Ultimates are special attacks in Honkai: Star Rail, letting you unleash a devastating attack, party-wide buff, and several other effects during combat. Each character has a unique Ultimate that requires a certain amount of Energy to perform in fights.
Out of the 21 playable characters we have available at launch, this ranking is sure to change. For now, these Ultimates are as devastating as they are delightful amid combat. The best part is that these cinematic attacks can be used at any point when available, letting you interrupt enemy turns.
12 Arlan - Frenzied Punishment
Since Arlan's kit is focused around him losing HP to deal more damage, you want to use his Ultimate when he has low HP to capitalise on the damage bonus he receives from his Talent. The ability, Pain and Anger, increases Arlan's damage for every point of HP he's lost to a maximum of 36 percent.
Unleashing Frenzied Punishment will damage a single enemy based on his attack stat, and splash damage will spread to any enemies on either side of your target.
11 Yanqing - Amidst The Raining Bliss
If you want to smack enemies for incredible single-target damage, Yanqing is your guy. As part of his abilities, he uses his battle skill to trigger a passive bonus called Soulsteel Sync. While this passive is active, Yanqing's Ultimate will be enhanced further.
Amidst the Raining Bliss increases Yanqing's crit rate by 60 percent, and if you have Soulsteel Sync active, you get a further 30 percent increase to his critical damage. Both of these buffs will last for one turn, and he will also deal a blisteringly strong ice-imbued attack to a single enemy.
10 Seele - Butterfly Flurry
Playing as Seele is as fun as it is incredibly broken. Her whole kit is wonderfully overpowered, and while her damage multipliers help, it is thanks to her Talent that lets her have another turn if she kills an enemy. This Talent also increases her damage, but killing an enemy under the effects of Resurgence won't trigger another attack for Seele.
This is where her Ultimate can truly shine. Not only does it decimate any foe it strikes, but it also lets her have another attack immediately after with increased damage. It goes without saying, it might be one of the most stylish-looking Ultimates currently in the game.
9 Bronya
As one of the stronger support characters currently in the game, Bronya is easily one of the best you can get your hands on, at the moment. Her Skill lets you manipulate the turn order and buffs your allies and herself substantially.
Her Ultimate continues this trend, providing a party-wide 33 percent attack and critical damage buff for two turns. Time her Ultimate wisely, using it in tandem with her Skill, to significantly power everyone up in one fell swoop.
8 Serval - Here Comes The Mechanical Fever
As of the global launch of Star Rail, Serval is considered a powerful character by many, thanks to her electrical AoE damage and debuff capabilities. Her Skill lets her zap an enemy and any adjacent foes with a high chance of causing the Shock debuff on them.
This will trigger a damage-over-time effect on the foes, making them lose HP on their turn. This is where her Ultimate comes in clutch because not only does it deal a bunch of Lightning damage to every enemy, it will extend the duration of Shock on any enemy who has the debuff for two more turns.
7 Natasha - Gift Of Rebirth
Natasha is one of two healers in the game as of the global launch. Due to this, she's considerably helpful since she is also a free-to-play character you earn through the story. As a healer, her Ultimate is a party-wide heal that will come in handy at several points.
You'll want to keep Natasha around – unless you were lucky enough to get Bailu, whose kit is better in most ways for healing – since Natasha's healing skills are a godsend. The only downside to her Ultimate is that the cutscene is just plain weird. There's a random cleavage shot in there, and her healing comes from shooting a teddy bear into pieces. Because why not?
6 Bailu - Felicitous Thunderleap
As mentioned, Bailu is a better healer than Natasha in almost every single way. Her Ultimate helps keep allies topped off with a heal-over-time, and the animation that plays during her Ultimate is truly wonderful. Who doesn't want to be healed by a magical creature inside a gourd?
While Natasha is split between damage and healing, Bailu is more catered to HP restoration, which is clearly illustrated by her kit that gives her healing the effect of Invigoration. As well as an AoE heal, her Ultimate renews Invigoration or applies it to anyone who doesn't have it.
5 Gepard - Enduring Bulwark
In his Ultimate, Gepard calls down a gigantic wall of ice to protect his allies. Sadly, this Ultimate doesn't deal any damage to the enemies, but it does provide your entire party with a considerably powerful shield that will go a long way in keeping everyone safe.
The shield generated by Gepards Ultimate scales off of his defence stat, which is typically easy to build around. As of the launch, he is the only character who can provide a full shield to every character. The Fire Trailblazer can provide shields, but they are substantially weaker compared to this.
4 Sushang - Shape Of Taixu: Dawn Herald
Sushang's Ultimate looks like an attack that has come straight out of a Yakuza game. She charges up her sword, and then a gigantic chicken appears from it, jumping into the air to descend upon your hapless foes.
The ability does respectable damage, but the main reason her Ultimate is so strong is that it allows her to jump up in the turn order to have the next go. When you consider that triggering an Ultimate already does this, having Sushang interject and take a full turn in the middle of an enemy's attack is stupidly broken.
3 Pela - Zone Suppression
Pela's Zone Suppression Ultimate is a wonderful attack, complete with a brilliant animation. As one of the only characters currently in the game who can remove enemy buffs, her Ultimate goes even further and triggers a defence down debuff every enemy when used.
The damage isn't anything to write home about, but it looks fantastic to use. How could you ever get sick of the incredibly over-the-top anime style of the crosshairs appearing in her glasses? It's always time for a good-old counterattack.
2 Clara - Promise, Not Command
While you might be a bit underwhelmed by Clara, to begin with, you'll learn to love her kit the more you use her. Her Ultimate is what ties her playstyle together in the best way. While it isn't much to look at, Clara calls upon her robot friend, Svarog, to protect her. This gives her a defence boost and significantly increases her chances of being attacked.
Why is this good? Because whenever Clara is hit, Svarog will blast them with a counter. Her Ultimate enhances the damage and gives the counter an AoE, and if that's not enough, the counter will trigger when any of your party members are hit. Use her Ultimate and watch the enemies destroy themselves at the hands of Mr Svarog.
1 Tingyun - Amidst The Rejoicing Clouds
While the game has only recently launched, Tingyun is climbing to the top of several character tier lists. Her kit is geared towards buffing your allies, drawing several comparisons to Bennett from HoYoVerses' other Gacha game, Genshin Impact.
Using Tingyun's ultimate will grant 50 Energy to a party member of your choice and increases their damage by 20 percent for the next three turns. If you didn't know, Energy is required to use an Ultimate, and each one has a specific number it costs. Tingyun is an enabler and playmaker, letting you set up characters to deal massive damage when it's their turn.