Best Guinaifen builds and skills in Honkai: Star Rail

Guinaifen is Honkai: Star Rail’s first Fire Nihility character and she’s a strong damage dealer if you’re looking for someone to brutally chip away at opponent’s health with damage over time.

Since Guinaifen is a four-star character, it’s important to build her carefully to maximize her potential. She’ll never be quite as powerful as a five-star unit, but if you work to understand her skills and provide her with the strongest build possible then you’ll see her shine on the battlefield.

Guinaifen skills in Honkai: Star Rail

Guinaifen is a fairly straightforward character with five different skills focused on Fire damage and inflicting burning damage over time.

• “Standing Ovation” basic attack: Deals Fire damage equal to 50 to 130 percent of Guinaifen’s attack against a single targeted enemy.
• “Blazing Welcome” skill: Deals Fire damage equal to 60 to 150 percent of Guinaifen’s attack against a single selected opponent and 20 to 50 percent of her attack against adjacent targets. Guinaifen has a 100 percent base chance of applying burn to the adjacent opponents. While inflicted with burn, enemies take fire damage over time equaling 83.9 to 272.77 percent of Guinaifen’s attack at the start of each turn for two turns.
• “Watch this Shostopper” Ultimate: Deals Fire damage equal to 72 to 144 percent of Guinaifen’s attack against all opponents. If the main targeted enemy is already affected by burn, then the burn status on them immediately deals damage equal to 72 to 102 percent.
• “PatrAeon Benefits” talent: While Guinaifen is on the battlefield, there is a 100 percent chance she’ll apply Firekiss to an opponent after their burn status deals damage. While affected by Firekiss, enemies receive four to 8.5 percent increased damage over three turns. This can stack up to three times.
• “Skill Showcase” technique: Immediately strikes the enemy to initiate a battle. Upon entering the battle, four instances of Fire damage are dealt equal to 50 percent of Guinaifen’s attack against a randomly chosen target with each strike. There is a 100 percent chance of activating Firekiss on them with this ability.

Guinaifen Ascension materials in Honkai: Star Rail

To fully raise Guinaifen to the highest possible level, you’ll need a lot of Ascension materials. Across all of her levels, all of the following materials will need to be gathered.

• 246,000 Credits
• 12 Artifex’s Module
• 13 Artifex’s Cogwheel
• 12 Artifex’s Gyreheart
• 50 Searing Steel Blade

Guinaifen Trace materials in Honkai: Star Rail

The most powerful way to enhance Guinaifen’s skillset is to raise all of her abilities and activate statistic boosts through the Trace tree. Across all of Guinaifen’s available Traces, you’ll need to accumulate all of the following Trace materials.

• 2,400,000 Credits
• 12 Obsidian of Dread
• 54 Obsidian of Desolation
• 105 Obsidian of Obsession
• 28 Artifex’s Module
• 42 Artifex’s Cogwheel
• 42 Artifex’s Gyreheart
• Five Tracks of Destiny
• 12 Regret of Infinite Ochema

Guinaifen’s best build in Honkai: Star Rail

The Fire Nihility character Guinaifen will benefit most from a damage over time and Fire damage-centric build. In comparison to other Nihility recruits, Guinaifen is closer to a damage-dealing unit like Kafka than she is to a more debuffing-focused unit like Pela.

Best Light Cones for Guinaifen in Honkai: Star Rail

The best Light Cones for Guinaifen will vary drastically depending on how you want to build her, but it’s generally best to focus on her damage over time abilities.

• Patience Is All You Need
  • Rarity: Five-star
  • “Spider Web” ability: Raises damage dealt by the wearer by 24 percent. After each attack made by the equipping character, speed is raised by 4.8 percent. This can stack up to three times. If the equipping recruit strikes an enemy who is not afflicted by erode, there is a 100 percent base chance erode will then be activated. Foes who are affected by erode are affected by shock and receive Lightning damage over time equal to 60 percent of the wearer’s attack at the start of each turn. This will last for one turn.
• Solitary Healing
  • Rarity: Five-star
  • “Chaos Elixir” ability: Raises the equipping character’s break effect by 20 percent. When they use their Ultimate, the damage over time dealt by them is raised by 24 percent for two turns. When a target who is affected by the wearer’s damage over time is defeated, four energy is restored.
• Good Night and Sleep Well
  • Rarity: Four-star
  • “Toiler” ability: For each debuff the enemy has, the damage the wearer deals is raised by 12 percent for up to a maximum of three stacks. This can also apply to damage over time.

Best Relics for Guinaifen in Honkai: Star Rail

The best Relics for Guinaifen are either the full four-piece Firesmith of Lava-Forging set or a two-piece Firesmith of Lava-Forging set with a two-piece Musketeer of Wild Wheat set. Both are very strong options for enhancing her abilities, but which one is better will come down to the specific build you’re seeking for her and what areas you most need to enhance for her.

• Firesmith of Lava-Forging
  • Rarity: Two-star, three-star, four-star, or five-star.
  • Two-piece effect: Increases Fire damage by 10 percent.
  • Four-piece effect: Increases the wearer’s skill damage by 12 percent. After using their Ultimate ability, the wearer’s Fire damage increases by 12 percent for their next attack.
• Musketeer of Wild Wheat
  • Rarity: Two-star, three-star, four-star, or five-star.
  • Two-piece effect: Increases attack by 12 percent.
  • Four-piece effect: Raises the equipping character’s speed by six percent and increases their basic attack damage by 10 percent.

For Guinaifen’s two-piece Planar Ornament slots, Space Sealing Station is the overall best choice.

• Space Sealing Station
  • Rarity: Two-star, three-star, four-star, or five-star.
  • Two-piece effect: Raises the equipping character’s attack by 12 percent. When their speed reaches 120 or higher, their attack is then raised by an additional 12 percent.

Guinaifen is currently available as a featured four-star regardless of whether you pull for Topaz and Numby or Seele. She’ll be obtainable with an increased drop rate until Nov. 14 at which point she will then move to the massive pool of four-star characters.

If you’re hoping to recruit Guinaifen, it’s best to pull on Topaz and Numby or Seele’s banner while you can since this will be your best shot at recruiting her.