HSR Relic & Planar Sets Overview: Main Stats, 2pc/4pc Bonuses and Which Set for Crit, Break, FUA or DoT
30-second summary: Each character wears 6 relic pieces — 4 Cavern Relics that give both a 2-piece and a 4-piece bonus, plus 2 Planar Ornaments that give only a 2-piece bonus. The 2-piece bonus usually adds a base stat (+10% elemental DMG, +12% ATK, +16% CRIT DMG, +16% Break Effect...), while the 4-piece bonus is the 'soul' that defines the playstyle. Each slot also has its own main stat: Body usually aims for Crit and Feet for SPD — the two most important slots for a DPS. For Crit DPS pair an elemental set with a crit 4-piece; for Break use Break Effect sets; for follow-up attacks (FUA) use FUA-damage sets; for DoT use DEF-ignore sets scaling with debuff count. Use GameVika's Relic Lookup and Relic Score tools to read exact effects and check whether the piece you're wearing is good.
How relics work: 6 slots, main stats and 2-piece/4-piece bonuses
Think of relics as gear for your character. Each character has 6 slots. Four are Cavern Relics — Head, Hands, Body, Feet — farmed in Caverns of Corrosion. Two are Planar Ornaments — Planar Sphere and Link Rope — farmed in the Simulated Universe. Every slot has a 'main stat', the single most important line. Head is always HP and Hands is always ATK (fixed). The other four let you choose: Body can roll Crit Rate, Crit DMG, ATK%, HP%, DEF%, Effect Hit Rate or Outgoing Healing; Feet rolls SPD, ATK%, HP% or DEF%; the Sphere rolls one element's DMG, ATK%, HP% or DEF%; the Rope rolls ATK%, HP%, DEF%, Break Effect or Energy Regen. For a DPS, Body almost always aims for Crit and Feet for SPD — these two decide the most. Key difference: Cavern sets give BOTH a 2-piece and 4-piece bonus, Planars give ONLY a 2-piece. The 2-piece adds base stats (+10% elemental DMG, +12% ATK, +16% CRIT DMG, +16% Break Effect...), while the 4-piece decides the playstyle. When picking a set, don't just look at the 2-piece — read the 4-piece line. To look up any set's text, open GameVika's Relic Lookup tool.
| Slot | Main stat |
|---|---|
| Head | HP (fixed) |
| Hands | ATK (fixed) |
| Body | Crit Rate/DMG, ATK%, HP%, DEF%, Effect Hit Rate or Outgoing Healing |
| Feet | SPD, ATK%, HP% or DEF% |
| Planar Sphere | An elemental DMG type, ATK%, HP% or DEF% |
| Link Rope | ATK%, HP%, DEF%, Break Effect or Energy Regen |
Crit playstyle: elemental set + crit-scaling set
This is the most common style: the character lands one heavy hit thanks to critical strikes. The classic relic formula pairs a Cavern set that boosts elemental DMG (2-piece +10% for the character's element) with a 4-piece that raises Crit or boosts Skill/Ultimate damage. For example, 4-piece sets that grant CRIT DMG after using Ultimate, or that boost Skill and Ultimate damage. For main stats, the Body aims for Crit Rate or Crit DMG and the Feet for SPD. For Planars you pick a Planar Sphere whose main stat is that element's DMG and a Link Rope that adds ATK or Energy. Many Planars have thresholds: hit 50% CRIT Rate to boost Ultimate and follow-up damage, or 70% CRIT Rate to boost Basic and Skill damage. The golden rule of Crit builds: keep CRIT Rate to CRIT DMG near a 1:2 ratio so nothing is wasted. To see your character's element and preferred set, check GameVika's Character database.
Break playstyle: stack Break Effect high
The Break style doesn't chase crits — it breaks the enemy's Toughness bar to deal Break and Super Break damage. The core stat here is Break Effect. Many Cavern sets give +16% Break Effect at 2-piece; the 4-piece depends on the role: Break DPS sets add DEF-ignore once Break Effect is high enough, while support sets raise the whole team's Break Effect on Ultimate or restore Energy each time you break an enemy. Two fixed mechanic thresholds on the Break DPS 4-piece: at 150% Break Effect your Break DMG ignores 10% DEF, at 250% your Super Break ignores an extra 15%. On the Planar side there's a set giving +16% Break Effect with more at high SPD, and one that spikes Break Effect when hitting Fire-weak enemies. Since this style eats lots of Break Effect and SPD substats, use the Relic Score tool to filter pieces with both of those lines.
Follow-up (FUA) and DoT: two specialist styles
Follow-up attacks (FUA) are extra hits that fire outside your turn, usually when an ally or you land a hit. FUA characters want a Cavern set with a 2-piece that adds +20% follow-up DMG directly and a 4-piece that stacks ATK each time a follow-up lands. On the Planar side there's a set that accumulates when allies use follow-ups and rewards CRIT DMG at full stacks, or one that boosts Ultimate and follow-up damage at high CRIT Rate. DoT (Damage over Time) is completely different: you don't need crits, you need ATK and Effect Hit Rate to stick damage-over-time debuffs on enemies. The DoT Cavern set has a 2-piece +12% ATK and a 4-piece that ignores DEF based on how many DoTs are on the target (up to 3). DoT Planars include one converting Effect Hit Rate into ATK, or one boosting DoT damage once ATK passes a threshold. Both styles are picky about substats, so before farming, check the Character database to confirm which group your character belongs to.
| Aspect | Follow-up (FUA) | DoT |
|---|---|---|
| Needs Crit? | Yes, built on crits | No Crit needed |
| Core stats | ATK + follow-up DMG | ATK + Effect Hit Rate |
| Cavern 2-pc | +20% follow-up DMG | +12% ATK |
Quick picking, upgrading and common mistakes to avoid
A picking flow for beginners. One: identify how the character deals damage — crit, break, follow-up or DoT? Two: pick a Cavern set whose 4-piece matches that (read the 4-piece line, not the cool name). Three: aim for the right main stat per slot — Body picks Crit Rate/Crit DMG (crit DPS), Feet picks SPD, the Sphere picks elemental DMG OR ATK% depending on the build, the Rope picks ATK%/Energy/Break Effect. Four: farm and keep pieces with substats in the right direction. One thing beginners forget: a relic must be leveled to +15 to fully roll out its substats, with one line unlocked or upgraded every 3 levels; leveling costs a lot, so don't upgrade blindly — only level pieces with the correct main stat and at least one useful substat. To target the exact 4-piece set instead of farming blind, use Self-Modeling Resin to craft a Cavern piece of your choice. Three common mistakes: (1) Looking only at the 2-piece and ignoring the 4-piece. (2) Equipping the wrong-element Sphere, e.g. an Ice character wearing a Fire sphere, wasting the DMG line. (3) Keeping a piece with a nice main stat but four useless substats. If you dislike math, equip it and open GameVika's Relic Score tool; anything below the bar, salvage it. Remember: you don't need a perfect set immediately — a correct set with a few good substats already plays smoothly.
- 1Identify how your character deals damageCrit, Break, follow-up or DoT?
- 2Pick a Cavern set whose 4-pc matches that styleRead the 4-pc line carefully, don't pick by a nice name
- 3Aim for the right main stat on each slotBody for Crit, Feet for SPD...
- 4Farm, keep pieces with the right substats, level to +15Only level pieces with the right main stat and at least one useful substat
FAQ
What's the difference between Cavern Relics and Planar Ornaments?
Cavern Relics are farmed in Caverns of Corrosion, come as 4 pieces (Head, Hands, Body, Feet) and give both a 2-piece and 4-piece bonus. Planar Ornaments drop in the Simulated Universe, come as only 2 pieces (Planar Sphere and Link Rope), so they give only a 2-piece bonus. A character wears all 6: 4 Cavern + 2 Planar. The Head slot is always the HP main stat and Hands is always ATK (fixed); the other four (Body, Feet, Sphere, Rope) let you choose the main stat.
Can I mix two different 2-piece sets?
Yes. Across the 4 Cavern slots you can run one 4-piece set OR mix two different 2-piece sets (2+2). If a set's 4-piece bonus doesn't suit you, stacking two stat 2-pieces (say +16% CRIT DMG and +10% elemental DMG) is sometimes stronger. The 2 Planar slots must always be the same set to trigger its 2-piece bonus.
How much Break Effect is enough?
Two mechanic thresholds worth remembering come from the Iron Cavalry 4-piece: at 150% Break Effect your Break DMG ignores 10% of the enemy's DEF, and at 250% your Super Break DMG ignores an extra 15%. These are fixed mechanic numbers, so many Break builds aim for these breakpoints. Break 2-piece sets already give +16%, and Planars like Talia add more once your SPD is high enough.
Which relic set should I farm first?
Farm around the character you actually use most — don't spread thin. Trailblaze Power is limited each day, so you must choose. Open GameVika's Character database to see which set that character wants, then run the exact Cavern that drops it. Since each run drops 1-2 pieces with random substats, use the Relic Score tool to keep good pieces and trash junk so your inventory doesn't overflow. Remember a relic must be leveled to +15 to fully roll out its substats (a substat is unlocked or upgraded every 3 levels) and it costs a lot, so only level keepers — don't upgrade blindly. To target the set you need instead of farming blind, use Self-Modeling Resin to craft a Cavern piece of your chosen set and slot.
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