Honkai Star Rail: Best Trailblazer Artifacts Guide
Hey there, fellow Trailblazers! Are you diving deep into the world of Honkai: Star Rail and scratching your head about which artifacts (Relics) are the absolute best for your Trailblazer? Don't worry, you're definitely not alone. This comprehensive guide is here to break down the optimal artifact choices for your main character, ensuring they're dealing maximum damage and supporting your team effectively. Let's get started, and get those Trailblazers powered up!
Understanding Artifacts (Relics) in Honkai: Star Rail
Before we jump into the specific recommendations, let's quickly cover the basics of artifacts, known in Honkai: Star Rail as Relics. These pieces of equipment are crucial for boosting your characters' stats and providing powerful set bonuses. Each character can equip six Relics:
- Head: Flat HP
 - Hands: Flat ATK
 - Body: Main stat varies (ATK%, Crit Rate, Crit DMG, DEF%, HP%, Effect Hit Rate)
 - Feet: Main stat varies (ATK%, SPD, DEF%, HP%)
 - Planar Sphere: Main stat varies (ATK%, DEF%, HP%, DMG Bonus for a specific damage type)
 - Link Rope: Main stat varies (ATK%, Break Effect, DEF%, HP%, Energy Regeneration Rate)
 
The real magic happens when you equip two or four pieces of the same set. These set bonuses can provide significant advantages, such as increased attack power, critical hit rate, or even unique effects that synergize with a character's abilities. Choosing the right set bonuses is key to maximizing your Trailblazer's potential. When selecting Relics, consider the primary stat, substats, and set bonuses. Prioritize Relics with primary stats that benefit your Trailblazer’s role, such as ATK% for damage dealers or HP% for survivability. Substats provide additional boosts to various stats. Look for substats that complement your Trailblazer’s build, such as Crit Rate, Crit DMG, SPD, or ATK%. Equipping multiple Relics from the same set grants additional bonuses. Choose sets that enhance your Trailblazer’s strengths and playstyle. Understanding these factors will greatly improve your Trailblazer’s performance in battles.
Best Artifact Sets for the Physical Trailblazer (Preservation)
Okay, so you've chosen the Physical Trailblazer, wielding the power of Preservation? This path focuses on defense and protecting your team with shields. So, what are the go-to artifact sets to make them an unyielding wall? Let's dive in!
Knight of Purity Palace
This set is practically made for the Preservation Trailblazer. Here’s the breakdown:
- 2-Piece Bonus: Increases DEF by 15%. This is huge for boosting your Trailblazer's shield strength and overall survivability.
 - 4-Piece Bonus: Increases the DMG dealt by the wearer's follow-up attacks by 20% and increases the Shield effect provided by the wearer by 20%. The increased shield effect is crucial for enhancing the Trailblazer's defensive capabilities. This bonus ensures that the shields provided are stronger, allowing your team to withstand more damage. Additionally, the increased damage dealt by follow-up attacks provides some offensive support, making the Trailblazer a more versatile unit. The combination of enhanced shields and increased follow-up attack damage makes the Knight of Purity Palace set an excellent choice for the Preservation Trailblazer, providing both defensive and offensive benefits that synergize well with their role.
 
Why it works: The Preservation Trailblazer is all about mitigating damage, and the increased DEF from the 2-piece bonus directly contributes to that. The 4-piece bonus further enhances their shielding ability, making them an even more reliable protector for the team. This set allows the Trailblazer to absorb significant amounts of damage, protecting allies from incoming attacks. The enhanced shields are particularly useful in challenging battles where survivability is key. Moreover, the increased damage from follow-up attacks adds a bit of extra punch, making the Trailblazer a valuable asset in both defensive and offensive situations. This set is a cornerstone for building a strong and resilient Preservation Trailblazer.
Belobog of the Architects
This set is an excellent Planar Ornament choice to increase your survivability.
- 2-Piece Bonus: Increases the wearer's DEF by 15%. When the wearer's Effect Hit Rate is 50% or higher, the wearer's DEF increases by an extra 15%.
 
Why it works: Since you will be using the Trailblazer as a tank, this set is perfect to increase your DEF by a significant amount, especially when you have high effect hit rate. Effect Hit Rate helps the Trailblazer to apply debuffs and control the battlefield. The increased DEF improves survivability, allowing the Trailblazer to withstand more damage and protect allies more effectively. The set is particularly useful in battles against enemies that inflict debuffs, as the additional DEF can mitigate the impact of these effects. Moreover, the extra DEF provided by the set enhances the Trailblazer’s ability to absorb damage, making them an invaluable asset in challenging encounters.
Best Artifact Sets for the Fire Trailblazer (Preservation)
Switching gears to the Fire Trailblazer, who also follows the Path of Preservation, but with a fiery twist! This version is all about taunting enemies and burning them down while staying resilient. These are the best artifact sets to use:
Guard of Wuthering Snow
- 2-Piece Bonus: Reduces DMG taken by 8%.
 - 4-Piece Bonus: At the beginning of the turn, if the wearer's HP is equal to or less than 50%, restores HP equal to 8% of their Max HP and regenerates 5 Energy.
 
Why it works: Since Fire Trailblazer is all about taking damage for the team, the damage reduction from the 2-piece bonus is always welcome. What makes this set shine for the Fire Trailblazer is the 4-piece bonus. The Fire Trailblazer is designed to withstand significant amounts of damage while taunting enemies to attack them. The 8% damage reduction provided by the 2-piece bonus helps to mitigate incoming damage, ensuring the Trailblazer remains resilient. The 4-piece bonus offers crucial sustainability. When the Trailblazer's HP drops to 50% or less, the set restores 8% of their Max HP, providing a vital heal that keeps them in the fight. Additionally, the regeneration of 5 Energy helps to charge their Ultimate more quickly, allowing them to use their abilities more frequently. This combination of damage reduction and self-healing makes the Guard of Wuthering Snow set an excellent choice for the Fire Trailblazer, enhancing their survivability and ensuring they can continue to protect their team effectively.
Firmament Frontline: Glamoth
Now, for the Planar Ornaments, let's consider Firmament Frontline: Glamoth:
- 2-Piece Bonus: Increases the wearer's ATK by 12%. When the wearer's SPD is equal to or higher than 135/160, increases DMG dealt by 12%/18%.
 
Why it works: This set provides a significant boost to the Fire Trailblazer's damage output, especially when their SPD is high. The increased ATK from the 2-piece bonus enhances their overall damage potential, making their attacks more potent. The additional DMG bonus, which scales with the Trailblazer's SPD, further amplifies their offensive capabilities. To maximize this set's benefits, prioritize increasing the Trailblazer's SPD through substats and other equipment. The Glamoth set synergizes particularly well with the Fire Trailblazer's kit, as it allows them to deal more damage while maintaining their role as a damage absorber. This combination of increased damage and survivability makes the Firmament Frontline: Glamoth set an excellent choice for players looking to optimize their Fire Trailblazer's performance.
Best Artifact Sets for the Imaginary Trailblazer (Harmony)
With the introduction of patch 2.2, a new Trailblazer has joined the ranks, an Imaginary Trailblazer that walks the path of Harmony. What are the best artifacts to equip with this new Trailblazer?
Thief of Shooting Meteor
The best set to equip with the Harmony Trailblazer is Thief of Shooting Meteor:
- 2-Piece Bonus: Increases Break Effect by 16%.
 - 4-Piece Bonus: Increases the wearer's Break Effect by 16%. After the wearer inflicts Weakness Break on an enemy, regenerates 3 Energy.
 
Why it works: This set synergizes perfectly with the Harmony Trailblazer's kit, enhancing their ability to inflict Weakness Break and regenerate energy. The increased Break Effect from both the 2-piece and 4-piece bonuses significantly boosts the damage dealt when breaking enemy weaknesses. This is crucial for the Harmony Trailblazer, as their abilities often revolve around exploiting enemy weaknesses and disrupting their actions. Additionally, the energy regeneration effect on the 4-piece bonus ensures the Trailblazer can use their skills more frequently, providing consistent support and damage to the team. This combination of increased Break Effect and energy regeneration makes the Thief of Shooting Meteor set an excellent choice for the Harmony Trailblazer, maximizing their utility and damage potential in battles.
Penacony, Land of the Dreams
As for Planar Ornaments, the Penacony, Land of the Dreams set is the way to go:
- 2-Piece Bonus: Increases the wearer's Energy Regeneration Rate by 5%. Increases DMG dealt by all other allies with the same DMG Type as the wearer by 10%.
 
Why it works: This set enhances the Harmony Trailblazer's ability to support the team while amplifying damage output, making them a valuable asset in any team composition. The 5% Energy Regeneration Rate increase ensures the Trailblazer can use their skills more frequently, providing consistent buffs and support to allies. The 10% DMG increase for all allies with the same DMG Type as the wearer significantly boosts the team's overall damage potential, making battles more efficient and effective. This set is particularly useful in teams that focus on a specific damage type, as it provides a substantial damage boost to those characters. This combination of increased Energy Regeneration Rate and DMG amplification makes the Penacony, Land of the Dreams set an excellent choice for the Harmony Trailblazer.
Main Stats and Substats to Prioritize
Okay, now that we've covered the best sets, let's talk about the specific stats you should be looking for on your artifacts. Remember, the right stats can make a HUGE difference!
- Body: DEF% (for Physical/Fire Trailblazer), Break Effect (for Imaginary Trailblazer)
 - Feet: SPD or DEF% (depending on your team composition and desired playstyle)
 - Planar Sphere: DEF% (for Physical/Fire Trailblazer), Imaginary DMG Bonus (for Imaginary Trailblazer)
 - Link Rope: Energy Regeneration Rate or DEF% (depending on your team's needs)
 
Substats:
- DEF%: Increases overall defense, which boosts shield strength and damage mitigation.
 - SPD: Enhances turn frequency, allowing for more frequent actions and skill usage.
 - Effect Hit Rate: Boosts the chance of inflicting debuffs on enemies (important for applying Weakness Break).
 - Break Effect: Amplifies damage dealt when breaking enemy weaknesses.
 
Final Thoughts: Tailoring Your Build
Ultimately, the best artifact build for your Trailblazer will depend on your team composition, your play style, and the content you're tackling. Don't be afraid to experiment and see what works best for you! These recommendations are a great starting point, but the most important thing is to have fun and find a setup that you enjoy playing. Good luck out there, Trailblazers, and may your artifacts always roll in your favor!