Ruan Mei is recognized as an exceptional support character in Honkai Star Rail, and arguably one of the top choices available. This Ice-element scholar stands out due to her impressive array of buffs, which can be activated with minimal delay, effectively increasing the Break Efficiency of her entire team—a unique advantage among her peers.
Although she is indispensable for Break-centric teams, Ruan Mei’s utility extends beyond that role. With the right build, she can provide significant advantages in a wide range of team compositions. Here’s a detailed guide on crafting the optimal Ruan Mei build in Honkai Star Rail.
Optimal Ruan Mei Build in Honkai Star Rail
As a 5-Star character from the Path of Harmony, Ruan Mei commands the battle with her Ice element. Her skillset is impressive, particularly her Skill—String Sings Slow Swirls—which grants her allies Overtone, enhancing both their damage and Weakness Break Efficiency. This unique capability positions her as a critical asset for Break-oriented squads.
Moreover, Ruan Mei’s ability to boost her teammates’ damage, Speed, and Resistance Penetration (Res Pen) through her Skill and Ultimate ensures her relevance across numerous team formations. Given sufficient Energy and Skill Points, she can maintain these buffs throughout extended encounters.
If you’re interested in comprehensively building Ruan Mei, consider checking our detailed guide on the materials needed for her ascension and traces.
Best Ruan Mei Light Cones
5-Star Light Cones
The Past Self in the Mirror Light Cone enhances Ruan Mei’s Break Effect by 60%. Following the usage of her Ultimate, it boosts all allies’ damage by 24% for three turns. If her Break Effect exceeds 150%, she gains a Skill Point. Additionally, at the beginning of each battle wave, she provides a 10 Energy restoration to her allies.
4-Star Light Cones
The Memories of the Past increases Ruan Mei’s Break Effect by 28%. It also generates 4 Energy upon attacking, providing a valuable resource for her team, with this effect limited to once per turn.
Another excellent choice is Carve the Moon, Weave the Clouds, which activates at the start of Ruan Mei’s turn. It offers one of three buffs to her allies: a 10% Attack increase, a 12% Crit. Damage increase, or a 6% Energy Regeneration Rate boost. The buff applied cannot repeat the most recently applied effect and remains active unless Ruan Mei is knocked out in battle.
3-Star Light Cone
Meshing Cogs allows Ruan Mei to recover 4 Energy whenever she attacks or is attacked, although this can occur only once per turn.
Best Ruan Mei Relics
To maximize Ruan Mei’s effectiveness, the optimal Relic set is the Watchmaker, Master of Dream Machinations, offering the following benefits:
- Two-piece effect: Break Effect increases by 16%.
- Four-piece effect: After using her Ultimate, Ruan Mei enhances the Break Effect of all allies by 30% for two turns.
Alternatively, if you lack a suitable Watchmaker set, consider the Messenger Traversing Hackerspace set:
- Two-piece effect: Speed increases by 6%.
- Four-piece effect: When her Ultimate is used, Ruan Mei boosts the Speed of all allies by 12% for one turn.
For substats, prioritize Speed for the Feet Relic, while the Body Relic should ideally grant additional Break Effect or enhance HP%/DEF%. Keep an eye out for Break Effect, HP%, and DEF% on Gloves and Leg pieces as well.
Best Ruan Mei Ornaments
The leading choice for Ruan Mei’s Ornaments is Sprightly Vonwacq, which raises her Energy Regeneration Rate by 5%. At 120 Speed or higher, it advances her action by 40% immediately when entering battle.
The secondary preferred option is Broken Keel, raising Ruan Mei’s Effect Resistance by 10%. Once her Effect Resistance hits 30% or more, all allies benefit from a 10% increase in Crit. Damage.
Regarding substats for her Ornaments, look for HP% or DEF% on the Sphere to increase survivability. Similarly, aim for Energy Regeneration or Break Effect on the Link Rope. If utilizing the Broken Keel set, prioritize additional Effect Resistance on the Link Rope to easily reach the threshold needed for the second effect of this Ornament.
Ruan Mei Traces Priority
In building Ruan Mei, her Skill should be the first to prioritize, as it provides essential buffs for damage and Weakness Break Efficiency. Following that, focus on leveling her Ultimate, which enhances allies’ All-type Res Pen while inflicting Thanatoplum Rebloom on enemies. This mechanism hinders the enemy’s ability to recover from Weakness Break, granting your team substantial damage opportunities.
Next, enhance her Talent for team speed boosts and Break Damage contribution when allies trigger Weakness Breaks. Finally, while leveling the Basic Attack is crucial, it should be your last focus.
Here is the recommended order for leveling Ruan Mei’s Traces:
- Skill
- Ultimate
- Talent
- Basic Attack
Best Teams for Ruan Mei
Ruan Mei excels as a support character and fits seamlessly into diverse team configurations in Honkai Star Rail. The strongest composition involves Break Effect with Firefly as the primary damage dealer. Other DPS options capable of dealing Break damage include Boothill, Rappa, or March 7th: The Hunt.
- Ruan Mei
- Firefly (or Boothill, Rappa, March 7th: The Hunt)
- Harmony Trailblazer
- Lingsha (or Gallagher)
While this Break Effect team may not cater to all free-to-play players, the Harmony Trailblazer is accessible through Star Rail’s narrative. However, obtaining characters like Firefly and Lingsha may present challenges if they’re not already in your roster.
Fortunately, alternatives such as Gallagher, a 4-Star healer, work excellently with Ruan Mei and Firefly, especially given Firefly’s Fire weakness application.
Additionally, Ruan Mei synergizes well with damage over time (DoT) teams. If you have Kafka, teaming her with Ruan Mei alongside characters like Black Swan or the free-to-play option Sampo and a healer such as Huohuo or the damage-dealing shield provider Gepard creates another solid team configuration.
Is Ruan Mei Worth It in Honkai Star Rail?
Absolutely! Ruan Mei stands out in Honkai Star Rail with her unique kit. She is one of the few support characters that players should consider acquiring when the opportunity arises, as she effortlessly fits into diverse team setups and significantly enhances gameplay. If you aim to establish a robust Break team, Ruan Mei is an essential character to invest in.
However, if you possess Bronya, known for providing substantial Crit. Damage and Attack buffs, you may find her to be a sufficient alternative support character in your roster. Nonetheless, Ruan Mei undeniably simplifies various combat scenarios, making her a valuable addition to any team.
For further insights on Honkai Star Rail, explore our guides on Dr. Ratio, Jing Yuan, and Yanqing builds. Don’t forget to check our Honkai Star Rail codes for free Stellar Jade, which can facilitate your warping needs!
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