Honkai Star Rail Black Swan Teams
Black Swan teams look a bit different than you might be used to.
UPDATE 11/12/2024: We have updated this page with some new and alternative suggestions of characters that could be used in a Black Swan team in Honkai Star Rail.
Putting together your Honkai: Star Rail Black Swan teams means giving more thought to damage-over-time (DOT) than you might be used to. Black Swan can apply her Arcana stacks alone, but she needs at least one other DOT character to reach her full potential. Kafka is an ideal choice thanks to her unique setup, but you’re not lacking choice when it comes to alternatives.
Our Honkai Star Rail Black Swan teams guide puts together three strong team possibilities for the 5-star Nihility character, including an F2P team.
If you're looking for more Black Swan help, check out our Black Swan kit overview, our picks for the best Black Swan build, and a rundown of the Black Swan materials you need.
Honkai Star Rail Black Swan Teams
You can use Black Swan as a general debuffer for any team in Honkai Star Rail, since she reduces enemy defense if they have seven or more Arcana stacks and makes them take more damage with her ultimate. Reaching that point and making the most of her abilities means having at least one other DOT character on your team, though.
Black Swan Nihility Team
- Black Swan
- Kafka, Acheron, or Serval
- Ruan Mei, Sampo or Guinaifen
- Healer/sustain character of your choice
Running a Nihility team means Black Swan’s Arcana stacks are almost always going to exceed the minimum threshold for at least the first bonus effect, heavy wind damage that scales on her attack, and probably some of the higher thresholds as well.
Kafka is the ideal choice if you have her, since she shocks enemies and triggers all active DOT effects once with her skill, but Serval with good energy regeneration is a strong choice as well. She’s not Nihility, but her kit almost guarantees she’ll shock with her skill and ultimate. An alternative Nihility damage dealer you could opt for is Acheron, however.
As for your characters who will help amplify Black Swan and your second damage dealer, Sampo might seem unnecessary, but Honkai Star Rail counts Arcana stacks as separate from Wind Shear. However, I’d recommend Guinaifen if she’s in your roster. Firekiss deals extra damage in addition to burn and helps wear foes down more quickly. You could also try Ruan Mei if you have her, with her kit complimenting Black Swan's nicely by improving most of her stats.
Nihility characters are fragile, so make sure to fill the team’s last slot with a healer. Considering the Path of Nihility isn't exactly overflowing with sustain characters, you're probably better off opting for a Preservation or Abundance character here, such as Aventurine, Huohuo, Gallagher, or whoever you have an affinity for.
Is Luka good with Black Swan in Honkai Star Rail?
Luka is a 4-Star character that fits well with Black Swan in the right circumstances. He’s a single-target attacker, unlike other Nihility characters, so he’s better in situations against one, maybe two foes – boss fights, for example, or Memory of Chaos challenges against enemies with physical weakness. Otherwise, you have a better chance of inflicting bleed with Clara or Argenti.
Black Swan DPS Team
- Black Swan
- Kafka or DOT character of your choice
- Asta
- Huohuo
This team puts your DOT character and Black Swan in the starring roles, with Asta on hand to buff their attack and help them act more quickly. If you’re thinking of running someone other than Kafka, you could use Tingyun to buff your team and have Black Swan as her primary target. The hefty attack buff and energy regeneration boost helps maximize her damage and Arcana application.
As for DOT characters to consider other than Kafka, you've a few options! There is 4-Star, free character Sampo, who similarly dishes out Wind damage, the fiery Guinaifen and Jiaoqiu, as well as the aforementioned Luka and Serval.
Meanwhile, Huohuo keeps everyone’s HP topped up and removes debuffs. Luocha or Lynx are good replacements, since they cleanse debuffs as well.
Black Swan F2P Team
- Black Swan
- Asta
- Serval
- Natasha or March 7th (E6)
Black Swan’s F2P team functions as a hybrid of the other two teams we put together. Serval triggers Arcana stacks with her shock skills, and Asta buffs everyone’s attack and speed.
Natasha provides healing and can soften enemies with physical weakness, though if you have March 7th’s Eidolons maxed out, you could consider using her instead. Her shield heals the target character at E6, and she’s handy for freezing and delaying enemies.
If you're wondering who else might work with Black Swan, check out our Honkai Star Rail tier list, and head over to our Honkai Star Rail codes page for some freebies to help with your next pull.