Honkai: Star Rail – Arlan build and ascension guide

Fight to the bitter end with the best Honkai: Star Rail Arlan build and come out on top despite the odds being stacked against you. Herta Space Station’s security chief follows the Path of the Destruction and deals Lightning DMG.

Arlan’s Skill, Shackle Breaker, consumes 15% of his maximum HP to deal Lightning DMG based on his ATK. It’s important to note that Arlan’s Skill does not consume Skill Points. His Talent, Pain and Anger, plays into this dynamic, increasing his damage for every percent of HP he’s missing.

His Ultimate, Frenzied Punishment, deals Lightning DMG to one target and a reduced amount of Lightning DMG to adjacent enemies.

You can increase Arlan’s prowess by raising his Eidolon levels, which is only possible by pulling duplicates of him. Level 1 allows you to use Arlan’s Skill even if his HP are down to 5%, reducing him to one HP. Level 2 boosts his Skill DMG by 10% and dispels one debuff Arlan is suffering from on use. Level 4 enables Arlan to survive a killing blow, bringing him back with 25% of his maximum HP once per battle. Finally, level 6, increases his Ultimate DMG when Arlan is below 50% of his maximum HP.

Honkai: Star Rail – Arlan: best Light Cones

Arlan’s best Light Cone is The Unreachable Side, the signature option for Blade. It provides CRIT Rate and Max HP in addition to a flat damage increase after the wearer is hit or consumes their own HP.

Flames Afar and Ninja Record: Sound Hunt are both fantastic options as well — and much more easily accessible than the 5-Star Light Cone.

Best Light Cones for Arlan in HSR:

• The Unreachable Side (5-Star)
• Flames Afar (4-Star)
• Ninja Record: Sound Hunt (4-Star)
• A Secret Vow (4-Star)

Honkai: Star Rail – Arlan: best Relics

Arlan’s offensive powers depend on his ATK stat and you don’t necessarily need to focus on his HP — after all, his Skill consumes it percentage-wise. It’s best to keep Arlan shielded or have some health regeneration for him in store in the form of a healer or a Light Cone effect, keeping the focus of his Relics on the offense.

Best Relic Sets for Arlan in HSR:

• Band of Sizzling Thunder (4) – +10% Lightning DMG, +25% ATK for one turn after the wearer uses their Skill.
• Longevous Disciple (4) – +12% Max HP, +8% CRIT Rate for two turns (can stack up to two times) when the wearer is hit or has their HP consumed by an ally or themselves.

Best Planar Ornaments for Arlan in HSR:

• Bone Collection’s Serene Demesne (2) – +12% Max HP, +28% CRIT DMG for the wearer and their Memosprite when the wearer’s Max HP is 5,000 or higher.
• Rutilant Arena (2) – +8% CRIT Rate, +20% Basic Attack and Skill DMG when the wearer’s CRIT Rate reaches 70% or higher.

Best stats for Arlan in HSR:

• Head – HP (Primary), CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, ATK %, SPD
• Hands – ATK (Primary), CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, ATK %, SPD
• Body – CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG (Primary), CRIT DMG or CRIT Rate, ATK %, SPD, Break Effect
• Feet – SPD (Primary), CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, ATK %, Break Effect
• Planar Sphere – Lightning DMG (Primary), CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, ATK %, SPD
• Link Rope – ATK % (Primary), CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, SPD, Break Effect

Honkai: Star Rail – Arlan: best teams

Since Arlan does damage to himself when using his Skill you’ll want to keep him outside the line of fire by shielding him from external harm. As refilling Arlan’s HP decreases his damage output, he is best used in compositions without a healer.

• Arlan (Main DPS), Bronya (Support), Sparkle (Support), Aventurine (Support)

This is essentially an Arlan hypercarry team — but don’t expect too much from it, as he ranks among the lowest-rated damage dealers in the game. Bronya and Sparkle can both buff Arlan up, which works all the better since he doesn’t need to use any Skill Points, leaving them all to the support squad. Aventurine is the best shielder in the game and thus a perfect choice to go with Arlan.

Honkai: Star Rail – Arlan: ascension materials

Here’s everything you need to know to get Arlan ascended to the maximum level and upgrade all of his talents.

Arlan requires the following ascension materials to get to level 80 in addition to the necessary XP:

• Credits x246,000
• Extinguished Core x12
• Glimmering Core x13
• Squirming Core x12
• Lightning Crown of the Past Shadow x50

You can collect Cores from Flamespawns and other enemies in Backwater Pass or Rivet Town as well as the Simulated Universe. You can create or exchange them through the Omni-Synthesizer on the Astral Express, too. Extinguished Cores are one of the basic materials you can easily farm through the Daily Assignments to your characters, making for a steady income of the resource. 

Lightning Crowns of the Past Shadow are dropped by the Stagnant Shadow (Corridor of Fading Echoes) or gained through exchange. The best source of Credits are the Golden Calyxes across the cosmos.

Arlan requires the following materials to upgrade her combat abilities and Traces:

• Credits x2,400,000
• Extinguished Core x28
• Glimmering Core x42
• Squirming Core x42
• Shattered Blade x12
• Lifeless Blade x54
• Worldbreaker Blade x105
• Destroyer’s Final Road x12
• Tracks of Destiny x5

For the materials already mentioned, check above. Blades can be farmed in the Crimson Calyx (Storage Zone). As usual, you can create the high-level materials by using lower-level materials in the Omni-Synthesizer on the Astral Express.

Destroyer’s Final Road is a rare material only gained from the Echo of War (Supply Zone) domain, while Tracks of Destiny can be obtained during time-limited events, the Embers Exchange, the Nameless Honor, or as a Simulated Universe Points Reward.