Fu Xuan might be small, but she is mighty. The pink-haired woman leads the Xianzhou Luofu’s Divination Commission and represents one of the Six Charioteers, the six leaders of the Xianzhou Luofu. Known as the Master Diviner, she has a reputation as one of the most powerful figures onboard the ship. A character’s role doesn’t necessarily translate to how well they perform in battle. Thankfully, in Fu Xuan’s case, it does.
Fu Xuan is the latest 5-star character to debut in Honkai: Star Rail 1.3. You only get so much Stellar Jade through your daily activities, so it’s important to save it for the most worthy characters to stay free to play. Here’s what you need to know to decide if Fu Xuan is worth that investment.
When is Fu Xuan’s banner?
Fu Xuan is the featured 5-star for the second half of Honkai: Star Rail 1.3. Her banner is currently live and will be available until October 10.
Fu Xuan will run with the following 4-stars:
- Lynx (Quantum/Abundance)
- Hook (Fire/Destruction)
- Pela (Ice/Nihility)
Lynx, the youngest Landau sibling, just joined the roster in Honkai: Star Rail 1.3. She’s the first 4-star to enable AoE cleanse, aka remove debuffs from all teammates with her Ultimate. Even if you miss out on Fu Xuan, you might be lucky enough to nab her as a healer.
Why you should pull for Fu Xuan
You should pull for Fu Xuan if:
- You don’t have a 5-star Preservation or Abundance unit
- You’re tired of your team comps revolving around the same few characters
- You like her as a character
Fu Xuan is a versatile unit that fits into many team comps. Her main appeal is her ability to solo sustain, meaning she can keep an entire team alive without help from another character. If you have Gepard, Honkai: Star Rail‘s “ultimate shield,” then you can pull off the same effect. Even then, he can’t compete with the other perks that Fu Xuan offers.
Fu Xuan specializes in damage reduction instead of shielding like other Preservation characters. Her skill creates an effect called “Matrix of Prescience” that distributes damage from teammates to herself and raises teammates’ HP and Crit Rate for three turns. Fu Xuan can self-heal, so there’s no worry about whether she can stay afloat or not. If her HP dips below 50%, it triggers her talent which heals her almost back to full health.
There’s been a long-standing dilemma with Preservation characters: you generally need a healer if there’s any possibility of teammates losing a significant amount of health. A fully built Gepard can protect allies from almost all damage, but you have to keep his Ultimate constantly charged. You can trigger Fire Trailblazer’s shields fairly often, but they are paper thin in comparison. March 7th can apply a sturdy shield to one ally with her Skill each turn, but that leaves room for enemies to attack the other allies without protection. When built optimally, Fu Xuan can eliminate these worries.
One of Fu Xuan’s trace abilities also unlocks her healing potential. She doesn’t have as much outgoing healing as a true healer like Natasha or Lynx. That said, her damage mitigation makes it so that your units shouldn’t take that kind of damage. Her buffs also mimic the kind you could get from a Harmony character, so you have more options for how to play around with your team.
Should you pull for Fu Xuan?
Objectively, yes. You should pull for Fu Xuan because she’s currently the Preservation unit with the most utility in the game. Definitely pull for her if you don’t have other 5-star Preservation and Abundance units like Gepard, Bailu, and Luocha.
Honkai: Star Rail is the kind of game where you can get by with even just 4-star units. However, super units like Fu Xuan can make boss battles a breeze and help you clear difficult content like that in the Forgotten Hall’s Memory of Chaos. Her unique kit can significantly boost your team’s survivability without worrying about keeping shields up. Even better, Fu Xuan’s own survivability makes her a pillar for any team.
Honkai: Star Rail is currently available for PC, iOS, and Android.
