Do you need Kafka to play Hysilens in Honkai Star Rail?

Given Hysilens in Honkai Star Rail is a DoT or damage-over-time-centric character, many might wonder if you need Kafka. The Stellaron Hunter has remained a core part of the DoT teams ever since her release back in 2023. The recent Kafka buffs have also seen her damage being amplified, which makes opting for her more tempting. In case you're wondering, you will need the character for Hysilens in Honkai Star Rail.

This article explores more on the topic.

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Is Kafka needed for Hysilens in Honkai Star Rail?

Kafka and Hysilens are the two core members of the DoT team, and to be fair, you will need the former for the best performance. The damage-over-time mechanic depends on dealing damage when the enemies take their turn - the main reason you should use Kafka alongside Hysilens is because of her ability to trigger and detonate DoTs.

The best DoT as of version 3.5 consists of Kafka, Black Swan, and Hysilens, out of which, you will need the Stellaron Hunter the most. She can trigger DoT effects, allowing you to deal more instances of damage, and forms the core part of the team. Kafka's ability to constantly detonate DoT effects makes her extremely useful, allowing you to melt through enemies.

Kafka drastically improves the damage number for the DoT team with Hysilens (Image via HoYoverse)

While Black Swan is good, she cannot detonate DoTs, making her less essential than Kafka. Hysilens alone can detonate DoTs with her ultimate, but it won't be as frequent, and you will feel the difference. In short, you need Kafka for Hysilens in Honkai Star Rail, as she is the best-in-slot team member for the Chrysos Heir as of version 3.5.

Here are the pros and cons of bringing Kafka to a Hysilens team in Honkai Star Rail.

Pros

• Bigger damage numbers due to DoTs being triggered often.
• Kafka can also apply shock with her abilities and follow-up attacks.
• Both are easy to build due to DoT relying on pure ATK and not Crit.

Cons

• Both are 5-star limited characters, making the team setup quite expensive in case you didn't obtain Kafka previously.

The biggest challenge you might face if you lack the Stellaron Hunter is trying to obtain both, as Kafka's rerun banner is featured in the Star Rail 3.5 update's first phase alongside Hysilens. If you do not have enough Stellar Jades or want to save for a future character like Evernight, it might become difficult to go for both.

In that case, you can still pull for Hysilens in Honkai Star Rail, but note that the performance of the team will differ drastically, with reduced damage numbers.