Summary
Having to choose to pull for Boothill or Fu Xuan inHonkai: Star Rail2.2 can be excruciating, as both units offer incredible benefits despite how different each of their kits is. Boothill is a Galaxy Ranger who was teased in the missions added with Version 2.1 and now makes his debut as a complete NPC and playable character in Version 2.2. Along with Robin, Boothill is one of thenew characters inHonkai: Star Rail2.2. Featured in a limited-time banner, Boothill is a 5-star character that follows the Path of the Hunt, which makes him a DPS unit.
Fu Xuan, on the other hand, has been available in the game for quite some while as both an NPC and a playable character, since she is related to the Xianzhou Luofu story arc. On the flagship, Fu Xuan operates as the Master Diviner and draws the route for the Luofu to navigate the cosmos. The character is also a 5-star unit, though she follows the Path of the Preservation. Fu Xuan’s role in team comps is to protect her allies but she does not provide a regular shield like other characters, such asAventurine inHonkai: Star Rail.
Honkai: Star Rail - Fu Xuan Character Ascension (& Materials)
You will need to farm various resources to completely level Fu Xuan and her skills. Here are all the required materials for the 5-star hero.
Boothill & Fu Xuan’s Availability In Honkai: Star Rail 2.2
Characters Are Featured In Phase 2 Banners
As was announced by developer HoYoverse during the Version 2.2 livestream held on the officialHonkai: Star Railchannel on YouTube, both Boothill and Fu Xuan are the 5-star characters that will star in the limited-time banners in Phase 2.The second half of the update starts on May 29 and lasts until June 18, if there are no delays to the game’s regular schedule – which includes three-week slots for each banner Phase. The two units replace the previous 5-star characters in the spotlight,Robin and Topaz & Numby inHonkai: Star Rail.
The Version 2.3 update should occur on June 18, which is expected to bring an end to Boothill and Fu Xuan’s time in the character banners.
Pros & Cons Of Pulling For Boothill In Honkai: Star Rail
Character Is A Single-Target Physical DPS
As was previously mentioned, Boothill is a 5-star character who follows the Path of the Hunt. This Galaxy Ranger operates at his best when used as a single-target DPS, focusing on a single opponent at a time – in fact,Boothill has a special mechanic in which he starts duels with enemies players choose. During duels, both Boothill and the chosen target deal increased damage to one another, while taking reduced damage from other sources. These duels also enhance Boothill’s Basic Attack, which is later used to further increase damage to enemies inHonkai: Star Rail.
Whenever Boothill beats his dueling target or inflicts Weakness Break on them, he gains a stack of Pocket Trickshot, which enhances the Toughness Reducing DMG he can deal via his Enhanced Basic Attacks. This allows him to quickly destroy Toughness bars and help the team as they focus on other targets. Additionally,Boothill’s Ultimate inflicts Physical Weakness on his target while dealing massive Physical DMG to them and delaying their action. Even if the enemy is not directly weak against Physical DMG inHonkai: Star Rail, Boothill can still implant that weakness and then exploit it with his attacks.
“Choosing between Boothill and Fu Xuan really depends on whether the player needs a strong Physical DPS character or a support unit capable of keeping everyone alive.”
When it comes to building him, Boothill is not terribly difficult to optimize. The character’s overall damage output scales off his Break Effect stat in addition to his ATK. Contrary to many other Hunt DPS units, CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG are not exceedingly necessary in his build, which may make it initially confusing. There are great Relics and Ornament stats that can make Boothill’s build inHonkai: Star Railimmediately achievable, thoughhis best Relic set is rumored to be arriving in Version 2.3.
According to the leaker known as Firefly Lover, whose information was shared in a post tagged as “Reliable” onReddit, two new Relic sets are coming with Version 2.3, one of which is expected to increase the user’s DMG with its two-piece bonus and, with its four-piece bonus,make the user’s Break DMG ignore a portion of the target’s DEF when the user’s Break Effect stat reaches a certain number– if the leaks are true, the exact quantities are still subject to change, but this already seems like it was tailor-made for Boothill inHonkai: Star Rail.
Honkai Star Rail 2.3 May Add New Game-Breaking Ability
A new leaked ability for an upcoming character in Honkai: Star Rail 2.3 may be game-changing for some players as it provides a unique bonus.
Pros & Cons Of Pulling For Fu Xuan In Honkai: Star Rail
Character Protects Team By Reducing Incoming Damage & Absorption
On the other side of the spectrum when it comes to roles in team comps is Fu Xuan. The character is the party’s protector, though she does not grant shields. Instead,Fu Xuan reduces the total incoming damage that the party receives and soaks a portion of the damage that her allies would otherwise take, making her a spongy tank. Fu Xuan does not prevent damage altogether but instead mitigates the amount that would affect her team. A good aspect of Fu Xuan’s kit inHonkai: Star Railis that she does not need to use her Skill every round.
By not using her Skill, she can help save Skill Points and, simultaneously, contribute to the team’s damage output.
Another strong part of her kit is her ability to heal herself after a certain amount of damage has been absorbed. This helps increase Fu Xuan’s own survivability and, with that, her usefulness as a damage mitigator to the team. It may initially sound unreasonable to use a defensive character that allows her team to still damage butFu Xuan is actually a lot better than some of the traditional shielders in the game, such as Gepard. When tackling challenging endgame content like Memory of Chaos and Pure Fiction, Fu Xuan is indispensable inHonkai: Star Rail.
If players want a more constant presence in battle that does not sit on the sidelines simply healing their DPS-focused allies, Fu Xuan is the way to go.The character’s consistent damage absorption provides great sustain for the party and her self-healing mechanism permits her to take damage without too much riskof being wiped out. When usingFu Xuan’s best build inHonkai: Star Rail, players can even loan the character to friends and they will inevitably use her due to how strong she is.
Choosing between Boothill and Fu Xuan really depends on whether the player needs a strong Physical DPS character or a support unit capable of keeping everyone alive through sheer damage reduction and absorption. Boothill is a superb DPS, but there are a lot of characters in that role that do a great job. Fu Xuan, on the other hand, stands as a top-tier sustain unit that dispenses the usage of a healer and is matched with Aventurine as some of the best characters inHonkai: Star Rail, in addition to being extremely versatile.
