Character Progression Priority: Level, Traces, or Relics First?

The standard order: Level → Traces → Light Cone → Relics

Think of building a character like building a house. Level and Ascension are the foundation — nothing else matters until it is poured. Traces, the character's skill tree, are the frame that decides how hard your abilities actually hit. Light Cones and Relics are the furniture: important, but they go in after the house is standing. Eidolons, gained from pulling duplicate copies, are luxury decor — nice to have, never required. So the standard order for almost every character is: level up to the next Ascension milestone, upgrade the Traces for the three abilities you use most, equip a Light Cone that matches the character's Path, and only then worry about Relics. The same order works for DPS and supports alike — the only difference is where you stop. To see what a specific character wants first, open the GameVika Characters page for a ready-made build guide.

1. 1
   Level & AscensionThe foundation — raises level cap and unlocks new Trace tiers
2. 2
   TracesLevel the three main skills first
3. 3
   Light ConeMatch the Path to trigger its effect
4. 4
   RelicsLast — prioritize the main stat first

Why Level and Ascension always come first

Leveling sounds boring, but it hides a secret: your character's level directly affects damage dealt, separately from the ATK stat. Two characters with identical ATK will hit for different amounts if their levels differ — the higher level wins, as Game8 points out. That is why EXP poured into a DPS is never wasted. Ascension works like this: characters start with a level cap of 20, and each Ascension raises that cap by 10, up to a maximum of 80. Ascending costs materials from Stagnant Shadow bosses and overworld enemies, and it is also gated by your Trailblaze Level — even with every material ready, you wait until your account catches up. Most importantly, each Ascension unlocks new Trace levels. You literally cannot push Traces past a certain point without leveling first, which is exactly why Level sits at the top of the priority list.

Traces: main abilities first, minor nodes later

Traces are each character's skill tree: you unlock new nodes and level existing ones using materials farmed mostly from Crimson Calyx stages. The golden rule: upgrade the three abilities you actually press — usually Skill, Ultimate, and Talent — before touching the Basic Attack or the minor stat nodes. Some characters even gain brand-new effects from Trace upgrades, like a skill learning to cleanse debuffs, so this is high-value investment. Two warnings, though. First, do not rush to max: the final levels require weekly boss materials, which are capped each week, and those last levels give small gains for a big cost. Second, Trace materials are a one-way street — once spent, they cannot be refunded, a risk Game8 explicitly calls out. Ask yourself whether you will still be using this character months from now before going all-in.

Light Cones: the passive only works on a matching Path

Light Cones are this game's version of weapons. The base stats (HP, ATK, DEF) apply to anyone who equips them, but the valuable part — the Light Cone's passive effect — only activates when the Cone's Path matches the character's Path. Putting a Hunt Cone on an Erudition character throws away half its value, so always check the Path icon before equipping. The good news: Light Cones are not locked to anyone. A good Cone can be passed between characters of the same Path for years, making it the lowest-risk investment on this list. Cones have their own levels and Ascensions, costing EXP materials and Credits. And if you pull a duplicate, do not scrap it — use it to Superimpose, which visibly boosts the passive's numbers. Order-wise, handle the Cone after your character's level and Traces are in decent shape, but before serious Relic farming, since its gains are guaranteed rather than random.

Relics: main stats first, substat farming later

Relics are your armor and accessories: each character wears up to six pieces (four Relics plus two Planar Ornaments), and wearing two or four pieces of the same set activates set bonuses. Why do Relics sit last in the priority order? Because they are the only upgrade ruled by luck. Early on, just pick pieces with the right main stat — ATK%, Crit Rate, and so on — and enhance them; that alone gives a very visible power jump. Do not grind substats early: 5-star Relics only start dropping around Trailblaze Level 40 (Equilibrium 3), so anything farmed before that will eventually be replaced. Relic farming also drains Trailblaze Power much faster than Trace materials do — players on HoYoLAB routinely report farming for weeks without landing a good piece. Once you do start farming, paste your Relics into GameVika's Relic Score tool to instantly see which pieces are keepers and which are enhancement fodder.

Budgeting 240 daily Trailblaze Power and where supports can stop

Trailblaze Power regenerates roughly 240 points per day — that is your entire farming budget, so where you spend it matters as much as what you upgrade. A simple rule: while raising a new character, spend Power on EXP, Ascension, and Trace materials first; switch to Relic farming only once that skeleton is complete. Stopping points also differ by role. Your main damage dealer should go all the way to level 80, since character level directly affects damage dealt. Supports and healers do not need it: their level matters far less, so stopping at a lower Ascension milestone and saving the resources for someone else is the smart play — the same advice Game8 gives. To avoid over- or under-farming, enter your character and target levels into GameVika's Materials Planner — it calculates exactly how many of each material you need and roughly how many days of Trailblaze Power it will take.

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