Best Clara builds and skills in Honkai: Star Rail

Clara stands out among all five-star characters in Honkai: Star Rail. Protected by her guardian humanoid robot Mr. Svarog, this Physical-type character from the Destruction path takes countering to a whole another level that you might have never seen before.

Clara’s skills in Honkai: Star Rail

Clara features an unorthodox playstyle where the more enemies attack her, the more damage they will be countered with. While this mechanic is not new in games, Clara’s entire kit is built around reducing damage taken and countering enemies.

To take maximum advantage of Clara’s countering, you need to match her up with suitable a Light Cone, Relic Set, and fully-leveled Traces. You must focus on reducing the damage taken by her in fights. It will allow her to act as a pseudo-tank as she will be able to last longer on the battlefield while taunting enemies with her kit.

Basic attack: Clara deals Physical damage equal to 70 percent of her ATK on a single enemy.
Skill: Clara attacks all enemies dealing 78 percent of her ATK as Physical damage. Enemies who had been previously marked with Svarog’s Mark of Counter will receive an additional 78 percent of her ATK as physical damage and have the mark removed.
Ultimate: Clara’s Ultimate gives her a higher chance of attracting enemy aggression and reduces the damage she takes further by 18 percent. Svarog’s counter capabilities are also enhanced and he retaliates even when allies get attacked for two turns. His damage multiplier increases by 115 percent against the attacking enemy while the adjacent ones receive 50 of this damage dealt.
Talent: Clara is protected by Svarog which allows her to negate 10 percent damage from enemy attacks. Svarog marks these attacking enemies with a Mark of Counter and retaliates with a counterattack dealing his Physical damage equal to 104 percent of Clara’s ATK.
Technique: Clara attacks enemies immediately after entering the battle. She also gets a higher chance of receiving enemy attacks for the next two turns.

Clara’s Traces allow her to become more resilient against enemy debuffs as well as increase her counter capabilities. You can unlock and ascend them as your Equilibrium Level rises in the game.

Kinship: Whenever Clara receives an attack, she has 35 percent fixed chance of removing an enemy debuff placed on her.
Under Protection: Clara has a 35 percent higher chance of resisting enemy crowd control debuffs.
Revenge: Svarog’s counter damage increases by 30 percent.

Whenever you get a duplicate Clara from the Warp pull, you can use it to unlock her Eidolon Resonance skills.

Tall Figure: Using a skill no longer remove Marks of Counter from Clara’s enemies.
A Tight Embrace: After using her ultimate, Clara’s ATK increases by 30 percent for 2 turns.
Cold Steel Armor: Increases the levels of Clara’s skill and basic attack by +2 and +1 with a maximum possible increase limit of level 15 and level 10 respectively.
Family’s Wrath: After Clara gets hit by an enemy, she takes 30 percent reduced damage until the end of the turn.
A Small Promise: Increases the levels of Clara’s Ultimate and talent by +2 each and both have a maximum possible increase limit of level 15.
Long Company: When other allies are attacked, Svarog has a 50 percent fixed chance of countering the enemy and apply a Mark of Counter. After using Clara’s ultimate, the number of enhanced counters available increases by one.

Clara’s best build for Honkai: Star Rail

Light Cones

Clara’s five-star signature Light Cone, Something Irreplaceable helps her regain health while taking down enemies. If you cannot get it from Starlight Exchange or Warp pulls, you can also look at other options like Nowhere to Run, A Secret Vow, and The Moles Welcome You are also viable with her build.

Something Irreplaceable

Rarity: Five Stars
Path: Destruction
Ability: Increase the wearer’s ATK by 24 percent. When they defeat an enemy, restore HP equal to eight percent of their ATK and also increase their damage by an additional 24 percent until the turn ends. This can only be triggered once every turn.

Nowhere to Run

Rarity: Four Stars
Path: Destruction
Ability: Increases the wearer’s ATK by 24 percent. Whenever they take down an enemy, they restore HP equal to 12 percent their ATK.

A Secret Vow

Rarity: Four Stars
Path: Destruction
Ability: Increases the damage dealt by the wearer by 20 percent. They also deal extra 20 percent damage to enemies having a higher HP percentage than them.

The Moles Welcome You

Rarity: Four Stars
Path: Destruction
Ability: When the wearer uses a basic attack, skill, or ultimate, the wearer gains a stack of Mischievious. Each stack increases their damage by 12 percent.

Relics

To make Clara shine in skirmishes, you can equip her with the Champion of Streetwise Boxing Relic Set. For the Planar Sphere and Link Rope, having Herta’s Space Station and Herta’s Wandering Trek respectively can give her a signigicant boost.

Champion of Streetwise Boxing

Two-piece set bonus: Increases Physical damage by 10 percent.
Four-piece set bonus: After the wearer attacks or is hit, their ATK increases by five percent for the rest of the battle. This effect can stack up to five times.
Cavern: Cavern of Corrosion: Path of Jabbing Punch
Location: Storage Zone, Herta Space Station

Space Sealing Station

Two-piece set bonus: Increases wearer’s ATK by 12 percent. If their speed is 120 or more, it raises ATK by a further 12 percent.
Location: Simulated Universe World Three, Herta’s Office, Herta Space Station.

You can level up and ascend your Light Cones and Relics to the maximum as your Equilibrium Level rises in the game. Building up Clara with the appropriate Light Cone and Relic Set will increase her survivability and the damage of her counter attacks.

If you want to create a team around Clara, March 7th should be your first priority pick. You can use March’s skill to give shield to Clara and help her taunt enemies more easily. Get a healer like Natasha or Bailu that can save you in tough situations. The final spot on the team can be taken by a damage dealer or a buff/debuff specialist depending on your needs.

You can also check out our guides of other five-star characters like Gepard and Welt in Honkai: Star Rail.