Honkai: Star Rail - Should You Pull For Silver Wolf Or Luocha?

Following the introduction of two powerful DPS characters, Seele and Jing Yuan, during the initial release, Honkai: Star Rail's version 1.1 update brings three new characters that specialize in support roles. These new additions include the 5-star Nihility character, Silver Wolf, the 5-star Abundance character, Luocha, and the 4-star Harmony character, Yukong. While Yukong will be available beyond this update, players might face difficulty in deciding whether to summon for Silver Wolf or Luocha, or to save resources for the confirmed limited characters in version 1.2, Kafka and Blade.

Both Luocha and Silver Wolf bear a striking resemblance to characters from Honkai Impact 3rd, particularly with Luocha resembling Otto and Silver Wolf resembling Haxxor Bunny Bronya. This likeness, combined with other non-gameplay factors such as likability and personality, may have already influenced some fans' decisions to pursue these characters. However, for those who solely prioritize gameplay benefits, a challenging choice awaits. Both characters excel in their respective areas of expertise, making it essential for players to carefully consider various factors before determining which one holds greater value for them in Honkai: Star Rail.

Silver Wolf Or Luocha In Honkai: Star Rail

The latest update offers players a generous amount of Stellar Jade and various rewards, which could potentially sway their thoughts on both Silver Wolf and Luocha. Nonetheless, for players who value resource management, choosing between these two characters carries considerable importance. The good news is that these characters bring unique synergies to a team due to their distinct roles. Several factors must be taken into account by players, including the team's specific role needs, the feasibility of building them without excessive resource expenditure, and their individual strengths and weaknesses. Considering these factors is essential before making a decision on which character to prioritize.

Roles

Silver Wolf, classified as a Nihility character, primarily focuses on imposing potent debuffs on enemies, which enhances the team's damage output. She possesses the ability to reduce enemy DEF and elemental resistance. Notably, her unique skill enables her to potentially exploit an enemy's weakness based on the elemental affinity of one of her allies. When effectively built, she can also serve as a secondary DPS character, aiding in the breaking of enemy weaknesses by consistently attacking. Moreover, if her technique is utilized prior to engaging in battle, she can reduce the overall resilience of all opponents, regardless of their specific weakness types.

Luocha, an Abundance character, specializes in providing healing and additional defensive support. It is important to highlight that Luocha's healing mechanics differ from those of existing healing characters like Bailu and Natasha. His healing primarily focuses on single targets and possesses a certain level of unpredictability. This is due to the fact that Luocha's healing is dependent on his skill, which targets a single ally, and particularly the field he deploys after accumulating 2 stacks. The deployment of this field may take time unless players employ Luocha's technique before initiating combat. Unlike Bailu and Natasha, whose Ultimates provide AoE healing, Luocha's Ultimate removes a buff from all opponents and inflicts Imaginary Damage upon them. Conversely, Luocha's field enables him to heal any ally who attacks an enemy, and with his ascension bonuses, he can also provide a smaller amount of healing to other allies while they engage in attacks. Additionally, with his first eidolon, this field grants an attack buff to all allies.

Builds

When considering the builds for both characters, players should take into account whether they have appropriate relics and light cones to maximize each character's benefits. As a Nihility character, Silver Wolf greatly benefits from Effect Hit Rate, ATK, Speed, and Break Effect due to her abilities. It is recommended for players to focus on a 4-piece set of Genius of Brilliant Stars, Musketeer of Wild Wheat, or Thief of Shooting Meteor for Silver Wolf's equipment, or a combination of 2-piece sets with optimized sub-stats. Pan-Galactic Commercial Enterprise can be a useful planar ornament to increase her Effect Hit Rate and ATK, although Space Sealing Station is also a viable option.

It is important to note that when building Nihility characters, maximizing their stats is crucial, and players may not fully appreciate Silver Wolf's value until she is ascended and properly built. Fortunately, there are various Nihility options available for her light cones, including the newly added Before the Tutorial Mission Starts, which will be obtainable during the first event of the patch and can be fully enhanced. This means that even free-to-play players will have access to a strong 4-star option without relying on limited light cone banners. It's worth mentioning that this light cone can also benefit other Nihility characters like Pela, in case players decide not to summon for Silver Wolf or opt for a different light cone for her.

Regarding Luocha, players will notice that not only does his healing abilities differ significantly from Bailu and Natasha, but his healing scales with ATK instead of HP like them. This means that players who previously built their other healing characters cannot fully utilize their relics or light cones and will need to invest in a new set of relics. However, players who have been farming for Passerby of Wandering Cloud and Musketeer of Wild Wheat may have suitable ATK-focused pieces to use on Luocha. When farming planar ornaments for Luocha and other healers, players can save on Trailblaze Power as Space Sealing Station from World 3 provides an ATK bonus, while the Fleet of the Ageless set offers an HP stat. Furthermore, since Luocha currently has the highest ATK stat in the game, players can expect him to be valuable even without having the most optimal sub-stats on his relics, making him easier to build.

When it comes to light cones, Luocha may be less favorable for free-to-play players compared to Silver Wolf, as there aren't any non-gacha Abundance light cones that benefit him significantly. However, Post-Op Conversation can still be a suitable option. Additionally, Luocha doesn't benefit much from light cones with HP% effects, limiting his choices. This might tempt players to summon for his 5-star light cone, Echoes of the Coffin, which is excellent for him. Nevertheless, players can still consider 4-star light cones that enhance Outgoing Healing, such as Perfect Timing or Shared Feeling, if they were fortunate enough to obtain them from gacha.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Despite their remarkable strengths in their designated roles, both characters also possess certain limitations that players should consider before determining which character to summon for.

Silver Wolf

Luocha

>>> Read more: Honkai Star Rail Serval Build Guide: Relics, Light Cones And Teams