Light Cones

A Light Cone is the one piece of gear every Honkai: Star Rail character can equip, playing the same role a sword or gun plays in most other RPGs. A cone gives three things at once: base HP, ATK and DEF that scale with level and Ascension exactly like a character does; a unique passive that usually boosts damage, healing, shields or a stat under some condition; and a fixed Path stamped onto the cone that never changes.

• Base stats: every cone leans toward a different main stat — some pile on ATK, others lean HP or DEF — read this before picking one for a carry versus a sustain unit.
• Passive: the text under the cone's name almost always has a trigger condition (enough CRIT Rate, defeating an enemy, using a Skill or Ultimate...) — read the condition instead of just the percentage.
• Fixed Path: decides which character gets the full passive, the single most important factor when picking a cone for a team.

One thing new players miss: any character can equip any cone regardless of Path, but the passive ONLY activates when the cone's Path matches the wearer's Path. Equip it off-Path and you still get the full base stats, but you lose the passive entirely — usually the strongest part of the whole cone.

Superimposing is the upgrade system that consumes duplicate copies of the same cone, the weapon equivalent of a character's Eidolons. Every cone starts at Rank 1 and can be raised to a maximum of Rank 5, with each duplicate fed in raising the rank by exactly one. Reaching Rank 5 (often called S5) needs five copies total: one base copy plus four duplicates, with no shortcut around it.

• What it boosts: only the numerical part of the passive — damage percentage, effect duration or a trigger threshold — never the base HP/ATK/DEF stats.
• Is it worth farming: almost always yes when the duplicate comes from a cone you already happen to own extra of, since superimposing is a straight power gain for a copy that would otherwise sit idle.
• Where F2P should stop: Rank 1 is already enough for most everyday content; don't force extra pulls just to chase a duplicate of a limited cone — that gacha budget is usually better spent on a new character instead.

One exception worth remembering: cones bought from Herta's Store inside the Simulated Universe don't upgrade with duplicates at all — they use a dedicated material traded for Herta Bonds, so steady Bond farming superimposes this group without ever needing gacha luck.

Before looking at any passive or stat, always filter by the Path of the character you're gearing first — the single most important rule on this whole page. However impressive a cone's passive reads, it does nothing if the Path doesn't match, since the strongest part of the cone never fires.

• Destruction, The Hunt, Erudition: the three damage-focused Paths, prioritize cones that add CRIT stats, DMG% or raw ATK.
• Harmony, Abundance: support and healing Paths, prioritize cones that buff teammates, restore Energy or refund Skill Points.
• Preservation: the tank Path, prioritize cones that add shields, DEF or incoming-damage reduction.
• Nihility, Remembrance, Elation: each remaining Path carries its own distinct passive family, so read every cone's text instead of guessing from a character's name.

Only after filtering to the right Path should you look at the specific in-team role, choosing between the handful of same-Path cones already sitting in your inventory.

Most limited carries ship with a signature cone released alongside their banner, its passive built to match that carry's exact playstyle for the highest damage ceiling — but it only comes from gacha, so not everyone owns it. The good news: almost every carry also has at least one replacement cone on the standard banner or earned for free, keeping most of the signature's power at close to zero cost.

• Standard-banner cones: pullable any time with no event window, and many well-built 4-star cones stand toe to toe with a signature cone once Superimposed high enough.
• Herta's Store in the Simulated Universe: trades Herta Bonds for 5-star cones, costs no Warp passes, and is worth redeeming the moment Bonds pile up.
• Nameless Honor and events: some cones come from the Nameless Honor (Battle Pass) quest track or limited events tied to a given update — always claim them before they expire.
• Undying Starlight Exchange: save points earned from duplicate pulls and trade them directly for a standard 5-star cone at the Store, no gacha luck required.

If you're torn on whether to pull for a signature cone: only do it once you're sure you need the absolute highest ceiling for the hardest content, since everyday play clears fine on a well-built replacement.

The Light Cone board on this page filters on two layers at once, letting you find the right cone in seconds instead of scrolling the whole list:

• Rarity filter: pick 5-star, 4-star or 3-star when you only want one spending tier, say hunting for a 4-star cone worth Superimposing for an F2P team.
• Path filter: pick the exact Path of the character you're gearing — the filter lists every Path currently in the game: Destruction, Preservation, The Hunt, Erudition, Nihility, Harmony, Abundance, Remembrance and Elation, missing no playstyle.
• No separate search box next to these two filters: to jump straight to a cone you already know by name, use the site-wide search (magnifying glass) at the top of the page — typing the cone's name there takes you directly to that cone's page, it doesn't narrow this table.

Combine both filters at once — say 5-star plus Harmony — to narrow the whole board down to a handful of cones that actually fit, instead of scanning the long list.

If you're not sure where to begin, follow this order:

• Gear something first: never leave a character with an empty cone slot while waiting for the perfect one — any same-Path cone, even 3-star, beats an empty slot.
• Prioritize your main carry: hand your best available cone to the character carrying the team's damage first; supports and sustain units can run a standard cone for a while.
• Superimpose the cheap cones first: if you already hold a duplicate of a 3-star or 4-star cone you're using, feed it in immediately — the cost is close to zero and the power gain is real.
• Only chase a signature cone once your carry is set: don't pull a limited cone for a character you're not sure you'll keep investing in.

Bottom line: match the Path first, match the role second, and never undersell a well-built replacement cone — the damage ceiling only differs by a slice, but matching the Path is non-negotiable.