Since HoYoverse launched the rerun banners in Honkai Star Rail, it’s worth looking back at older characters, which were released over the last year. One of them, which was probably the hottest unit of all time, is Kafka and our favorite Stellaron Hunter is ready to make his comeback very soon!
It’s no secret that Honkai Star Rail Kafka has been a fan favorite since the release of its “Dramatic Irony” trailer! Its spider-themed visual design and overall intimidating vibe is simply unmatched and many players, including me, immediately fell in love with it!
And there’s good news for those who couldn’t get Kafka when it came out: it will rerun in the second half of version 1.6, starting January 17. But is she still as strong as before, and is it still worth shooting for her now?
Let’s take a closer look at Kafka again!
Honkai Star Rail: Is Kafka still worth it in version 1.6?
One thing we should clarify up front: If you really like Kafka, whether it’s because of its design, its gameplay or perhaps even its lore, you should totally have it!
Never forget that in Honkai Star Rail, almost any character can accompany you throughout the game, provided you have built a good team around them! Don’t be afraid to choose a character that you I really like to play, just because they might not be at the top of the tier list!
Kafka’s roles
To find out if you should consider supporting Kafka in its next replay, we’ll first look at its role within a team and the benefits it has to offer your account.
Kafka is a pretty special character, due to his pretty unique skill set. It is a DPS unit, which follows the path of Nihility. and for this reason, it relies 100% on damage over time (DoT) effects, which can be caused by breaking your enemies’ weaknesses. Kafka falls into the category of DoT enablers. These DoTs will damage any affected unit at the start of a new turn. Besides that, some characters apply their DoTs with their abilities, like Guinaïfen and Luka For example!
The DoT effects of each element after a break of weakness:
- Lightning: Shock
- Physical: Bleed
- Fire: Burn
- Wind: Wind shear
The other three types of combat, being Ice, Quantum and Imaginary, have a different Weakness Braking effect, which will still deal damage to the enemy target at the start of the next turn, however, these instances of damage do not count as DoT. Ice will apply Freeze, Quantum applies Tangle and imagination Imprisonment.
One of a kind
However, back to Kafka! She’s basically the queen of DoT because of her “Caress the Moonlight” skill. For the cost of one skill point, this ability will instantly retrigger all DoTs currently on a targeted enemy, allowing them to explode an additional time. With this skill, Kafka can deal insane amounts of damage if you pair her with at least two other units, which can apply damage over time effects.
“Playing the violin and shooting a gun both require flexible fingers, but bullets are more obedient. » -Kafka
Currently, no other character can use DoTs like this, which makes her truly unique in this regard! This also means that the The likelihood of Kafka coming to power in the near future is rather unlikely. She will remain an amazing unit, as long as DoTs are a thing, and the best part is that Kafka will just get stronger with new characters coming, who also apply powerful DoTs, like Black Swan for example!
Recent Kafka improvements
As I mentioned before, after the release of Kafka, HoYoverse gave us an even more fun and super strong character who can apply DoTs quite easily! This makes building teams with Kafka much easier, since you’re not limited to using only Sampo and Luka! One of them is definitely Guinaifen, who afflicts enemies with Burn using his skill on them.
Another thing that makes Kafka even stronger now than he was when he was freed is the a brand new set of relics called “Prisoner in Deep Containment”. This set is purely designed for units that play around the DoT mechanic, and as such, gives it a huge damage boost!
Prisoner in deep detention has the following effect:
- 2 rooms: ATK increases by 12%.
- 4 rooms : For each DoT the target enemy is afflicted with, the wielder will ignore 6% of their DEF when dealing DMG. This effect is valid for a maximum of three DoTs.
To conclude, Kafka is still an amazing DPS, if you understand his kit and know how to build him the right way! Aside from that, its playstyle is quite satisfying and seems really suited to its overall design and story. If you like the idea of letting your enemies die slowly and painfully, Kafka might be for you! Kafka = Great recommendation!
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