Honkai: Star Rail - The Herta\'s Best Light Cones

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• The Seriousness of Breakfast (S5)

• The Day The Cosmos Fell (S5)

• Eternal Calculus (S5)

• Yet Hope Is Priceless (S1)

• Geniuses' Repose (S5)

• An Instant Before A Gaze (S1)

• Before Dawn (S1)

• Today Is Another Peaceful Day (S5)

• Night on the Milky Way (S1)

• Into the Unreachable Veil (S1)

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• Best Light Cone

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The Herta is a formidable 5-star Ice Erudition character in Honkai: Star Rail, renowned for her potent self-buffs and damage multipliers. As a primary damage dealer, The Herta focuses on enhancing her CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, and ATK, along with any general damage boosts from her Light Cones. Her kit inherently grants an 80% CRIT DMG buff, making Light Cones that boost CRIT Rate particularly beneficial. Moreover, improvements to her Skill and Ultimate output are crucial due to her unique Interpretation mechanic, with a specific emphasis on Skill DMG.

Although finding Light Cones that boost both CRIT Rate and Skill DMG outside her signature cone can be challenging, The Herta has a range of effective options within the Erudition Path. These Light Cones, available in both limited and free versions, provide valuable stats and closely match each other in performance. Here are the best Light Cone options for The Herta in Honkai: Star Rail.

The Seriousness of Breakfast (S5)

Increases the wearer's DMG by 24%. For every defeated enemy, the wearer's ATK increases by 8%, stacking up to 3 times.

The Seriousness of Breakfast is a free Light Cone obtainable through Lucent Afterglow purchases or Echo of War drops. Players can also acquire a copy by completing a hidden task aboard the Herta Space Station. Though not the top choice for The Herta, it remains a viable option for newcomers lacking better alternatives. Its straightforward damage boosts make it a reliable placeholder until a superior Light Cone is obtained.

The Day The Cosmos Fell (S5)

Increases the wearer's ATK by 24%. When the wearer uses an attack and affects no fewer than 2 enemies with a corresponding Weakness, the wearer's CRIT DMG increases by 40% for 2 turns.

The Day The Cosmos Fell is another free Light Cone purchasable with Lucent Afterglow or obtained through Echo of War drops. A free copy is also available by finding all the Origami Birds in Golden Hour. This Light Cone performs slightly better than The Seriousness of Breakfast, though its effectiveness hinges on maintaining its conditional CRIT DMG buff. If players struggle to meet these conditions, its performance may decline. Nonetheless, it remains a solid temporary option for The Herta until a more optimal Light Cone is acquired.

Eternal Calculus (S5)

Increases the wearer's ATK by 12%. After using an attack, for each enemy target hit, additionally increases ATK by 8%. This effect can stack 5 times and lasts until the next attack. If there are 3 or more enemy targets hit, this unit's SPD increases by 16%, lasting for 1 turn.

Eternal Calculus is a free 5-star Light Cone available for purchase from Herta's Store using Herta Bonds. It offers a substantial ATK% boost, though its effectiveness varies with the number of targets hit, making it less powerful against fewer enemies. Despite this, Eternal Calculus is a strong choice when fully utilized, with its 16% SPD increase at S5 being advantageous for certain SPD breakpoints. It serves as a good placeholder for The Herta until a more robust alternative is found.

Yet Hope Is Priceless (S1)

Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 16%. While the wearer is in battle, for every 20% CRIT DMG that exceeds 120%, the DMG dealt by follow-up attack increases by 12%. This effect can stack up to 4 times. When the battle starts or after the wearer uses their Basic ATK, enables Ultimate or the DMG dealt by follow-up attack to ignore 20% of the target's DEF, lasting for 2 turns.

Jade's signature Light Cone, Yet Hope Is Priceless, provides a valuable 16% CRIT Rate increase at S1, making it a decent option for The Herta. Although she cannot utilize the Follow-Up buffs, it serves as a reliable stat stick. The 20% DEF penetration for the Ultimate is beneficial if used early in battle, though less effective if The Herta avoids using Basic ATKs. Players should not pull specifically for this Light Cone for The Herta, as its performance is comparable to more F2P-friendly options. If already owned, it may be better suited for a character that can fully leverage its effects.

Geniuses' Repose (S5)

Increases the wearer's ATK by 32%. When the wearer defeats an enemy, the wearer's CRIT DMG increases by 48% for 3 turns.

Geniuses' Repose, obtainable from the standard Stellar Warp, is a strong 4-star Light Cone. It provides a significant 32% ATK increase and a 48% CRIT DMG boost at S5. While The Herta needs to personally defeat an enemy to activate the CRIT DMG buff, this is generally manageable, as the effect lasts three turns. However, its effectiveness diminishes in prolonged fights against single boss targets without regular summons to refresh the buff.

An Instant Before A Gaze (S1)

Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 36%. When the wearer uses their Ultimate, the wearer's Ultimate DMG increases based on their Max Energy; Ultimate DMG increases by 0.36% per point of Energy, up to 180 Energy.

Argenti's signature Light Cone, An Instant Before A Gaze, is an excellent choice for The Herta. At S1, it boosts CRIT DMG by 36% and provides a 64.8% increase to Ultimate DMG. Although the Ultimate buff is valuable, The Herta would ideally benefit more from Skill DMG or general DMG. Similar to Yet Hope Is Priceless, players should only use this Light Cone if they already possess it, and avoid pulling specifically for The Herta.

Before Dawn (S1)

Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 36%. Increases the wearer's Skill and Ultimate DMG by 18%. After the wearer uses their Skill or Ultimate, they gain Somnus Corpus. Upon triggering a follow-up attack, Somnus Corpus will be consumed and the follow-up attack DMG increases by 48%.

Before Dawn, Jing Yuan's signature Light Cone, is a powerful option for The Herta. While she cannot benefit from the Follow-Up Attack buff, the Light Cone's unconditional stats significantly enhance her kit. At S1, it offers a 36% CRIT DMG increase and an 18% boost to both Skill and Ultimate DMG. Although The Herta would prefer more CRIT Rate due to her A4 Trace, the additional CRIT DMG remains highly beneficial.

Today Is Another Peaceful Day (S5)

After entering battle, increases the wearer's DMG based on their Max Energy. DMG increases by 0.4% per point of Energy, up to 160 Energy.

Today Is Another Peaceful Day is an exceptional 4-star Light Cone that provides a significant unconditional damage boost. With The Herta's high 220 Energy cost for her Ultimate, she maximizes the Light Cone's effect, achieving a total 64% damage increase at S5. It also boasts the highest base ATK among current 4-star Erudition Light Cones, matching the 5-star Eternal Calculus. This makes it an ideal choice for F2P and low-spending players, and potentially more consistent than some other options.

Night on the Milky Way (S1)

For every enemy on the field, increases the wearer's ATK by 9%, up to 5 stacks. When an enemy is inflicted with Weakness Break, the DMG dealt by the wearer increases by 30% for 1 turn.

Night on the Milky Way is a top-tier 5-star Light Cone obtainable from the standard Stellar Warp. It performs exceptionally well for The Herta when its effects are consistently maintained. While it can reach up to a 45% ATK boost at S1, it requires five enemies on the field to maintain those stacks. Its performance drops with fewer targets, and players must ensure at least one enemy is inflicted with Weakness Break to activate the damage buff. Though less consistent than some other options, it remains a strong choice, especially for Pure Fiction.

Into the Unreachable Veil (S1)

Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 12%. When the wearer uses their Ultimate, increases DMG dealt by the wearer's Skill and Ultimate by 60%, lasting for 3 turns. After the wearer uses their Ultimate, if this Ultimate consumed 140 or more Energy, recovers 1 Skill Point.

The Herta's signature Light Cone, Into the Unreachable Veil, stands out as her best-in-slot option due to its immense value. It significantly boosts her CRIT Rate and provides a substantial damage increase to both her Skill and Ultimate. Additionally, it recovers a Skill Point each time The Herta uses her Ultimate, making it highly effective for SP-heavy teams. With a base ATK of 635, it also has the highest ATK stat among all current Erudition Light Cones, enhancing its value for many other Erudition characters, even those unable to meet the Energy requirement for the Skill Point recovery.