Best 4 Star Light Cones in Honkai: Star Rail, Rated

In Honkai Star Rail, five star cones of light are not the end goal of character building. This is because certain 4-star cones of light can just as well turn the tide of a battle without requiring a 5-star miracle. The benevolent game developers at MiHoYo have given each Path an excellent 4-star cone of light worth using, plus a few honorable mentions that shine in specific situations.

Here's a breakdown of the best 4-star light cones you'll want to keep on hand. From damage boosts 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 Destruction Path

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

Honorable Mention: Ninja Record – Sound Hunt

With a flat HP percentage bonus alongside an easily attainable Crit DMG bonus, this Light Cone is also a strong choice. The simplicity of Under the Blue Sky is what makes it an easier choice for those who just want heavy damage with no extra conditions. However, if you find yourself using units like Blade, Clara, or Yunli, Ninja Record – Sound Hunt might be more your style.

6

Memories of the past – The path of harmony

Memories of the Past gives Harmony Path units invaluable support perks, so characters like Ruan Mei, Imaginary Trailblazer, or Tingyun must have them. This cone of light improves energy regeneration and allows these supports to release their powerful peaks more often. It also provides a significant 28% (base) bonus to Break Effect, making it the main beam of light for a plethora of Break-Effect targeting teams.

Honorable Mention: Carve the Moon, Weave the Clouds

This cone of light cycles through various buffs to either ATK, Crit DMG, or energy regeneration whenever the wielder's turn begins. As such, this steady stream of buffs comes with some randomness. However, it still provides a lot of general utility for Harmony characters to keep the team fueled and ready, so it's a great option if you don't care about the Break Effect.

5

Landau's choice – The path to protection

Landau's Choice embodies the Ways of Conservation mantra: protect and survive. This cone of light provides a significant boost to the wearer's hit damage resistance, ideal for tanks like Cheetah and Fu Xuan. Since Landau's Choice also focuses the enemy's attention on the wearer, it makes it easier to manage incoming attacks and keep squishier teammates out of harm's way.

Honorable mention: The first day of my new life

By providing a team-wide defense boost in addition to some DMG resistance, this cone of light is great for providing general team-wide survivability. It's another solid option if you don't have Landau's Choice, or if you have a reason to specifically increase your units' defense stat. This cone of light gives your protection units a choice as a fortification for your team.

4

Before the tutorial mission begins – Path of Nihility

Before the tutorial begins, the mission is without a doubt one of the strongest cones of light for Nihility Path characters. With many Nihility characters relying on the Effect Hit Rate stat, this Cone of Light can provide up to a whopping 40% (with free-to-play superimpositions), plus it provides extra energy if the wearer attacks a unit with reduced DEF. For units like Pela, Silver Wolf, and Jiaoqiu, this means better consistency in their debuffs and faster access to their skills, allowing them to disrupt enemies with ease.

Honorable mention: Good night and sleep well

Nihility units are split between debuffer and DOT units, and this Light Cone is especially good for the latter. By increasing both Effect Hit Rate and DoT effects, it is ideal for units like Sampo, Kafka, Black Swan and Guinaifen. For general Nihility roles, Before the Tutorial Mission still remains a staple for its versatility, however, this Cone of Light pulls forward for any DOT-focused Nihility unit.

3

Fencing – The Way of the Hunt

Swordplay is a Hunt Path classic that increases damage every time the wielder hits the same enemy. Result? Your single target DPS characters like Dr. Ratio, Dan Heng, and even Feixiao will become even more dangerous in long fights. The strength of this light cone is its ability to build momentum against high HP bosses, allowing Hunt units to focus on individual targets and melt into their health pools.

Honorable Mention: Final Victor

This cone of light deals a huge damage boost at the cost of being in a gate activated state. First it offers a flat 12% attack boost, but also increases your Crit DMG every time you land a critical hit against enemies. With the potential to stack up to 4x with an 8% increase per stack, this Light Cones damage can outweigh swordsmanship if you're willing to work for it.

2

Quid Pro Quo – The Way of Abundance

While not flashy on the surface, Quid Pro Quo gives Abundance Path healers a very useful energy boost for the entire team. This cone of light offers energy to a random ally below 50% of their maximum energy on their turn. With so many Abundance units offering more than enough ways to keep your team alive in their base sets, the added utility of Quid Pro Quo makes it more useful than flat heal bonuses.

Honorable mention: Conversations after surgery

This will make outgoing healing bonuses always reliable and with the added 8% self regen it's very consistent as well. Units like Natasha, Luocha, and Lynx can appreciate the benefits of this Cone of Light.

1

Today is another peaceful day – the journey of erudition

Today is Another Peaceful Day The always active DMG boost makes it the most consistent of the Erudition cones of light. This is especially great for Erudition basics like Herta, Himeko, and Argenti, making each of their attacks pack more punch.

Honorable Mention: Genius's Repose

Offering a flat 16% ATK boost plus a 24% Crit DMG bonus after defeating an enemy gives this Cone of Light useful surge potential in multi-enemy encounters where Erudtion units shine. This makes it perfect for Pure Fiction runs. However, Today is Another Peaceful pulls ahead in versatility, as it can excel in game modes outside of Pure Fiction, such as Memory of Chaos or Apocalyptic Shadow.