Archer Build Guide HSR – Best Relics, Light Cones, Teams & Eidolons

• Archer (EMIYA) is a 5-star Quantum Hunt DPS from the Fate/stay night collaboration. He was given free to all players who logged in during Version 3.4–3.6, and his banner remains active with no fixed end date.
• His entire kit revolves around Circuit Connection — a state where he chains up to 5 Skill uses per turn without ending his action, each at 360% ATK with stacking +200% DMG bonus from the third hit onward.
• He is intentionally slow — never build SPD on Archer. He wants to act after allies have filled the Skill Point gauge, then consume all of it in one burst turn.
• His Talent fires a Follow-Up Attack that restores 1 SP whenever any ally attacks — making him partially self-sustaining for the next cycle.
• Best Light Cone: The Hell Where Ideals Burn (his signature) — 16% CRIT Rate plus up to 80% ATK buff. Was available free during Version 3.4 to players who made 200 pulls.
• Best Relics: Genius of Brilliant Stars (4-piece) + Tengoku Livestream or Rutilant Arena (Planar Ornament).
• Best team: Archer / Mortenax Blade / Sparkle / Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae. Best F2P team: Archer / Trailblazer (Remembrance) / Hanya / Gallagher.
• E1 is the first investment target — restores 2 SP after the 3rd Skill in a Circuit Connection chain, effectively granting a free extra hit per turn.
• E2 implants Quantum Weakness on enemies and reduces Quantum RES by 20% on Ultimate — removes the need for Silver Wolf to activate Genius of Brilliant Stars’ DEF ignore.
• Aim for 100% CRIT Rate in combat — his Skill hits are single strikes, so guaranteed crits on every arrow are critical to consistent damage.

Archer

Who Is Archer in Honkai Star Rail?

Archer is a 5-star Quantum character following the Path of The Hunt in Honkai Star Rail. He is EMIYA — the Counter Guardian from Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] — introduced as part of the official Honkai Star Rail × Fate/stay night collaboration. His banner, “I Am the Bone of My Sword,” launched on July 11, 2025 during Version 3.4 with no fixed end date. Players who logged in before the end of Version 3.6 received one free copy of Archer. His signature Light Cone, The Hell Where Ideals Burn, was also freely obtainable for players who made 200 pulls on any banner during Version 3.4.

A second wave of the Fate collaboration (Rin and Gilgamesh) is confirmed for July 24, 2026 — so watch for updates tied to that event. Archer’s collaboration banner operates on a separate pity counter from the standard limited banners, meaning pulls on regular event warps do not carry over. For official collaboration and event details, check the HoYoverse official Honkai Star Rail news page.

In the Fate franchise, Archer is the Heroic Spirit EMIYA — his true identity Shirou Emiya from an alternate future, summoned as a Counter Guardian who protects the world at a terrible cost. He wields the twin blades Kanshou and Bakuya and his Noble Phantasm Unlimited Blade Works, a Reality Marble that manifests an infinite arsenal of every blade he has ever seen. His characteristic tan skin, silver hair, and red coat are iconic across anime — and every element of his combat identity translates directly into his HSR kit.

In the current 4.3 meta, Archer is a top-tier single-target DPS character. Despite being a free-to-play unit, he clears all endgame content efficiently and sits comfortably in the upper tier of Memory of Chaos and Apocalyptic Shadow.

Archer Kit Overview – How His Abilities Work

Archer’s entire kit is built around one core loop: let allies build Skill Points, then spend all of them in a single Circuit Connection burst turn, chain-firing Skill hits with escalating damage multipliers. Every other ability either supports this loop or extends it.

Basic Attack – Kanshou and Bakuya

Deals Quantum DMG equal to 100% of Archer’s ATK to a single enemy and generates 20 Energy. Also generates 1 SP for the team on use. Almost never used in optimal play — his Skill is the correct action on virtually every one of his turns. Use Basic ATK only when Skill Points are exhausted and you need Energy generation before the next Circuit Connection turn.

Skill – Caladbolg II: Fake Spiral Sword

This is the heart of Archer’s kit. On first use, Archer enters Circuit Connection state and deals Quantum DMG equal to 360% of his ATK to one designated enemy, generating 30 Energy and dealing 20 Toughness damage.

While in Circuit Connection:

• His turn does not end after using Skill — he can immediately use Skill again.
• Each Skill use costs 2 SP.
• The DMG dealt by Skill increases by +100% per stack, stacking up to 2 times. From the third Skill use onward, each hit deals 360% + 200% bonus = 560% effective ATK in Quantum DMG.
• He can use Skill up to 5 times total (or until SP runs out), after which he automatically exits Circuit Connection and ends his turn.
• He can also manually exit Circuit Connection early if needed for target-switching.
• Every Skill hit generates 30 Energy and deals 20 Toughness damage — meaning a full 5-hit chain generates 150 Energy and removes 100 Toughness. Colossal Toughness shredding on any target in a single turn.

The maximum possible Chain: 5 Skill hits consuming 10 SP, with hits 3–5 each at the +200% bonus. Total damage at max level across a full chain: 1,800% ATK in Quantum DMG split across 5 individual hits. Each hit is a separate CRIT check — which is why 100% CRIT Rate is the top priority stat for Archer. A single non-crit in a chain is a significant DPS loss.

You can also switch targets between individual Skill hits within Circuit Connection. This is valuable in multi-wave content where a target dies mid-chain — you can redirect remaining hits to the next enemy rather than losing them.

Ultimate – Unlimited Blade Works

Deals Quantum DMG equal to 1,000% of Archer’s ATK to one designated enemy, then grants 2 Charges (up to a maximum of 4 Charges). The Ultimate is a massive single-hit nuke — a satisfying burst of stored power between Circuit Connection windows. However, unlike most DPS characters, Archer’s Ultimate is not his primary damage source — his Circuit Connection Skill chain deals more total damage per cycle. The 2 Charges granted are what matter most (see Talent below).

Talent – Mind’s Eye (True)

When any teammate attacks an enemy target, Archer consumes 1 Charge and immediately launches a Follow-Up Attack on the primary target, dealing Quantum DMG equal to 200% of his ATK and restoring 1 SP for the team. This is Archer’s SP self-sustain mechanic. Each teammate attack during the Talent’s active Charges triggers one FUA and returns 1 SP to the pool. Since his Ultimate provides 2 Charges (up to 4), he gets 2–4 Follow-Up Attacks firing between his turns, each restoring 1 SP. In a 4-person team where multiple allies attack per cycle, those SP restores accumulate meaningfully — partially refilling the SP pool that Archer burned through in his last Circuit Connection chain.

A2 Trace – Projection Magecraft

The party’s maximum Skill Point limit increases by 2, from 5 to 7 total. This is one of the most impactful traces in Archer’s kit because Circuit Connection consumes up to 10 SP per full chain (5 uses × 2 SP each). A base pool of 5 SP means Archer could only chain 2–3 hits without running out. The expanded pool of 7 allows for consistently longer chains. With Sparkle’s Skill also restoring 1 SP per use on top of this, a full 5-hit chain becomes reliably achievable in SP-positive teams.

A6 Trace – Guardian

When the party gains a Skill Point (from any source) and there are 4 or more Skill Points available, Archer’s CRIT DMG increases by 120% for 1 turn. This is an enormous conditional CRIT DMG buff that represents one of the highest single-turn CRIT DMG bonuses available to any character. The condition — SP gain while 4+ SP are in the pool — is ideally met just before Archer’s Circuit Connection turn. Sparkle’s Skill restoring 1 SP directly before Archer acts, timed when the pool already has 4+, activates this 120% CRIT DMG burst for the first Circuit Connection hit. At E1, all 5 hits benefit from this bonus, making the combined damage spike during the first Skill use enormous.

Technique – Wrought Iron Hero

Archer’s Technique deals AoE DMG to nearby enemies in the overworld and creates a small field. If he enters battle from this state, he generates a small amount of Energy at the start. Always use this before fights — the Energy head-start accelerates his first Ultimate window slightly.

Archer Best Light Cones in HSR

Archer follows the Path of The Hunt. Only Hunt path Light Cones activate passive effects on him. His signature is best-in-slot and was obtainable for free during Version 3.4, making it extremely accessible for players who were active during the collaboration.

The Hell Where Ideals Burn (Signature – Best in Slot)

Archer’s dedicated 5-star Hunt Light Cone and best-in-slot by a significant margin, with an 87.07% usage rate among high-level players. Its effects are tailor-made for Circuit Connection:

• Increases CRIT Rate by 16% — directly addresses his most important stat.
• When entering combat, if the team’s max Skill Point limit is 6 or higher (which A2 trace enables), increases ATK by 40%.
• After each Skill use, ATK increases by 10%, stacking up to 4 times.

In practice: Archer enters every fight with +40% ATK from the pool size condition. During a 5-hit Circuit Connection chain, ATK stacks to +80% by the fourth Skill hit. The combined ATK bonus and CRIT Rate are directly translated into more damage per chain hit from the very first use. If you received this during Version 3.4 for free, it is already your best-in-slot — use it.

Baptism of Pure Thought (Dr. Ratio’s Signature – 5-Star Alternative)

Rated at 101.80% relative DPS when debuff support is active. Provides CRIT DMG plus a conditional DEF ignore on Follow-Up Attacks. Since Archer’s Talent FUAs count, this bonus applies to those hits. The DEF ignore compounds multiplicatively with Genius of Brilliant Stars and other penetration sources. An excellent alternative if you own this from a previous banner and cannot pull Archer’s signature.

See You at the End (4-Star – Battle Pass)

Provides CRIT DMG and a bonus to Skill and Follow-Up Attack DMG. Rated at 96% relative performance. The Skill DMG bonus applies to every hit in a Circuit Connection chain, and the Follow-Up ATK bonus benefits his Talent procs. A strong Battle Pass investment for any Hunt player and particularly well-suited to Archer’s dual Skill/FUA damage profile.

Cruising in the Stellar Sea (4-Star – Herta Store)

Obtainable from the Herta Store for 8 Herta Bonds. Provides CRIT Rate and a bonus CRIT Rate against enemies at or below 50% HP, plus an ATK buff on kill. Rated at 100% relative baseline — a genuinely strong free option. The CRIT Rate is the critical value here. If you lack the signature or See You at the End, prioritize this from the Herta Store.

Archer Best Relics in HSR

Archer’s relic priority is CRIT Rate first — 100% in-combat is the target. His Skill hits are all single-strike instances, so every non-crit is an unacceptable DPS loss across a 5-hit chain. After CRIT Rate is locked, CRIT DMG and ATK% are the offensive substats. Speed is intentionally not a priority — see the section on Speed below for why this is unique among Hunt DPS characters.

Best 4-Piece Relic Set: Genius of Brilliant Stars

This is Archer’s best-in-slot relic set. The 2-piece provides 10% Quantum DMG, scaling every Circuit Connection hit and Talent FUA. The 4-piece is the key: when the wearer deals DMG to an enemy, ignore 10% of that enemy’s DEF. If the enemy has Quantum Weakness, ignore an additional 10% DEF (20% total). At E0–E1, this requires either using Silver Wolf to implant Quantum Weakness or pairing with enemies who are naturally Quantum Weak. At E2, Archer’s Ultimate implants Quantum Weakness automatically — making the full 20% DEF ignore universally active regardless of enemy type. Farm this set specifically for Archer.

Alternative: Wind-Soaring Valorous (For FUA-Focused Builds)

If running Archer in a team that heavily leverages his Talent Follow-Up Attacks (for example, teams where multiple FUAs per cycle are expected), Wind-Soaring Valorous provides FUA-oriented bonuses that can approach Genius of Brilliant Stars. Generally inferior to Genius in pure damage terms but worth knowing if you have excellent Wind-Soaring pieces already.

Best Planar Ornament: Tengoku Livestream

Archer’s best Planar Ornament in most team compositions. It provides Energy Regeneration Rate and, crucially, increases DMG dealt based on the number of Skill Points consumed during Archer’s turn. Since Archer burns through 10 SP per full 5-hit chain, the SP consumption-based bonus activates at maximum value on every burst turn. The combined ERR and Skill consumption DMG bonus is precisely aligned with Circuit Connection’s playstyle. Farm this from Simulated Universe.

Alternative Planar Ornament: Rutilant Arena

Provides CRIT Rate and a DMG bonus to Basic ATK and Skill when CRIT Rate is at or above 70% — a threshold Archer reaches comfortably with signature LC, E1, and relic investment. The Skill DMG bonus applies to every Circuit Connection hit. Use this if you have better Rutilant Arena substats than Tengoku Livestream pieces, or if ERR is less critical in your specific team setup.

Relic Main Stats to Target

• Head: HP (fixed)
• Hands: ATK (fixed)
• Body: CRIT Rate — his most critical main stat. Every Skill hit must crit. Do not compromise here.
• Feet: ATK% — Archer intentionally does not want high SPD. He wants to act after allies have generated SP. ATK% boots maximize damage per chain without the downside of acting too early.
• Planar Sphere: ATK% (primary) or Quantum DMG Bonus. Both are competitive — ATK% typically edges out Quantum DMG Bonus until ATK is already very high.
• Link Rope: ATK% in most builds. Energy Regeneration Rate if you need more frequent Ultimates for Charge generation.

Why Not Build SPD on Archer?

This is the most important and counter-intuitive aspect of Archer’s build philosophy. Unlike virtually every other Hunt DPS, Archer does not want high SPD. His damage requires multiple Skill Points loaded before his turn. If he acts too early (before allies have built SP), he cannot execute a full chain. SPD on Archer also increases his base SPD, causing him to act more frequently and more predictably — but not necessarily better, since each of his turns still needs a full SP pool to deliver maximum damage. Deliberately keeping Archer at his base SPD (105) or slightly above ensures he acts after SP-positive supporters like Sparkle and Hanya have had time to generate SP. Let your supports act first; then Archer swoops in and spends everything at once.

Key Substat Priority

CRIT Rate until 100% in combat (or as close as possible). Then CRIT DMG — push toward 140–180%+ from substats, bearing in mind that A6’s 120% CRIT DMG conditional adds significantly during burst turns. Then ATK%. Never roll SPD substats intentionally — they waste a slot that could hold CRIT or ATK.

Stat Targets

• CRIT Rate: 100% in-combat (or as close as possible)
• CRIT DMG: 140–180%+ (A6 adds 120% conditionally during burst turns)
• ATK: 2,800–3,200+
• SPD: Base 105 or slightly above — intentionally low

Archer Best Teams in HSR 4.3

Archer’s team building has one hard constraint: Skill Point generation and management. He consumes up to 10 SP per burst turn. His team must generate enough SP between his turns to reload the pool — either through SP-positive supports (Sparkle, Hanya, RMC), through his own Talent FUA SP restore, or both. Any support who spends SP on Archer’s team is actively cutting his chain short.

Premium Team: Archer / Mortenax Blade / Sparkle / Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae

This is Archer’s best team in patch 4.3. Mortenax Blade is the S+ amplifier for Archer in the current meta — his Bounded Field spreads Balefire Bind debuffs that simultaneously apply vulnerability (increasing all DMG Archer deals) and count toward the Genius of Brilliant Stars DEF shred condition. He also contributes off-turn Nihility debuffs that generate additional team-wide value. Sparkle is Archer’s primary SP battery — her Skill restores 1 SP to Archer and applies a CRIT DMG buff, making her the ideal setup before Circuit Connection turns. She also expands SP economy through her Ultimate. Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae provides shields and ATK buffs without spending SP — the ideal sustain slot for Archer since he is completely SP-neutral and his summon actions trigger Archer’s Talent FUAs for free SP restoration.

Classic Premium Team: Archer / Sparkle / Silver Wolf / Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae

The original strong Archer team. Sparkle handles SP generation and CRIT DMG buffing. Silver Wolf implants Quantum Weakness on non-Quantum enemies, activating Genius of Brilliant Stars’ full 20% DEF ignore at E0 (before E2 provides it natively). She also applies DEF reduction debuffs that stack with the relic set’s penetration. Use Silver Wolf’s Skill early in the fight to implant Quantum Weakness before Archer’s first Circuit Connection turn. Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae sustains. This team is excellent in Memory of Chaos and Apocalyptic Shadow content.

Tribbie Amplifier Team: Archer / Tribbie / Sparkle / Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae

Tribbie provides RES PEN and a 30% DMG Taken debuff that stacks multiplicatively with all other buffs. For Archer specifically, both Tribbie’s passives and active abilities trigger Talent FUA procs (since Tribbie’s attacks count as ally attacks), helping restore SP between Archer’s turns. Sparkle handles the SP battery role. This team has strong AoE coverage from Tribbie when Archer is handling the primary target.

Action Advance Team: Archer / Trailblazer (Remembrance) / Sparkle / Gallagher

A strong team that combines SP generation with action economy. Trailblazer (Remembrance) advances Archer’s action and provides CRIT buffs through Mem’s support. Sparkle generates SP. Gallagher provides efficient SP-neutral healing. This team works particularly well for players who want to push Archer’s turns as frequent as possible without sacrificing SP economy.

Best F2P Team: Archer / Trailblazer (Remembrance) / Hanya / Gallagher

Hanya is Archer’s best free SP generator. Her Skill restores SP and her Ultimate provides ATK buffs — both directly useful for Archer’s burst turns. Trailblazer (Remembrance) provides action advance, CRIT buffs, and True DMG amplification. Gallagher handles healing without touching SP. This is the recommended F2P team and delivers solid results across all endgame content.

Key Support Partner Notes

• Sparkle — Archer’s best Harmony partner. Skill restores 1 SP directly to Archer while applying CRIT DMG buff. SP-positive and perfectly aligned.
• Silver Wolf — Enables full Genius DEF ignore at E0 by implanting Quantum Weakness. DEF shred compounds further.
• Tribbie — RES PEN and DMG Taken debuff stack multiplicatively. Her attacks trigger Talent FUA SP restores.
• Trailblazer (Remembrance) — Action advance from Mem’s support allows Archer to burst more frequently. CRIT and True DMG buffs are SP-free.
• Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae — Best sustain slot. SP-neutral, ATK buffs, shield, and summon actions trigger Talent FUAs.
• Gallagher — Most accessible budget sustain. Low SP cost and reliable healing.
• Characters to avoid: Any support who spends SP actively and does not restore it elsewhere — their SP consumption directly shortens Archer’s Circuit Connection chain.

Archer Trace Priority

Archer’s trace priority is straightforward — the Skill chain is everything, so invest there first.

• Skill – First. The Skill governs the base 360% ATK multiplier per hit and the +100% stack bonus. Higher Skill level increases both. Since a full 5-hit chain is multiplied by these values across every hit, even small per-level increases translate into significant total damage. Max this first.
• A6 Trace – Unlock as early as possible. The Guardian trace grants 120% CRIT DMG when SP is gained while 4+ SP are in the pool. This is one of the largest conditional CRIT DMG bonuses in the game. Unlock immediately — it is the primary burst amplifier for Archer’s first Circuit Connection hit each turn.
• A2 Trace – Unlock second. The SP pool expansion from 5 to 7 is what makes full 5-hit chains consistently possible. Without it, Archer frequently runs out of SP mid-chain. Unlock as soon as ascension materials allow.
• Ultimate – Second ability to level. Higher Ultimate level increases the 1,000% ATK nuke multiplier. The Ultimate fires less often than the Skill but the multiplier is large enough that leveling it is worthwhile after Skill is covered.
• Talent – Third. Higher Talent level increases the 200% ATK Follow-Up Attack multiplier. Talent FUAs also restore SP — the damage and SP restore both scale slightly with Talent level.
• Basic Attack – Last. Archer almost never uses his Basic ATK in optimal play. Level this minimally.

Archer Eidolons – Which Ones Are Worth It?

Archer is a collaboration character with a separate eidolon banner from the standard pity system. His collab banner has an independent pity counter. All his Eidolons improve him meaningfully, but the curve follows the typical pattern of strong E1 → strong E2 → incremental thereafter.

E1 – Best Value Eidolon (Priority Investment)

After Archer uses Skill 3 times in Circuit Connection, he recovers 2 SP. This is a significant gameplay improvement. Without E1, a full 5-hit chain costs 10 SP and Archer recovers only from Talent FUAs between turns. With E1, the 3rd Skill hit within a chain automatically gives back 2 SP — effectively making the 4th and 5th hits cheaper, granting something equivalent to a free extra Skill hit per turn. Community estimates put E1 at a 15–20% DPS improvement through better chain consistency. This is the first priority investment for dedicated Archer players and makes his SP management considerably smoother in all team compositions.

E2 – Best Eidolon for Off-Element Teams

When Archer uses his Ultimate, he implants Quantum Weakness on all enemies and reduces their Quantum RES by 20%. At E2, Archer no longer needs Silver Wolf to activate the Genius of Brilliant Stars full 20% DEF ignore — the Ultimate handles it automatically on any enemy type. This is an expected 15–20% DPS increase depending on how much Quantum RES the enemy previously had. It also completely removes the Silver Wolf dependency from team building, opening the second slot to pure amplifiers. E2 is the recommended stopping point for players who want maximum investment return.

E4 – Ultimate Damage Enhancement

E4 increases Archer’s Ultimate DMG. The Ultimate is not his primary damage source, so E4’s contribution is less impactful per investment than E1 or E2. Primarily a stepping stone for players pursuing E6.

E6 – Full Power

E6 increases Skill DMG per stack in Circuit Connection and adds a 20% DEF reduction effect. A substantial spike but only relevant for maximum-investment Archer enthusiasts.

Archer Rotation Guide – How to Play Him

Archer’s rotation has a preparation phase and a burst phase. The key distinction from other DPS: the preparation phase is handled primarily by supporters, not Archer himself.

Team SP Building (Preparation Phase)

On turns between Archer’s burst, your supports act to accumulate SP. Sparkle uses her Skill to restore 1 SP per use directly to Archer. Hanya uses her Skill for SP return. Trailblazer (Remembrance) and Dan Heng Permansor Terrae both act without spending SP. By the time Archer’s turn comes up, you want the pool at 6–7 SP (the maximum with A2) ideally, or at minimum 6 SP for a clean 3-hit chain.

Critically: Archer’s A6 trace activates when SP is gained while 4+ SP are in the pool. Time Sparkle’s Skill use to happen just before Archer’s turn — the SP restore event activates A6’s 120% CRIT DMG for Archer’s first Circuit Connection hit.

Archer’s Burst Turn (Circuit Connection)

When it is Archer’s turn with a full SP pool, use Skill to enter Circuit Connection. Chain Skill uses immediately — each hit consumes 2 SP but does not end the turn. Hit 1: base 360% ATK. Hit 2: 360% + 100% stack = 460% effective ATK. Hits 3–5: 360% + 200% stack = 560% effective ATK per hit. At E1, the 3rd hit refunds 2 SP, allowing a possible 5-hit chain even with slightly less than perfect SP stocking. Critically, hits 1 and 2 benefit from A6’s 120% CRIT DMG since SP gain occurs from E1 refund or if a stack was just applied — time the A6 activation to cover the hardest-hitting later shots where possible.

You can switch target between hits. If an enemy dies on hit 3, immediately redirect hits 4 and 5 to the next priority target rather than letting them land on a dead enemy.

Ultimate Usage

Use Ultimate whenever it is ready to fire the 1,000% ATK nuke and refresh Charges. The 2–4 Charges then generate Follow-Up Attacks on subsequent ally actions, restoring 1 SP per FUA. Over a full cycle between Archer’s burst turns, 2–4 SP can be restored through FUAs alone — reducing the burden on SP-battery supports. At E2, always use Ultimate before the first Circuit Connection of a new fight to implant Quantum Weakness and activate the Genius of Brilliant Stars full DEF ignore before Archer’s first chain.

Should You Pull Archer in HSR 4.3?

If you received the free copy during Version 3.4–3.6, you already have Archer — build him. He is one of the strongest free-to-play DPS characters ever distributed in HSR, and with the free signature Light Cone (for players who made 200 pulls during Version 3.4), he was essentially handed to you with his best-in-slot gear already included. There is no justification for not building a free top-tier DPS.

For players who missed the free distribution, Archer’s collaboration banner (“I Am the Bone of My Sword”) remains active with no fixed end date. Pulls on this banner use a separate pity counter from standard event warps — you build pity from scratch. His signature LC banner is also still available. If you are looking for a strong single-target Quantum DPS and do not have a character filling that role, Archer is worth pulling from the collab banner.

His strengths are significant: he delivers one of the highest single-turn burst windows of any Hunt DPS through Circuit Connection’s 1,800% ATK chain; his Talent passively contributes SP restore between turns; he shreds Toughness bars at a staggering rate (100 Toughness in one Circuit Connection chain); and his A2 SP pool expansion benefits every character on his team. The free acquisition and accessible signature LC make him one of the most approachable top-tier DPS investments in the entire game.

The main consideration is the SP management complexity. Archer punishes SP-negative teams harshly. He rewards thoughtful team building and turn-order coordination. With the right SP-positive team (Sparkle, Hanya, Permansor Terrae), the rotation clicks into place. With a poorly matched team, Circuit Connection chains cut short and his damage drops significantly.

For teams to pair with Archer, see our guides for Sparkle, Tribbie, Silver Wolf, Trailblazer (Remembrance), Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae, and Gallagher. For other top Hunt DPS to compare, see our guides for Feixiao and Boothill.

Archer Build Guide HSR – Quick Summary

• Role: Main DPS / SP-Consuming Single-Target Hypercarry
• Element: Quantum
• Path: The Hunt
• Origin: Fate/stay night collaboration (EMIYA, the Counter Guardian)
• Availability: Free to players who logged in during Version 3.4–3.6. Collab banner “I Am the Bone of My Sword” remains active with no fixed end date. Separate pity counter from standard banners.
• Best Light Cone: The Hell Where Ideals Burn (signature, free during V3.4) > Baptism of Pure Thought (5-star alt) > See You at the End (Battle Pass) > Cruising in the Stellar Sea (Herta Store F2P)
• Best 4-Piece Relic Set: Genius of Brilliant Stars
• Best Planar Ornament: Tengoku Livestream (primary) / Rutilant Arena (alternative)
• Body Main Stat: CRIT Rate
• Feet Main Stat: ATK% (not SPD — intentionally slow)
• Sphere Main Stat: ATK% or Quantum DMG Bonus
• Rope Main Stat: ATK% (or ERR for more frequent Ultimates)
• Stat Goals: 100% CRIT Rate in-combat, 140–180%+ CRIT DMG (+ A6’s 120% conditional), 2,800–3,200+ ATK. Intentionally low SPD — do not stack.
• Trace Priority: Skill > A6 (Guardian, unlock early) > A2 (SP pool expansion) > Ultimate > Talent > Basic Attack
• Best Eidolon: E1 (2 SP refund after 3rd Skill — 15–20% DPS improvement, smoother chains). E2 for Quantum Weakness implant and off-element play.
• Best Teams: Archer / Mortenax Blade / Sparkle / Permansor Terrae (premium) — Archer / TB Remembrance / Hanya / Gallagher (F2P)
• Critical Rules: Never build SPD. Always act after SP has been generated by allies. Time Sparkle’s Skill just before Archer’s turn to trigger A6. Use Silver Wolf (E0) or E2 to activate Genius of Brilliant Stars full DEF ignore.

For full skill calculations, complete Eidolon breakdowns, and updated meta placement, visit the complete Archer guide on GamingProMax.

For official collaboration details and the latest patch notes, check the HoYoverse official Honkai Star Rail news page.