Updated Character Guide - Herrscher of Human
Everything you need to know (and more!) about Honkai's very own lesbian Jesus.
Introduction
Hello, captains! [Herrscher of Human: Ego] (HoH) Elysia is getting a new Stellar Key bringing her back to relevance in Version 8.1. She is an S-Rank PSY Type ICE DPS, and uses the Bow. In this guide, I will be going through her kit, suitable team compositions, rotations, equipment, and more.
Character Mechanics
Herrscher Forms
Elysia has two forms she can be in: Herrscher of Human form and Herrscher of Origin form. As one of the last Herrscher battlesuits, Elysia is permanently in a state known as Herrscher Form. This allows her to trigger certain stigmata effects which require the host to be in this state. Elysia is in Herrscher of Human form by default, and can switch to Herrscher of Origin form through her ULT or by entering Stellar Outburst.
Herrscher of Human Form
In Herrscher of Human form, Elysia can continuously fire Charged ATKs by holding down the [ATK] button, and can move while doing so. Elysia can use these Charged ATKs to inflict up to 3 Pristine Seed stacks on enemies. At 3 stacks, enemies enter the Pristine Bloomage state temporarily, in which they cannot move. She can also apply this state to enemies via her QTE.
Hitting enemies under this state with her Weapon Skill triggers Ego Blossom, dealing Ice Damage, removing Pristine Bloomage and setting Pristine Seed stacks to 1.
Herrscher of Origin Form
In Herrscher of Origin form, Elysia turns the battlefield into Stars of the Past and changes her playstyle.
Her Weapon Skill is converted to an enhanced attack called Waltz of the Stars, which is initially weaker but gains a stronger multiplier from the second cast onwards.
This enhanced Weapon Skill’s cooldown can only be reset by performing her Charged ATK, which can be used once her Herrscher Charge is maxed. Elysia gains Herrscher Charge passively over time.
Once enough time has passed, she casts her finisher, dealing Ice DMG and returning to Herrscher of Human form. This can also be triggered prematurely by pressing the [ULT] button.
Astral Ring: Wheel of Destiny
Elysia is protected by the Astral Ring Specialisation: Wheel of Destiny. When activating Stellar Outburst, she enters Herrscher of Origin form and cannot be switched out. Instead, her teammate slots are replaced by Phantoms, which, when triggered, allows her to perform a Shadow Star Attack and gain the Rondo in the Shadows state. In this state, she gains Herrscher Charge faster, and can trigger phantoms to deal damage when she uses her Basic ATK.
Once Stellar Outburst ends, Elysia will cast a special finisher that consumes all of her SP, dealing additional DMG the more SP is consumed. This can be triggered earlier by tapping the [ULT] button, which ends Stellar Outburst early and refunds a portion of Astral Ring Intensity, similar to [Jovial Deception: Shadowdimmer].
Astral Ring: Law of Ascension
Elysia has the Heavenly Shift tag, allowing her to perform Stellar Shift and contribute to overall damage in Law of Ascension Teams.
Astral Ring: ???
Similar to Deepspace Anchor: First Light (Senadina) in v7.3 before the introduction of Astral Ring: Wheel of Destiny, Elysia has a locked skill meant for an Astral Ring Specialization that will be introduced in the future. At the moment, nothing is known about this Astral Ring Specialisation. It is expected that there will be more Valkyries being introduced with this special tag before it is fully revealed. Please be patient, Captains!
Equipment
Weapon
This is Elysia’s new Divine Key, and the entire reason this updated guide was made. It changes Elysia’s playstyle, incorporating Astral Ring mechanics into her rotations and granting her and the team buffs. Since this is the only Bow weapon that can be used with Astral Ring mechanics, Elysia quite literally has no other alternatives. Even her old signature, Domain of Ego, does nothing to change her kit.
Weapon and Synergy Level Comparison
The lack of weapon options means I’ll only be covering the damage comparison between Flawless Benediction’s synergy ranks. First, let’s take a look at the synergy skill itself. It has two independent buffs that both affect the character on the field, meaning that they can both be used whether Elysia is the DPS or a supporting teammate. It also has an effect giving her additional SP, which helps fund the SP cost of her finisher. The difference in damage between each Synergy level is bigger than a conventional Part 2 weapon’s. This can be partially attributed to the strength of the Synergy skill itself, but the real reason is the side effect of ranking up the weapon’s Synergy level.
As a Stellar Key, Elysia’s new weapon gives a global buff of 10 ATK that applies to all Valkyries, including herself. However, each additional level to her Synergy skill provides an extra 5 ATK, for a total of 20 ATK. The increase in ATK means that Elysia will have a much more noticeable increase in damage for every additional Synergy rank she gets.
Stigmata
Signature Set - Ode to Eunomia
Stigmata wise, there aren’t really many options to consider other than her signature set. She’s very reliant on the entire set since a lot of its buffs are locked behind the 3 piece bonus. More specifically, the status effect [Ego’s Blossoms] unlocks a big portion of the set’s buffs, and the only way to apply it is with the 3pc effect unlocked.
Required Materials for Crafting
These are the materials needed to craft the full Ode to Eunomia stigmata set. Note that there is an extremely low chance you will ever need to craft all 3 stigs, since pulling for the weapon will likely get you one or more.
Recommended Teams
For Elysia’s teammates, it’s generally recommended to run Mad Pleasure: Shadowbringer along with her. This isn’t only because of her strength as a support, but also because of her ability to apply Rime Trauma, as well as her shieldbreak capabilities. As a Part 2 Valkyrie, Elysia can no longer rely on Valkyries like Reverist Calico or Sugary Starburst to apply Rime Trauma. The only Part 2 support that can do so is Mad Pleasure: Shadowbringer. While Elysia can inflict Rime Trauma on her own, it takes most of her attacks, making her miss out on a lot of damage she could otherwise be dealing. This means that on bosses like Hephaestus, not having Thelema will result in a big loss of damage. For her second support, an Elemental Breach applier like Deepspace Anchor or Lone Planetfarer will be able to provide her the most optimal buffs for most scenarios.
Like I mentioned before, Elysia can also support Law of Ascension Valkyries, so she can be considered as an option when building a team around them.
Rotations
HoH MPS DsA
As a Wheel of Destiny DPS, Elysia mostly uses her supports solely for buffs and their Stellar Drain.
In fact, Senadina doesn’t even come onto the field in this team, since all her buffs can be triggered off the field. Her rotation in Stellar Outburst is rather straightforward - you’re pretty much doing the same thing twice before using her finisher. Keep in mind that if you have enough damage for whatever reason, it’s recommended to use her finisher earlier instead of carrying out the entire Stellar Outburst sequence to save time.
Below is a video example of the rotation.
HoH MPS LP
This rotation is similar to the one shown before. It’s generally slower due to Vita’s long Combo ATK being required for her to trigger Stellar Drain, but it’s still usable. If you happen to have SS Vita, you can Stellar Outburst immediately after using her Combo ATK to trigger Stellar Drain for the first time.
Below is a video example of the rotation.
FWS HoH LP
Elysia’s role in Law of Ascension teams is very simple. Since all her buffs including her Stellar Drain are tied to her Weapon Active, that’s all she needs to do outside of Stellar Outburst. Her Stellar Shift mostly involves using her special Weapon Skill, then casting her finisher and leaving.
Below is a video example of the rotation.
Should I pull?
Regarding her competitive performance, Elysia isn’t exactly gamebreaking, even with the huge rework she’s received. She just isn’t very strong outside of her own bosses, and her performance as a support is underwhelming too. Even though she’s able to trigger Stellar Drain incredibly quickly, her lackluster buffs aren’t enough to justify using her over other Valkyries. She may have potential as an excellent support for the locked Astral Ring Specialisation she will be able to support, but banking on that is extremely risky and not a great reason to pull. She’s also reliant on ranks to do well competitively, meaning new players trying to use Elysia especially in higher Abyss tiers will likely struggle to compete even during cycles she excels in due to the number of older players with high ranks.
However, there are some benefits to pulling her Stellar Key. Both Divine and Stellar Keys are valued for their small but extremely long-term boost to an account due to the global ATK buff that applies to all Valkyries. It might not seem like it matters much, but the buff collectively adds up with that of other Divine Keys. This is important especially for competitive players, who will likely go for Elysia’s Stellar Key unless they don’t have the crystals to afford it.
In the end, the 60 pull cost isn’t that big of a deal, and with the Chinese New Year event rewards, it’ll be pretty easy to afford unless you haven’t saved at all. If you end up going for it, that’s completely fine. Just be aware that her overall performance in battle comes with caveats and the returns will not necessarily be big.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Elysia can be beneficial to an account under several conditions, but falls short easily if you happen to lack anything she needs to perform well.
Thank you for reading my guide! I hope it helped you learn more about Kiana. If I made any mistakes, please let me know and I will rectify them as soon as possible. I will also try my best to answer any questions in the comments!