Black Swan Build, Light Cones & Teams | Honkai: Star Rail

Alexa Hunter

Feb 25, 2026

Black Swan is a 5-star Wind Nihility character who functions as a Damage over Time (DoT) DPS and universal debuffer in Honkai: Star Rail. Her kit revolves around inflicting enemies with "Arcana" stacks, a unique DoT effect and utilizing her abilities to apply defense shreds and vulnerabilities that exponentially increase your team's damage. With her Version 4.0 Novaflare enhancements, Black Swan has further establishing herself as an irreplaceable core in any DoT lineup. This comprehensive Black Swan build guide covers her complete build optimization, team synergies, refined team compositions, and stat optimization strategies following her Novaflare update.

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Black Swan Character Overview

Black Swan represents one of Honkai: Star Rail's most potent DoT units. Her position as a team enabler and main damage dealer comes from her ability to constantly stack Arcana on enemies, which deals scaling Wind damage at the start of their turns.

Her gameplay revolves around managing and maximizing these Arcana stacks, which are generated through her Basic ATK, Skill, Talent, and whenever allies inflict DoT effects.

With the Version 4.0 Novaflare update, her kit received massive overhauls:

Arcana Overcap & Retention: Arcana can now stack beyond the original 50 limit (excess stacks are consumed upon dealing damage), and the stacks are only halved when an enemy takes damage, rather than resetting to 1.
Universal DEF Shred: Her Basic ATK, Ultimate, and enemies entering the battle now have a 100% base chance to apply her Skill's 20.8% DEF shred.
Teamwide Buffs: The damage bonus she previously gained based on her Effect Hit Rate (EHR) is now shared with the entire team, and her Arcana damage now natively ignores 20% DEF.
Permanent Epiphany: The 25% vulnerability applied by her Ultimate’s "Epiphany" state now applies at all times, rather than just during the enemy's turn.

Players should prioritize getting Black Swan to 120% Effect Hit Rate to maximize her team-wide damage buffs, while pairing her with fast DoT detonators like Kafka or Hysilens to rapidly stack Arcana.

Black Swan Trace Priority

Trace	Priority
Skill	★★★★★ (Top) Highest priority. Core source of Arcana stacks and DEF reduction.
Talent	★★★★ (High) Second priority, Increasing damage scaling for Arcana.
Ultimate	★★★ (Medium) Applies Epiphany to all enemies which increases the DMG taken by the enemy.
Basic ATK	★ (Low) Lowest priority since Black Swan does not rely on her Basic ATK to deal damage.

Black Swan Best Light Cones

1. 5-Star Options

Black Swan's best Light Cone is Reforged Remembrance, which provides a massive 40% Effect Hit Rate to help her easily reach her 120% EHR requirement. It also provides up to 20% ATK and allows her damage to ignore 28.8% of the enemy's DEF when the target is afflicted with multiple DoT types.

Those Many Springs functioning as her 2nd best premium option, it makes hitting her EHR requirement effortless and applies great universal vulnerabilities, though it lacks the specific DoT synergies of the top two.

Best Choice
Reforged Remembrance	ATK: 529 \| DEF: 463 \| HP: 1164 Skill (S1): Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 32%. At the start of the battle, the wearer gains Mask, lasting for 3 turn(s). While the wearer has Mask, the wearer's teammates have their CRIT Rate increased by 10% and their CRIT DMG increased by 28%. For every 1 Skill Point the wearer recovers (including Skill Points that exceed the limit), they gain 1 stack of Radiant Flame. And when the wearer has 4 stacks of Radiant Flame, all the stacks are removed, and they gain Mask, lasting for 4 turn(s).
Those Many Springs	ATK: 582 \| DEF: 463 \| HP: 1058 Skill (S1): Increases the wearer's Effect Hit Rate by 60%. After the wearer uses Basic ATK, Skill, or Ultimate to attack an enemy target, there is a 60% base chance to inflict "Unarmored" on the target, increasing DMG received by 10%. If the target is under a DoT state inflicted by the wearer, there is a 60% base chance to upgrade "Unarmored" to the "Cornered" state, which additionally increases the DMG the enemy target receives by 14%.

Best Choice

Reforged Remembrance

ATK: 529 | DEF: 463 | HP: 1164
Skill (S1): Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 32%. At the start of the battle, the wearer gains Mask, lasting for 3 turn(s). While the wearer has Mask, the wearer's teammates have their CRIT Rate increased by 10% and their CRIT DMG increased by 28%. For every 1 Skill Point the wearer recovers (including Skill Points that exceed the limit), they gain 1 stack of Radiant Flame. And when the wearer has 4 stacks of Radiant Flame, all the stacks are removed, and they gain Mask, lasting for 4 turn(s).

Those Many Springs

ATK: 582 | DEF: 463 | HP: 1058
Skill (S1): Increases the wearer's Effect Hit Rate by 60%. After the wearer uses Basic ATK, Skill, or Ultimate to attack an enemy target, there is a 60% base chance to inflict "Unarmored" on the target, increasing DMG received by 10%. If the target is under a DoT state inflicted by the wearer, there is a 60% base chance to upgrade "Unarmored" to the "Cornered" state, which additionally increases the DMG the enemy target receives by 14%.

2. Alternative & F2P Options

Eyes of the Prey is her absolute best 4-star option, matching her signature's EHR while providing a massive unconditional damage boost.

Alternative Choice
Eyes of the Prey	ATK: 476 \| DEF: 330 \| HP: 952 Skill (S5): Increases the wearer's Effect Hit Rate by 40% and increases DoT by 48%.

Alternative Choice

Eyes of the Prey

ATK: 476 | DEF: 330 | HP: 952
Skill (S5): Increases the wearer's Effect Hit Rate by 40% and increases DoT by 48%.

Black Swan Relics, Ornaments & Stats Priority

1. Relics

The 4-piece Prisoner in Deep Confinement set is her indisputable best-in-slot. It provides a flat 12% ATK boost and allows the wearer to ignore 6% of the enemy's DEF for every DoT affliction they have, up to 18%. Combined with her Novaflare buffs and her signature Light Cone, this allows her to easily reach 100% DEF ignore.

Alternatively, a combination of 2-piece Prisoner in Deep Confinement and 2-piece Messenger Traversing Hackerspace is a viable stopgap to help her reach SPD breakpoints while you farm for a 4-piece set.

Best Choice
Prisoner in Deep Confinement	2-Pc: Increases ATK by 12%. 4-Pc: For every DoT the target enemy is afflicted with, the wearer will ignore 6% of its DEF when dealing DMG to it. This effect is valid for a max of 3 DoTs.
Alternative Choice
Messenger Traversing Hackerspace	2-Pc: Increases SPD by 6%.

Best Choice

Prisoner in Deep Confinement

2-Pc: Increases ATK by 12%.
4-Pc: For every DoT the target enemy is afflicted with, the wearer will ignore 6% of its DEF when dealing DMG to it. This effect is valid for a max of 3 DoTs.

Alternative Choice

Messenger Traversing Hackerspace

2-Pc: Increases SPD by 6%.

2. Planar Ornaments

Black Swan's absolute best planar set is now Revelry by the Sea, which provides a massive unconditional DoT DMG boost if you can reach its ATK thresholds. However, her classic Pan-Cosmic Commercial Enterprise remains a stellar second choice that double-dips perfectly with her kit by converting her required Effect Hit Rate into a massive ATK boost. Firmament Frontline: Glamoth serves as a strong third option if you reach high speed breakpoints.

Best Choice
Revelry by the Sea	2-Pc: Increases the wearer's ATK by 12%. When the wearer's ATK is higher than or equal to 2,400/3,600, increases the DoT DMG dealt by 12%/24%.
Alternative Choice
Pan-Cosmic Commercial Enterprise	2-Pc: Increases the wearer's Effect Hit Rate by 10%. Meanwhile, the wearer's ATK increases by an amount that is equal to 25% of the current Effect Hit Rate, up to a maximum of 25%.
Firmament Frontline: Glamoth	2-Pc: Increases the wearer's ATK by 12%. When the wearer's SPD is equal to or higher than 135/160, the wearer deals 12%/18% more DMG.

3. Stats Priority

Main Stats
Body	Effect Hit Rate%
Feet	ATK%/SPD
Planar Sphere	ATK%/Wind DMG Boost%
Link Rope	ATK%
Subsidiary Priority
120% Effect Hit Rate > ATK% > SPD

Black Swan Team Compositions

Thanks to her 4.0 Novaflare buffs, Black Swan is no longer strictly bound to DoT teams, as her DEF shred and teamwide EHR conversion make her an excellent generalist support. However, she still hits her absolute peak when paired with other DoT detonators who can rapidly scale her Arcana stacks.

DPS	Support	Sustain
Black Swan (5★)	Hysilens (5★)	Kafka (5★)	DHPT (5★)
Black Swan (5★)	Hysilens (5★)	Kafka (5★)	Huohuo (5★)
Black Swan (5★)	Hysilens (5★)	Kafka (5★)	Gallagher (4★)

DPS

Support

Sustain

Black Swan (5★)

Hysilens (5★)

Kafka (5★)

DHPT (5★)

Black Swan (5★)

Hysilens (5★)

Kafka (5★)

Huohuo (5★)

Black Swan (5★)

Hysilens (5★)

Kafka (5★)

Gallagher (4★)

Black Swan Eidolons

Eidolon 1

Black Swan's E1 is one of the highest-value Eidolons in the game. While she is active, enemies afflicted with Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn, or Shock have their corresponding Elemental RES reduced by 25%. This is a massive, unconditional team-wide damage amplifier in DoT teams.

Eidolon 2

Her E2 ensures immediate high damage right from the start. When enemy targets enter combat, there is a 100% base chance to inflict 30 stack(s) of "Arcana" on them.

Eidolon 4

While in the "Epiphany" state, enemy targets take 20% increased DMG. At the start of every turn or when they get defeated, it regenerates 8 Energy for Black Swan. This dramatically smooths out her Ultimate rotation while boosting overall team damage.

Eidolon 6

The upper limit of stackable "Arcana" increases by 30. When an enemy target gets attacked by Black Swan's teammates, she has a 65% base chance of inflicting 1 stack of "Arcana" on the target. Furthermore, for every 1 stack of "Arcana" she inflicts on an enemy, it additionally increases the number of "Arcana" stacked this time by 1.

Conclusion

Black Swan is a powerful DoT DPS and debuffer whose value has skyrocketed with her Version 4.0 Novaflare enhancements. By solving her previous stack-reset limitations and giving her powerful team-wide buffs, she is now the undisputed queen of Nihility team cores.

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