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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)
Build Guide | Level-Up Materials | Team Composition | Best Light Cone | Back to All Characters
The Herta is a powerful 5-star Ice Erudition unit in Honkai: Star Rail, renowned for her potent self-buffs and impressive damage multipliers. As a damage dealer, she thrives on maximizing CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, and ATK, alongside any general damage boosts offered by her Light Cones. Her inherent 80% CRIT DMG buff makes CRIT Rate a priority, often outweighing raw ATK increases. Boosting her Skill and Ultimate damage is also crucial due to her Interpretation mechanic, with Skill DMG buffs generally being more valuable.
While the ideal combination of CRIT Rate and Skill DMG boosts is rare outside her signature Light Cone, The Herta boasts numerous viable options within the Erudition Path, including both limited and freely available Light Cones. Their effectiveness often varies only slightly. Below, we've compiled the best Light Cone choices 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 freely obtainable Light Cone, acquired through Lucent Afterglow purchases or Echo of War drops. A copy can also be earned by completing a hidden task on the Herta Space Station. While not her optimal choice, it serves as a solid starting point for new players lacking alternatives, providing straightforward damage boosts until a superior Light Cone is acquired.
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 attacked enemies with a corresponding Weakness, the wearer's CRIT DMG increases by 40% for 2 turns.
Also freely available via Lucent Afterglow or Echo of War drops, or by finding all Origami Birds in Golden Hour, The Day The Cosmos Fell offers slightly better performance than The Seriousness of Breakfast. However, its effectiveness hinges on consistently maintaining its conditional CRIT DMG buff, potentially underperforming if these conditions aren't met. It remains a viable temporary option.
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.
This free 5-star Light Cone, purchased from Herta's Store using Herta Bonds, provides a substantial ATK% boost. Performance fluctuates based on the number of targets hit, making it less effective against fewer enemies. Despite this, it's a strong contender when its effects are fully maximized. The 16% SPD increase at S5 can also be beneficial for reaching certain SPD breakpoints.
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 offers a solid 16% CRIT Rate increase at S1. While The Herta doesn't benefit from the Follow-Up buffs, it serves as a reliable stat stick. The DEF penetration for the Ultimate can be useful if used early, but it's not consistently reliable. Pulling specifically for this Light Cone for The Herta isn't recommended, as free alternatives often perform similarly.
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.
This excellent 4-star Light Cone from the standard Stellar Warp offers a significant 32% ATK increase and a substantial 48% CRIT DMG boost at S5. The CRIT DMG buff is easily maintained in most situations, lasting three turns. However, its effectiveness diminishes in prolonged battles against single, unsummoned bosses.
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 provides a 36% CRIT DMG increase and a substantial Ultimate DMG boost. While the Ultimate buff is valuable, The Herta generally prefers Skill DMG or general DMG increases, limiting this Light Cone's overall ranking. Pulling specifically for this is not recommended.
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%.
Jing Yuan's signature Light Cone offers excellent unconditional stats. While The Herta can't utilize the Follow-Up Attack buff, the 36% CRIT DMG increase and 18% damage boost to both Skill and Ultimate are highly valuable.
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.
This outstanding 4-star Light Cone provides a substantial unconditional damage boost. The Herta easily maximizes its effect due to her high energy cost, resulting in a 64% damage increase at S5. It also boasts high base ATK, making it an excellent F2P option.
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.
This 5-star Light Cone from the standard Stellar Warp performs exceptionally well with consistently maintained effects. It can reach a 45% ATK boost, but requires five enemies on the field. Its performance significantly decreases with fewer targets.
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 is her best-in-slot option, offering significant Crit Rate and damage boosts to both her Skill and Ultimate. It also recovers a Skill Point with each Ultimate use. It boasts the highest ATK stat among available Erudition Light Cones.
