Described as a mysterious and elegant soothsayer, Black Swan is revered as The Memokeeper of the Garden of Recollection and Emanator of Fuli the Remembrance. A warm smile is borne by her, and she is willing to patiently heed the words of another. Through such means, “memories” are entered and comprehension over the flow of all information is gained. A strong feeling about collecting unique memories is felt by her, yet the thoughts that guide her are hard to glean.
General Black Swan Character Information
| Rarity | 5-star |
| Path | The Nihility |
| Combat Type | Wind |
| Species | Memetic Entity |
| World | Penacony |
| How to Obtain | Ripples in Reflection |
| Release Date | 2024-02-06 |
| HP | 147 (level 1) – 1086 (level 80) |
| ATK | 89 (level 1) – 659 (level 80) |
| DEF | 66 (level 1) – 485 (level 80) |
| SPD | 102 (level 1) – 102 (level 80) |
| Taunt | 100 |
| Tier List Rating | S – Overall
S – Single Target S – AoE Damage |
The Best Way to Build Black Swan in Honkai: Star Rail
Black Swan DoT DPS Build
The best build for Black Swan character in your team comp lineup is optimizing her Third Bonus Ability for maximum damage output. To achieve this, she requires a minimum of 120% Effect Hit Rate to fully maximize the damage buff. However, if you’ve managed to attain sufficient Effect Hit Rate through substats, equipping the Firmament Frontline: Glamoth can be a strategic alternative.
It’s noteworthy that Black Swan’s damage-over-time (DoTs) effects scale directly with the ATK stat. Additionally, prioritizing SPD stats can greatly enhance her performance by allowing her to act swiftly and take more turns within a cycle. If Ruan Mei is allies in your lineup, leveraging an ATK% Sphere on Black Swan, as Ruan Mei already provides a substantial damage boost to Black Swan.
Best Light Cone for Black Swan
- Reforged Remembrance
| HP | 48 (level 1) – 1058 (level 80) |
| ATK | 26 (level 1) – 582 (level 80) |
| DEF | 21 (level 1) – 463 (level 80) |
- Eyes of the Prey
| HP | 43 (level 1) – 952 (level 80) |
| ATK | 21 (level 1) – 476 (level 80) |
| DEF | 15 (level 1) – 330 (level 80) |
- Good Night and Sleep Well
| HP | 43 (level 1) – 952 (level 80) |
| ATK | 21 (level 1) – 476 (level 80) |
| DEF | 15 (level 1) – 330 (level 80) |
- Before the Tutorial Mission Starts
| HP | 43 (level 1) – 952 (level 80) |
| ATK | 21 (level 1) – 476 (level 80) |
| DEF | 15 (level 1) – 330 (level 80) |
- Incessant Rain
| HP | 48 (level 1) – 1058 (level 80) |
| ATK | 26 (level 1) – 582 (level 80) |
| DEF | 21 (level 1) – 463 (level 80) |
- It’s Showtime
| HP | 48 (level 1) – 1058 (level 80) |
| ATK | 21 (level 1) – 476 (level 80) |
| DEF | 12 (level 1) – 264 (level 80) |
Best Relics for Black Swan
1. Prisoner in Deep Confinement (4 pieces)
This one is highly beneficial for Black Swan as a Damage over Time (DoT) unit.
- 12% more damage is added to ATK
- For each enemy with a DoT debuff, attacks will ignore 6% of the DEF of the enemy. Stacks up to 3.
2. Prisoner in Deep Confinement (2 pieces), Eagle of Twilight Line (2 pieces)
A combination of Prisoner of the Deep and Eagle of Twilight Line enables Black Swan to inflict a significant amount of Wind Damage to enemies.
- 12% more damage is added to ATK
- Wind damage is increased by 10%.
Best Ornaments for Black Swan
1. Pan-Cosmic Commercial Enterprise
The best Planar Ornament for Black Swan, offering Effect Hit Rate stats and ATK buffs, enhancing her DoTs.
- A 10% increase in the Effect Hit Rate is achieved, accompanied by a simultaneous increase in ATK by an amount equivalent to 25% of the current Effect Hit Rate up to 25%.
2. Space Sealing Station
Proven to be a beneficial early-game set, enhancing Black Swan’s ATK with its effect activated by a mere 120 SPD requirement.
- Having 2 of this ornament will gain the wearer 12% more damage. If they have SPD above 120, they will gain 12% more.
3. Firmament Frontline: Glamoth
Black Swan’s DMG is increased as long as a minimum of 135 SPD is maintained.
- This item enhances the wearer’s ATK by 12%. Moreover, when the wearer’s SPD equals or exceeds 135/160, they deal an additional 12%/18% damage.
Best Stats for Black Swan
- Body: Effect Hit %
- Feet: SPD
- Sphere: Wind DMG or ATK%
- Link Rope: ATK%
Best Substats for Black Swan
- Effect Hit %
- SPD
- ATK%
- Flat ATK
How to Build Black Swan Team Comp
Black Swan Team Comp (Free to Play)
- Sub-DPS: Black Swan
- DPS: Serval
- Support: Asta
- Healer: Natasha
The synergy between Black Swan and Serval is established, as the two DPS characters complement each other within the party dynamic. Serval, in particular, contributes by inflicting Shock DoTs with her kit.
Asta emerges as the optimal free-to-play Support for Black Swan, owing to her provision of SPD and ATK buffs for the entire party.
Black Swan DoT Team Comp
- Sub-DPS: Black Swan
- DPS: Kafka
- Support: Ruan Mei
- Healer: Huohuo
In DoT-centric teams, Black Swan excels, particularly when paired with Kafka as the Main DPS who can trigger her DoTs.
Ruan Mei contributes to the team by enhancing the party’s Break Efficiency and delaying the enemies’ recovery from Break, thereby allowing them to sustain more DoTs before executing their attacks.
Black Swan Abilities
- Basic Attack: Percipience, Silent Dawn – Wind DMG is inflicted to a single target enemy, dealing 30%—66% of Black Swan’s ATK, accompanied by a base chance of 50%—68% to inflict 1 stack of Arcana. Moreover, if the target currently harbors Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn, or Shock, each respectively carries a base chance of 50%—68% to inflict an additional stack of Arcana.
- Skill: Decadence, False Twilight – Wind DMG is dealt to a single target enemy and any adjacent targets, amounting to 45%—99% of Black Swan’s ATK. Simultaneously, the target enemy and the adjacent targets are guaranteed to be inflicted with 1 stack of Arcana. Furthermore, the DEF of the target enemy and the adjacent targets are also guaranteed to be reduced by 14.8%—22%, lasting for 3 turn(s).
- Ultimate: Bliss of Otherworld’s Embrace – Epiphany is inflicted on all enemies for 2 turn(s). Under Epiphany’s influence, affected enemies endure 15%—27% more DMG during their turn, and their Arcana effect is considered as Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn, and Shock effects. Furthermore, when their Arcana effect activates at the beginning of the subsequent turn, the Arcana stacks remain unchanged. The stack non-reset effect can be triggered once within Epiphany’s duration, and its charges are replenished upon reapplication of Epiphany. Additionally, all enemies are dealt Wind DMG equal to 72%—129.6% of Black Swan’s ATK.
- Talent: Loom of Fate’s Caprice – Whenever an enemy target is subjected to a DoT at the commencement of each turn, there exists a 50%—68% base probability for it to suffer from Arcana.
While under the influence of Arcana, enemy targets endure Wind DoT equivalent to 96%—264% of Black Swan’s ATK at the onset of each turn. Each Arcana stack enhances this DoT DMG multiplier by 4.8%—13.2%. Subsequently, Arcana resets to 1 stack. Arcana can accumulate up to 50 times.
Only upon Arcana inflicting DMG at the onset of an enemy target’s turn, Black Swan triggers supplementary effects contingent on the number of Arcana stacks imposed on the target:
- When 3 or more Arcana stacks are present, Wind DoT equivalent to 72%—198% of Black Swan’s ATK is inflicted on adjacent targets, accompanied by a 50%—68% base chance of bestowing 1 stack of Arcana on them.
- When 7 or more Arcana stacks accumulate, the ongoing DoT this time bypasses 20% of the DEF of the target and adjacent targets.
Viscera’s Disquiet: If Skill is used to strike an enemy afflicted with Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn, or Shock, gain 1 stack of Arcana with a 65% base chance for each debuff.
Goblet’s Dredges: A stack of Arcana is inflicted on a target with a 65% base chance upon entering battle. Furthermore, during a single attack by an ally, each time an enemy target receives a DoT, there is a 65% base chance for the target to be afflicted with 1 stack of Arcana, with the potential to stack up to 3 times.
Candleflame’s Portent: DMG is increased equal to 60% of the Effect Hit Rate, to the cap of 72%.
- Technique: From Façade to Vérité – Following the utilization of this Technique, there is a 150% base chance for each enemy to suffer from 1 stack of Arcana at the onset of the subsequent battle. For each effective application of Arcana on a target, an additional stack of Arcana is imposed on the same target. If Arcana fails to proc, the effect ends. Subsequently, for each consecutive application of Arcana on a target, its base chance of success equals 50% of the base chance of the prior successful infliction of Arcana on that target.
Black Swan Level-up Materials
| Level-up | Upgrade Materials | Credit Costs | Reward |
| Level 20 > 30 | x5 Extinguished Core | 4.000 | x1 regular Star Rail Pass |
| Level 30 > 40 | x10 Extinguished Core | 8.000 | None |
| Level 40 > 50 | x6 Glimmering Core, x3 Ascendent Debris | 16.000 | x1 regular Star Rail Pass |
| Level 50 > 60 | x9 Glimmering Core, x7 Ascendent Debris | 40.000 | None |
| Level 60 > 70 | x6 Squirming Core, x20 Ascendent Debris | 80.000 | x1 regular Star Pass |
| Level 70 > 80 | x9 Squirming Core, x35 Ascendent Debris | 160.000 | None |
| In total | x65 Ascendent Debris
x15 Extinguished Core x15 Glimmering Core x15 Squirming Core |
308.000 |
Conclusion
Black Swan is regarded as one of the strongest Damage over Time (DoT) units in-game, with a straightforward game plan centered around applying Arcana onto enemies. The effectiveness of Black Swan’s DoT significantly amplifies as enemies accumulate more Arcana stacks.
Consider pulling for Black Swan to provide a substantial enhancement to your DoT teams, particularly if you have Kafka, as their synergy can greatly elevate your team’s damage potential.
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All Wind characters in Honkai: Star Rail
- Bronya
- Dan Heng
- Blade
- Sampo
- Huohuo
- Black Swan
