Quick Links
The Herta is a formidable 5-star Ice Erudition character in Honkai: Star Rail, renowned for her potent self-buffs and high damage multipliers. As a primary damage dealer, she benefits greatly from CRIT Rate, CRIT DMG, and ATK, along with any general damage boosts from her Light Cones. Her kit includes a significant 80% CRIT DMG buff, making Light Cones that enhance CRIT Rate particularly advantageous for her. Furthermore, boosts to her Skill and Ultimate are crucial due to her Interpretation mechanic, with a notable preference for Skill enhancements.
While the combination of CRIT Rate and Skill DMG increases is scarce beyond her signature Light Cone, The Herta still has a range of viable options within the Erudition Path. Many of these Light Cones, whether limited or freely available, offer valuable stats and perform comparably well. Here are the top Light Cone choices for The Herta in Honkai: Star Rail.
The Seriousness of Breakfast (S5)
Increases the wearer's DMG by 24%. For every defeated enemy, the wearer's ATK increases by 8%, stacking up to 3 time(s).
The Seriousness of Breakfast is a free Light Cone obtainable through Lucent Afterglow purchases or Echo of War drops. Additionally, a copy can be earned by completing a hidden task on the Herta Space Station. Though not The Herta's optimal choice, it serves well as a temporary option for new players lacking better alternatives. Its straightforward damage boosts make it a reliable placeholder until a superior Light Cone is acquired.
The Day The Cosmos Fell (S5)
Increases the wearer's ATK by 24%. When the wearer uses an attack and affects no fewer than 2 attacked enemies with a corresponding Weakness, the wearer's CRIT DMG increases by 40% for 2 turn(s).
The Day The Cosmos Fell is another free Light Cone that can be acquired with Lucent Afterglow or through Echo of War drops. A free copy is also available by collecting all Origami Birds in Golden Hour. This Light Cone slightly outperforms The Seriousness of Breakfast, though its effectiveness hinges on maintaining its conditional CRIT DMG buff. If players struggle to meet these conditions consistently, its performance may drop significantly. Nonetheless, it's a viable placeholder for The Herta until a more suitable Light Cone is found.
Eternal Calculus (S5)
Increases the wearer's ATK by 12%. After using an attack, for each enemy target hit, additionally increases ATK by 8%. This effect can stack 5 times and lasts until the next attack. If there are 3 or more enemy targets hit, this unit's SPD increases by 16%, lasting for 1 turn(s).
Eternal Calculus is a free 5-star Light Cone purchasable from Herta's Store using Herta Bonds. It offers a substantial ATK% boost, though its performance varies based on the number of targets hit, making it less effective against fewer enemies. However, when fully utilized, Eternal Calculus remains a solid choice. The 16% SPD increase at S5 can also be advantageous for reaching certain SPD thresholds in combat. Like other free options, it serves as a decent interim choice for The Herta until a stronger alternative is secured.
Yet Hope Is Priceless (S1)
Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 16%. While the wearer is in battle, for every 20% CRIT DMG that exceeds 120%, the DMG dealt by follow-up attack increases by 12%. This effect can stack up to 4 time(s). When the battle starts or after the wearer uses their Basic ATK, enables Ultimate or the DMG dealt by follow-up attack to ignore 20% of the target's DEF, lasting for 2 turn(s).
Jade's signature Light Cone, Yet Hope Is Priceless, is a reasonable choice for The Herta, providing a 16% CRIT Rate boost at S1. Although The Herta cannot leverage the Follow-Up buffs, this Light Cone serves well as a reliable stat booster. The 20% DEF penetration for the Ultimate can be beneficial if used early in battle, though it's not ideal as The Herta typically avoids using Basic ATKs. Early in the fight, Interpretation stacks may not be at their peak, reducing the effectiveness of the Ultimate's effect.
Players should not specifically pull for this Light Cone for The Herta, as its performance doesn't exceed some of the more accessible free alternatives. If players already own Yet Hope Is Priceless, it might be more suitable for a character who can fully exploit its effects, considering the close performance of The Herta's free Light Cone options.
Geniuses' Repose (S5)
Increases the wearer's ATK by 32%. When the wearer defeats an enemy, the wearer's CRIT DMG increases by 48% for 3 turn(s).
Geniuses' Repose is an excellent 4-star Light Cone obtainable from the standard Stellar Warp. It provides a substantial 32% ATK increase and a 48% CRIT DMG boost at S5. The Herta needs to defeat an enemy to activate the CRIT DMG buff, which is generally manageable as the effect lasts for three turns. However, its effectiveness diminishes in prolonged battles against single boss targets without regular summons to refresh the buff, such as Hoolay.
An Instant Before A Gaze (S1)
Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 36%. When the wearer uses their Ultimate, the wearer's Ultimate DMG increases based on their Max Energy; Ultimate DMG increases by 0.36% per point of Energy, up to 180 Energy.
Argenti's signature Light Cone, An Instant Before A Gaze, is a strong choice for The Herta. At S1, it offers a 36% CRIT DMG increase and a 64.8% boost to Ultimate DMG. While the Ultimate buff is beneficial, The Herta would ideally prefer Skill DMG or general DMG, which slightly lowers this Light Cone's ranking. Similar to Yet Hope Is Priceless, players should only use this Light Cone if they already have it and should not pull specifically for The Herta.
Before Dawn (S1)
Increases the wearer's CRIT DMG by 36%. Increases the wearer's Skill and Ultimate DMG by 18%. After the wearer uses their Skill or Ultimate, they gain Somnus Corpus. Upon triggering a follow-up attack, Somnus Corpus will be consumed and the follow-up attack DMG increases by 48%.
Before Dawn, Jing Yuan's signature Light Cone, is a robust option for The Herta. Although The Herta cannot benefit from the Follow-Up Attack buff, the Light Cone still offers excellent unconditional stats that enhance her kit. At S1, Before Dawn provides a significant 36% CRIT DMG increase and an 18% damage boost to both Skill and Ultimate. While The Herta would prefer more CRIT Rate due to her A4 Trace, the additional CRIT DMG from this Light Cone remains highly valuable.
Today Is Another Peaceful Day (S5)
After entering battle, increases the wearer's DMG based on their Max Energy. DMG increases by 0.4% per point of Energy, up to 160 Energy.
Today Is Another Peaceful Day is an exceptional 4-star Light Cone that provides a significant and unconditional damage boost. Thanks to The Herta's high 220 Energy cost for her Ultimate, she easily maximizes the Light Cone's effect, yielding a total 64% damage increase at S5. Moreover, it boasts the highest base ATK among all current 4-star Erudition Light Cones, matching the 5-star Eternal Calculus. This makes it the top choice for free-to-play and low-spending players, and some might argue it's a more consistent option compared to the next Light Cone.
Night on the Milky Way (S1)
For every enemy on the field, increases the wearer's ATK by 9%, up to 5 stacks. When an enemy is inflicted with Weakness Break, the DMG dealt by the wearer increases by 30% for 1 turn.
Night on the Milky Way is a powerful 5-star Light Cone obtainable from the standard Stellar Warp. It can perform exceptionally well for The Herta if its effects are consistently maintained. While it can achieve up to a 45% ATK boost at S1, it requires five enemies on the field to maintain those stacks. The Light Cone's performance drops significantly as the number of targets decreases. Additionally, players must ensure at least one enemy is inflicted with Weakness Break to activate the damage buff. Though its consistency may be lower than some other Light Cones, Night on the Milky Way remains a strong choice, especially for Pure Fiction.
Into the Unreachable Veil (S1)
Increases the wearer's CRIT Rate by 12%. When the wearer uses their Ultimate, increases DMG dealt by the wearer's Skill and Ultimate by 60%, lasting for 3 turn(s). After the wearer uses their Ultimate, if this Ultimate consumed 140 or more Energy, recovers 1 Skill Point.
The Herta's signature Light Cone, Into the Unreachable Veil, stands unrivaled as her best-in-slot option due to its immense benefits. It provides a substantial CRIT Rate boost and a generous damage increase to both her Skill and Ultimate. Additionally, this Light Cone recovers a Skill Point each time The Herta uses her Ultimate, making it highly effective for SP-heavy teams. With a base ATK of 635, it also features the highest ATK stat among all currently available Erudition Light Cones. Its value extends to many other Erudition characters, even those who cannot meet the Energy requirement for the Skill Point.
![Taffy Tales [v1.07.3a]](https://imgs.xfsxw.com/uploads/32/1719554710667e529623764.jpg)
