Honkai Star Rail 
Artoria Pendragon, famously known as Saber from the Fate/stay night universe, is entering the world of Honkai: Star Rail in a groundbreaking crossover event launching July 11, 2025. As a 5-star Wind-element character following the Path of Destruction, Saber brings with her an iconic blend of regal might and sweeping area-of-effect (AoE) power. With a kit focused on Ultimate synergy and AoE burst, fans from both franchises are highly anticipating her arrival. Let’s explore her full capabilities and why she could be your next must-pull.
Breakdown of HSR Saber Kit
Saber’s skillset is crafted for high damage output and utility, all examples are presented at the skill level of 10, except for Basic Attack, for which, level 6 information is shown:
Basic Attack (Invisible Air: Barrier of the Wind King): Deals 100% of ATK as Wind damage to a single target.
Skill (Strike Air: Hammer of the Wind King): AoE Wind strike that hits multiple enemies, dealing 150% of ATK to main target and 75% to adjacent targets and grants Saber 2 “Core Resonance”, which later can be consumed to further boost the damage multiplier of this skill.
Ultimate (Excalibur): AoE burst that deals 280% of ATK to all enemies at once as Wind damage, followed by 10 hits of 110% of ATK each to random enemies. Also buffs next basic attack.
Talent (Dragon Reactor Core): Saber gains 1 “Core Resonance” point upon entering battle. When an ally uses an Ultimate, Saber gains 3 points, deals 40% more damage for 2 turns, and can regenerate 10 Energy by consuming 1 point.
Technique (Behold, the King of Knights): Boosts Saber’s ATK by 35% for 2 turns and provides 2 “Core Resonance” at the start of the next battle.
This is a pretty impressive kit, which ensures Saber functions as a front-line damage dealer with supportive synergy based on Ultimate timing.
Signature Saber HSR Light Cone
Saber’s exclusive Light Cone is called “A Thankless Coronation“, a Destruction Path Light Cone, which grants the following effects:
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Increases the wearer’s CRIT DMG by 36%.
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Increases the wearer’s ATK by 40% when using Ultimate.
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If the wearer’s Max Energy is ≥ 300:
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Regenerates Energy equal to 10% of the wearer’s Max Energy.
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Increases their ATK by 40% for 2 turns.
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This Light Cone is naturally BiS for Saber and is ideal for maximizing burst rotations.
Saber HSR Materials Which You Will Need
To fully level Saber and her Traces, players will need to stock up on these materials:
3,888,000 Credits
8 Tracks of Destiny
12 Destroyer’s Final Road
73 Conqueror’s Will
65 A Glass of the Besotted Era
139 Moon Rage Fang
71 Usurper’s Scheme
69 Lupitoxin Sawteeth
56 Thief’s Instinct
18 Borisin Teeth
Stockpile them in advance to ensure a smooth progression to max levels for Saber on version 3.4 launch day.
Best Relics for HSR Saber
Optimal relic choices for Saber revolve around boosting her Attack and Critical stats:
Recommended Relic Set: The Wind-Soaring Valorous
- 2-piece: Increases ATK by 12%.
- 4-piece: Increases the wearer’s CRIT Rate by 6%. When the wearer uses a follow-up attack, increases the DMG dealt by Ultimate by 36% for 1 turn.
Alternative Relic Set: Wavestrider Captain
- 2-piece: Increases CRIT DMG by 16%.
- 4-piece: Grants the wearer an ATK boost when they accumulate 2 “Help” stacks—gained by being targeted by an ally’s ability—and then use their Ultimate, consuming the stacks for a 48% ATK increase for 1 turn.
Usable Relic Set if you don’t have any of the above: Champion of Streetwise Boxing
- 2-piece: Increases Physical DMG by 10%.
- 4-piece: Attack increases up to 25% after the wearer attacks or is hit.
Planar Ornaments:
Space Sealing Station for pure Attack scaling.
Celestial Differentiator for Critical Damage and Critical Rate synergy.
Together, these relics amplify her burst potential and sustained damage over time. While Attack boosting relics and ornaments are recommended, Crit options are not far behind, so focus on the set which has the best sub stats.
HSR Saber Team Recommendations
Saber benefits greatly from support characters that fuel her Ultimate and debuff opponents:
Best team for Saber:
Rememberance Trailblazer – Primary CC and debuffer. Reduces enemy SPD and DEF, provides some backloaded damage.
Gallagher – Healer and secondary CC & debuffer. Provides teamwide healing, reduces enemy damage.
Ruan Mei – Buffer. Boosts DMG, Break Effect and SPD. Shreds enemy RES and enables faster Freeze application.
Alternative team for Saber:
Tingyun – Primary buffer & battery. Buffs ATK and damage, restores energy to Saber.
Pela – Primary debuffer. Shreds DEF of enemies and removes their buffs.
Fu Xuan – Sustain. Reduces incoming damage and redirects part of it to herself, also slightly buffs Crit.
Building around Saber’s strengths is key to making the most out of her. If you don’t have some of these characters, there are of course alternatives like Bronya, who provides extra turns, ATK and Crit buffs, Silver Wolf debuffs enemies with Wind weakness and shred their DEF, while Aventurine can support the team with his defensive utility.
What Saber’s Eidolons Add to Her Power Curve
Each Eidolon level significantly upgrades Saber’s gameplay:
E1 The Lost White Walls – Increases DMG dealt by Saber by 50%. After Saber uses a Basic ATK or Skill, additionally gains 1 “Core Resonance.”
E2 The Sealed Round Table – Increases CRIT DMG dealt with enhanced Basic ATK and Skill by 50%. For each “Core Resonance” gained, additionally increases CRIT DMG dealt by 5%. This effect can be stacked up to 10 time(s).
E3 The Fabled Fifteen Centuries – Ultimate Lv. +2, Basic ATK Lv. +1.
E4 The Wondrous Fourteen Nights – Increases Saber’s Wind RES PEN by 4%. After using Ultimate, increases Saber’s Wind RES PEN by 4%, stackable up to 4 time(s).
E5 The Dreamed Utopian Dawn – Skill Lv. +2, Talent Lv. +2.
E6 The Long Fated Night – Increases the RES PEN caused by Saber’s Ultimate DMG by 20%. Upon entering battle and using the Ultimate for the first time, regenerates a fixed 300 Energy for Saber. After an Ultimate is used 4 time(s), this effect can be triggered once more.
While she’s strong at E0, Eidolons push her damage ceiling even higher, making pulls beyond her base form a worthwhile consideration for dedicated players. E1 and E2 are great stopping points, however going all the way to E6 can make it feel like enemy resistances did not exist at all to begin with, which is a massive upgrade for her.
Should You Pull Saber? A Look at Her Strengths and Pull Value
Insights from Saber leaks point to her being one of the strongest limited-time AoE Wind DPS characters. Saber’s kit, while being beginner-friendly scales well with investment and her crossover appeal will be a rare treat for fans of the Fate franchise. Between her efficient damage rotation, powerful buffs, and extensive teammate choices, Saber stands out as a worthwhile addition to most rosters.
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