Sparkle or Black Swan? Who Should You Gacha for in the Latest Patch of Honkai Star Rail?

Sparkle or Black Swan? Who Should You Gacha For?

Honkai Star Rail is entering a new chapter where the Astral Express crew will visit the Celebration Planet, Penacony.

Alongside this, there will be several new character banners in the upcoming patch, featuring Sparkle and Black Swan.

While there are also two character re-run banners, I won't discuss those characters in this context. Both Sparkle and Black Swan have vastly different kits, with Sparkle being a Quantum character with the Harmony path.

And Black Swan being a Wind character with the Nihility path. For those of you who are unsure, here are a few tips:

Gacha Black Swan If You Have a Good DOT Team

As mentioned earlier, Black Swan is a character with the Nihility path and excels when played in a Damage Over Time (DOT) team.

She can debuff enemies and increase the DOT damage they receive. So, if you have DOT characters like Gunaifen, Sampo, Luka, and especially Kafka, then gacha-ing for Black Swan is a wise choice.

Gacha Sparkle If You Have Danheng Imbibitor Lunae

Sparkle is a Harmony character who can provide buffs such as crit damage and attack. She can also advance the turns of characters by 50%.

Additionally, she can give extra skill points if brought into battle. Her ultimate can instantly fill a considerable amount of skill points.

Therefore, she can be an excellent support for characters who consume a lot of SP, such as Danheng Imbibitor Lunae. If you have Danheng, it's highly recommended to bring Sparkle home.

Pick Sparkle If You Lack a Strong Support

Support is a crucial role in the game, and having one support character in each team composition is highly beneficial.

Currently, strong support characters include Bronya and Ruan Mei. If you don't have both of them or only have one, I recommend choosing Sparkle.

She is on par with both Bronya and Ruan Mei in terms of support capabilities. For those who lack strong support characters, Sparkle is a solid choice.

In conclusion, both new characters are excellent. However, I would lean towards recommending Sparkle over Black Swan.

Sparkle is more versatile and can be used in any team, whereas Black Swan reaches her full potential in a DOT team. These are just a few tips, so don't take them as strict guidelines.