The meta of Honkai: Star Rail is ever-changing, especially as major new mechanics make their way into the game. Characters like Jing Yuan, long thought powercrept can, can rise again with the addition of a new system or support character. The strongest, like Firefly, can only grow stronger by those same laws. Should you pull for them during their reruns? It depends.
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Characters like Jing Yuan and Firefly rely on different mechanics and character abilities to rise above or fall from their previous station, so choosing to pull for them instead of a new character depends on your account’s needs and future plans.
Why You Should Pull For Jing Yuan
The general of the Xianzhou Luofu was good when he appeared but was quickly overshadowed by the likes of Blade and Jingliu (who were power crept in turn), and pulling for him so long after his release depends on two major factors. The first is: Do you have Sunday? Jing Yuan with Sunday is not on the same continent as Jing Yuan without him as Sunday’s ability to give 100% action forward to a character and their summon (the Lightning Lord, in this case) improves the general’s performance in all modes.
That Sunday also provides another massive damage bonus for characters with summons compared to those without, which means Jing Yuan is the earliest-released character who’s on the receiving end of a flat, universal buff from a later-released support unit.
If you don’t have Sunday, pulling for Jing Yuan is a much tougher sell, regardless of whether you have his signature Light Cone or Eidolons. Adding Remembrance characters to his team, particularly Remembrance or summon-focused supports like Sunday, is liable to turn the tables.
In short, pull for Jing Yuan if:
- You have Sunday and have the Stellar Jade to spare.
- You want to have a character who likely works with Remembrance supports from Amphoreus.
- You think he’s cool, and you want him on your team. He is the reinforcements, after all.
Why You Should Pull For Firefly
Super Break is an absurdly powerful DPS mechanic, and it’s unlikely to go away even as new damage metagame emerges. Firefly is at the heart of Super Break, showcasing its true potential after Boothill gave everyone a look at what it could do in single-target scenarios. So, should you pull for her? The answer is a bit clearer.
Two of the best units to play alongside Firefly are either free (Harmony Trailblazer) or more easily accessible 4-star characters (Gallagher). Ruan Mei is the only other limited 5-star that most players consider a must-have with Firefly, but she’s more of a luxury for getting 110% out of Firefly, not an absolute necessity. You will see a marked drop in damage without her, for what it’s worth, though.
If you pull for Firefly and Fugue, you don’t need Harmony Trailblazer, especially as the Trailblazer unlocks additional Paths and takes up spots on other teams. If you don’t pull for Fugue, Harmony Trailblazer is the one clear requirement to make Firefly viable.
Aside from all of those factors, the primary reason to pull for Firefly is her DPS, which is high and consistent enough, making her usable for years, even as additional mechanics begin to outstrip her even at her highest potential. The one note against her is that Firefly’s team compositions are incredibly restrictive to take her to her pinnacle, and in that way, she’s kind of like Jing Yuan’s need of Sunday for relevance.
Endgame Considerations
Besides their general utility, one of the greatest measures of a character’s long-term worth is how many seasons of the endgame modes they are relevant for. You also need to think about the holes in your team compositions that either character could fill.
- Memory of Chaos: The primarily single-target mode, Memory of Chaos has always been Firefly’s bread and butter, and her team has been at the top of the clear lists since her release. As an Erudition character, Jing Yuan has never been a single-target specialist, but with Sunday, he’s more than useable.
- Pure Fiction: Erudition is the Path built to conquer the Pure Fiction game mode thanks to its AoE damage focus, and Jing Yuan is now one of the best units for it. As a Destruction unit, Firefly isn’t 100 percent optimal but is still a top-tier choice.
- Apocalyptic Shadow: Firefly massacres Apocalyptic Shadow because it’s the Break endgame mode, and any team that can quickly and easily break enemy weaknesses will dominate there. So long as Jing Yuan can do so (based on the current boss selection), he’s not far behind.
You need to do a quick audit of your DPS units. If you have a well-built Himeko, Herta, and especially units like Rappa, you probably don’t need Jing Yuan, and vice versa. If you have multiple good primary DPS characters like Acheron, Feixiao, or Yunli, you might not need Firefly. Adding them to your roster only brings value and expands your options, of course, so the choice is yours to make.
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