Honkai: Star Rail Phainon Build Guide: Best Relics, Light Cone, Team Comps, and more
Story Highlights
- Phainon is a 5-Star Physical Destruction unit and is one of the Chrysos Heirs!
- Phainon is a selfish DPS who builds up Coreflame stacks and ults to transform into a super strong version of himself1
- Phainon is an ATK scaling unit
As a dedicated gamer, I’m thrilled to share that I’ve got some exciting news about the latest update for Honkai: Star Rail – Version 3.4! This update introduces the long-awaited 5-star character, Phainon. He’s a Physical character walking the Path of Destruction. To help fellow gamers make the most of this new addition to our squad, I’ve put together a comprehensive guide on how to optimize Phainon’s abilities. This Honkai: Star Rail Phainon Build Guide offers an in-depth look at his skills and provides recommendations for the best configurations to boost his performance!
Phainon Gameplay
As a passionate admirer, I’d say that Phainon is a Physical Destruction DPS character who amasses something known as Coreflame stacks in his ultimate ability, making him more formidable with each stack. When I accumulate a total of 12 stacks, Phainon’s ultimate transforms him into an incredibly powerful version of himself!
Stacks are primarily obtained by utilizing his skill, being attacked by either enemies or allies, and through certain team bonuses such as energy abilities or healing. Once transformed, Phainon switches to a solo mode, causing the rest of his team to temporarily vanish. In this state, he receives an additional 8 consecutive turns to unleash his full potential.
During his transformation, Phainon receives substantial boosts in both attack power (ATK) and health points (HP), and employs a novel mechanic called “Scourge stacks” for advanced abilities. In this form, Phainon can perform minor healing, gain resistance to crowd control (CC), and deal significant damage with his enhanced skills.
One ability causes all enemies to act in a way that allows Phainon to retaliate and inflict damage, while another enables him to wipe out everything, depending on the number of Scourges he employs. Upon transformation’s conclusion, Phainon’s teammates receive a speed increase and retain some Coreflame for faster deployment of the next ultimate move.
Materials Needed for Phainon in Honkai: Star Rail
Rail Phainon Construction Guide.
Character Level-Up Materials
- 65x Invasive Clot
- 15x Ethereal Omen
- 15x Echoing Wail
- 15x Eternal Lament
- 3x Travel Encounters
- 3x Adventure Log
- 289x Traveler’s Guide
- 888,000x Credit
Trace Level-up Materials
- 18x Borisin Teeth
- 69x Lupitoxin Sawteeth
- 139x Moon Rage Fang
- 41x Ethereal Omen
- 56x Echoing Wail
- 58x Eternal Lament
- 12x Daythunder Anamnesis
- 8x Tracks of Destiny
- 3,000,000x Credit
Honkai Star Rail Phainon Best Relics and Planar Ornaments
Star Rail Phainon Build Guide, we delve into which relics, key attributes, and planar embellishments you should prioritize for Phainon’s effective development.
- Body: Crit Rate/Crit DMG (Preferably Crit Rate)
- Feet: SPD/ATK%
- Planar Spear: DMG%/ATK%
- Link Rope: ATK%
Relic Set
| Wavestrider Captain | So for Phainon, you’ll mainly wanna use the new Wavestrider set. It’s honestly one of the strongest relic sets in the game right now. The buff might not last super long by itself, but Phainon’s ultimate makes sure the 48% ATK boost sticks around for the whole time he’s transformed. It just works really well with how his kit is designed. |
| Scholar Lost in Erudition | If you don’t have Wavestrider or want a backup option, Scholar Lost in Erudition is still decent. It gives CRIT Rate and some permanent skill damage, which is nice. Plus, that big final explosion at the end of his transformation actually counts as ultimate damage, so it gets a little extra boost too. |
Planar Ornaments
| Arcadia of Woven Dreams | For planars, always try to go for Arcadia. This set was basically made for him. It boosts his DMG% based on whether he’s alone or has extra allies, and during his second form, he’s always alone, so that’s a free 36% extra damage on everything he does while transformed. It’s just perfect for him. |
| Rutilant Arena | Rutilant Arena is a solid second choice. It doesn’t boost the big explosion hit, but it makes all his other skills stronger. Plus it helps outside of his transformed state, and those regular skills still hit hard. |
| Firmament Frontline: Glamoth/Bone Collection’s Serene Demesne | If you just want something simple, general sets like these are totally fine too. |
Honkai Star Rail Phainon Best Light Cone
| Thus Burns the Dawn (Phainon 5* Light Cone) | First off, this LC gives high base ATK. It also boosts base Speed, which is perfect for Phainon since his kit relies so much on speed and turn order. Now, this Light Cone also gives a permanent 18% DEF Ignore. What really makes it special though is this unique buff it gives after he uses his ultimate. Once that ult is used, he gains a buff that boosts his overall DMG by 60%. The buff only disappears at the start of his turn, and because Phainon gets extra turns, he keeps this buff for all of them. This Light Cone isn’t just strong stat-wise, it literally changes how he plays, especially with that base SPD increase. It’s 100% his best-in-slot, no question. But if I’m thinking long-term investment, I’d actually focus more on getting his E1 and E2 rather than trying to max out the Light Cone to S1. His E2 with no Light Cone dupe (E2S0) just feels like a completely different character compared to E1S1. It opens up his kit in a whole new way, especially with how speed works during his transformation. |
| Brighter Than the Sun (5*) | This LC gives high base ATK and boosts ATK% in general. If you have this lying around then definitely use it. |
| On the Fall of an Aeon (5*) | The Light Cone from the Herta store is still totally viable. |
| A Trail of Bygone Blood (4*) | The Battle Pass Light Cone is a good 4-Star option. |
| Under the Blue Sky (4*) | The most F2P option but will lose alot of damage compared to his S1. |
Best Team Comps for Phainon in Honkai Star Rail
Phainon’s optimal team compositions primarily focus on swiftly accumulating Coreflame stacks and establishing robust buffs prior to his transformation, ensuring a powerful setup.
Phainon, Sunday, Bronya, and 4th Support slot
His primary pair consists of characters named Bronya and Sunday. These two characters specifically aim skills and ultimate abilities at a character called Phainon, which accelerates his stack generation process. In addition, Sunday offers an Energy Replacement (ER) that adds an extra Coreflame, making him particularly beneficial. As a team, they enable Phainon to undergo transformation earlier and inflict substantial damage immediately.
For the third character selection, Robin is a top-tier partner for him. Although she doesn’t directly supply Coreflame, her ultimate ability speeds up team rotation, making Phainon’s second transformation more achievable. Additionally, she gains from Phainon’s initial energy boost, allowing her to use her ultimate at the optimal time. However, fielding Robin might cause issues with Skill Points, so using Sunday’s special Light Cone is strongly suggested instead.
Among other excellent third-slot choices are characters such as Cipher, Tribbie, and Ruan Mei. Cipher is particularly powerful due to her ability to deal front-loaded damage effectively and optimize special points. On the other hand, Tribbie and Ruan Mei provide beneficial utilities and harmonious collaboration in specific content like Apocalyptic Shadow. Additionally, Remembrance Trailblazer and Sparkle are also viable options, especially when paired with Phainon’s low base speed configurations. Sparkle offers a distinctive rotation that enables Phainon to swap turns with supports for seamless transformation scheduling.
In the category of 4-star units, Tingyun shines with her rapid ultimate ability generation and energy restoration, contributing significantly to Coreflame stacks. On the other hand, Yukong now has a suitable partner in Phainon as he maintains her potent CRIT and ATK boosts during his transformation. However, it’s worth noting that Yukong doesn’t assist with stack accumulation.
To maintain a sustainable setup, consider utilizing characters such as Huohuo (Phoenix), Lynx, or Gallagher. Particularly Huohuo, due to her ability to generate additional Coreflame stacks through energy regeneration, is an excellent choice. However, it’s advisable to field Phainon in a team that doesn’t rely on sustainability.
Is Phainon worth pulling in HSR
If you’re a fan of distinctive, powerful characters who deal heavy damage, and you’re open to mastering his optimal setup, Phainon is definitely worth acquiring. He boasts an impressive strength, with one of the highest raw damage outputs in the game, making him capable of overcoming challenging content effortlessly.
Despite his strong abilities, his main drawback lies in the cumbersome nature of his setup and the solitary fighting style he adopts during transformation. This setup hinders team-oriented strategies and adaptability, especially against specific boss tactics. His performance is heavily reliant on timing and utilization of support, effective Coreflame management, and coordinating buff rotations.
Although he might not initially seem like an effortless damage dealer (DPS), once you get the hang of his team dynamics, he can be both entertaining and incredibly potent. For players who play casually, he remains very usable and enjoyable. For those who focus on competitive strategies, he has a high potential that could be further amplified with future support characters.
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2025-06-28 23:12