Running alongside the mighty Dan Heng: Imbibitor Lunae, Black Swan is the first character to grace Trailblazers upon their arrival into Penacony, the land of dreams, in Honkai Star Rail version 2.0. If you’ve been lucky enough to get your hands on her or have acquired her through one of many Honkai Star Rail accounts for sale, then keep reading as we break down how her complicated kit works!
Black Swan Overview
Black Swan is a 5-star Wind-Type Nihility character whose playstyle primarily revolves around applying DoTs (Damage over Time) and shredding defense resistance to increase overall DoT damage, not just hers. She applies a unique DoT called “Arcana,” which is similar to “Wind Shear,” in the sense that both deal Wind-Type damage but, of course, the former reaches a higher damage ceiling the more it stacks!
The best part is that Arcana can be stacked through many means, including using Black Swan’s Basic ATK or Skill (the latter applying Arcana in an AoE fashion), dealing DoT damage, or triggering DoT through an ally character. The third method particularly boosts her synergy with other DoT characters, allowing her to reach max stacks (50) fairly quickly with just one DoT ally and enough Effect Hit Rate!
Her trace upgrade priority is Talent ≥ Skill ≥ Ultimate ≥ Basic ATK. Her minor traces are also good, as they are just cheap Effect Hit Rate and ATK% boosts, both of which are really good stats for her most optimal build.
Talent (Loom of Fate’s Caprice)
Black Swan’s Talent is the primary driving force behind her Arcana application as it complements it in several ways:
- Every time an enemy is dealt damage from a DoT (apart from Arcana) at the start of their turn, they have a chance of receiving Arcana damage as well.
- At three or more Arcana stacks, Arcana damage is dealt with in an AoE fashion, with a high chance of inflicting additional Arcana stacks on adjacent enemies.
- At seven or more Arcana stacks, Arcana damage ignores 20% of the enemy’s defenses. This effect can be observed with the former effect simultaneously.
Basic ATK (Percipience, Silent Dawn)
As usual, Black Swan’s Basic ATK is a single-target, except that it has a high chance of applying one stack of Arcana. If the targetted enemy already has other DoTs on it (i.e., Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn, or Shock), each has a similar chance of applying one more stack of Arcana. Synergy with other DoT characters is practically built into every part of her kit!
Skill (Decadence, False Twilight)
Similar to other Destruction characters like Blade and Jing Lui, Black Swan’s Skill is an AoE Wind-Type attack, but of course, it contributes to her Arcana application. Specifically, it has a 100% base chance of applying one Arcana to each affected enemy, on top of just as probable of a chance to shred up to 22% of enemy defenses.
Ultimate (Bliss of Otherworld’s Embrace)
On top of being a source of instant AoE Wind-Type damage, Black Swan’s Ultimate really takes her Arcana stacks to the next level in terms of damage. By inflicting “Epiphany” on all enemies, not only do they take more damage in their turn (not just from DoTs but your ally Ultimates), but Arcana stacks are simultaneously considered to be other DoTs as well, synergizing, once again, with other DoT characters.
Technique (From Façade to Vérité)
Black Swan’s Technique is also another great way of kicking off battles with high Arcana stacks. It essentially applies Arcana stacks repeated on every enemy, with the chance of application halving at each instant. So, mathematically, it’s even possible for her to reach max stacks right off the bat, although you’ll have to be the luckiest person on planet Earth for that to happen, especially considering enemies have resistances of their own.
Ascension Bonus Abilities
All three of Black Swan’s Ascension bonus abilities greatly boost her play style. Her A2 Bonus is unlocked when you ascend her past Lv. 40, while her A4 Bonus is unlocked when you ascend her past Lv. 60, and her A6 Bonus is unlocked when you ascend her past Lv. 70.
A2 (Viscera’s Disquiet)
For starters, her A2 (Viscera’s Disquiet) makes her Skill similar to her Basic ATK in the sense that additional stacks of Arcana are created for every other DoT already inflicted on the enemy, specifically 65% base chance.
A4 (Goblet’s Dredges)
Furthermore, her A4 (Goblet’s Dredges) probabilistically inflicts enemies entering battle with one stack of Arcana and also enables up to three more stacks of Arcana to be built up when an ally inflicts a DoT, further boosting Black Swan’s synergy with other DoT characters.
A6 (Candleflame’s Portent)
Lastly, her A6 (Candleflame’s Portent) greatly boosts her damage, specifically by 60% of her Effect Hit Rate, where the increase caps off at 72%. You’ll already be building Effect Hit Rate on her for a reliable Arcana application, but now, it’s also supplementing Black Swan’s damage!
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