones as cards that provide buffs and benefits to your character and increase certain stats. Unlike other games (Genshin Impact springs to mind), you can’t change a character’s weapon but can equip them with light cones. Similar to both Honkai Impact characters and Genshin Impact weapons, your cones need to be leveled up and ascended to reach their true potential.
Wanna get further into the Honkai world? Check out our handy list of Honkai Star Rail characters and any Honkai Star Rail codes that may be available. Here’s what we know about the Honkai Star Rail release date.
What are Honkai Star Rail light cones?
Light cones are, according to the game, “solidified phenomena sealed inside slices of pure light” that are used to upgrade abilities. Basically, they appear as a card-shaped item that you can equip to different characters, depending on their type. Just like an archer has a bow, a character on the Preservation path must have a light cone on the Preservation path, too.
Cones are available in three rarities; three-star, four-star, and the coveted five-star. Equipping your characters with the best light cones doesn’t necessarily mean the highest rarity – each cone provides different benefits that can work for specific people. Luckily, you can easily see which ones are best for each character, as their face is often on them!
What are the Honkai Star Rail paths?
In Honkai Star Rail, there are seven different paths that both characters and light cones can follow. In order to equip a cone to a character, it needs to be on the same path. Essentially, the seven paths are different classes of characters such as healer, DPS, etc. Here are the paths:
| Path | Description | Character role |
| The Destruction | Followers of this path admire recklessness, anger, and destruction | DPS |
| The Hunt | Followers of this path are ruthless and tenacious | Single target damage |
| The Erudition | Followers of this path use logic and strategies | AoE damage |
| The Harmony | Followers of this path tend to be understanding, supportive, and cooperative | Buffing allies |
| The Nihility | Followers of this path are often lazy and admire meaningless behaviour | Debuffing enemies |
| The Preservation | Followers of this path admire patience, sacrifice and defensiveness | Defence and shields |
| The Abundance | Followers of this path aim to be selfless and try to heal others | Healer |
Hoyoverse may add more paths in the future, once Honkai Star Rail is fully released.
Each light cone has three substats. These are:
- HP
- ATK
- DEF
What are the best Honkai Star Rail light cones?
Our recommendations for the best Honkai Star Rail light cones are still a work in progress, however, we suggest equipping characters with their own light cones, if you have them.
How do I get Honkai Star Rail light cones?
Light cones are super easy to get in Honkai Star Rail, though the five-stars are a rarer drop. Three-star light cones make up most of the drops you get from pulling on the banners, with occasional four-stars appearing in your pulls.
Lower rarity light cones are found in treasure chests around the map and are given as rewards for completing quests. Some five-star light cones are available in Herta’s Store in exchange for Herta Bond currency, or in the Starlight Exchange shop using Undying Starlight. The latter option rotates periodically to show different paths and characters’ cones.
That’s all we have for Honkai Star Rail light cones for now – why not check out our build guides for characters like Honkai Star Rail Sampo, Honkai Star Rail Seele, Honkai Star Rail Bailu, and Honkai Star Rail Himeko?
