In a turn-based strategy game such as Honkai: Star Rail, support characters are necessary for game progression. There will be a point in the game where the difficulty will increase, making it hard to win without them. That being said, there are better supports for different team compositions depending on which characters a player has access to. Even if the player doesn't have the best supporters, each character they do have shines in their own way.
The support classes for Honkai: Star Rail include the Aeon Paths of Preservation, Harmony, Abundance, and Nihility. Unlike most RPGs, the characters in this game are more specific based on what they can do rather than their weapons. For example, Asta and Pela both have staff-like weapons making them look more like a mage-class character. However, they both do different things. More factors to consider when picking support characters are: how free-to-play they are, their elemental advantages, and whether they can quickly turn the tide of a battle.
Related: Honkai: Star Rail Tier List - Best Characters to Use Right Now
March 7th, one of the sidekicks to the Trailblazer's main storyline, is wildly underestimated as a support character. She is a 4-Star rarity Preservation character able to give allies shields while dealing follow-up damage. She is extremely important in the very early game, where the player has no Abundance Path healer like Natasha. Additionally, her attacks are of the Ice Element, giving her a chance to deal the Freeze effect to enemies, especially with her follow-up attacks.
Further on, by unlocking Equilibrium 2 Traces, March 7th's ability to shield characters can also dispel debuffs given to allies from enemies.
Asta is a free-to-play character of the Harmony Path in Honkai: Star Rail. She is a Fire Elemental character that can be seen on teams with the same element due to a buff giving Attack to those with Fire Damage. This makes the best Asta character builds in Honkai: Star Rail very specific, as her team compositions can commonly be found with Himeko, Hook, or Preservation Path Trailblazer. However, having her on a team regardless can be very useful because of her Ultimate giving Speed to allies. This can be very game-changing during a battle where slower characters like Preservation Path Trailblazer or Gepard can attack sooner with just a buff.
Gepard is a 5-Star Ice Elemental Preservation Path character obtained through the Standard Warp Banner. His HP and Defense stats are very high, with his Speed and Attack at decent numbers. Gepard's Skill set emphasizes his ability to make Shields that absorb damage every turn. He is also useful against enemies weak to the Ice Element as he can Freeze them at a base 65% Effect Hit Rate. Unfortunately, with very little free-to-play access, two other easily obtainable Preservation Path characters can also do his job if the player doesn't have Gepard. Furthermore, the downside to Ice Elemental-type damage are the many resistances that come with it.
The final Ice Elemental support character is Pela of the Nihility Path. She is recommended on a team looking to do more damage since her skills lower an enemy's defense by 33%. Pela can also dispel an enemy's buffs with her Skill, making her very useful in fights against Boss/Elite Monsters. Although Ice Elemental characters are very specific to the weaknesses of enemies, the best Pela character builds in Honkai: Star Rail are considered to be very useful alongside attackers like Seele and Sushang. She is also easier to pull from the Event Banner at the moment with her 4-Star rarity.
Welt is a 5-Star Nihility Path character who is the only Imaginary Element user in Honkai: Star Rail right now. With many enemies weak to Imaginary Damage, Welt is an excellent choice for any team. His stats are very all-rounded, and his Skills slow down and Break enemies giving allies more time to do damage. Welt's Ultimate is also helpful in creating a Synthetic Black Hole dealing the Imprisonment effect, which delays an enemy's action in the same turn. Welt can use his Ultimate in combination with other attacking characters giving them and himself more priority. If the player has not pulled Welt from the guaranteed 5-Star Beginner Warps, consider using the fastest ways to farm Stellar Jade in Honkai: Star Rail.
Natasha is an important free-to-play Physical Damage dealing healer. She is of the Abundance Path, which gives her an important role in keeping her allies alive. Her healing relies on how much HP stat she has, and at Eidolon 6 can deal 40% of her HP as Physical Damage to opponents. When her own HP is low, she also immediately heals herself, making her survive longer. Additionally, Natasha can dispel debuffs given to allies, making her useful in various situations mid to late-game. When building a team in Honkai: Star Rail, Natasha right now is the only free-to-play healer, so it is recommended to use her if the player doesn't have Bailu.
The second part of the main character's story transforms the Trailblazer from the Path of Destruction to the Path of Preservation. These characters, regardless if the player chose male or female, can support some of the best damage dealers in the game. When using the team-wide shield Skill, the Trailblazer also creates a Taunt effect on an enemy keeping single target damage away from allies. Enemies then will attack the Trailblazer stacking Magma Will to deal increased damage back to the enemy and the ones adjacent to it. In addition to the area of effect attacks, the entire team gains more shields for two turns.​​​​​​​
The Lightning Elemental Foxian, Tingyun, is a tough character to pull right now from the Standard Banner. She is of the Harmony Path, which means she focuses around buffing herself and her allies. Her Ultimate, named the Ritual of the Auspicious Cloud, regenerates 50 Energy for one teammate, which can turn the tide of a battle. For example, a player with a team low on health can regenerate an emergency team-wide healing Ultimate. Her Skill also buffs the Attack of an ally based on her attack, making her not only a support but a secondary damage dealer. The point of having the best Tingyun character builds in Honkai: Star Rail on a team is to help her allies use their Ultimates more and buff their damage output.
Bronya is one of the most desired 5-Star rarity characters to obtain from the Standard Warp Banner right now in Honkai: Star Rail. Her overall base stats are balanced with an ability to increase Attack and Critical Damage for her and her allies. Bronya is also extremely helpful as she can dispel debuffs while at the same time advancing an ally's action forward. Due to her offensive quality of life, she also makes a great secondary damage dealer with her Wind Elemental advantage.​​​​​​​
The 5-Star Abundance Path character Bailu can be obtained through the Standard Warp Banner. Although it might be harder to obtain her, the benefits of unlocking her are unmatched due to the ability to revive an ally. On top of her ability to bring back a fallen character, The best Bailu character builds in Honkai: Star Rail can also heal multiple allies with her Skill. Her Ultimate also grants "Invigoration," giving continuous healing and reduced damage when hit. In many situations, a healer is needed, and Bailu is excellent on any team.
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