BLADE
Build Guide – Best Relics, Light Cone & Teams
✦ S TIER · WIND DESTRUCTION · HP SCALING · HSR 4.0 ✦The Undying Swordsman · Reborn in Version 3.4
Blade is a 5-star Wind Destruction character — a swordsman who abandoned his body, pledges loyalty to Destiny’s Slave, and possesses a terrifying self-healing ability that makes him effectively unkillable in the right hands. Released in Version 1.2 as one of HSR’s first limited 5-stars, Blade received transformative buffs in Version 3.4 that reclassified him from an aging legacy unit to a relevant S Tier DPS in 2026.
The pivotal Version 3.4 change: Blade now scales purely off HP — ATK is completely useless on him. Every damage multiplier in his kit (Hellscape Enhanced Basic ATK, Talent follow-up, Ultimate’s HP-loss tally) is anchored to Max HP. This simplifies his build dramatically and makes him one of the best users of the HP meta’s premium supports: Hyacine (increases Max HP of all allies on Ultimate), Tribbie (All-Type RES PEN + DMG amplification, herself an HP scaler), and Sunday (Action Advance + Energy — the best Blade partner for cycling his Ultimate). GameSpace: “The Novaflare enhancement and the wheelchair support combo of Hyacine, Tribbie, and Sunday was enough to give him a second life, even when all he wants is to die.”
Blade’s niche is SP-positive AoE DPS: his Skill puts him in Hellscape state but doesn’t need to be used every turn — Blade spends most turns using Enhanced Basic ATK (SP-neutral) or Basic ATK (SP-generating), making him uniquely team-friendly for SP-hungry supports. He is also the game’s premier self-damage catalyst, synergising with Castorice (who needs HP loss from teammates) and benefiting from Hyacine’s signature LC (which constantly damages Blade, fueling his Talent charges automatically).
Core Mechanics Explained
HP Breakpoints & Build Targets
Since all of Blade’s damage scales with Max HP, every HP point is a direct damage multiplier. Two HP thresholds unlock critical bonuses from his best planar ornament.
✦ The 3.4 Build Revolution: HP Everywhere
Post-3.4, Blade’s build philosophy is elegantly simple: stack Max HP on every piece, invest in CRIT DMG second, ignore ATK and Effect RES entirely. HP% Body → SPD or HP% Boots → Wind DMG% or HP% Sphere → HP% Rope. Every substat priority after HP% is CRIT Rate (to reach the 50–65% zone), then CRIT DMG, then SPD. The old Blade builds that mixed ATK% pieces are now obsolete. KQM notes: “HP% Sphere can be better if Blade has significant DMG% buffs from allies such as Bronya or Ruan Mei, or from Light Cones.” In those cases, HP% sphere outperforms Wind DMG% — a useful exception when running Ruan Mei’s passive DMG% boost or The Unreachable Side.
Best Light Cones
Flame of Blood, Blaze My Path
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mydei Signature — New BiS Post-3.4
The new Best in Slot for Blade after Version 3.4 — Mydei’s dedicated signature LC, confirmed by GameSpace and Gamerekt. At S1: (1) +18% Max HP — directly the single best LC stat for Blade’s HP scaling, boosting every damage multiplier simultaneously; (2) increased incoming healing bonus — helps Blade survive HP drain more safely, enabling more aggressive Hellscape uptime; (3) bonus DMG scaling when HP is consumed or restored — Blade’s kit continuously triggers both conditions, making the bonus effectively permanent during Hellscape.
GameSpace: “His new best-in-slot would be Mydei’s LC instead of his own signature: it provides more Health and more effects that work with Blade’s new kit. However, the difference is not great enough to bother pulling for it if you already have Blade’s own LC.” Translation: if you own Blade’s signature LC, keep it — the margin is small. If you’re choosing a new LC specifically for Blade without owning his signature, Mydei’s LC edges ahead on paper. Do not pull Mydei’s LC exclusively for Blade.
The Unreachable Side
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Blade Signature — Excellent
Blade’s dedicated signature — still an excellent option and the best choice if you already own it. At S1: +30% CRIT Rate (enormous CRIT Rate injection that makes CRIT Rate substats largely unnecessary), +18% Max HP (ties Mydei’s LC on HP), and when Blade takes damage or consumes HP, gains +24% DMG for 1 turn (triggers constantly in Hellscape from Enhanced Basic ATK’s HP drain). Prydwen confirms it as “Blade’s signature and best standalone option for damage, thanks to its high CRIT Rate, HP%, and DMG%.”
The +30% CRIT Rate is transformative — it allows Blade to use a CRIT DMG body piece instead of CRIT Rate, directly boosting damage output. Combined with Longevous Disciple’s +16% CRIT Rate (from 2 stacks) and Blade’s A4 trace bonuses, his CRIT Rate effectively caps at modest substat investment, freeing all remaining substat rolls for CRIT DMG, HP%, and SPD. KQM: “It is recommended to acquire The Unreachable Side before going for Blade’s Eidolons.”
Ninja Record: Sound Hunt
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4-Star — Best F2P Option
Best fully accessible 4-star LC — available from the Herta Store and was distributed free in Version 2.6. At S5: +24% Max HP (the most HP% of any non-5-star LC in the game) and when Blade’s HP fluctuates (consumed or healed), he gains +36% CRIT DMG for 2 turns. Both effects are perfectly aligned with Blade’s post-3.4 HP-scaling build: Max HP directly boosts every damage source, and CRIT DMG triggers constantly from Hellscape HP drain.
Prydwen uses S5 Ninja Record as the baseline for Blade’s DPS calculations. Gamerekt: “Ninja Record: Sound Hunt is the best Light Cone for F2P players.” At S5, it delivers competitive performance — the CRIT DMG on HP fluctuation is reliably permanent during Hellscape, and the Max HP bonus is second only to 5-star options. Priority: buy this immediately from the Herta Store — it is Blade’s essential F2P tool and the benchmark all other options are compared against.
A Secret Vow / On the Fall of an Aeon
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4-Star — Temporary Alts
A Secret Vow: At S5, provides +48% DMG to enemies with more HP than Blade (nearly always true, especially in early fights and single-target boss content) and +24% DMG unconditionally. The flat DMG% amplification works well with Blade’s HP scaling — more DMG% on top of HP% creates multiplicative output. KQM notes HP% sphere can outperform Wind DMG% sphere specifically when running this LC due to its generous DMG% bonus reducing the marginal value of Wind DMG% main stat.
On the Fall of an Aeon: Standard banner LC, provides ATK% — now completely worthless for Blade post-3.4. Do not use after the Version 3.4 buffs; the ATK scaling has been removed entirely. If this is your only option while saving for Ninja Record or the signature, equip it temporarily but replace it immediately. Gamerekt lists both as “temporarily viable” stopgap options only.
Best Relics & Planar Ornaments
Longevous Disciple (4-Piece) ✦ Best in Slot — Unanimous
The unanimous Best in Slot across every source — Gamerekt: “Longevous Disciple is still the best relic set for Blade. In fact, it has become even better, as Blade now scales completely off HP.” The 4-piece’s +16% CRIT Rate (at 2 stacks) is trivially easy to maintain: Blade consumes HP on every Enhanced Basic ATK in Hellscape, every Skill use, and from any hit — stacking both CRIT Rate charges within the first 2 actions of any fight. The stacks refresh with a 2-turn duration, meaning they never fall off during Hellscape. Combined with The Unreachable Side’s +30% CRIT Rate, Blade reaches 46%+ CRIT Rate from LC + relic 4pc alone — nearly at the functional 50%+ threshold without a single CRIT Rate substat. BlueStacks confirms Longevous Disciple as Blade’s clear top choice.
Longevous 2pc + Champion’s Testimony 2pc Strong Mix — CRIT DMG Focus
A solid 2-piece combination when 4 quality Longevous Disciple pieces aren’t available. Gamerekt: “combining Longevous Disciple with another damage-focused relic set provides a strong alternative while farming.” The Champion’s Testimony 2pc provides unconditional CRIT DMG that directly scales Shufu’s Gift and Ultimate damage — Blade’s two highest-damage abilities. Use this when your Longevous Disciple 4-piece has poor substats but you have better-rolled Champion’s pieces. The loss from the 4-piece CRIT Rate buff is partially compensated by better substat rolls on the mixed pieces.
Bone Collection’s Serene Demesne ✦ Best Planar Ornament
Blade’s universally agreed Best in Slot planar ornament — BlueStacks: “Bone Collection’s Serene Demesne is Blade’s top choice.” The combination delivers exactly what Blade needs: +12% Max HP (more damage from every HP-scaling ability) and +28% CRIT DMG once the 5,000 HP threshold is met — which is effortless for any properly built Blade. The 28% CRIT DMG is one of the highest flat CRIT DMG bonuses in the game from a planar slot and applies to every hit including Shufu’s Gift and Ultimate tally damage. Main stats: Link Rope = HP% (mandatory — every HP% point scales all damage); Sphere = Wind DMG% (primary choice — all of Blade’s damage is Wind element; switch to HP% sphere only when running Ruan Mei’s passive DMG% or The Unreachable Side, per KQM).
Inert Salsotto / Rutilant Arena Offensive Alt Planars
BlueStacks confirms both as viable alternatives: “Inert Salsotto or Rutilant Arena can work depending on Eidolon level and stat balance.” Inert Salsotto is specifically strong for the Talent follow-up (Shufu’s Gift is classified as a follow-up/FUA attack) and Ultimate — Blade’s two highest-damage abilities. At E0 without the signature’s +30% CRIT Rate, Salsotto’s +8% CRIT Rate helps reach the 50% threshold more easily. Rutilant Arena boosts Basic ATK and Skill DMG — less aligned with Blade’s highest-damage actions (Talent + Ultimate) but provides a CRIT Rate foundation when the 70% threshold is reachable.
Main Stats — Relic Piece Breakdown
Stat Priorities
Trace Priority
- Basic ATK — Shard Sword / Forest of Swords (Lv.10, Highest Priority): In Hellscape, Basic ATK becomes the Enhanced Basic ATK “Forest of Swords” — Blade’s most-used action every turn. Higher levels increase the HP-scaling DMG multiplier on both the primary target and adjacent enemies. Since this is used every single turn in Hellscape, every level compounds dramatically across an entire fight. Esports.gg confirms: “you should prioritize leveling up his Basic ATK.” Max first.
- Talent — Shufu’s Gift (Lv.10, Equal Priority): The Talent follow-up “Shufu’s Gift” is Blade’s highest single-hit damage ability — an AoE nuke scaling with Max HP. Higher Talent levels increase both the DMG multiplier of the follow-up and the HP restoration Blade receives after it fires. Max alongside Basic ATK — this is the ability that makes Blade a Pure Fiction powerhouse.
- Skill — Hellscape (Lv.8+): Higher Skill levels increase the Hellscape state duration and HP consumption rate. Since Blade doesn’t use Skill every turn (only to enter/re-enter Hellscape), trace levels are less impactful per level than Basic ATK or Talent. Level to 8 as secondary priority. Esports.gg: “levels on his Ultimate are a luxury rather than a must” — same principle applies to Skill to a degree.
- Bonus Abilities — All Three (Mandatory): A4 provides bonus healing and HP recovery. A2 increases the Hellscape damage multiplier. A6 provides additional CRIT Rate in certain conditions. All three unlock through standard ascension and must be prioritised through levelling and materials immediately.
- Ultimate — Death Sentence (Lv.8+, Lower Priority): Esports.gg explicitly states: “levels on his Ultimate are a luxury rather than a must.” Higher Ultimate levels increase the HP loss tally multiplier — meaningful but less impactful per level compared to Basic ATK and Talent. Level to 8 when materials are available; push to 10 after Basic ATK and Talent are maxed.
Eidolons Guide
| Eid. | Effect | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| E0 | Full base kit — Hellscape (HP drain + Forest of Swords), Shufu’s Gift (5-charge AoE follow-up), Ultimate (HP tally bonus damage), post-3.4 pure HP scaling, A6 CRIT Rate bonuses | Solid S Tier | E0 Blade with Longevous Disciple, Bone Collection, and The Unreachable Side or Ninja Record is a complete S Tier unit. KQM recommends “acquiring The Unreachable Side before going for Blade’s Eidolons” — the signature LC outperforms E1 in most scenarios. |
| E1 | Never Ending: When Blade’s Ultimate is used, it additionally deals additional Wind DMG to the primary target equal to 50% of the total HP lost in the tally as a bonus hit. | Strong Single-Target Spike | KQM: “Blade’s Eidolon 1 provides a decent damage increase to his Ultimate and is most efficient when handling single-target enemies.” The 50% additional HP-tally hit is pure damage amplification for Memory of Chaos boss encounters where the tally accumulates to the full 90% HP cap. Less impactful in Pure Fiction (AoE content). GameSpace: “with E1 he pulls quite close to 3.x characters.” A meaningful upgrade. |
| E2 | Karma Wind: After using the Talent follow-up attack “Shufu’s Gift,” Blade’s SPD increases by +10% for 3 turns. | Action Acceleration | Shufu’s Gift fires every 5 Charges — which accumulate rapidly in Hellscape. With frequent Shufu’s Gift procs (especially when hit frequently or with Hyacine’s signature LC), the +10% SPD buff has near-permanent uptime. Faster SPD = more turns = more HP drain = faster Charge accumulation = more Shufu’s Gift = more SPD buff. A self-reinforcing loop that’s particularly strong in multi-target content. |
| E3 | Skill Lv. +2 (max Lv.15), Basic ATK Lv. +2 (max Lv.15) | Damage Scaling | Higher Basic ATK levels directly increase Forest of Swords’ HP-scaling multiplier — Blade’s most-used ability. A meaningful DPS upgrade en route to E4+. |
| E4 | Rejected by Death: When Blade takes DMG that would reduce his HP to 0, his HP is set to 50% of Max HP instead. This effect can trigger once per battle. | Survivability Safety Net | A one-time death prevention mechanic — prevents Blade from dying from a single large hit that bypasses his self-healing. Eliminates the riskiest scenario in his HP-drain playstyle. Less impactful with Hyacine providing consistent team healing and HP recovery, but a meaningful safety net in content with sudden-death mechanics. |
| E5 | Ultimate Lv. +2 (max Lv.15), Talent Lv. +2 (max Lv.15) | Talent Amplification | Higher Talent levels increase Shufu’s Gift’s HP-scaling DMG multiplier — Blade’s highest-damage ability. Combined with E4’s survivability improvement and higher Talent multipliers, E5 Blade’s AoE output in Pure Fiction is substantially elevated. |
| E6 | Thirst for Blood: When Shufu’s Gift is triggered, it gains 2 additional targets (hitting all enemies in wave) and deals +50% DMG. Additionally, Blade’s HP loss tally cap increases from 90% to 100% of Max HP. | Maximum Power | E6 is transformative for Pure Fiction: Shufu’s Gift now hits all enemies (previously blast range) with +50% DMG — making it one of the strongest AoE nukes in the game. The increased HP tally cap (100% vs 90%) also amplifies every Ultimate cast. E6 Blade with the premium HP team (Sunday + Tribbie + Hyacine) competes with the best DPS units in HSR 4.0 for AoE content. Reserved for committed investment. |
Best Team Compositions
⚠️ Characters to Avoid with Blade
- All Preservation / Shielders: Gepard, March 7th (Shield), Aventurine, Fu Xuan — shields block damage, preventing Talent charge generation. Never pair.
- ATK% Buffers (partial): Huohuo’s Ultimate ATK% buff is wasted (though her healing + Energy is still valuable). Tingyun’s ATK buff provides zero damage. Bronya’s ATK% buff is wasted, though her Action Advance still helps.
- Castorice or Jingliu as co-DPS: Both are excellent partners who naturally drain Blade’s HP (fueling Talent charges), but they compete for the SP budget in certain rotations. Manage SP carefully in these dual-DPS configurations.
Death Defied — The Wheelchair Trio
The definitive premium Blade team — unanimously confirmed by Gamerekt, GameRant, GameSpace, and Prydwen. GameSpace describes it as “the wheelchair comp” — a derogatory affection for the most powerful support trio available in HSR 4.0. Each character is purpose-built for Blade’s post-3.4 HP meta:
Sunday advances Blade’s action and provides Energy recovery (helping cycle Death Sentence faster), acting as the premier single-target hypercarry support. Tribbie applies All-Type RES PEN via her Skill (bypassing all enemy resistances), deals additional DMG through her Zone, and herself scales with HP — every Max HP buff from Hyacine amplifies both Tribbie’s own damage and Blade’s simultaneously. Hyacine is the keystone: her Ultimate restores HP to all allies and increases Max HP by a substantial percentage — directly scaling Blade’s and Tribbie’s damage mid-fight. Hyacine’s signature LC (Long May Rainbows Adorn the Sky) also constantly drains and restores team HP, generating a Talent charge for Blade on his turn automatically — enabling higher Shufu’s Gift frequency without needing hits from enemies.
Blood Pact — Castorice Synergy
A dual HP-scaling DPS configuration where Blade and Castorice form a symbiotic pair. GameRant: “Castorice is a unique character who wants her teammates to lose and gain HP to recharge her Ultimate. Since Blade does exactly that, he is one of her best teammates in a dual DPS setup.” Blade’s constant HP drain (from Hellscape Enhanced Basic ATK, Skill use, and Talent charges) generates Newbud for Castorice, fueling her Ultimate more rapidly than almost any other DPS partner.
Tribbie buffs both Castorice and Blade simultaneously — her All-Type RES PEN and HP-scaling DMG apply to all HP-scaling characters regardless of element or path. Hyacine closes the loop with healing (keeping Blade in the survivable HP range while still allowing HP drain) and her Max HP buff (scaling both DPS’s damage simultaneously). Prydwen: “Having Blade, Tribbie, and Hyacine all being HP-focused characters greatly improves Castorice’s DPS.” The team is a High Score machine in Pure Fiction with three HP-scaling damage sources and universal supports.
Forbidden Curse — Sunday & Bronya
An accessible high-performance team for players who have Sunday but not Tribbie or Hyacine. Sunday advances Blade’s actions and provides Energy for faster Ultimate cycling. Ruan Mei provides team-wide DMG% amplification (which works multiplicatively with Blade’s HP scaling) and Break Efficiency extension — Ruan Mei’s passive +10% DMG to all is always active and provides meaningful output for Blade’s Shufu’s Gift. KQM notes: “HP% Sphere can be better if Blade has significant DMG% buffs from allies such as Bronya or Ruan Mei” — Ruan Mei’s presence makes HP% sphere slightly outperform Wind DMG% sphere in this team.
Huohuo provides team healing (keeping Blade in the HP drain loop safely), ATK% from her Ultimate (wasted on Blade’s damage but her Energy restoration and healing are valuable), and substantial Energy to the team on Ultimate activation — enabling Sunday to cycle his Ultimate more consistently. Luocha is an alternative healer whose field healing mechanic doesn’t conflict with Blade’s HP management. This team performs excellently in Memory of Chaos single-target configurations even without the full HP-meta trio.
Undying Storm — F2P Core
Blade’s F2P configuration using Bronya as the Action Advance support. Prydwen: “Bronya is a more accessible alternative to Sunday, but will have some of her buffs wasted as they scale on ATK% which Blade can’t make use of.” The ATK% buff and CRIT DMG transfer from Bronya’s Ultimate are less efficient on Blade than other DPS — but her Action Advance (giving Blade an extra turn) remains a meaningful damage contribution even if the buff portion is partially wasted.
Ruan Mei provides team DMG% amplification (universally effective on HP-scaling damage). Asta provides SPD buffs (helping Blade reach the 134 SPD breakpoint) and ATK% (wasted on Blade, but the SPD is valuable). Luocha’s field mechanic provides healing without shielding — important to not accidentally give Blade a shield during Luocha’s Abundance Field activation. Natasha is the simplest healer: direct HP restoration with no shield mechanics, keeping Blade in his HP drain loop safely. This team performs well in Simulated Universe and mid-tier MoC and PF content.
† The HP Drain Loop — How to Play Blade
Blade’s optimal rotation requires understanding his HP management loop. The core cycle: (1) Use Skill to enter Hellscape and gain 1 Talent charge from HP drain; (2) Use Enhanced Basic ATK each turn — each use drains HP and adds 1 Talent charge; (3) After 5 Charges, Shufu’s Gift fires automatically — dealing AoE damage and restoring some HP; (4) Accumulate HP loss in the tally; (5) Use Ultimate when Energy is full — dealing massive tally bonus damage and resetting to 50% HP (refilling if below, draining if above). Outside Hellscape: use regular Basic ATK to generate SP for supports without draining HP unnecessarily. The golden rule: never let Hellscape expire without re-using Skill — maintaining Hellscape uptime is the core responsibility of Blade’s rotation.
Should You Pull Blade?
⚔️ Pull Blade If:
- You want a strong AoE DPS for Pure Fiction — Blade’s Shufu’s Gift hits all enemies simultaneously and is his highest-damage ability. In multi-target content with 3–5 enemies, Blade’s AoE output is among the highest available, especially at E2+ or E6.
- You own or plan to use Sunday, Tribbie, and Hyacine — the “wheelchair trio” elevates Blade to his full S Tier potential. With these three supports, he competes with 3.x era limited units. GameSpace: “with E1 he pulls quite close to 3.x characters.”
- You want a SP-positive DPS — Blade’s Hellscape allows him to spend most turns on Enhanced Basic ATK (SP-neutral) rather than Skill (SP-cost). He generates surplus SP for the team, enabling SP-hungry supports to operate without restraint.
- You’re building a Castorice team — Blade is one of Castorice’s best partners, his constant HP drain fueling Newbud generation while Tribbie and Hyacine support both simultaneously.
- You got him from a lost 50/50 on another banner — Blade is a standard banner character. Build him if you have the materials; he’s always been one of the better 50/50 loss outcomes and post-3.4 buffs have made him significantly more relevant.
⚠️ Lower Priority If:
- You primarily play Memory of Chaos with heavy single-target bosses — Blade’s AoE niche (Shufu’s Gift) is less impactful in pure single-target configurations. His E1 adds a single-target tally bonus, but other DPS characters outperform him in focused boss encounters without the full HP support trio.
- Your available sustain is exclusively shield-based (Gepard, Aventurine, Fu Xuan, March 7th Shield) — shields are actively harmful for Blade’s Talent generation. If you have no healer and only shielders, Blade’s Talent charge rate will be severely reduced and his performance will disappoint.
- You don’t enjoy HP management gameplay — Blade requires maintaining the HP drain loop deliberately. Playing him carelessly (entering Hellscape, then using Skill before Basic ATK, losing track of charge count) results in suboptimal Shufu’s Gift frequency. He rewards attentive play and punishes passive button-mashing.
Final Verdict: Blade received exactly what he needed in Version 3.4 — a coherent identity as a pure HP-scaling AoE DPS and compatibility with the game’s best modern supports (Sunday, Tribbie, Hyacine). He is no longer a legacy unit propped up by nostalgia; he is a genuine S Tier choice for players investing in the HP-scaling meta ecosystem. As a standard banner character, he has better long-term accessibility than most limited units and serves as both a main DPS and a Castorice synergy partner. He wields an ancient sword riddled with cracks, just like his body and his mind. Yet even broken, even seeking death — he cannot be stopped. Build him accordingly.