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Physical characters in Honkai Star Rail fill a particular void in the game's combat mechanics. They help players inflict bleed DoT status on enemies and break their weaknesses. Everyone could initially start their journey with the Physical power on Trailblazer, alongside Dan Heng's Wind and March 7th's Ice. With time, the roster kept increasing, with new characters and abilities coming into the mix.
This article lists all the characters wielding the Physical element in Honkai Star Rail and ranks them based on their usage and prowess as of May 2024. Note that the Physical element has all paths covered except Preservation, with multiple characters that will be, or have been, available for free.
Disclaimer: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinion.
Tier list for Physical characters in Honkai Star Rail in May 2024
The image above showcases the Physical characters' respective tiers as of May 2024. Note that the article does not aim to diminish any character. The list is purely based on their usage and the player's convenience regarding investment, rarity, DPS, and support.
Seven characters wield the Physical element, including the male and female Trailblazer as one character.
SS tier
The SS tier represents the best in the business, as these characters are essential to have when it comes to endgame content. Hanya and Argenti are included in the topmost section of this list, as they excel at their respective roles. Both are relatively new, making players wait until reruns in one of the upcoming patches.
Hanya's kit allows her to recover her allies' SP (skill point) while increasing their SPD through ultimate ability. Honkai Star Rail lacks many supporting units to recover skill points, making Hanya an easy pick for endgame teams.
As the sole Erudition Physical character, Argenti has the self-sustaining kit of regenerating his energy while also dealing increased damage by consuming it. Additionally, Argenti's passive technique allows him to gain an increased crit rate by 10%, which players can consider while building him.
S tier
Clara and Luka are in the S tier of this list. These characters do their job well and can comfortably find their place in any team looking for the Physical element.
Clara is a Destruction unit that comes from the standard banner, with one of her best Light Cones being free to acquire from the Starlight Exchange shop. She can increase her damage reduction capability and launch powerful follow-up attacks. This makes her a tremendous hyper carry in any team, especially when enemies have physical toughness.
On the other hand, Luka is a Nihility character who inflicts the Bleed status on enemies. Hence, even if a team lacks a character to counter the enemy's elemental toughness shield, Luka ignores shields and drains health with each Bleed tick.
A tier
Physical characters in the A tier include Sushang and Natasha. While both have some usage in teams, there are better characters that players can equip.
While Natasha and Sushang are free characters in the game, they sadly fail to keep up with the current difficulty in Honkai Star Rail.
B tier
The only character in the lowest tier of this list is the Physical Destruction Trailblazer. With the addition of the Trailblazer's Fire Preservation kit, almost everyone stopped using the Physical kit, as the former is greatly utility-based, and it would be a waste not to use Fire Trailblazer's taunt skills against tough bosses.
