We independently assess all our recommendations. Purchases through our links may earn us a commission.
Honkai: Star Rail is already a free game, but to make it even more affordable you don’t have to spend anything to get characters– not even those precious Stellar Jades. There are several different ways to obtain free characters in Honkai: Star Rail, and that’s what we’re here for.
We will need to curb some expectations, of course. Free characters in Honkai: Star Rail tend to be weaker, especially when compared to those you can obtain only with Stellar Jades or the ones in featured Warp banners.
Still, they’re must-haves if you’re a dedicated free-to-play player or want to reserve your Stellar Jades ultimately for your target future upcoming waifu or husbando. Here’s how to get all the free ones.
Missions Give You a Lot of Free Characters
The most straightforward method, of course, is as accessible as progressing the main quest. You’ll be promptly rewarded with some staple 4-star (and one 5-star quest character).
They do need to be unlocked as specific levels or progression milestones. So we’ll enumerate each one of them and where they stand in the game’s current meta.
Trailblazer (Male/Female) – Free via Trailblazer Mission
This is one of the few 5-star characters you’ll get for free. The Trailblazer, which comes in male or female versions, can be unlocked soon after the tutorial mission where the game lets you have a brief trial run using Kafka and Silver Wolf.
Keep in mind that you won’t be able to change your Trailblazer once you’ve made a choice. And as far as roles go, the default Trailblazer (Destruction/Physical) is a good all-rounder and can act as both a tank and a DPS. Meanwhile, its Preservation/Fire mode is an excellent tank and shield provider.
Asta – Free via Trailblazer Mission
You can obtain Asta during the Warp tutorial missions, which are introduced early on. She’s one of the best support characters in the entire game and can buff allies’ SPD or Speed. Her passive ability also increases allies’ ATK or attack power.
She’s not a great damage dealer though since she belongs to the Harmony Path, but she’s good enough against any enemy with a weakness to Fire.
Dan Heng – Free via Trailblazer Mission
You’ll need to finish the ‘Eye of the Storm’ Trailblaze Mission in Honkai: Star Rail if you want to obtain Dan Heng. Specifically the ‘Today is Yesterday’s Tomorrow’ chapter.
As far as roles go, Dan Heng is the only Hunt Path character who’s available for free. He’s crucial for a lot of free players since The Hunt characters excel in single-target DPS and are almost mandatory for boss fights.
March 7th – Free via Trailblazer Mission
This talkative one is almost inseparable from Dan Heng; you also obtain March 7th in the same quest as him, and that’s a good thing.
March 7th will likely carry your team to higher Equilibrium levels since she can practically turn anyone into a tank. She’s a Preservation Path character with an Ice Element too, and the latter characteristic is useful for a bit of crowd control.
Herta – Free via Trailblazer Mission/Simulated Universe
To get Herta (or is it just one of her dolls?), you’ll need to complete the ‘Simulated Universe: First Closed Beta’ Trailblaze Mission. You’ll also have to clear Worlds 2, 4, and 6 in the Simulated Universe.
She’s also a decent character for those looking for area damage dealers since she’s on the Erudition Path which focuses on nuking multiple enemies. Moreover, Herta has Ice for her Element, giving her a bit of crowd control potential.
Natasha – Free via Trailblazer Mission
For Natasha, you’ll want to complete the ‘Lying in Rust’ Trailblaze Mission in Jarilo-VI. She’s the reward for that quest.
And you’ll want to complete that one right away since Natasha is one of the two current healers in the game (three soon enough), and she’s the most accessible one. She’ll carry your team better than March 7th, especially at higher levels.
Qingque – Free via Forgotten Hall
You can obtain this slacker after finishing Memory Stage 3 of Forgotten Hall in Honkai: Star Rail. It’s available on the Astral Express and the radial menu.
Qinque has the same role and path as Herta, Erudition Path, but her element is Quantum. Regardless, she’s great if you still need a Quantum weakness breaker and an AoE DPS character.
Yukong – Free via Forgotten Hall
Yukong is one of the latest free characters in Honkai: Star Rail and like Qingque, you can obtain her in the Forgotten Hall by finishing the Memory of Xianzhou Stage 1 of the Forgotten Hall.
Like Tingyun, Yukong is a buffer and she belongs in The Harmony Path while dealing Imaginary damage. Yukong excels in increasing CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG, making her buffs rather straightforward.
Pre-Registration Reward
Sadly, this free character reward is only available for those who have pre-registered for the game prior to Honkai: Star Rail’s release date, which was April 26, 2023.
In case you have forgotten, the game will email you or give you a notification in-game telling you to claim your pre-registration reward. The reward just so happens to be Serval, an Erudition Path character with the Lightning Element and she’s great as a budget Jing Yuan and AoE DPS.
Starlight Exchange Store
Open the menu, check the Store, and then go to the Starlight Exchange section.
You’ll find a couple of time-limited, rotational characters here being sold, usually for 140 Undying Starlight. They’re sort of free since you accumulate the Undying Starlight as a by-product of Warp, and a lot of Star Rail Special Passes and Star Rail Passes (Warp currency) are given for free, along with some Stellar Jades you can exchange for the Passes.
This way, you can get some free 4-star characters like Sampo, Sushang, Tingyun, etc. Though you might want to spend those Undying Starlights wisely, you never know who’s going to pop up next in the rotation.
Stellar Warp Reward
Stellar Warp or the Standard Warp/Banner in Honkai: Star Rail is where the permanent (as in not time-limited) 5-star characters and Light Cones go mixed in with some 4-stars.
It has a special milestone reward where after spending 300 Warps or Passes, you’ll get to choose among one of the seven 5-star characters in the Stellar Warp reward pool.
The catch, of course, is that you have to spend 300 Passes or Warps, which could take months or weeks of restraint and dedication. Along the way on the road to 300, you’ll get several 5-star characters or Light Cones, depending on your luck.
As for who to pick once you have reached the 300-Warp milestone, we recommend either one of these four depending on your needs:
- Bailu – Best healer in the game right now (disregarding Luocha’s impending arrival).
- Yanqing – Impressive single-target DPS that can carry teams.
- Gepard – Best tank and shield provider in the game.
- Bronya – Best support; she can give extra turns to characters.
Or you pick whomever you like regardless of their value in the meta or the gameplay. No pressure. They’re free characters in Honkai: Star Rail, anyway.
