Best 4 Star Cone Lights in Honkai: Star Rail, Ranked

In Honkai Star Rail, five-star Lightcones are not the end point in character building. This is because some 4-star cones of light can turn the tide of battle just as well without requiring a five-star attraction miracle. The benevolent game developers at MiHoYo have given each path a stunning 4-star cone of light that's worth using, as well as a few honorable mentions that shine in specific situations.

Here's a breakdown of the best 4-star cone lights you'll want to keep on hand. From damage buffs to conditional buffs, these are the most versatile and effective cones of light you'll rely on the most.

7

Under the blue sky: the path of destruction

Under the Blue Sky is the perfect 4-star cone of light for Destruction Path characters with a taste for critical damage, as most of them are. Its biggest strength is that it's simple, offering a flat ATK boost and a nice critical rate boost when enemies are defeated. This turns your destruction units, like Jing-Liu or Imbibitor Lunae, into even deadlier forces, allowing them to clear waves and further increase their damage against subsequent enemies.

Honorable Mention: Ninja Record – Sound Hunt

With a fixed HP percentage bonus as well as an easy to get critical DMG bonus, this Cone of Light is also a great choice. The simplicity of Under the Blue Sky is what makes it the easiest choice for those who just want a powerful damage boost with no additional conditions. However, if you find yourself using units like the Blade, Clara, or Yunli, Ninja Record – Sound Hunt may be more your style.

6

Memories of the Past – The Path of Harmony

Memories of the Past offers invaluable support benefits to Harmony Path units, making it a must-have for characters like Ruan Mei, Imaginary Trailblazer, or Tingyun. This cone of light enhances energy regeneration, allowing these supports to unleash their powerful abilities more often. It also provides a significant 28% (base) bonus to Break Effect, making it a prime beacon for the plethora of teams that focus on Break-Effect.

Honorable Mention: Sculpt the Moon, Weave the Clouds

This cone of light cycles through various buffs to ATK, critical DMG, or energy regeneration each time the wearer's turn begins. Therefore, this constant flow of power-ups has a certain randomness to it. However, it still provides a lot of general utility to Harmony characters to keep the team energized and ready, making it a great option if you're not interested in the Break effect.

5

Landau's choice: the path of preservation

Landau's Choice embodies the mantra of the Preservation Path: protect and survive. This cone of light grants a significant increase in damage resistance when the wearer takes hits, perfect for tanks like Gepard and Fu Xuan. Because it also directs the enemy's attention towards the wearer, Landau's Choice makes it easier to deal with incoming attacks, keeping weaker teammates out of harm's way.

Honorable mention: first day of my new life

Providing a team-wide defense boost as well as some DMG resistance, this cone of light is great for offering some overall survivability for the entire team. It's another good option if you don't have Landau's Choice or if you have a reason to specifically increase your units' defense stats. This cone of light gives your preservation units the ability to choose as your team's bulwark.

4

Before the start of the tutorial mission: the path of Nihility

Before the tutorial mission begins it is undoubtedly one of the strongest cones of light for characters on the Path of Nihility. Since many Nihility characters rely on the Effect Hit Rate stat, this Cone of Light can provide up to a whopping 40% (with overlays accessible for free), as well as providing extra energy if the wearer attacks a unit with reduced DEF. For units like Pela, Silver Wolf, and Jiaoqiu, it means better consistency on their debuffs and quicker access to their abilities, allowing them to destroy enemies with ease.

Honorable mention: Goodnight and sleep well

Nihility units are split between debuffer units and DOT units, and this Cone of Light is particularly useful for the latter. Increasing both effect success rate and DoT effects, it is ideal for units like Sampo, Kafka, Black Swan, and Guinaifen. For general Nihility roles, Before the Tutorial Mission Starts still remains a staple due to its versatility, however, this Light Cone is a boon to any DOT-focused Nihility unit.

3

Fencing – The Path of the Hunt

Swordplay is a Hunt Path classic, accumulating damage every time the wearer hits the same enemy. The result? Your single-target DPS characters, like Dr. Ratio, Dan Heng, and even Feixiao, become even more deadly in prolonged fights. The strength of this cone of light lies in its ability to provide momentum against high HP bosses, allowing fighter units to focus on single targets and melt away their health reserves.

Honorable Mention: Final Winner

This Cone of Light brings huge damage increases at the cost of being locked behind a trigger condition. It first offers a flat 12% attack increase, but also increases your critical DMG every time you land a critical hit against enemies. With the potential to stack up to four times at an 8% buff per stack, the damage buffs from these Cones of Light can surpass the Swordplay ability if you're willing to work for it.

2

Quid Pro Quo – The Way to Abundance

While not outwardly flashy, Quid Pro Quo gives Path of Abundance healers a very useful energy boost on a team level. This cone of light grants a random ally less than 50% of their maximum energy when the wearer takes their turn. With so many Bounty units offering more than enough ways to keep your team alive in their base kits, the added utility of Quid Pro Quo makes it more useful than fixed healing bonuses.

Honorable Mention: Post-Op Conversation

That said, having healing bonuses on the way out will always be reliable, and with the addition of 8% personal energy regeneration, it's also very consistent. Units like Natasha, Luocha and Lynx can especially appreciate the benefits of this Cone of Light.

1

Today is another peaceful day: the path of learning

Today is Another Peaceful Day's always-on DMG boost makes it the most consistent of Erudition's light cones. It's especially useful for Erudition staples like Herta, Himeko, and Argenti, as each of their attacks gives more strength.

Honorable Mention: The Rest of the Genius

Offering a flat 16% ATK boost plus a 24% critical DMG bonus upon defeating an enemy, this Cone of Light offers useful acceleration potential in multi-enemy encounters where Erudtion units shine. This makes it ideal for Pure Fiction racing. However, Today is Another Peaceful is more versatile as it can excel in game modes outside of Pure Fiction, such as Memory of Chaos or Apocalyptic Shadow.