Looking for all Path Types explained and best team compositions in Honkai: Star Rail? Path Types are effectively classes in HoYoverse's turnbased RPG, and they determine the role of different characters in combat. In order to perform optimally, you'll want to pair characters with complementary Path Types and Elements together. On this page, as part of our Honkai: Star Rail guide, we're going to delve into all Path Types explained and best team compositions.

What Are All Path Types and the Best Team Compositions in Honkai: Star Rail?

Honkai: Star Rail: All Path Types Explained and Best Team Compositions 1
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There are seven playable Path Types in Honkai: Star Rail, each derived from a different Aeon or God, according to the lore. On this page, we've included a list of all Path Types explained. We've also included a full list of Elements each character can observe, and some general advice on best team compositions.

All Path Types Explained

Below is a table explaining all seven Path Types a character can belong to, and their overall role in combat. In addition to determining class, your character's Path Type will also specify which Light Cones they can equip.

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Path Name Path Description Gameplay Style
The Destruction Those who follow the Destruction Path admire recklessness, anger, and destructive behaviour. Characters of this Path excel at attacking from the front. They are the strongest when fighting alone in battle.
The Hunt Those who follow the Hunt Path admire determination, ruthlessness, and tenacious behaviour. Characters of this Path have extraordinary single-target damage, which is critical in blitz battles.
The Erudition Those who follow the Erudition Path admire thinking, logic, and strategic behaviour. Characters of this Path have exceptional multi-target, AoE damage. Use their abilities at the right time to turn the tide of battle.
The Harmony Those who follow the Harmony Path admire understanding, support, and cooperative behaviour. Characters of this Path provide buffs to their allies and cooperate with allies to boost the party's overall battle power.
The Nihility Those who follow the Nihility Path admire laziness, exhaustion, and meaningless behaviour. Characters from this Path will debuff their enemies and gain an advantage by reducing the enemy's overall battle power.
The Preservation Those who follow the Preservation Path admire patience, sacrifice, and defensive behaviour. Characters from this Path have powerful defensive capabilities, which can protect allies in many ways.
The Abundance Those who follow the Abundance Path admire selflessness, altruism, and healing behaviour. Characters from this Path can heal wounded allies, making them indispensable in long battles.

All Elements Explained

In addition to Path Type, each character will observe one of seven Elements. Elements are important because they can be used to expose the Weaknesses of enemies. If you use an Element that a specific enemy has a Weakness to, you'll reduce their Toughness bar, which is the white one located above their health. Reducing an enemy's Toughness to zero causes a Break, which prevents them from attacking for a round, opens them up to increased damage, and imbues a special status effect, depending on the Element used.

The seven playable Elements are:

  • Physical (White)
  • Fire (Red)
  • Ice (Blue)
  • Lightning (Pink)
  • Wind (Green)
  • Quantum (Purple)
  • Imaginary (Yellow)

Best Team Compositions

A huge part of the fun in Honkai: Star Rail stems from using your characters to design the best team compositions that complement each other on the battlefield. While there will always be metas in a live service game like this, it's also important to experiment and discover the compositions you personally find fun — especially as this is a single player game, without a competitive element. The best team compositions will depend on which characters you have unlocked and upgraded, but we are going to share some general suggestions on how to design an unstoppable party.

Consider the Task Ahead

If you know what enemies you're going to be facing, then it's good to go into battle prepared. If you know you're going to be coming up against a lot of enemies that are weak to Ice, for example, you can stack your deck in that favour. Generally, though, the game will throw a mix of different enemies at you, and therefore it's good practice to have a spread of different Elements in your team.

Make Tough Decisions

With only four slots in your party, it's impossible to represent all Path Types in your team. As such, you're going to have to make some difficult decisions. For example, do you want a healer in your roster to keep the HP of your squad topped up, or would you rather a defender who can enhance the durability of your characters using shields? Do you want to focus on debuffing your opponents, or would you prefer to buff your teammates? Generally, we'd recommend opting for a couple of damage dealers, a support character, and a healer or shielder — but it really depends on your personal playstyle and what enemies you're up against.

Complement Your Characters' Strengths

If you've got a couple of favourite characters, then it can help to think about what their strengths are and how you can enhance them. For example, Seele is a great single target damage dealer with high critical attributes. Therefore, if you pair her with Bronya, who can raise a character's damage and critical hit rate, the two complement each other perfectly, creating a devastating pair.

Did this page on all Path Types explained and best team compositions in Honkai: Star Rail help you? Let us know in the comments section below, and check out our Honkai: Star Rail guide for more information.