The Best Ascension 6 Traces In Honkai: Star Rail

The Traces in Honkai Star Rail serve as the equivalent of a Skill Tree for the Characters. They act as a menu where players can allocate resources to enhance their character's statistics or access new passive/active abilities. The more significant Traces that unlock these passives or actives are typically only available at specific Ascension Levels.

Considering this, let's examine all the Traces that Honkai: Star Rail players can acquire once they reach Ascension 6 with a character (which requires reaching at least Trailblaze Level 60). This will help determine which Traces are most valuable to prioritize in terms of grinding.

10. Asta

Asta's defense increases by 6 percent for every current Charging stack she possesses.

In Honkai: Star Rail, Asta is a remarkable support character, specifically categorized as a Harmony character. Her Charging mechanism is straightforward to accumulate and monitor, providing a beneficial attack boost to any team composition. The only aspect where Asta lacks slightly is in terms of survivability. However, with the inclusion of the Constellation Trace, this concern is significantly mitigated. The Constellation Trace can enhance Asta's Defense by up to a total of 30 percent, enabling players to prioritize maximizing her buffs rather than focusing on survival.

9. Welt

Deal 20 percent more damage to enemies inflicted with Weakness Break.

Welt, as a character in HSR, seems to be torn between two roles. His overall damage output is insufficient to fulfill the role of a DPS (damage-per-second), while his abilities such as Slows and occasional Imprisonment are not substantial enough to classify him as a support character. This duality makes him excel as a Nihility character, but it can also make his usage feel somewhat awkward. However, with the Punishment Trace, Welt's overall damage significantly increases. Since he primarily focuses on inflicting Slows on enemies and is not the one causing Weakness Break, he can frequently take advantage of this effect to deal considerable damage.

8. Seele

After using a Basic Attack, Seele's next action will be Advanced Forward by 20 percent.

Seele remains at the very top of the tier lists for Honkai: Star Rail, even in Version 1.2, solidifying her already formidable strength. However, this is only true with the right build, and her true potential shines when she enters a flow state with her enhanced status. If players struggle to maintain the buffed state, the Rippling Waves Trace allows Seele to use Basic Attacks to finish off nearly defeated enemies, triggering her buffed state. The subsequent Advancement forward enables her to unleash her Skill before enemies have a chance to react, showcasing her prowess as a Hunt Path character.

7. Dan Heng

Basic Attack deals 40 percent more damage to Slowed enemies.

Let's be frank, most players in HSR prioritize leveling and investing resources into Dan Heng simply because he is currently the only viable Wind-damage DPS in the game. Hence, he is often not included in a party based on personal preference, and he doesn't frequently receive Skill Points.

Fortunately, with this Trace, Dan Heng can still deal substantial damage even with his Basic Attacks. This Trace synergizes exceptionally well in a team composition that includes characters like Welt or the upcoming leaked characters who specialize in slowing down enemies.

6. March 7th

Honkai Star Rail March 7th Selfie — March 7th

Increases Ultimate's base chance to Freeze enemies by 15 percent.

Now we turn our attention to the last member of the Astral Express trio, March 7th. Those who frequently utilize March 7th in their team are well aware of her ability to freeze enemies, particularly through her Glacial Cascade Ultimate, which she can unleash multiple times in a battle. Acquiring the Trace that boosts the base chance of freezing enemies by a significant 15 percent each time is a worthwhile investment of resources.

5. Preservation Trailblazer (Fire)

Honkai Star Rail Trailblazer 1 — Trailblazer

When the Trailblazer is protected by a Shield at the beginning of the turn, increases their attack by 15 percent and regenerates 5 Energy until the action is over.

The Fire/Preservation Trailblazer could arguably be considered the best tank currently available in the game. Moreover, it is the most accessible option compared to the other two primary choices, Gepard and Clara, which are 5-star characters players need to obtain through rolls.

Considering that the Trailblazer often starts with an active shield, especially when used alongside March 7th or Gepard (though this may be excessive), the Action Beats Overthinking Trace effectively functions as a flat 15 percent increase in attack.

4. Bailu

Characters with Invigoration receive 10 percent less damage.

Bailu's primary role as a healer revolves around her Invigoration buff, which she bestows upon allies. This buff allows allies to regain health after being hit, sometimes even surpassing the amount lost. However, in the late-game content of HSR, it can be challenging to keep the entire team alive, even with the addition of the newest character, Luocha, in the team composition.

Therefore, her Aquatic Benediction Trace essentially provides the entire team with a 10 percent damage reduction buff since Bailu can consistently maintain the Invigoration buff. This makes acquiring this Trace an easy and highly beneficial choice as soon as it becomes available.

3. Gepard

Gepard's attack increases by 35 percent of his current defense. This effect will refresh at the start of each turn.

If we were to summarize the three main tanks in HSR with one word each, Clara would be associated with "Counters," the Trailblazer with "Taunts," and Gepard with "Shields." However, among the three, Gepard tends to deal the least amount of damage overall. This is precisely why his Fighting Spirit Trace becomes significantly impactful.

What sets this Trace apart is that it scales off Gepard's defense stat. Therefore, the tankier Gepard becomes, the more damage he can inflict, which is a desirable trait for any tank.

2. Clara

Increases Svarog's Counter damage by 30 percent.

Moving on to the last tank on our list, Clara, paired with Svarog. Despite technically being on the Destruction Path rather than Preservation, Clara undoubtedly fulfills the role of a tank. With the right build, Clara's impressive tanking abilities and damage output are truly remarkable. Community clips have surfaced, showcasing Clara single-handedly defeating bosses (excluding Svarog). Thus, acquiring a Trace that specifically boosts her primary source of damage, the follow-up attacks from Svarog's Mark of Counter, is an obvious and worthwhile investment.

1. Bronya

When Bronya is on the field, all allies deal 10 percent more damage.

The final and most outstanding Trace on this list may appear somewhat mundane compared to the other character Traces in terms of effects, but its utility cannot be underestimated. With the Military Might Ascension 6 Trace, Bronya grants a 10 percent damage increase to the entire team while she is present on the battlefield.

When combined with the 33 percent damage increase when she uses her skill on an ally and an additional 33 percent increase if she follows up with her Belobog March Ultimate (alongside a critical damage increase), Bronya can enhance an ally's attack by a total of 76 percent for one turn.