What is Break Effect in Honkai: Star Rail?

In Honkai: Star Rail, there are various effects you can take advantage of to increase your damage chances and defeat your enemies sooner. One such effect you’ll definitely want to know about is the Break Effect. Here’s everything you need to know about the Break Effect and how it works in Honkai: Star Rail.

What is the Break Effect in HSR, explained

Break Effect enhances specific effects caused by Weakness Breaks in Honkai: Star Rail. If you’re unsure of what a Weakness Break is, it can be broken down as follows:

1. When you attack an enemy with an element they’re weak to, you’ll deplete its Toughness Gauge. 
2. Once this gauge is depleted, the enemy suffers a Weakness Break, which means the enemy’s actions are delayed, there’s a chance to cause a debuff depending on the element, and an instance of break damage will be dealt to the enemy.

Essentially, the Break Effect enhances these effects by a percentage. Specifically, it increases Break damage, damage Over Time or any delayed damage dealt when the enemy has been Weakness Broken, and action delays.

So, if you can trigger an Honkai: Star Rail enemy’s Weakness Break, you’ll increase your damage dealt to the enemy and the enemy’s action delays. It may not seem like a lot, but it can be beneficial in taking out your enemies quicker and getting in every elemental attack, even the ones they’re resistant to, before they can recover.

Characters with Break Effect abilities and Eidolons

Specific characters in Honkai: Star Rail can increase the Break Effect for themselves or all allies with their abilities or through Eidolons. These characters include:

• Ruan Mei
  • Ability: Inert Respiration: Increases the Break Effect for all allies by 20 percent (needs two ascensions)
  • Eidolon: Chatoyant Eclat (level four): If an enemy’s Weakness Breaks, Ruan’s Break Effect increases by 100 percent for three turns. 
• Sushang
  • Eidolon: Cleave With Heart (level four): Her Break Effect is increased by 40 percent
• Xueyi
  • Eidolon: Karma, Severed (level four): Her Break Effect increases by 40 percent for two rounds when she uses her Ultimate.

If you don’t have any of these Honkai: Star Rail characters or you want to enhance them or damage-over-time-inflicting characters further, there are also Relic Sets and Light Cones you can equip that can increase the Break Effect of a character.

Relic Sets and Light Cones to increase the Break Effect

Relics, which you can earn in specific Caverns of Corrosion, can increase certain stats. The following Relic Sets increase the Break Effect:

• Watchmaker, Master of Dream Machinations
  • Two pieces: Increases the Break Effect by 16 percent.
  • Four pieces: If the wearer uses their Ultimate on an ally, every ally’s Break Effect will increase by 30 percent for two turns. However, it can’t be stacked.
• Thief of the Shooting Meteor
  • Two pieces: Increases Break Effect by 16 percent.
  • Four pieces: Increases the wearer’s Break Effect by 16 percent. If the wearer is the one who inflicts the enemy’s Weakness Break, they’ll regenerate three energy.
• Talia: Kingdom of Banditry
  • Two pieces: Increases the wearer’s Break Effect by 16 percent. If the wearer’s speed is 145 or more, the Break Effect is increased by 20 percent. 

And if you want to increase your Break Effect further, there are even Light Cones that can increase your Break Effect, including:

• What Is Real?
  • Four-star Abundance
• Memories of the Past
  • Four-star Harmony
• Indelible Promise
  • Four-star Destruction
• Fermata
  • Four-star Nihility
• Solitary Healing
  • Five-star Nihility
• Past Self in Mirror
  • Five-star Harmony

So, if you want to weaken enemies, delay actions, and increase damage, this is what you’ll need to know about Break Effects and how to increase them in Honkai Star Rail.