Free F2P Light Cone Sources: Herta's Store, Battle Pass, Events & Starlight Exchange
30-second summary: F2P players have several free or cheap Light Cone sources. The best is 
Herta's Store inside the Simulated Universe, which sells 5★ Light Cones for Herta Bonds (8 Bonds per copy, earned by first-clearing each World). The Nameless Honor Battle Pass lets you pick one 4★ Light Cone, but only on the paid Nameless Glory track (~$9.99) at Level 30 — the free track does not include it. To guarantee a standard 5★ cone, save Undying Starlight and trade it at the Store (600 Starlight per cone). On top of that you get 4★/5★ cones from events, the weekly Echoes of War bosses and the standard Stellar Warp banner pulled with free passes. Don't burn pulls on the Light Cone banner: these free sources are strong enough for almost every character.
What Light Cones are, and why F2P shouldn't pull for them
A Light Cone is a character's "weapon": it adds HP, ATK and DEF plus a unique passive. Every cone belongs to a Path, and the passive only fires if the cone's Path matches the character's — mismatch it and you get bare stats only. Cones have Superimposition ranks (S1 to S5): feed duplicate copies to raise S1 toward S5, and the passive scales up each rank. F2P players (free-to-play, no spending) are often tempted to spend pulls on the dedicated Light Cone banner. Don't. That banner is expensive, its odds feel worse than the character banner, and a limited 5★ cone rarely carries content as hard as the character itself does. The good news: the game hands out plenty of free cones that are strong enough. Before deciding, check GameVika's Light Cone Database to see exactly what a cone gives and how its passive works.
Herta's Store in the Simulated Universe — the best free 5★ source
This is the single best F2P source. Inside the Simulated Universe sits Herta's Store, which sells 5★ Light Cones that were once event-only. Players nickname them "4.5-star cones" — a touch weaker than gacha 5★s, but still strong and completely free. The number to remember: each copy costs 8 Herta Bonds (the store's own currency). Maxing a cone to S5 costs roughly double, so you'll grind more. To earn Bonds: first-clearing each World in the Simulated Universe on the lowest difficulty gives 2 Bonds, topped up by weekly point rewards. Because Bonds trickle in, buy with a plan — pick the cone that fits your main damage dealer first, don't spread thin. Open GameVika's Character pages to see which cone the game recommends per character, then match that against the Herta's Store lineup.
Nameless Honor Battle Pass — pick one 4★ cone (read the paid part)
The in-game Battle Pass is called Nameless Honor and has two tracks: Nameless Gift (free) and Nameless Glory (paid, about $9.99). Be clear so nobody gets misled: the Light Cone selector sits on the paid track only. Buy Nameless Glory and reach Level 30, and you receive an item that lets you choose one 4★ cone from a list of cones spanning the different Paths. The free Nameless Gift track does NOT include that selector — it gives credits, materials and passes instead. So the Battle Pass is a "cheap" source, not a free one. Each level needs 800 EXP with an 8,000 EXP weekly mission cap, so steady daily/weekly missions reach Level 30. You pick just one copy per pass, so maxing a cone to S5 means buying roughly five passes in a row (several months). Base your pick on the character you use most.
| Battle Pass track | Cone pick? | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Nameless Gift (free) | No | Free |
| Nameless Glory (paid) | Yes: 1 4★ Cone at Lv30 | ~$9.99 |
Events and story rewards — 4★/5★ cones drip in regularly
The third free source is events and story. The game runs events with Light Cone rewards regularly — usually 4★ cones, and occasionally a big event (anniversaries, milestones) hands out a 5★ or a free 5★ pick. Clearing the main story and Companion Missions also drops a fair number of free cones alongside passes and materials. I deliberately avoid naming specific cones, because the event lineup shifts with every update (patch) — what's true today can be wrong months later. Your job is simple: don't miss any event, since cone rewards usually vanish once the event closes. Whenever you receive an unfamiliar cone, look it up in GameVika's Light Cone Database to see its Path and whether it's worth equipping, so you never shelve a strong cone just because its passive was unclear.
Undying Starlight Exchange — lock in a guaranteed standard 5★
The fourth and most guaranteed source is the Undying Starlight Exchange. Every time a Warp gives you a duplicate, the game refunds some Undying Starlight: a duplicate 4★ cone returns 8, a duplicate 5★ cone or character returns 40. Save enough and the Store (the Starlight Exchange tab in the phone menu) lets you trade 600 Undying Starlight for one standard 5★ Light Cone outright — a limited number of copies refreshes each month. This is the reliable way to land a standard 5★ cone (the always-available set, not a banner-limited one) with zero luck: you pick it, and enough points guarantees it. Since Starlight accrues slowly, target the cone that fits your main damage dealer's Path. Two smaller free sources round things out: the weekly Echoes of War bosses drop 4★ cones, and the standard Stellar Warp banner — pulled with free Star Rail Passes — hands out 3★/4★/5★ cones steadily. Before you exchange, open GameVika's Light Cone Database and Character pages to confirm the cone fits your team.
Picking the right free cone — priority order and how to check
Here's a simple priority order for F2P. One, identify your main damage dealer and their Path. Two, prioritize grinding the Herta's Store 5★ cone that fits that Path first — it's the strongest free option. Three, if you buy the Battle Pass, pick the 4★ cone for that same character. Four, save Undying Starlight to exchange for a shared standard 5★ cone at the Store. Five, sweep up every event and weekly-boss cone — free is free. The invariant rule: always match a cone to the character's Path, and prioritize damage dealers first; supports can run free 3★/4★ cones for a while. Don't chase "the strongest cone this patch," since the meta shifts constantly — pick around the characters you actually play. To quickly compare which characters deserve investment first, check GameVika's Tier List; to see which cone suits whom, use the Character pages and the Light Cone Database. Those three tools together let a F2P player build a strong team without spending a cent.
- 1Identify your main DPS & PathThe Cone must match the Path
- 2Grab a matching Herta 5★ ConeStrongest free option
- 3If you buy the pass, pick a 4★ for that charFollow your most-used character
- 4Trade Starlight for a standard 5★ Cone600 Starlight
- 5Sweep event & weekly-boss ConesFree is free
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Can F2P players get a limited 5★ Light Cone for free?
Almost never. Limited 5★ cones (paired with banner characters) only appear on the resource-hungry Light Cone banner, and their upgrade shards are locked behind the Battle Pass — the top F2P complaint. A big event occasionally grants one free 5★ pick, but that's rare. The reliable path is to focus on Herta's Store 5★ cones and standard cones from the Undying Starlight Exchange — strong enough at zero cost.
Is the Battle Pass Light Cone actually free?
No. The 4★ selector is on the paid Nameless Glory track (about $9.99), received at Level 30. The free Nameless Gift track has no cone to choose — only credits, materials and passes. So it's a cheap source, not a free one. If you spend nothing at all, skip it and lean on Herta's Store and events.
Are Herta's Store cones much weaker than gacha 5★ cones?
Only slightly weaker — players jokingly call them "4.5-star cones." They're still among the strongest options a F2P can reach, and for most characters the gap versus a gacha cone isn't big enough to justify spending pulls. Exchange 8 Herta Bonds per copy and prioritize the cone matching your main. Check GameVika's Character pages to see which Herta cone fits whom.
Are free 4★ cones enough long-term, or do I need 5★ cones?
Yes, especially for supports and early-to-mid game. Many free 4★ cones (from the Battle Pass, events and weekly bosses) have very practical passives that carry well. The rule: give your strongest cone to the main damage dealer, and let supports run free 4★/3★ cones. Don't assume "5★" means mandatory — matching the Path and role matters more. Check GameVika's Tier List to see who deserves a cone investment first.
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