Affordable, effective team comps built from free units, story rewards, and commonly available 4★ characters.
Updated for Version 3.2
Starting your journey in Honkai: Star Rail can be overwhelming, especially when you're trying to build effective teams without spending money. This guide focuses on powerful team compositions using characters that are either free, guaranteed through the story, or easily obtainable for new players.
We'll cover different team archetypes to help you tackle various content in the game, from story progression to Simulated Universe and Memory of Chaos.
Physical Trailblazer
Main DPS
Free character
Natasha
Healer
Common pull
Tingyun
Buffer
Common pull
Asta
Buffer/SPD
Free from Simulated Universe
This team leverages the Physical Trailblazer's consistent damage output while providing ample support through buffs and healing. The Trailblazer serves as your main damage dealer with strong single-target attacks and decent AoE capabilities.
As you progress, consider replacing Asta with Pela for defense shred or Clara/Blade if you obtain them. Serval can also replace Natasha if you need more damage and less healing.
As a F2P player, prioritize building teams around characters you're guaranteed to obtain, such as the Trailblazer, March 7th, and characters from the Simulated Universe rewards like Herta and Asta.
Characters like Tingyun, Pela, and Natasha fit into many team compositions and are worth investing in early. They'll continue to be useful even as you obtain more characters.
While 5-star light cones are powerful, many 4-star and even 3-star light cones can be effective. The Planar Ornaments shop also offers good F2P light cone options that can be obtained with planar ornaments.
Be strategic with your Stellar Jade spending. Save for characters that will significantly improve your teams rather than pulling on every banner. Consider the pity system and plan accordingly.
Good relics can make a bigger difference than having a 5-star character with poor relics. Focus on farming relics with appropriate main stats and substats for your main team members.
Building effective F2P teams in Honkai: Star Rail is entirely possible with the right strategy and resource management. The teams outlined in this guide should help you tackle most content in the game while you work toward obtaining more characters and light cones.
Remember that team synergy often matters more than individual character rarity. Focus on creating teams with complementary abilities and paths, and you'll be able to clear challenging content even with a limited roster.
As you progress and obtain more characters, you can gradually replace team members to create even stronger compositions. Good luck on your journey through the cosmos, Trailblazer!