Before Blade’s appearance, Arlan was the only character in Honkai Star Rail who utilized “HP loss” mechanics as the main axis of his gameplay. He is glass cannon, had skills that drained his own HP and passives that increased his damage based on the amount of HP lost.
However, not many people using him because he have limited way to use aside of being risky to use.
Because of these limitations, he was considered very difficult to consistently play the role of DPS, especially as the main DPS in the team. However, this doesn’t mean he is weak and completely unusable.
Best Light Cones
Since Arlan utilizes HP as a mechanism for damage, he actually only needs Attack to be effective. It’s even better if his Light Cone can take advantage of Arlan’s Talent effect.
- Something Irreplaceable: Increases the wearer’s ATK by 24/28/32/36/40%. When the wearer defeats an enemy or is hit, immediately restores HP equal to 8/9/10/11/12% of the wearer’s ATK. At the same time, the wearer’s DMG is increased by 24/28/32/36/40% until the end of their next turn. This effect cannot stack and can only trigger 1 time per turn.
- On the Fall of an Aeon: Whenever the wearer attacks, their ATK is increased by 8/10/12/14/16% in this battle, up to 4 time(s). When the wearer inflicts Weakness Break on enemies, the wearer’s DMG increases by 12/15/18/21/24% for 2 turn(s).
- Nowhere to Run: Increases the wearer’s ATK by 24/30/36/42/48%. Whenever the wearer defeats an enemy, they restore HP equal to 12/15/18/21/24% of their ATK.
- A Secret Vow: Increases DMG dealt by the wearer by 20/25/30/35/40%. The wearer also deals an extra 20/25/30/35/40% of DMG to enemies with a higher HP percentage than the wearer.
- Under the Blue Sky: Increases the wearer’s ATK by 16/20/24/28/32%. When the wearer defeats an enemy, the wearer’s CRIT Rate increases by 12/15/18/21/24% for 3 turn(s).
- The Moles Welcome You: For every Basic ATK, Skill, and Ultimate used by the wearer, the wearer gains one stack of Mischievous. Each stack increases the wearer’s ATK by 12/15/18/21/24%.
Best Relic and Planar Ornaments
For Arlan’s Relic, he only needs additional damage. This means you simply need to focus on stats such as Attack, Lightning Damage, and Critical. If necessary and available, you can also consider adding a bit of Speed, but try to avoid HP as much as possible.
Arlan is lightning dps so 4 set Band of Sizzling Thunder from Cavern of Corrosion: Path of Holy Hymn in Cloudford, Xianzhou Luofu is your best choice for him.
| 4 Band of Sizzling Thunder | (2) Increases Lightning DMG by 10%. (4) When the wearer uses Skill, increases the wearer’s ATK by 20% for 1 turn(s). |
For Planar Ornament, you can use Inert Salsotto from Herta Simulated Universe, World 6.
| Inert Salsotto | (2) Increases the wearer’s CRIT Rate by 8%. When the wearer’s current CRIT Rate reaches 50% or higher, the wearer’s Ultimate and follow-up attack DMG increases by 15%. |
| Body | Feet | Planar Sphere | Link Rope |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRIT Rate | ATK%/Speed | Lightning DMG | ATK% |
| Substats |
|---|
| CRIT Rate> Crit DMG > ATK% > Speed |
Best Teammates for Arlan?
One striking difference between Blade and Arlan is that after losing HP, Blade can receive healing without losing the effects of his Talent. Meanwhile, Arlan cannot receive healing to maximize the effects of his Talent.
This makes effectively playing Arlan have a high risk, as you need to manage his HP to keep it low but at the same time prevent him from dying easily since, as a Destruction unit, he often draws enemy aggro.
Due to this risk, Arlan must be played alongside characters who can consistently provide him with strong shields. Your options here are plentiful, ranging from March 7th to Fire Trailblazer.
After that, if you are confident in managing Arlan’s HP well and ensuring he never loses the shield, you can fill the two remaining party slots with two support/utility characters. If you are still unsure, you can replace one support with a healer.
How to use Arlan?
Your task when using Arlan is to make him lose HP to a certain amount. The most reliable way to do this is by using his Skill, while the riskier method is to take enemy attacks. The method that is most suitable for you depends on the tank or shield provider you bring.
If you always have a shield and can manage enemy aggro well, Arlan should never need healing at all. Once his HP is low enough, you can stop using his Skill and switch to regular attacks and his Ultimate.
