An Instant Before A Gaze
For the Path of: EruditionAn Instant Before A Gaze is a 5★ Light Cone for the Path of Erudition in Honkai: Star Rail.
A strong 5-star that grants a flat 36% CRIT DMG plus scaling Ultimate DMG based on Max Energy, but it's optimized specifically for high-Energy Ultimate-nuke kits, making it excellent yet somewhat kit-restricted.
An Instant Before A Gaze is a Light Cone for the Erudition Path. Ranked S on the Light Cone tier list. Best paired with Argenti. Needs 7 material types to reach Lv.80.
Last updated: 31/07/2026
The figures on this page come directly from gamevika's internal game data store (counted/read straight from the real records), not an estimate or copy from elsewhere.
Effect
Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 36%. When the wearer uses Ultimate, increases DMG dealt by the wearer's Ultimate based on their Max Energy. Each point of Energy increases DMG dealt by Ultimate by 0.36%. A max of 180 points of Energy will be taken into account for this.
Is Superimposition S1 → S5 worth it?
Base Stats (Lv80)
| Lv. | HP | ATK | DEF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48 | 26 | 21 |
| 20 | 185 | 102 | 81 |
| 30 | 178 | 98 | 78 |
| 40 | 254 | 140 | 111 |
| 50 | 331 | 182 | 145 |
| 60 | 408 | 224 | 179 |
| 70 | 485 | 267 | 212 |
| 80 | 562 | 309 | 246 |
Best Characters
This is the #1 pick in Argenti's build recommendation — the effect matches this character's role directly.
Ascension Materials
Characters who use this
Story
He once heard a ballad, singing in praise of that sliver of light: Rose blooms, to answer THEIR smile. Dawn shines, to illuminate THEIR visage. Melody plays, to banish THEIR fatigue. But, light, once gone, never returns. Yet, he still gallops to the far beyond. All that is needed is to wait for, to believe in, and to preach about everything that is of the Beauty in this cosmos. Even if everything is but a fleeting instant before a gaze, he has already found the answer he sought.
Alternative cones on the same Path
Trivia & Origins
Signature Cone Of
Determined from the official Gacha pairing table (AvatarUp GachaID <-> WeaponUp GachaID+1000): this cone is banner-paired with Argenti, not a guess.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does An Instant Before A Gaze do?
Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 36%. When the wearer uses Ultimate, increases DMG dealt by the wearer's Ultimate based on their Max Energy. Each point of Energy increases DMG dealt by Ultimate by 0.36%. A max of 180 points of Energy will be taken into account for this.
What does An Instant Before A Gaze do at Superimposition 5 (S5)?
Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 60%. When the wearer uses Ultimate, increases DMG dealt by the wearer's Ultimate based on their Max Energy. Each point of Energy increases DMG dealt by Ultimate by 0.6%. A max of 180 points of Energy will be taken into account for this.
Who should use An Instant Before A Gaze?
Based on cross-source consensus builds, this cone works best on: Argenti, Serval, The Herta.
How many materials does it take to ascend An Instant Before A Gaze to Lv.80?
You need 7 material types and 385,000 Credits to ascend the cone to Lv.80 (see the table above for details).
How to read this Light Cone page
Every Light Cone has exactly one passive effect tied to the wielder's combat performance; that effect scales up as you Superimpose it from S1 to S5 — use the S1-S5 buttons above to see the exact numbers at each level instead of guessing or interpolating. A Light Cone only delivers its full value on a character who shares its Path; "Characters who use this cone" lists every character on that Path, while "Best users" is a narrower list pulled from real build consensus, not a guess.
Base stats (HP/ATK/DEF) are shown at Lv80 for every cone of the same rarity so they can be compared directly; a 5-star cone will always edge out 4-star and 3-star ones here — the real difference lives in the passive effect, not the flat stats. The "Alternative cones on the same Path" section suggests a few other options if you do not own the signature cone yet, or want to compare before spending ascension materials.
See the full list on the Light Cones page, or check terms in the HSR Glossary.
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