Best Kafka builds and skills in Honkai: Star Rail

One of Honkai: Star Rail’s most highly anticipated recruits so far is Kafka, a notorious Stellaron Hunter known for her elegance and deviousness.

Kafka is the very first character players got to test out and now she’s finally back as a recruitable unit for the second half of the Version 1.2 update, which means you’ll need to get to work on learning about her skills and constructing the best build for her.

Kafka’s skills in Honkai: Star Rail

Like all other Honkai: Star Rail recruits, Kafka has five unique skills you’ll need to learn to master.

• “Midnight Tumult” basic attack: Deals 50 percent to 130 percent of Kafka’s attack as Lightning damage against the selected foe.
• “Caressing Moonlight” skill: Deals 80 percent to 200 percent of Kafka’s attack as Lightning damage against a single targeted opponent plus Lightning damage equal to 30 percent to 75 percent of Kafka’s attack against adjacent foes. If the selected enemy is already under the effects of a damage-over-time ability, this skill immediately deals further damage equal to 60 to 82.5 percent of the original damage.
• “Twilight Trill” Ultimate: Deals Lightning damage equal to 48 percent to 96 percent of Kafka’s attack against all opponents. Additionally, her Ultimate has a 100 percent base chance of causing all enemies to become shocked and instantly take 80 percent to 110 percent of the damage over time. This shock effect lasts for two turns and while affected by it, enemies are hit with Lightning damage equal to 115 percent to 373.75 percent of Kafka’s Lightning damage at the start of their next two turns.
• “Gentle But Cruel” passive: After one of Kafka’s allies deals a basic attack against an opponent, Kafka launches a follow-up attack that deals 60 percent to 150 percent of her attack as Lightning damage against the selected foe.
• “Mercy Is Not Forgiveness” technique: Initiates an immediate attack on the enemy to enter battle. As the battle begins, Kafka deals Lightning damage equal to 50 percent of her attack against a randomly selected target. All opponents also have a 100 percent chance to become shocked for the next three turns. While shocked, opponents receive Lightning damage over time equal to 50 percent of Kafka’s attack at the beginning of each turn.

Since she is part of the Nihility path, Kafka is primarily a debuffing and damage-over-time unit. But she has perhaps one of the most unique skillsets yet as characters who are part of this path usually function as support units, yet Kafka is more than capable of providing both potent support and sold damage.

Kafka’s Ascension materials in Honkai: Star Rail

One of the most crucial aspects of building any character in Honkai: Star Rail is Ascension, which is the process of raising the character’s level. Across all of her Ascension levels, all of Kafka’s required Ascension materials include:

• 308,000 Credits
• 15 Thief’s Instinct
• 15 Usurper’s Scheme
• 15 Conqueror’s Will
• 65 Shape Shifter’s Lightning Staff

Kafka’s Trace materials in Honkai: Star Rail

Each playable character in Honkai: Star Rail also has their very own custom skill tree called Traces. The main Traces level up the character’s specific skills but there are also many statistic bonuses scattered throughout based on what the character requires for their skillset.

To fully raise all of her Traces, the Trace materials Kafka requires are:

• 3,000,000 Credits
• 18 Obsidian of Dread
• 69 Obsidian of Desolation
• 139 Obsidian of Obsession
• 41 Thief’s Instinct
• 56 Usurper’s Scheme
• 58 Conqueror’s Will
• Eight tracks of Destiny
• 12 Regret of Infinite Ochema

Kafka’s best build in Honkai: Star Rail

To create the best build possible for Kafka, you’ll need to focus on building her attack since she scales off of it. But since she’s also a Nihility recruit, amplifying her debuffing and damage-over-time skills is a must.

Kafka can be a tricky character to build because of how immensely versatile she is. The best way to build her overall is to focus on what you want her to be best at, which may be damage dealing or support, and build her based on that.

Best Light Cones for Kafka in Honkai: Star Rail

Kafka’s signature Light Cone Patience Is All You Need is the best choice for her overall, but there are also many other Light Cones that work extremely well on her.

• Patience Is All You Need
  • “Spider Web” Ability: The equipping recruit deals 16 percent more damage against enemies who are inflicted with damage over time. With each attack, this Light Cone increases the wearer’s speed by four percent for up to a maximum of five times. All opponents receiving attacks also take an additional 20 percent damage over time for one turn.
• Incessant Rain
  • “Mirage of Reality” Ability: Increases the equipping character’s effect hit rate by 24 percent. When the equipping recruit deals damage against an enemy who has three or more debuffs active on them, their critical rate is then increased by 12 percent. After the wearer uses their basic attack, skill, or Ultimate there is then a 100 percent chance of activating an Aether Code on a random target that doesn’t already have one on them. Opponents who have an Aether Code on them receive 12 percent increased damage for one turn.
• Eyes of the Prey
  • “Self-Confidence” Ability: Increases the wearer’s effect hit rate by 20 percent and raises their damage over time by 24 percent.

Best Relics for Kafka in Honkai: Star Rail

The overall best Relics for Kafka are the full four-piece Band of Sizzling Thunder set, which focuses on her Lightning damage.

• Band of Sizzling Thunder
  • Two-piece effect: Raises Lightning damage by 10 percent.
  • Four-piece effect: After the equipping character casts a skill they then have their attack increased by 25 percent for one turn.

For Kafka’s Planar Ornaments, you can either equip her with Space Sealing Station to raise her attack or Pan-Galactic Commercial Enterprise to increase her effect hit rate.

• Space Sealing Station
  • Two-piece effect: Raises the equipping character’s attack by 12 percent. When the wearer’s speed has reached 120 speed or higher, their attack is then raised by 12 percent.
• Pan-Galactic Commercial Enterprise
  • Two-piece effect: Raises the equipping recruit’s effect hit rate by 10 percent and increases the wearer’s attack by 25 percent of their total effect hit rate for up to 25 percent.

Related: Best Light Cones for each character in Honkai: Star Rail

Due to her immensely powerful and versatile skillset, Kafka is a character you should pull for if you have the Stellar Jade and Star Rail Special Passes to do so. She’s a really impressive unit overall, so attempting to add her to your roster while she’s available to recruit is a great move for any player.

Kafka’s debut Warp run will be live from Aug. 9 to 29 for the second half of the Version 1.2 update. Once it ends, you can expect her to be unobtainable for at least six months or more, so be sure to pull for her while you can if you want to obtain the powerful Nihility recruit.

We gathered this information by playing Honkai Star Rail Version 1.2 “Even Immortality Ends” on PC.