Cerydra is a five-star Wind Harmony unit in Honkai: Star Rail. Unlike universal buffers such as Bronya or Robin, she is highly specialized. Her kit revolves around empowering Skill-based DPS units by boosting their damage and, under certain conditions, duplicating their Skills. This makes her a phenomenal partner for specific carries like Phainon or Anaxa, but less impactful if you don’t have the right teammates.
Character Overview
Cerydra’s gameplay is built around Military Merit and its enhanced form, Peerage. Military Merit is applied to an ally through her Skill, boosting their ATK based on Cerydra’s own ATK. Each time the buffed ally uses a Basic Attack or Skill, Cerydra gains a point of Charge, up to a maximum of eight. When she reaches six Charges, Military Merit upgrades to Peerage.
This upgraded state cleanses crowd control from the ally, increases their Skill CRIT DMG by 72%, adds 10% All-Type RES PEN, and enables Coup de Main, which duplicates their next Skill. After the duplicated Skill is triggered, six Charges are consumed and the buff reverts to Military Merit. During Coup de Main, Cerydra cannot accumulate additional Charges, and if you reassign Military Merit to a different ally, all current Charges are reset to zero.
See also: Hyacine Best Builds and Teams Guide– Light Cones, Relics, Stats & Team Comps | Honkai Star Rail
Her Ultimate deals AoE Wind DMG, generates two Charges, and guarantees that at least one ally has Military Merit. If no one currently does, it will automatically apply the effect to the first character in the lineup.
Her Talent further enhances the buffed ally’s ATK and causes Cerydra to deal bonus Wind damage whenever that ally attacks. This additional damage can trigger up to twenty times, after which the counter resets when she uses her Ultimate. Her Technique is also valuable, granting Military Merit before battle and automatically casting her Skill once on the chosen ally without consuming a Skill Point.
Altogether, her kit focuses on empowering Skill-heavy allies, accelerating their rotations, and rewarding teams that carefully manage Charge buildup and timing.
Best Light Cones for Cerydra
Premium Options
- Epoch Etched in Golden Blood (Signature) – Best-in-slot. Grants a massive ATK% boost, restores a Skill Point when she uses her Ultimate, and significantly increases the Skill DMG of the ally she buffs.
- Past Self in Mirror – A universal Harmony option that buffs all allies after her Ultimate and provides teamwide Energy regeneration.
- A Grounded Ascent – Strong synergy with Cerydra, giving stacking DMG bonuses to allies she buffs, while also offering Skill Point refund and Energy regeneration.
Other Recommended Picks
- Flowing Nightglow: Provides ATK after Ultimate use and a teamwide DMG buff.
- Planetary Rendezvous: Great when paired with Wind DPS units like Anaxa or Feixiao.
- But the Battle Isn’t Over: Grants ER%, a one-turn DMG boost for the next ally, and periodic Skill Point refunds—strong if you can time her turn before the DPS acts.
Free-to-Play / 4★ Options
- The Forever Victual: Excellent free option that ramps ATK with each Skill.
- Dance! Dance! Dance!: Advances ally actions after her Ultimate, helping with tempo.
- Carve the Moon, Weave the Clouds: Offers random teamwide buffs (ATK, CRIT DMG, or Energy Regen).
Best Relics and Planar Ornaments
Relics
- Sacerdos’ Relived Ordeal (4pc): The best option, increasing her SPD and granting large CRIT DMG boosts to the ally she buffs.
- Eagle of Twilight Line (4pc): A good early-game set, boosting Wind DMG and advancing her action after using Ultimate.
Planar Ornaments
- Lushaka, the Sunken Seas: The top choice, increasing her ER% while also granting +12% ATK to the first character in the team lineup (if not Cerydra).
- Broken Keel: Works well if you can stack Effect RES, granting teamwide CRIT DMG.
- Penacony, Land of the Dreams: Great when paired with Wind DPS like Anaxa.
- Sprightly Vonwacq: A strong alternative that advances her action at battle start, especially useful when combined with Eagle of Twilight Line for faster rotations.
Stat Priority
- Body: ATK%
- Feet: SPD
- Sphere: ATK%
- Rope: Energy Regeneration Rate
Sub-stats: SPD ≥ ATK% > CRIT DMG > Effect RES (if using Broken Keel).
Target stats: Aim for ~4000 ATK and 140 SPD outside of combat; with her Vici Trace active, this reaches ~160 SPD in combat. 134 and 160 are both practical breakpoints to aim for.
Trace Priority
- Skill: Highest priority, as it defines her buffing power.
- Talent: Equally important, boosting the ally’s ATK and enabling her follow-up Wind damage.
- Ultimate: Worth investing in for more AoE damage and consistent Charge generation.
- Basic Attack: Lowest priority but still useful for long fights.
Bonus Abilities
- Veni: Converts excess ATK into CRIT DMG.
- Vidi: Grants Charge when the buffed ally uses their Ultimate.
- Vici: Boosts SPD for both Cerydra and the buffed ally, while regenerating Energy whenever they act.
Best Teams for Cerydra
Cerydra is at her best when enabling hypercarry DPS units that rely heavily on Skills.
Premium Team
- Phainon (Main DPS): Her best partner, taking full advantage of Peerage and Coup de Main.
- Cerydra (Harmony Support)
- Sunday or Bronya (Action Advance Support): Essential for faster Charge cycles and rotation speed.
- Ice Trailblazer or Huohuo (Sustain): Huohuo is especially strong, providing healing, ATK, and Energy support.
Note: Some players skip sustainers entirely in Phainon teams since he spends much of the fight solo on the field, but Huohuo remains a reliable choice if you prefer safety.
Alternative Team
- Anaxa (DPS): Benefits greatly from Skill duplication, especially when enemies have multiple weaknesses.
- Cerydra
- Sunday or Sparkle (Support): Sparkle adds SP economy and turn advance.
- Gallagher or Lynx (Sustain)
Free-to-Play Team
- Dan Heng, Sushang, Archer, or Feixiao (Skill-focused DPS): Archer and Feixiao especially benefit from the extra Skill cast.
- Cerydra
- Ice Trailblazer (Harmony backup)
- Gallagher or Lynx (Sustain)
Are Cerydra’s Eidolons Worth Pulling?
- E1: The best stopping point. Military Merit allies ignore 16% DEF (or +20% on Skill under Peerage), and allies gain 2 Energy when she casts Skill. This is particularly impactful for Phainon, who benefits from faster Coreflame generation.
- E2: Increases the DMG dealt by Military Merit allies and boosts Cerydra’s own DMG.
- E6: Grants All-Type RES PEN and increases the multiplier for her additional Wind DMG—powerful but very expensive.
- Verdict: E0 is fully functional. E1 is a great investment if you’re pairing her with Phainon.
Should You Pull Cerydra?
Cerydra is worth pulling only if you already have or plan to build Skill-focused DPS units like Phainon, Anaxa, or Archer. With these carries, she unlocks powerful team ceilings. Without them, she is overshadowed by more flexible supports like Bronya, Robin, or Sunday.
Bottom line:
- Phainon owners: Strongly recommended.
- Others: Can be skipped unless you want to invest in niche Skill-heavy comps.
See also: Best Saber Light Cones in Honkai Star Rail: Complete Build & Guide
Cerydra is a specialized Harmony support who transforms the performance of a few select DPS. Built with the right Light Cone, relics, and planar ornaments, she turns Phainon and Anaxa into devastating hypercarries capable of shredding endgame content.
To get the most out of her, aim for around 4000 ATK and 140+ SPD, prioritize Energy Regeneration, and pair her with turn-advance allies to speed up Charge cycles. With careful play, Cerydra becomes a unique and powerful addition to any roster that can take advantage of her Skill-focused buffs.
