Herta Build, Light Cones & Teams Guide | Honkai Star Rail

Jessica Turner

May 20, 2026

Herta is a 4-star Ice character following the Path of The Erudition in Honkai: Star Rail. As an AoE DPS specializing in Follow-Up ATK mechanics, Herta excels at clearing waves of enemies with consistent Ice AoE damage through her Skill, Ultimate, and Talent-triggered attacks. Her kit revolves around her Talent, Fine, I’ll Do It Myself, which launches an AoE Follow-Up Attack whenever an ally causes an enemy’s HP to fall to 50% or lower. With strong performance in multi-target content such as Pure Fiction and farming stages, Herta stands out as a reliable AoE Erudition DPS for efficient wave clearing. In this Herta build guide, we will cover her best Light Cones, recommended Relic sets, optimal Planar Ornaments, and Trace priority to help you maximize her full AoE DPS potential in both early and endgame content.

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Herta Character Overview

Herta Information

Character Information
	Rarity	★★★★
	Element	Ice
	Path	The Erudition
	Combat Role	AoE DPS / Follow-Up ATK Sub DPS

Herta Gameplay

Herta is a 4-star Ice Erudition character who works as an AoE Follow-Up ATK Sub DPS, excelling at fast wave clearing and consistent Ice AoE damage. Her kit revolves around dealing damage through her Skill, Ultimate, and Talent-triggered Follow-Up ATKs, making her especially strong in multi-target content, farming stages, and Pure Fiction, where enemies frequently appear in waves.

Her performance depends heavily on triggering her Talent, Fine, I’ll Do It Myself. Whenever an ally’s attack causes an enemy’s HP to fall to 50% or lower, Herta launches an AoE Follow-Up Attack, dealing Ice damage to all enemies. Because of this, she performs best with teammates who can quickly weaken multiple enemies and help trigger her Talent more often.

Herta works best in teams focused on frequent AoE damage and fast enemy clearing. Proper use of her Skill, Ultimate, and Follow-Up ATKs allows her to maintain steady damage across multiple targets. While she is not ideal for single-target boss fights, her strong wave-clearing ability makes her a reliable AoE DPS for content with many enemies.

Herta Trace Priority

Trace	Priority
Talent	★★★★★ (Top)
Skill	★★★★★ (Top)
Ultimate	★★★★ (High)
Basic Attack	★ (Low)

Herta’s Skill and Talent are her highest priorities because they define her role as an AoE Follow-Up ATK Sub DPS. Her Skill is her main active source of Ice AoE damage, hitting all enemies and dealing increased damage to targets with 50% HP or higher. This helps Herta weaken multiple enemies quickly and improves her overall wave-clearing performance.

Her Talent, Fine, I’ll Do It Myself, should be leveled alongside her Skill. Whenever an ally’s attack causes an enemy’s HP to fall to 50% or lower, Herta launches an AoE Follow-Up Attack, dealing Ice damage to all enemies. Since much of Herta’s value comes from repeated Follow-Up ATKs in multi-target content, upgrading Talent is essential for maximizing her performance.

Her Ultimate should be leveled next. It deals Ice DMG to all enemies and provides strong burst AoE damage, but it is generally slightly less important than her Skill and Talent for her main wave-clearing role. Still, it remains valuable for improving her total damage output, especially in content with multiple enemies.

Her Basic ATK is the lowest priority. It mainly serves as a simple Skill Point-positive action when needed and contributes much less damage compared to her Skill, Ultimate, and Talent-triggered Follow-Up ATKs. Since Herta’s strength comes primarily from her AoE damage and Follow-Up ATK mechanics, investing heavily in Basic ATK provides the least overall benefit.

Herta Best Light Cones

To select the ideal Light Cone for Herta, focus on these three key priorities rather than simply choosing by rarity:

Maximizing AoE and Wave-Clearing Damage: Herta performs best in multi-target content, especially Pure Fiction, where her Skill, Ultimate, and Follow-Up ATKs can hit multiple enemies. Light Cones that increase CRIT DMG, ATK, Skill DMG, Ultimate DMG, or overall DMG are highly valuable for improving her wave-clearing potential.
Strengthening Follow-Up ATK Damage: Herta’s Talent, Fine, I’ll Do It Myself, allows her to launch AoE Follow-Up ATKs when enemies fall to 50% HP or lower. Because of this, Light Cones that directly boost Follow-Up ATK DMG are especially useful for her main playstyle.
Improving Multi-Target DPS Stability: As an AoE Follow-Up ATK Sub DPS, Herta performs best when she can maintain strong damage across multiple enemies and repeated waves. Light Cones that provide reliable offensive scaling, strong CRIT stats, or bonuses that work well in AoE situations will maximize her effectiveness in farming stages, Pure Fiction, and other wave-based content.

Recommended Light Cone
Before Dawn (5★)	ATK: 582 \| DEF: 463 \| HP: 1058 Skill (S1): Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 36% / 42% / 48% / 54% / 60% . Increases DMG dealt by the wearer's Skill and Ultimate by 18% / 21% / 24% / 27% / 30% . After the wearer uses Skill or Ultimate, gains "Somnus Corpus." Upon triggering a Follow-Up ATK, consumes "Somnus Corpus," and increases DMG dealt by Follow-Up ATK by 48% / 56% / 64% / 72% / 80% .
Night on the Milky Way (5★)	ATK: 582 \| DEF: 463 \| HP: 1058 Skill (S1): Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 36% / 42% / 48% / 54% / 60% . Increases DMG dealt by the wearer's Skill and Ultimate by 18% / 21% / 24% / 27% / 30% . After the wearer uses Skill or Ultimate, gains "Somnus Corpus." Upon triggering a Follow-Up ATK, consumes "Somnus Corpus," and increases DMG dealt by Follow-Up ATK by 48% / 56% / 64% / 72% / 80% .
Yet Hope Is Priceless (5★)	ATK: 582 \| DEF: 529 \| HP: 953 Skill (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 ATK increases by 12%. This effect can stack up to 4 time(s). When the battle starts or after the wearer uses their Basic ATK, enables the DMG dealt by Ultimate or Follow-Up ATK to ignore 20% of the target's DEF, lasting for 2 turn(s).
The Birth of the Self (4★)	ATK: 476 \| DEF: 331 \| HP: 953 Skill (S1): Increases DMG dealt by the wearer's Follow-Up ATKs by 24%. If the current HP percentage of the enemy target is below or equal to 50%, increases DMG dealt by Follow-Up ATKs by an extra 24%.
Eternal Calculus (5★)	ATK: 529 \| DEF: 396 \| HP: 1058 Skill (S1): Increases the wearer's ATK by 8% / 9% / 10% / 11% / 12% . After using an attack, for each enemy target hit, additionally increases ATK by 4% / 5% / 6% / 7% / 8% . This effect can stack up to 5 times and last until the next attack. If there are 3 or more enemy targets hit, this unit's SPD increases by 8% / 10% / 12% / 14% / 16% , lasting for 1 turn(s).

Herta Relics, Ornaments & Stats Priority

1. Relics

The 4-piece Hunter of Glacial Forest set is Herta’s best general relic option, as it increases her Ice DMG and boosts her CRIT DMG after using Ultimate. This improves her overall AoE DPS, making it a strong and reliable choice for most Herta builds. As an alternative, the 4-piece The Ashblazing Grand Duke set is a strong option for a Follow-Up ATK Herta build, especially in Pure Fiction and multi-target content. Since Herta’s Talent triggers AoE Follow-Up Attacks when enemies fall to 50% HP or lower, this set helps increase her Follow-Up ATK damage and wave-clearing potential.

Best Choice

1st

Hunter of Glacial Forest

2-Pc: Increases Ice DMG by 10%.
4-Pc: After the wearer uses their Ultimate, their CRIT DMG increases by 25% for 2 turn(s).

2nd

The Ashblazing Grand Duke

2-Pc: Increases follow-up attack DMG by 20%.
4-Pc: When the wearer uses follow-up attacks against the target enemy, increase the wearer's ATK by 6% for every time the follow-up attack deals DMG. This effect can stack for a maximum of 8 times and lasts for 3 turns. This effect is removed the next time the wearer uses a follow-up attack.

2. Planar Ornaments

The Sigonia, the Unclaimed Desolation set is one of the best Planar Ornaments for Herta, especially in Pure Fiction and wave-based content. Since Herta excels at defeating multiple enemies with her Skill, Ultimate, and Follow-Up ATKs, she can take great advantage of Sigonia’s stacking CRIT DMG buff whenever enemies are defeated. This makes it an excellent option for maximizing her AoE DPS and wave-clearing performance. As alternative options, Inert Salsotto and Duran, Dynasty of Running Wolves are also strong choices. Inert Salsotto is the safest and most universal option, increasing Herta’s CRIT Rate while boosting both her Ultimate and Follow-Up ATK DMG. Duran can be very strong in Follow-Up ATK teams, especially when Herta can quickly gain stacks to increase her Follow-Up ATK damage and CRIT DMG.

Recommended Planar Ornaments
Sigonia, the Unclaimed Desolation	2-Pc: Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 4%. When an enemy target gets defeated, the wearer's CRIT DMG increases by 4%, stacking up to 10 time(s).
Duran, Dynasty of Running Wolves	2-Pc: When an ally character uses a Follow-Up ATK, the wearer gains 1 stack of "Merit," stacking up to 5 time(s). Each stack of "Merit" increases the DMG dealt by the wearer's Follow-Up ATKs by 5%. When there are 5 stacks, additionally increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 25%.
Inert Salsotto	2-Pc: Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 8%. When the wearer's current CRIT Rate reaches 50% or higher, the DMG dealt by the wearer's Ultimate and Follow-Up ATK increases by 15%.

3. Stats Priority

Main Stats
Body	CRIT Rate / CRIT DMG
Feet	ATK% / SPD
Planar Sphere	Ice DMG Bonus
Link Rope	ATK%
Sub-Stats Priority
CRIT Rate > CRIT DMG > ATK% > SPD

Herta Best Team Recommendation

If you want an accessible AoE Follow-Up ATK Sub DPS who excels at clearing waves of enemies, Herta is an excellent choice. She performs best in teams that can quickly weaken or defeat multiple enemies, allowing her Talent, Fine, I’ll Do It Myself, to trigger more often. Her strongest value appears in Pure Fiction, farming stages, and multi-target battles, where her Ice AoE damage and Talent-triggered Follow-Up ATKs help the team clear waves efficiently. Herta works especially well as a wave-clearing partner alongside other AoE DPS or Follow-Up ATK characters. Units like Himeko and Jade can create strong AoE pressure, while supports such as Robin and Ruan Mei improve the team’s overall damage. In teams with The Herta, Herta 4-star can also work as an Erudition partner / Sub DPS, providing extra AoE damage and Follow-Up ATK value.

Herta Premium Teams

Main DPS

Support 1

Support 2

Sustain

Herta (4★)

Himeko (5★)

Robin (5★)

Lingsha (5★)

Herta (4★)

Jade (5★)

Robin (5★)

Lingsha (5★)

Herta (4★)

Himeko (5★)

Ruan Mei (5★)

Aventurine (5★)

The Herta (5★)

Herta (4★)

Trailblazer Remembrance (5★)

Aventurine (5★)

Herta F2P Teams

Main DPS

Support 1

Support 2

Sustain

Herta (4★)

Serval (4★)

Trailblazer Remembrance (5★)

Gallagher (4★)

Herta (4★)

Serval (4★)

Asta (4★)

Lynx (4★)

Herta Eidolons

Herta Performance

Eidolon	Rating	Explanation
E1	★★☆☆☆	A minor upgrade that improves Herta’s Basic ATK against weakened enemies. Since her Basic ATK is not a major part of her damage output, this Eidolon has limited value compared to her stronger upgrades.
E2	★★★★☆	One of Herta’s best Eidolons, especially in Pure Fiction and multi-target content. It improves her CRIT Rate when her Talent is triggered, helping her maintain better damage consistency during wave-based battles.
E4	★★★☆☆	A decent damage upgrade that improves Herta’s Talent performance. Since her Talent is tied to her Follow-Up ATK damage, this Eidolon helps strengthen her AoE DPS and wave-clearing potential, though it is not a major power spike.
E6	★★☆☆☆	A situational upgrade that increases Herta’s damage potential after using her Ultimate. While useful for improving her next damage window, the short duration makes it less impactful for her overall Follow-Up ATK playstyle.

Eidolon Effect

Eidolon

Effect

"Kick You When You're Down"

When using Basic ATK, if the designated enemy's HP percentage is at 50% or less, additionally deals Ice Additional DMG equal to 40% of Herta's ATK.

"Keep the Ball Rolling"

Every time Talent is triggered, this character's CRIT Rate increases by 3%. This effect can stack up to 5 time(s).

"That's the Kind of Girl I Am"

Skill Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.

Basic ATK Lv. +1, up to a maximum of Lv. 10.

"Hit Where It Hurts"

When Talent is triggered, DMG increases by 10%.

"Cuss Big or Cuss Nothing"

Ultimate Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.

Talent Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.

"No One Can Betray Me"

After using Ultimate, this character's ATK increases by 25% for 1 turn(s).

Conclusion

Herta is much more than an accessible 4-star Ice character; she is a reliable Ice Erudition unit who excels at clearing waves of enemies through consistent AoE damage and Follow-Up ATK mechanics. Her kit is centered around triggering Fine, I’ll Do It Myself, allowing her to launch additional AoE attacks whenever enemies are pushed to 50% HP or lower. By focusing on CRIT stats, proper Light Cones, optimized Relic sets, and strong team synergy, you can maximize Herta’s value as an AoE Follow-Up ATK Sub DPS in Honkai: Star Rail.

In wave-based content, especially Pure Fiction, Herta stands out thanks to her strong Ice AoE damage, fast enemy-clearing potential, and excellent synergy with other AoE or Follow-Up ATK characters. While she is not the best option for single-target boss fights, her ability to perform well against multiple enemies makes her a valuable unit for farming stages and multi-target endgame content. To take your Herta build to the next level, consider topping up in Honkai: Star Rail through LootBar and prepare your squad for the toughest challenges!

Herta Build, Light Cones & Teams Guide | Honkai Star Rail

Herta Character Overview

Herta Information

Herta Gameplay

Herta Trace Priority

Herta Best Light Cones

Herta Relics, Ornaments & Stats Priority

1. Relics

2. Planar Ornaments

3. Stats Priority

Herta Best Team Recommendation

Herta Premium Teams

Herta F2P Teams

Herta Eidolons

Herta Performance

Eidolon Effect

Conclusion