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The first phase of Honkai: Star Rail Version 1.6 heavily focuses on Ruan Mei, who is the limited 5-star on the “Floral Triptych” banner. For the first time, new 4-star Xueyi is also running on her banner instead of the second phase’s Dr Ratio banner.
Should I pull on Ruan Mei’s Banner in Honkai: Star Rail 1.6?
I’ve mentioned this time and time again, but I generally suggest pulling for support characters in Honkai: Star Rail. You can replace a good DPS. However, you cannot replace a good support or sustain. And my, oh my, is Ruan Mei a fantastic support. She can do things that no other character in the game can do, such as boosting All-Type RES PEN and Weakness Break Efficiency.
This is on top of a DMG boost and a passive SPD boost, too. Because of her unique kit, Ruan Mei is one of the few support characters you can run with literally any Harmony or Nihility character without her stepping on their toes. If you can, I highly recommend pulling for Ruan Mei while she’s here.
As for the 4-stars on pick-up, we’ve got new character Xueyi, as well as March 7th and Tingyun. March and Tingyun are fantastic characters to run in any F2P or premium team, especially once they get Eidolons. March 7th is a beast of a sustain unit for a more aggressive team and Tingyun is the cornerstone of hyper-carry comps.
As for Xueyi, she plays very well with Ruan Mei due to her focus on Break Effect. If you don’t like Qingque’s luck-based kit, then Xueyi is a great F2P Quantum DPS alternative.
As an aside, Blade is also re-running! He is an excellent DPS who is relatively easy to build because of his fairly lax requirements when it comes to his scaling. All he really needs is plenty of Max HP and he’s a happy camper. I will say that his Light Cone is fantastic only if you don’t have A Secret Vow. Take it from me: if you have A Secret Vow at S5, you do not need The Unreachable Side unless you’re devoted to the idea of running Blade with Luocha. If you want a good DPS, or if you just really like Blade, then this is a good chance to get him on your roster.
Because players are getting Dr Ratio for free in the latter half of Version 1.6 of Honkai: Star Rail, I highly recommend pulling for either Ruan Mei or Blade. Of course, you should pull within reason and play within your limits. A positive about both characters is that they do not rely on their signature Light Cones, or there are substitutes that work decently well. So, if you have the means to do so, I recommend trying for Ruan Mei’s E1 to boost the party’s damage potential. You can also choose to save for the upcoming 2.0 characters: Black Swan, Sparkle, and Misha.
Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. The “Floral Triptych” banner in Honkai: Star Rail Version 1.6 will run until January 17, 2024.
