Serval can use the different light cone choices well, whether they are free or not.
Serval, the oldest daughter of the Landau family, is one of the first characters that players can use for free. This is because so many people pre-registered for Honkai: Star Rail. So, players who want to build a team with Erudition characters but don’t have access to Himeko or Jing Yuan, for example, may find this rogue rock star to be a good choice.
Serval can specialize in different things, which can make it hard for players to figure out how to build her at first. For example, she can be a Shock DoT enabler, which opens up a unique way to play when combined with other characters like Sampo, or she can be a mix of AoE and single-target damage dealer. Serval is lucky that she has a number of free-to-play and non-free light cone options that let her do the most damage possible and give her other benefits.
Make The World Clamor
- Base ATK (LVL 80): 476
- Base DEF (LVL 80): 396
- Base HP (LVL 80): 846
- Effect : The wearer gets back 20/23/26/29/32 Energy right away when they go into fight, and Ultimate DMG goes up by 24%/30%/36%/42%/48 %.
Make The World Clamor was originally a 4-star gacha light cone, but players who took part in the All Stars Invite web event before and during the first weeks of Honkai: Star Rail’s release were able to get it for free. Its artwork, by chance, shows Serval. Those who didn’t miss out can use this light cone as one of the free ways to play Serval. Its importance can change based on the content. For example, the first Energy it generates in Simulated Universe may not be as important after you unlock higher levels in the ability tree. In other material, though, it can be useful because Serval’s ultimate attack does a lot of damage and scales well, like some 5-star characters. Also, Make the World Clamor increases the damage of the ultimate without any conditions. You could also try Geniuses’ Repose if you want a gacha choice instead of Make The World Clamor.
The Seriousness of Breakfast
- Base ATK (LVL 80): 476
- Base DEF (LVL 80): 396
- Base HP (LVL 80): 846
- Effect : Adds 12%/15%/18%/21%/24% to the wearer’s DMG. The wearer’s ATK goes up by 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, or 8% for every enemy they beat, and this can happen up to 4 times.
Seriousness of Breakfast is another great free-to-play light cone for Serval. You can always get it by finishing certain Trailblaze Missions or by going to the Forgotten Hall Light Cone Store. It can also be maxed out by finishing enough Forgotten Hall levels and weekly bosses to get enough Lucent Afterglow. The second effect of this light cone only happens when foes are killed, but the first effect increases Serval’s total damage output, including her DoT and ultimate damage, without any conditions. This light cone is especially useful in fights with waves of enemies or boss fights where the boss, like Cocolia, often calls in more enemies.
Today Is Another Peaceful Day
- Base ATK (LVL 80): 529
- Base DEF (LVL 80): 330
- Base HP (LVL 80): 846
- Effect : When the wearer goes into fight, their DMG goes up based on their Max Energy. Up to 160 Energy, each point of Energy adds 0.2%/0.25%/0.3%/0.35%/0.4% to DMG.
Today Is Another Peaceful Day is not a free-to-play choice like the other two. Instead, players must spend real money to buy Nameless Glory and redeem it at level 30 of the game’s patch-wide seasonal battle pass, Nameless Honor. But Today Is Another Peaceful Day can be very helpful for Drive Mad players who want to wear a 4-star option for Serval because they don’t have any 5-star options that work or because they plan to use other light cone options from Nameless Glory. This is because Serval has a high maximum energy needs, like many other Erudition characters, and equipping this light cone can make her damage go up by a lot.
Night on The Milky Way
- Base ATK (LVL 80): 582
- Base DEF (LVL 80): 396
- Base HP (LVL 80): 1164
- Effect : The wearer’s ATK goes up by 8%/10%/12%/14%/16% for every enemy on the field, up to 5 times. When Weakness Break is used on an enemy, the wearer’s DMG goes up by 24%/30%/36%/42%/48% for one turn.
Night on the Milky Way is usually thought of as Himeko’s signature 5-star light cone, but Serval can also use it well because it gives a big boost to ATK when fighting a lot of enemies. Also, Serval isn’t usually built around Weakness Break because she’s more focused on her DoT potential. However, if she’s on a team with characters who can effectively Weakness Break opponents, like Pela or Asta, she can get a lot of extra damage from this light cone. But unlike Today Is Another Peaceful Day, Night on the Milky Way is more temporary and depends on how your team is made up and who your opponents are. This makes it harder to get. In some situations, the 4-star choice may be better because of its versatility and flat damage increase. This is in contrast to the ATK increase, which can have diminishing returns.
Before Dawn
- Base ATK (LVL 80): 582
- Base DEF (LVL 80): 396
- Base HP (LVL 80): 1164
- Effect : The wearer’s CRIT DMG will go up by 32%/40%/48%/56%/64%. Adds 20%/25%/30%/35%/40% to the wearer’s Skill and Ultimate DMG. Somnus Corpus is given to the user after they use their Skill or Ultimate. When a follow-up attack is triggered, Somnus Corpus is used up, and the damage of the next attack goes up by 48%/60%/72%/84%/96%.
With its large increase in Crit DMG and boosts to Skill and Ultimate DMG, Jing Yuan’s signature 5-star light cone is also a great choice for Serval and many other Erudition characters. But it’s important to note that Serval can’t use the extra ability that makes follow-up attacks stronger because she doesn’t have any follow-up strikes of her own. Still, given the importance of the first two effects that happen no matter what, it is still the best choice for Serval, even if it helps characters like Himeko or Jing Yuan more.
Honkai: Star Rail is now available for Android, iOS, and PC. A version for the PlayStation is in the works.
