HSR Phainon Build Guide: Best Relics, Light Cones, and Teams (Version 4.3 Rerun)

Phainon is back. His rerun banner arrives in Honkai Star Rail version 4.3 Phase 2, and if you missed him during his debut in version 3.4, this is your second chance. For a full picture of everything happening in this patch, including Phase 1's new character Mortenax Blade, all reruns, and Light Cone banners, you can check out our Honkai Star Rail 4.3 Banner Guide. He is a 5-star Physical unit following the Path of Destruction, and he plays completely unlike any other DPS in the game. He does not use energy. He transforms into an entirely different entity called Khaslana and wages war on enemies entirely alone. If you want raw damage with some of the most jaw-dropping animations in HSR, Phainon is your character.

We have spent a lot of time testing him across different builds and compositions. Here is everything you need to know to get him right from day one.

Phainon Build Quick Summary

How HSR Phainon Kit Works

Phainon's entire kit revolves around Coreflame, a unique charge mechanic tracked in his Talent, Pyric Corpus. He needs 12 Coreflame to activate his Ultimate, He Who Bears the World Must Burn. Once he does, he transforms into Khaslana, deploys a Territory, and all teammates become Departed and cannot take action. He is completely alone on the field for the duration of his transformation.

Inside the Territory, Khaslana does not take actual turns. Instead, he gets 8 extra turns with a fixed SPD equal to 60% of his base SPD. This is crucial to understand: Khaslana's turn speed is based purely on base SPD. Relic substats, SPD boots, and external SPD buffs do not change his extra turn action value. His signature Light Cone is the only option that raises his base SPD, which is why it matters so much. Any buffs active on Phainon before he transforms will persist for all 8 of his extra turns since they do not consume buff duration during those turns.

He gains Coreflame in multiple ways. His Skill, Let There Be Light, generates 2 Coreflame per use, deals Physical blast damage, and also regenerates 30 Energy.

His A6 trace, March to Oblivion, gives him 1 Coreflame at battle start and 3 more when his transformation ends, meaning he re-enters with a head start every cycle.

His A4 trace, Bide in Flames, has two effects: when Phainon receives healing effects or Shields from a teammate, he gains 45% increased DMG dealt for 4 turns, and when he receives Energy regeneration effects from teammates, he gains 1 Coreflame. This is why Sunday and Tingyun are so valuable since their Ultimates grant Energy and give 2 Coreflame each, while any healer on the team also keeps that 45% DMG buff running almost permanently.

Any ally or enemy targeting Phainon with any ability also gives 1 Coreflame through his Talent, Pyric Corpus, along with a 30% CRIT DMG buff for 3 turns when the targeting ability comes from a teammate. This means the more your team targets and buffs him, the faster he transforms and the harder he hits.

Inside the Territory, Khaslana has three abilities. His enhanced Basic ATK, Creation: Bloodthorn Ferry, gives 2 Scourge charges, deals Single Target Physical blast damage, and regenerates 20 Energy. His first enhanced Skill, Calamity: Soulscorch Edict, forces all enemies to take action immediately and then counters with AoE damage amplified by Soulscorch stacks. His second enhanced Skill, Foundation: Stardeath Verdict, is his big meteor strike. It consumes 4 Scourge to deal massive Physical DMG that bounces across enemies and distributes evenly. This is his primary damage tool and you want to use it as often as possible. Use Calamity: Soulscorch Edict against three or more enemies to build Scourge fast. Use Creation: Bloodthorn Ferry against single targets. On his final extra turn, Khaslana automatically fires his Final Hit, dealing Physical Ultimate DMG distributed evenly across all enemies.

His A2 trace, Shine with Valor, gives him a permanent 50% ATK stack when entering battle and another when his transformation ends. This stacks up to twice, meaning from his second transformation onward, he carries a full 100% ATK bonus into every Territory.

His Technique, Beginning of the End, increases your team's max Technique Points by 3, grants 25 Energy to all allies on battle entry, gives Phainon 1 Skill Point, loads him with 2 Scourge charges retained for his first transformation, and deals Physical DMG equal to 200% of his ATK to all enemies at the start of each wave. If you use his Technique before battle, you enter with 6 Scourge immediately in the Territory.

Best Light Cones for Phainon

Tier	Light Cone	Key Stats and Effect
Best in Slot	Thus Burns the Dawn	Highest base ATK of any Destruction LC, +12 base SPD, 18% DEF ignore, and Blazing Sun buff: +60% DMG after Ultimate. Blazing Sun persists across all 8 extra turns, and the base SPD boost shortens Territory AV from 177 to 157. Nothing else comes close.
Strong Alternative	Something Irreplaceable	40% ATK and a conditional 40% DMG buff. All 8 of Khaslana's extra turns occur before "his next turn," so the DMG buff is fully maintained across the entire transformation.
F2P / Free Option	On the Fall of an Aeon (S5)	Up to 64% ATK through stacking and 24% DMG after breaking an enemy's weakness. Phainon gives all enemies Physical weakness on Territory deployment, making the second effect reliable.
Best 4-Star	A Trail of Bygone Blood (S5)	CRIT Rate plus up to 36% bonus Skill DMG. Foundation: Stardeath Verdict counts as Skill DMG, so this stays active on his primary damage tool throughout the Territory.

One critical note on Thus Burns the Dawn: the base SPD increase it provides is the only external way to speed up Khaslana's extra turns. Relic substats, SPD boots, and speed buffers do not affect Territory action value. If you cannot get his signature, plan your team around the slower Territory timing.

Best Relics for Phainon

Tier	Relic Set	Key Bonus
Best in Slot	Wavestrider Captain	2pc: 16% CRIT DMG. 4pc: Gains Help stacks when targeted by allies (up to 2). Using Ultimate with 2 stacks grants 48% ATK for 1 turn, which covers all 8 of Khaslana's extra turns. Purpose-built for exactly how Phainon plays.
Alternative	Scholar Lost in Erudition	2pc: 8% CRIT Rate. 4pc: +20% Skill and Ultimate DMG, plus 25% bonus Skill DMG after using Ultimate. Foundation: Stardeath Verdict and Calamity: Soulscorch Edict both count as Skill DMG, so this set hits his two main abilities.
Farming Alternative	Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters	2pc: 12% DMG against debuffed enemies. Applies reliably since all enemies gain Physical weakness inside the Territory. Use this while farming for Wavestrider Captain.

Best Planar Ornament

Tier	Ornament	Key Bonus
Best in Slot	Arcadia of Woven Dreams	DMG% based on missing allies. All teammates are Departed during the Territory, so Phainon is fully alone and gains the maximum 36% DMG bonus for every ability inside the transformation.
Alternative	Rutilant Arena	8% CRIT Rate and +20% Basic ATK and Skill DMG when CRIT Rate reaches 70%+. Covers Creation: Bloodthorn Ferry and both enhanced Skills. Strong if you have better substats on it than Arcadia pieces.

Farming Wavestrider Captain and Arcadia of Woven Dreams simultaneously takes time. If you want to speed up your progression and get Phainon fully geared faster, you can top up Honkai: Star Rail to refresh stamina and keep the relic grind moving.

Main Stats and Stat Goals

Slot	Main Stat
Body	CRIT DMG (CRIT Rate if you cannot hit 100% in battle)
Feet	ATK% (use SPD if your supports cannot reach 134+ SPD)
Planar Sphere	Physical DMG%
Link Rope	ATK%

For substats, prioritize CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, ATK%, and SPD in that order.

Stat Benchmarks to Hit:

• CRIT Rate: Aim for 100% in combat. He gets 12% from minor traces and 30% CRIT DMG buff from allies targeting him, but CRIT Rate itself needs to come from relics. Sunday-paired teams can afford to cap CRIT Rate around 80% since Sunday covers more.
• ATK: Aim for 2,500 to 3,500 depending on your Light Cone and team. With Thus Burns the Dawn and proper supports, hitting the higher end is realistic.
• SPD: If not running ATK boots, aim for 136 SPD to act just ahead of your supports. If using ATK boots with a speed-tuned team where Sunday and Bronya are at 160+ SPD, you can run base speed since they will bring you forward anyway.
• Note: Khaslana's extra turns use 60% of Phainon's BASE SPD only. Substats, SPD boots, and buffers do not affect his Territory's action value. Only Thus Burns the Dawn raises his base SPD.

Best Teams and Teammates for Phainon

Phainon needs teammates who target him directly with buffs, heals, or action advances. Every targeted ability gives him Coreflame. Energy regeneration abilities give him extra Coreflame through Bide in Flames, and healing or Shield effects trigger its 45% DMG buff. The goal is to stack every buff onto him before he transforms and then get him into the Territory as fast as possible.

If you are also building Mortenax Blade this patch alongside Phainon, note that both characters share some farming sources, particularly the Phagousa material Calyx and common enemy drops. Plan your stamina accordingly. Our Mortenax Blade Material Farming Guide breaks down the full priority order so you can split resources efficiently without bottlenecking either build.

Best Overall Team

Sunday is his best support and it is not close. His Skill targets Phainon for an action advance and 2 Coreflame. His Ultimate targets Phainon for another action advance, Energy regeneration, and 2 Coreflame from Bide in Flames. He is also SP positive. Paired with Sunday's signature, this becomes the most efficient route to Phainon's transformation in one rotation.

Bronya is his second essential support. Her Skill advances Phainon's action and applies a short-duration ATK buff. Crucially, since Khaslana's extra turns are not "real turns," Bronya's 1-turn buff stays active across all 8 extra turns. This is one of the highest single-turn buff values in the game, and Phainon is the only unit who can abuse it fully like this.

Premium Sustain Team

Huohuo is his best sustain option. Her Skill targets an ally directly and her Ultimate gives 40% ATK to the team plus Energy regeneration, which triggers Bide in Flames for another Coreflame. Her healing also activates Bide in Flames' 45% DMG buff, making her a double trigger for two of Phainon's best passive bonuses simultaneously. She also solves any HP issues during his pre-transformation setup phase.

Sustain Options

We want to note that Phainon generally prefers a sustainless or lean sustain setup in fast-clear content since he tanks most hits in his Territory anyway. For longer fights or less invested accounts, a dedicated healer absolutely makes the team more stable.

Eidolons: Where to Stop

E1, Flame and Light Bind Virtue and Vice increases the base SPD inheritance ratio of Khaslana's extra turns from 60% to 66%, scaling further with each enemy defeated, up to a cap of 84%. In practice this means his 8 extra turns complete meaningfully faster across a battle. It also gives 50% CRIT DMG for 3 turns when using his Ultimate, which covers most of his Territory. E1 is a genuine quality-of-life improvement and damage boost, especially in Pure Fiction where the kill count escalates the inheritance ratio quickly.

E2 gives Phainon 20% Physical RES PEN and, most importantly, grants him an extra turn after every use of Foundation: Stardeath Verdict. This means instead of cycling meteor into two basics and back, he can now fire meteor, take a free basic, basic, meteor, getting significantly more high-damage actions per Territory. It is one of the strongest E2 upgrades in the game and dramatically raises his ceiling. E2 is the natural stopping point if you plan to invest vertically.

E4 and E6 are both solid improvements but are not worth chasing directly from E2 in most accounts. E0 is fully playable and enjoyable.

Should You Pull for Phainon?

Phainon is returning in version 4.3 Phase 2, running alongside Cyrene. He remains one of the strongest Physical DPS units in the game, and his kit has a very high ceiling when paired with the right supports.

Pull if:

• You missed him in version 3.4 and need a strong Physical DPS for Memory of Chaos or Apocalyptic Shadow.
• You already own Sunday and Bronya at any investment level, as these two are his absolute best supports.
• You enjoy hyper carry playstyles where one unit handles all the damage in spectacular fashion.
• You want a unit with one of the most satisfying and cinematic Ultimate animations in the entire game.
• You play Pure Fiction frequently, where Calamity: Soulscorch Edict shines against large enemy counts.

Skip if:

• You are a newer player who still needs a primary sustain or a versatile support before investing in a carry.
• You cannot guarantee his signature Thus Burns the Dawn, since his base SPD without it is noticeably lower and affects his extra turn timing.
• Your current Physical slot is already filled by a well-invested unit.
• You are saving pulls specifically for a unit arriving later in the patch who fits your existing teams better.

The honest verdict is that Phainon is a premium carry who rewards investment heavily. He is completely playable at E0 without his signature, but his ceiling gets meaningfully higher with Thus Burns the Dawn and even higher at E2.

Conclusion

Phainon is one of the most unique carries in HSR. His Territory is a spectacle, Foundation: Stardeath Verdict has the kind of damage numbers that make you screenshot your screen, and the entire kit from Pyric Corpus to Shine with Valor is designed around one single moment of explosive payoff. If you missed him in version 3.4, his rerun in 4.3 Phase 2 is a real opportunity. Build him correctly, time your buffs, and stack every Coreflame you can before he transforms. Once Khaslana is on the field, the enemies never stood a chance.