TL;DR
- Yao Guang is a 5-star Physical character on the Elation path, focusing on Punchline generation and enabling significant burst potential for Elation teams.
- Her core mechanics involve deploying a Zone that increases allies' Elation and allows for Punchline generation through Basic ATKs and Skills during its duration.
- Yao Guang's Ultimate grants Punchlines, triggers an Aha Instant for an extra turn, and applies resistance penetration, making her pivotal for burst damage strategies.
Disclaimer: This summary was created using Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The Yao Guang build Honkai Star Rail conversation is heating up fast as Version 4.0 brings this Elation support into the spotlight with a unique kit that changes how Elation teams function and push burst damage windows. Yao Guang is a 5-star Physical element character on the Elation path whose whole kit revolves around Punchline generation, Elation buffs, and enabling Aha Instants for massive burst potential in coordinated teams.
Early community feedback and data mining shows Yao Guang’s mechanics are unlike typical supports in Honkai Star Rail and give players a strong reason to rethink team synergy around Elation damage.
Who Is Yao Guang and How Her Kit Works

Yao Guang’s core identity is built around the Elation mechanic, which rewards teams that consistently build Punchlines and time their abilities right. Her skill deploys a Zone that lasts several turns and increases all allies’ Elation based on her own Elation stat. While that Zone is active, attacking with Basic ATKs or Skills generates Punchlines, which are a shared resource for Elation damage.
Her ultimate grants a chunk of Punchlines and triggers an Aha Instant, which gives one extra turn for burst combos and increases team resistance penetration, helping damage cut through tough defenses. This makes Yao Guang a core enabler in damage-focused teams built around Elation.
Her kit also includes passive effects that boost team Elation when she hits certain speed breakpoints, tying her stat priorities into speed and Elation scaling in a way that is rare in other support characters.
See Also: All Working Honkai Star Rail Codes: Free Stellar Jade & More
Yao Guang Kit Breakdown and Skill Priority

Yao Guang’s kit is built around setting up windows of Elation burst, not dealing damage herself. Every part of her kit feeds into Punchline generation, Aha Instants, and teamwide scaling, so understanding how her skills interact is key to playing her correctly.
Basic Attack
Her Basic Attack is straightforward and mainly exists to generate Skill Points. It becomes more relevant while her Zone is active, since Basic Attacks contribute to Punchline generation under the right conditions. You generally use this to maintain SP balance once her setup is complete.
Skill
Yao Guang’s Skill is the centerpiece of her kit. Activating it deploys a Zone that lasts multiple turns and increases all allies’ Elation based on Yao Guang’s own Elation stat. While this Zone is active, allies generate Punchlines when using Basic Attacks or Skills. Enabling consistent resource buildup for burst turns.
This is the ability you want to keep active as much as possible, and it is the main reason speed and energy regeneration are so important for her build.
Ultimate
Her Ultimate immediately grants Punchlines and triggers an Aha Instant, allowing one ally to take an extra action. On top of that, it applies resistance penetration buffs that let Elation damage punch through high-defense enemies. This Ultimate defines Yao Guang’s role as a burst enabler rather than a passive buffer.

Timing the Ultimate correctly is crucial. Using it right before your main damage dealer acts can completely swing a fight.
Talent
Yao Guang’s Talent enhances Punchline efficiency and further boosts team Elation when specific conditions are met. It rewards proper rotation planning and reinforces the idea that she performs best in coordinated teams that can capitalize on short, explosive damage windows.
Technique
Her Technique provides early combat setup by generating Punchlines at the start of battle. Therefore helping Elation teams reach their first burst faster. This is especially useful in endgame content where early momentum matters.
Skill Priority
For leveling and optimization, the priority is:
- Skill
- Ultimate
- Talent
- Basic Attack
Maxing her Skill and Ultimate first ensures her Zone uptime and burst enabling stay consistent throughout longer fights.
Best Light Cones for Yao Guang Build Honkai Star Rail

Your Light Cone choice can make or break Yao Guang’s impact in combat. And the current consensus from multiple guides is clear on what really moves the needle:
When She Decided To See (5-Star)
This is Yao Guang’s signature Light Cone and the best choice in almost all scenarios. It increases her speed, boosts allies’ crit rate and crit damage, and improves energy regeneration to help her use her ultimate more often.
Alternative Options
If you are still chasing her signature cone, Mushy Shroomy’s Adventures is a solid 4-star option that increases Elation and applies a debuff to enemies, boosting their damage taken. Today’s Good Luck can work too, with crit rate and stacking Elation bonuses that help her supportive role.
Prioritize Light Cones that improve speed and energy regeneration. As Yao Guang’s zoning and Punchline generation rely on drawing speed thresholds and enabling frequent ultimates.
Yao Guang build Honkai Star Rail: Relics, Stats and Ornament Recommendations

Relics play into Yao Guang’s performance in a massive way. She scales with speed and team buffs more than raw attack or defense alone. A few relic sets stand out:
Best Relic Set
- Diviner of Distant Reach (4pc) is widely regarded as Yao Guang’s best relic set. The 2-pc increases speed, and the 4-pc provides crit rate bonuses at high speed breakpoints (120 and 160), plus team Elation buffs on her first Elation skill use. This turns speed investment directly into team value.
Alternative and Ornament Sets
- Lushaka, the Sunken Seas helps with energy regeneration and ATK buffs for your main carry if Yao Guang is second or third in the lineup.
- Sprightly Vonwacq provides extra energy regen and faster starts for ultimates in tricky rotations.
Stat Priorities
Focus first on speed, then crit rate and crit damage, with additional energy regeneration as a bonus. Yao Guang starts with relatively low base speed and benefits enormously from getting above key thresholds for her relic bonuses.
See Also: Aventurine HSR Best Builds and Teams – Full Build Guide
Team Compositions For Yao Guang Build Honkai Star Rail
Yao Guang shines strongest in teams that can capitalize on her buffing and Punchline generation. Traditional Elation teams lean into burst windows created by Aha Instants. A few effective comps include:
Mono-Elation Core
- Sparxie (5-Star Fire Elation DPS)
- Yao Guang (Support)
- Sparkle (Crit DMG buff + SP management)
- Sustain unit (e.g., DHPT or Huohuo)
This team focuses on Punchline stacking, strong crit buff synergy, and multiple burst opportunities throughout fights.
Hybrid Comps
Some players mix in Harmony or other Path characters with Elation for flexibility, especially in late-endgame content spec builds where resource generation matters. Yao Guang’s consistent Elation buffs make that easier without sacrificing performance.
Yao Guang Build Honkai Star Rail: Eidolon Investment
Investing in Yao Guang’s Eidolons can meaningfully increase her effectiveness, but it is not required to make her work well. Her E1 provides the most immediate value by increasing fixed Punchlines and granting additional defense penetration effects that scale well in tougher battles. E2 and above add speed and additional Elation, boosting both utility and damage.
Most players target E1 first for the biggest impact, and then decide how far to push based on resource availability and team needs.
Pre-Farming Materials Before Release
No Yao Guang build Honkai Star Rail is complete without a pre-farming guide. If you want to hit the ground running as soon as Yao Guang lands, pre-farming her ascension and trace materials is a smart move. Guides list the major materials you will need, including Whimsy Wax, Dreamweave Steel, Lucid Awl, and storyboard collectibles, plus a hefty credit cost for full ascension and trace upgrades.
Farming these ahead of time lets you push her Skills and Traces quickly after she joins your roster.
See Also: HSR 4.0 Banners Leaks: Yao Guang, Sparxie, and What’s Next
Yao Guang represents a fresh kind of support in Honkai Star Rail that rewards players who love coordinated burst play and team synergy. Instead of just buffing a single stat, she brings Elation scaling, Punchline generation, and tactical Aha Instants that can flip the damage curve in your favor when timed well.
Her signature Light Cone, emphasis on speed and crit scaling, and team compositions that revolve around Elation make her one of the most unique builds we have seen. If you plan to use her as a core support, start planning your relics, Light Cones, and team synergy now and pre-farm the materials so you can optimize her as soon as she arrives.
And when you are ready to pull for her banner or stock up on jades, don’t forget you can top up Honkai Star Rail on Joytify to fuel your Honkai Star Rail journey to maximum build potential.
TL;DR
- Yao Guang is a 5-star Physical character on the Elation path, focusing on Punchline generation and enabling significant burst potential for Elation teams.
- Her core mechanics involve deploying a Zone that increases allies' Elation and allows for Punchline generation through Basic ATKs and Skills during its duration.
- Yao Guang's Ultimate grants Punchlines, triggers an Aha Instant for an extra turn, and applies resistance penetration, making her pivotal for burst damage strategies.


