Archer | Honkai: Star Rail

Overview

Archer is a Quantum single-target damage dealer who spends Skill Points in repeated Circuit Connection Skills. His team needs to fund that concentrated turn. Rin Tohsaka adds shared buffs and joint-attack recovery, but neither character removes the need to track the pool.

Role

Main DPS / SP Burst Carry

Playstyle

Begin a burst with enough Skill Points and active buffs, then chain Skills within Circuit Connection. When resources are short, rebuild with allies or a Basic ATK rather than forcing an underfunded turn.

Why It Works

Repeated Skills build the chain's damage bonus. Charged follow-ups triggered by other allies' attacks restore Skill Points, while Rin's joint attack can return four more when its conditions are met.

Watch For

Guardian checks the Skill Point total after a point is gained: four or more activates its CRIT DMG bonus. Plan that trigger before the Skill chain.

Playstyle

Combat Flow

Generate Skill Points and activate Guardian → prepare buffs → Archer Skill chain → use available joint-attack or follow-up recovery → finish the funded chain → use Ultimate for damage and Charge → rebuild.

Key Notes

ATK Boots fit an action-supported burst plan. Choose turn order around the real Skill Point supply, and include Guardian and equipment bonuses when balancing CRIT.
After a Skill Point is gained, a resulting total of at least four activates Guardian's 120% CRIT DMG for one turn.
Circuit Connection is limited; Skill Point recovery does not allow an unlimited number of Skills in the same turn.
Do not assume Guardian requires four Skill Points before the gain; it checks the total afterward.
Do not count Rin's joint refund twice before her turn has ended and reset its availability.

Build & Investment

Light Cones

Primary

The Hell Where Ideals Burn

Signature option built around his repeated Skill burst.

F2P

Cruising in the Stellar Sea

Strong accessible CRIT option for general use.

Alternative

Baptism of Pure Thought

Premium alternative with strong offensive stats when its conditions are maintained.

Relics

Primary

Genius of Brilliant Stars

Reliable Quantum set, especially against Quantum-weak or DEF-reduced targets.

Alternative

Wavestrider Captain

Two Help stacks require being targeted by allies. Ultimate consumes them for a one-turn ATK buff; this is not a permanent Skill-damage bonus. Align the buff with the intended damage window.

Planars

Primary

Tengoku@Livestream

Consuming at least three Skill Points in the same turn activates the extra CRIT DMG, matching Archer's funded Skill chains.

Alternative

Rutilant Arena

Stable alternative for Basic and Skill damage after meeting the CRIT threshold.

Main Stats

Body

CRIT Rate
AlternativeCRIT DMG

Default when CRIT Rate is not already capped by gear and buffs.

Alternative with sufficient CRIT Rate.

Feet

ATK%

Preferred because Archer concentrates damage in action-advanced burst turns.

Sphere

Quantum DMG Boost
AlternativeATK%

Default offensive sphere.

Close alternative with materially better substats.

Rope

ATK%

Default damage rope.

Recommended Substats

CRIT Rate
CRIT DMG
ATK%
SPD

Secure CRIT Rate while counting the equipped cone, then balance ATK and CRIT DMG with Guardian's temporary bonus. A supported burst build can prioritize ATK over SPD; add SPD only for an action plan that actually supplies enough Skill Points for the extra turn.

Eidolon Investment

E0 already has Circuit Connection and Charge-based Skill Point recovery. E1 helps fund a longer chain, while E2 changes Quantum matchups through his Ultimate. Neither removes the need to plan the team's Skill Points.

The Hell Where Ideals Burn supplies CRIT Rate, ATK when the team's Skill Point cap is at least six, and more ATK after repeated Skills. Projection Magecraft enables that cap condition. It adds damage stats rather than directly refunding Skill Points.

After three Skills in one turn, restores two Skill Points. Plan around that specific trigger; it is not a refund on every Skill.

Ultimate applies Quantum Weakness and reduces the target's Quantum RES by 20% for two turns. The effect requires using Ultimate on that target.

Adds 150% Ultimate damage. It does not apply that bonus to the repeated Skills that define his turn.

Restores one Skill Point at turn start, raises the Skill damage-buff stack limit by one, and gives Skill damage 20% DEF ignore. It improves the chain without making Skill Point management irrelevant.

Teams

Recommended Teammates

Rin Tohsaka

Joint attacker and resource support. Elegant Conduct increases Archer's ATK and Quantum RES PEN, and the pair's joint attack restores four Skill Points. Its availability resets at the end of Rin's turn. Plan her Enhanced Skill too, since it consumes any Skill Points above two, leaving two.

Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae

Shield sustain and ATK support. Designate Archer as Bondmate so his attacks restore Dan Heng's Energy and advance Souldragon. Once the shield setup is secure, Basic ATKs preserve Skill Points for Archer; extra Skills remain available when survival demands them.

Gallagher

Alternative sustain and Skill Point generation. Gallagher can use Basic ATKs while Besotted supports healing through attacks; his Ultimate enables an immediate Enhanced Basic. Emergency healing, and cleansing once E2 is owned, may still require spending a Skill Point, so budget those before Archer's burst.

Cipher

Alternative amplifier and secondary damage. Cipher's damage-taken aura and damage recording support Archer's concentrated attacks, while Basic ATKs can preserve Skill Points. Her follow-ups are not an automatic debuff application on every trigger.

Best Archer Teams

43,577 observed teams36 recent contexts

Most Played With

Most Played Teams

#133.1%14,415 teams
- Archer
- Sparkle
- Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae
- Rin Tohsaka
#27.4%3,237 teams
- Archer
- Sparkle
- Tribbie
- Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae
#37.0%3,037 teams
- Archer
- Huohuo
- Sparkle
- Rin Tohsaka
#44.2%1,823 teams
- Archer
- Fu Xuan
- Sparkle
- Rin Tohsaka

Explore full Team Comp Finder

Skills

Basic ATK

Kanshou and Bakuya

Single AttackLv. 6

Deals Quantum DMG equal to 100% of Archer's ATK to one designated enemy.

Lv. 6

Skill

Caladbolg II: Fake Spiral Sword

Single AttackLv. 10

Enters the "Circuit Connection" state. Deals Quantum DMG equal to 360% of Archer's ATK to one designated enemy. After using Skill in the "Circuit Connection" state, the current turn does not end, and the DMG dealt by Archer's Skill increases by 100%. This effect can stack up to 2 time(s), lasting until he exits the "Circuit Connection" state. After actively using Skill 5 time(s) or when Skill Points are insufficient to use Skill again, exits the "Circuit Connection" state. After all enemy targets have been defeated in each wave, exits the "Circuit Connection" state.

Lv. 10

Ultimate

Unlimited Blade Works

Single AttackLv. 10

Deals Quantum DMG equal to 1000% of Archer's ATK to one designated enemy and gains 2 point(s) of Charge, up to a maximum of 4.

Lv. 10

Talent

Mind's Eye (True)

Single AttackLv. 10

After Archer's teammates attack enemy targets, Archer consumes 1 Charge and immediately launches Follow-Up ATK on the primary target, dealing Quantum DMG equal to 200% of Archer's ATK and recovering 1 Skill Point. If the target is defeated before this Follow-Up ATK is launched, the Follow-Up ATK will be directed at one random enemy instead.

Lv. 10

Technique

Clairvoyance

Maze AttackLv. 1

Immediately attacks enemies. After entering combat, deals Quantum DMG equal to 200% of Archer's ATK to all enemies and gains 1 point(s) of Charge.

Traces

Major Traces

Projection Magecraft

When Archer is on the field, increases the maximum Skill Point limit by 2.

Hero of Justice

When Archer enters combat, gains 1 point(s) of Charge.

Guardian

After allies gain a Skill Point, if there are 4 Skill Points or more, increases Archer's CRIT DMG by 120% for 1 turn(s).

Minor Traces

ATK Boost+18%
CRIT Rate Boost+6.7%
DMG Boost: Quantum+22.4%

Eidolons

The Unreached Dream

After using Skill 3 time(s) within one turn, recovers 2 Skill Point(s) for allies.

The Unfulfilled Happiness

When using Ultimate, reduces the enemy target's Quantum RES by 20%, and applies Quantum Weakness to it, lasting for 2 turn(s).

The Untamed Will

Basic ATK +1
Skill +2

Skill Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.

Basic ATK Lv. +1, up to a maximum of Lv. 10.

The Unsung Life

Increases the Ultimate DMG dealt by 150%.

The Nameless Watch

Ultimate +2
Talent +2

Ultimate Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.

Talent Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.

The Endless Pilgrimage

When the turn starts, recovers 1 Skill Point for allies. The maximum number of stacks allowed for the DMG boost effect provided by this unit's Skill increases by 1. The Skill DMG dealt ignores 20% of DEF.

Stats

Level 80

Maximum ascension

HP1164

ATK621

DEF485

SPD105

Level	HP	ATK	DEF	SPD
1	158	84	66	105
20	372	199	155	105
30	515	275	215	105
40	657	351	274	105
50	800	427	333	105
60	942	503	393	105
70	1085	579	452	105
80	1164	621	485	105