Choosing between pulling for Hysilens and Cerydra inHonkai: Star Rail3.5 can be a complicated task, as both new Amphoreus characters work in drastically different ways.The two units have been officially announced as the new playable characters for Version 3.5. They will add new gameplay mechanics to the game once they are released in theHonkai: Star Rail3.5 banners.
Of course, they will also be presented as NPCs in the main story, playing pivotal roles in the development of Amphoreus’ future. This year’s story arc is heading toward its climax and subsequent conclusion, andHysilens and Cerydra will be indispensable allies for the Trailblazer, as well as thenewHonkai: Star Rail3.6 characters, which are March 7th and Dan Heng’s new forms.
Hysilens & Cerydra Run In Different Honkai: Star Rail 3.5 Banner Phases
The Two Units Are Limited-Time Characters
Both Hysilens and Cerydra have been confirmed by developer HoYoverse for Version 3.5, though they will each debut in different banner phases rather than at the same time.Hysilens will be released in Phase 1 banners, alongside a Kafka rerun, which should run from August 13 to September 3.
Meanwhile, Cerydra will debut in Phase 2 banners along with a Silver Wolf rerun.The Phase 2 banners will last from September 3 through September 23. Both Hysilens and Cerydra are limited-time characters inHonkai: Star Rail, meaning they will only be obtainable during their featured banners. After their respective banners are removed, it’s unclear when they will rerun.
Pros & Cons Of Pulling For Hysilens In Honkai: Star Rail 3.5
The Nihility Character Can Inflict Multiple DoTs & Deal Extra DoT DMG
Hysilens, the first new character to debut in the update, is a 5-star Physical character who follows the Path of the Nihility. Like many other units on that Path, she is a specialist in DoT (damage over time) DMG. As was described by HoYoverse,Hysilens has a chance of increasing the DMG taken by enemies with her Skill.
However, her main gameplay feature is her Ultimate. With it, Hysilens creates a Zone that reduces enemy targets’ ATK and DEF, while also dealing Physical DMG to all opponents.While the Zone is active, for every 1 instance of DoT taken by a target, Hysilens deals extra Physical DoT to them.
Hysilen’s extra instance of DoT does not trigger more instances of DoT.
Additionally,Hysilens’ Talent shows that she has a chance of inflicting Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn, or Shockon enemy targets attacked by allies. This confirms the previous rumors aboutHysilens revitalizing DoT inHonkai: Star Rail.
Overall,Hysilens will be focused on triggering extra instances of DoT to increase the team’s damage output. While Nihility DPS characters are often different from traditional DPS units, Hysilens can be considered a main DPS, though she will work with other Nihility units to burn through enemy lines.
Based on Hysilens’ ATK stat-scaling, she should be fairly easy to build, especially because she won’t have any CRIT DMG requirements – something that’s common practice for DoT-focused characters.Hysilens has a lot of potential as a DoT DPS, but one of her downsides is that she can’t operate alone.
Hysilens is extremely reliant on other DoT characters in the team. Without them, she can’t deal extra DoT DMG, significantly cutting down on her potential. As such,you’ll need to pair Hysilens with characters like Black Swan, Kafka, Luka, and Sampoto make her work well. After thebuffs to Kafka inHonkai: Star Rail, she is likely the best character to run with Hysilens.
Pros & Cons Of Pulling For Cerydra In Honkai: Star Rail 3.5
The Harmony Character Buffs A Chosen Ally
Meanwhile, Cerydra is a 5-star Wind character on the Path of the Harmony, confirming her role as a support in team comps. With her Skill,Cerydra chooses an ally and buffs them, increasing their Skill’s CRIT DMG and their All-Type RES PEN. Cerydra’s Ultimate deals Wind DMG to enemies and grants the aforementioned buff to the ally in position 1.
Additionally,because of Cerydra’s Talent, the buffed ally gains an ATK buff based on Cerydra’s own ATK. Cerydra can also follow up with Wind Additional DMG when the buffed character attacks an enemy. Cerydra’s passives include a guaranteed 100% CRIT Rate and a gradual CRIT DMG increase based on every 100 ATK that exceeds 2000, up to 360% CRIT DMG.
Cerydra can be a very useful support for specific types of DPS, mainly those who use Skill as their primary source of damage.This makes Cerydra great for characters like Seele, Anaxa, Archer, and Phainon. Anaxa andPhainon inHonkai: Star Railare expected to become the best DPS for Cerydra’s teams.
Cerydra could also work with Jingliu and Mydei, though, because they’re HP-scalers, they wouldn’t take advantage of her ATK buff.
Cerydra also excels as a complementary source of damage output. While she won’t deal as much damage as a DPS because of her scaling limitations, Cerydra’s main stat is ATK. Furthermore, her 100% CRIT Rate, which resemblesHyacine inHonkai: Star Rail, and her continued increase to CRIT DMG can make her land powerful hits on enemies.
The downsides to Cerydra are that her buffs are limited to specific characters.It may not be worth pulling for Cerydra if you don’t own Anaxa or Phainon, as there are better supports for the other aforementioned characters.
Between Hysilens and Cerydra, the former seems to be more compatible with the currently available characters. Cerydra is a good support, but her limitations may undercut her potential in team comps, at least for now. As a Kafka user and DoT enthusiast, I’d choose Hysilens inHonkai: Star Rail.
