Black Swan in Honkai Star Rail: Best Build and Team Guide

Black Swan in HSR is a legendary wind character belonging to the Path of Nihility. Performs the functions of a damage dealer and debuffer in teams that play from the imposition of periodic effects (DoTs). Her main feature is the unique status of Arcana, which allows you to apply all such debuffs to enemies at once, i.e. Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn and Shock. In addition, she is able to reduce the defense of several enemies.

Despite the high degree of usefulness in any DoT team, in other builds she weakly competes with other units focused on debuffs. Accordingly, she is considered a narrowly focused hero, which is revealed only in synergy with specific characters. However, in the selected niche she demonstrates excellent results, decently accelerates damage and brings a lot of benefit to each ally thanks to the built-in mechanics.

The Heroine's Story

Black Swan is a fortune teller and a Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection. A warm smile often plays on the girl's face as she listens attentively to her next interlocutor in order to cover the entire flow of necessary information. Her main hobby is traveling through countless worlds and planets in order to collect unique memories.

How to Get the Character

The Black Swan can be dropped in the Event Warp: Character called Ripples in Reflection.

In order not to miss the rerun of Black Swan or other limited heroes, we recommend following the banner schedule.

Features

The exact values ​​of each basic stat of the heroine can be found in the table below.

How Black Swan's Skills Work

The heroine's mechanics are focused on applying debuffs. She uses her skills to inflict damage on one or more enemies and applies the Wind Shear status, which causes the affected monsters to take damage at the beginning of each turn. At the same time, she is able to lower defense by using her skill and increase the damage taken by enemies with her ultimate.

The main feature of the Memokeeper is accumulation of Arcana levels, the a debuff that deals additional damage if peiodic damage is inflicted. In addition, she can apply all existing DoTs (Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn, Shock) due to the ultimate, which makes her a great character for teams that play through periodic statuses.

Active skills

Passive Skills

Leveling Order

Talent > Superpower = Skill = Basic Attack

The priority can be defined as follows:

1. Talent - Affects the "explosion" of Arcana, and also increases the multipliers for each stack. In addition, deals additional damage depending on the number of stacks.
2. Ultimate - an area attack and the Epiphany status, which increases the damage taken by enemies.
3. Skill - deals damage to multiple targets, allows you to impose Arcana status level and reduce defense.
4. Basic attack although it has the lowest damage, it also affects the chance of triggering Arcana, and there is a chance of applying several stacks at once.

Traces

After leveling all the traces, the total increase in characteristics will be as follows:

Eidolons

Best Black Swan Eidolons are E1, E4 and E6.

• First eidolon — Applies a debuff that reduces enemy elemental resistance depending on their current status. For example, if the target is under Burn, their resistance to fire is reduced. Considering that Arcana is considered Wind Shear, the seer receives the buff almost constantly.
• Fourth Eidolon - Reduces enemy resistance to effects while the Epiphany status from the ult is active, which increases the likelihood of applying all debuffs, including Arcana. In addition, Black Swan will be able to additionally restore energy at the beginning of the enemy's turn or after killing them.
• Sixth Eidolon — with a certain probability places a stack of Arcana on the enemy target after any ally's attack. Another nice bonus is that there is always a 50% chance to place an additional stack. Works on roughly the same principle as E2, but is much easier to implement and allows you to gain all 50 levels during the battle.

F2P players are advised to stick to E1.

How to play Black Swan

The principle of playing for a character is to gain levels of the Arcana status, which is a wind DoT by default, but can transform into Bleed, Burn, and Shock after using the ultimate. The Menokeeper gains stacks from active abilities, traces, and some Eidolons.

It is worth considering that each Arcana level application has its own chance. For this reason, the listed methods do not guarantee them. This is affected by both the resistance to enemy effects and EHR value. In addition, after the debuff is triggered, all stacks are reset to 100.

Let's take a closer look at Black Swan's rotation:

1. Before the battle starts, use support techniques, as well as From Façade to Vérité. This will allow you to apply 1 or more levels of Arcana debuff with a certain probability. You can start the battle with any team.
2. When it's the Memokeeper's turn, use the skill Decadence, False Twilight on the central opponent to cover as many targets as possible. After that, with some chance, the skill will give 1 level and lower the defense of enemies for 3 turns.
3. While other characters are active, use skills that apply periodic statuses to provide additional stacks. If the enemy is under DoTs, they can be activated, which will also give up to 3 levels from one hit (the Goblet's Dredges trace).
4. If there are several enemies on the battlefield, use your ult Bliss of Otherworld's Embraceto deal wind damage to an area and apply Epiphany to all targets for 2 turns - monsters under this debuff will begin to receive increased damage. At the same time, Arcana will become all DoT effects at once, and the number of accumulated stacks will not reset on the next turn.
5. Subsequently, try to always use the skill or basic attack exclusively on targets that are under periodic debuffs. This is important for quickly accumulating levels until the debuff itself is triggered.

All about character leveling

This section contains all the materials needed to upgrade your heroine.

Ascension materials

Level	Material 1	Material 2	Material 3
30	Credits ×4 000	Extinguished Core ×5
40	Credits ×8 000	Extinguished Core ×10
50	Credits ×16 000	Glimmering Core ×6	Ascendant Debris ×3
60	Credits ×40 000	Glimmering Core ×9	Ascendant Debris ×7
70	Credits ×80 000	Squirming Core ×6	Ascendant Debris ×20
80	Credits ×160 000	Squirming Core ×9	Ascendant Debris ×35

To level up to 80 you will need the following resources:

• Credits (×888 000).
• Extinguished Core (×15), Glimmering Core (×15), Squirming Core (×15) are consumable components that are dropped by killing Fragmentum monsters.
• Ascendant Debris (×65) is a material that can be obtained by completing the Stagnant Shadow: Shape of Celestial challenge.
• Traveler's Guide (×289), Adventure Log (×6), Travel Encounters (×3).

Skill Leveling Materials

Skill	Material 1	Material 2	Material 3	Material 4
Basic attack Percipience, Silent Dawn	Credits ×240 000	Extinguished Core ×6 Glimmering Core ×7 Squirming Core ×7	Fiery Spirit ×3 Starfire Essence ×8 Heaven Incinerator ×11
Skill Decadence, False Twilight	Credits ×652 500	Extinguished Core ×9 Glimmering Core ×13 Squirming Core ×7	Fiery Spirit ×3 Starfire Essence ×15 Heaven Incinerator ×30	Tracks of Destiny × 2 Past Evils of the Borehole Planet Disaster ×3
Ultimate Bliss of Otherworld's Embrace	Credits ×652 500	Extinguished Core ×9 Glimmering Core ×13 Squirming Core ×7	Fiery Spirit ×3 Starfire Essence ×15 Heaven Incinerator ×30	Tracks of Destiny × 2 Past Evils of the Borehole Planet Disaster ×3
Talent Loom of Fate's Caprice	Credits ×652 500	Extinguished Core ×9 Glimmering Core ×13 Squirming Core ×7	Fiery Spirit ×3 Starfire Essence ×15 Heaven Incinerator ×30	Tracks of Destiny × 2 Past Evils of the Borehole Planet Disaster ×3

To upgrade all abilities, you need to collect the following materials:

• Credits (×2 196 000).
• Extinguished Core (×33), Glimmering Core (×46), Squirming Core (×28).
• Fiery Spirit (×12), Starfire Essence (×53), Heaven Incinerator (×101) is a component that can be obtained by completing the Calyx (Crimson): Bud of Nihility challenge.
• Tracks of Destiny  (×6) is an item that is awarded for completing weekly tasks in simulated universe, leveling the Nameless Honor and participating in events.
• Past Evils of the Borehole Planet Disaster (×9) - a reward received for defeating a boss Starcrusher Swarm King: Skaracabaz.

The order of leveling traces

Skill / Stat	Material 1	Material 2	Material 3	Material 4
Attack Power +4%	Credits ×2 500	Extinguished Core x2
Viscera's Disquiet	Credits ×5 000	Fiery Spirit ×3	Past Evils of the Borehole Planet Disaster ×1
Wind damage +3,2%	Credits ×5 000	Fiery Spirit ×3	Extinguished Core ×6
Attack Power +4%	Credits ×10 000	Starfire Essence ×3	Glimmering Core ×3
EHR +4%	Credits ×10 000	Starfire Essence ×3	Glimmering Core ×3
Goblet's Dredges	Credits ×20 000	Starfire Essence ×5	Tracks of Destiny ×1	Past Evils of the Borehole Planet Disaster ×1
Attack Power +6%	Credits ×20 000	Starfire Essence ×5	Glimmering Core ×4
Wind damage +4,8%	Credits ×45 000	Heaven Incinerator ×3	Squirming Core ×3
Attack Power +6%	Credits ×45 000	Heaven Incinerator ×3	Squirming Core ×3
Candleflame's Portent	Credits ×160 000	Heaven Incinerator ×8	Tracks of Destiny ×1	Past Evils of the Borehole Planet Disaster ×1
EHR +6%	Credits ×160 000	Heaven Incinerator ×8	Squirming Core ×8
Wind damage +6,4%	Credits ×160 000	Heaven Incinerator ×8	Squirming Core ×8
Attack Power +8%	Credits ×160 000	Heaven Incinerator ×8	Squirming Core ×8

List of resources used to upgrade traces:

• Credits (×802 500).
• Extinguished Core (×8), Glimmering Core (×10), Squirming Core (×30).
• Fiery Spirit (×6), Starfire Essence (×16), Heaven Incinerator (×38).
• Tracks of Destiny  (×2).
• Past Evils of the Borehole Planet Disaster (×3).

Strengths and Weaknesses

Let's take a closer look at the heroine's strengths and weaknesses.

Best Black Swan Builds in Honkai: Star Rail

The Memokeeper, being a representative of the Path of Nihility, specializes in debuff enemies and obtaining special levels of the Arcana status, which is considered Wind Shear or all DoT effects at once after using the ultimate. Taking into account the features of the mechanics and gameplay, the Black Swan build in HSR is based on the selection of the following characteristics:

• ATK - Increases overall DPS, including abilities and statuses that deal damage over time.
• Effect Hit Rate - Increases the chance to apply debuffs, affects the bonus damage from the Candleflame's Portent trace.
• Speed - Allows you to perform actions more often and use a skill/basic attack to accumulate Arcana levels.

If we talk about break effect, only the damage received by enemies after their white resistance bar (armor/shield) is completely reduced depends on it. The fortune teller mainly applies Wind Shear due to the debuff, but the opposite situation can also occur, so the indicator is optimally looked for in the lower stats.

Recommended Stats

Priority auxiliary characteristics (sub-stats):

• EHR;
• attack power and speed;
• break effect.

The optimal final values ​​of stats that are recommended to have on the character:

• Attack Power (ATK): 2-900 and more.
• Speed: 134/143/160, 134 is recommended.
• Effect Hit Rate: 120%_ - this value will allow you to get the max. gain from the Candleflame's Portent trace. At the initial stages of leveling, it is advisable to reach at least 100%.
• HP (health): 3 and more.
• DEF: 900 and more.
• Break effect: 20-30% and more.
• Energy recharge: 100% and more

Light Cone Rating

When choosing a weapon, please note that it must match the character's path - in our case, the Path of Nihility. The priority characteristics are as follows:

• EHR;
• increased damage dealt, including periodic damage;
• ATK.

Name	Description	Recommendation
Reforged Remembrance ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ HP 48-1058 ATK 26-582 DEF 21-463	Increases EHR by 40-60%. When the owner deals damage to enemy targets with Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn or Shock, gains 1 lvl of Prophet. Maximum - 4 stacks. During one battle, each type of periodic damage can only add 1 lvl of Prophet. Each level increases attack power by 5-9%, and also allows periodic damage to ignore 7,2-10% of defence.	The signature significantly increases EHR, and also provides an increase to ATK if opponents are under DoT status. An additional and no less important point is ignoring enemy defense when dealing periodic damage. The MemoKeeper is able to get max stacks on her own due to her ult, which makes Arcana not only Wind Shear, but all other DoTs as well.
Patience Is All You Need ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ HP 48-1058 ATK 26-582 DEF 21-463	Damage dealt is increased by 24-40%Each hit increases the speed by 4,8-8%. This can stack up to 3 times. When the owner hits an enemy without Erode, has a base 100% chance to inflict this status on the target. The enemy with Erode is also considered to have Shock. The enemy with Erode takes periodic Lightning damage equal to 60-100% of ATK of the owner, at the beginning of each turn for 1 turn.	Light Cone buffs all DPS and speed after a hit, making it easier to reach certain speed "points". However, the "card" is most interesting because it allows you to use Erode on an enemy. Since this status is considered as periodic damage from Shock, it will help you gain Arcana levels faster and more consistently.
Those Many Springs ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ HP 43-953 ATK 26-582 DEF 24-529	The owner has an increased EHR + 60-100%. If he uses a basic attack, skill, or ultimate to hit an enemy, that enemy has a base 60% chance of being inflicted with the Unarmored status. An enemy with the Unarmored status receives 10-18% more damage for 2 turns. If the owner has applied a periodic damage effect to an enemy target, then with a base chance of 60%, the Unarmored status is enhanced to the Cornered status, with which the damage taken by the enemy is increased by another 14-22% also for 2 turns. Under the conditions of the last debuff, the owner is not able to apply the Unarmored status on the enemy.	The weapon will significantly simplify the search for EHR parameter, which is one of the most important characteristics for the heroine (remember that there is no point in gaining more than 120% due to the trace condition). Although the bonus will not provide additional attack power and will simply raise the overall incoming damage of the enemy with the status, this equipment option is still quite strong.
Eyes of the Prey ⭐⭐⭐⭐ HP 43-952 ATK 21-476 DEF 15-330	Increases the chance of hitting the equipped character's effects by 20-40% and periodic damage by 24-48%.	An excellent weapon with a simple but extremely useful passive effect. The main advantage of the "card" is that it has no conditions for activating bonuses or restrictions on their duration. This, in turn, has a positive effect on the final DPS.
Good Night and Sleep Well ⭐⭐⭐⭐ HP 43-952 ATK 21-476 DEF 15-330	Damage dealt is increased by 12-24% for each existing debuff on the target enemy. The bonus stacks up to 3 times and applies to damage over time.	Depending on the enemy's debuff, the weapon increases DPS. In a classic DoT team, the heroine will constantly gain full stacks, receiving a 36% bonus to damage. However, she can stack the bonus without outside help by reducing the defense from the skill, as well as the Arcana and Epiphany debuffs.
It's Showtime (F2P) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ HP 48-1058 ATK 21-476 DEF 12-264	When the wearer applies a debuff to an enemy, that target gains a Trick status level. Each level of Trick increases damage by 6-10%. The maximum number of stacks is 3. If the owner's effect hit chance is greater than or equal to 80%, his attack power increases by 20-36%.	A strong F2P weapon that allows the user to stack levels when debuffing enemy targets. These stacks increase all damage dealt by up to 30% at S5. Light Cone has additional synergy with the heroine, as it increases ATK based on the hit rate of the effects, which is one of the main stats of the character.
Before the Tutorial Mission Starts (F2P) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ HP 43-952 ATK 21-476 DEF 15-330	Increases EHR by 20-40%. When the owner attacks an opponent with reduced defense, he recovers 4-8 energy.	A good F2P option that increases EHR, which affects the probability of applying debuffs, and the bonus damage from the Candleflame's Portent trace. Considering that the skill is able to reduce defense, she does not need certain heroes to trigger the second part of the passive, restoring energy.
Fermata (F2P) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ HP 43-952 ATK 21-476 DEF 15-330	The wearer's break effect is increased by 16-32%. The wearer's damage dealt to Shock and Weathered enemies is increased by 16-32%. This effect also applies to damage over time.	Since Arcana counts as Wind Shear, and under the ultimate also Shock (and all other DoT statuses), the fortune teller can easily get a % bonus to DPS even without outside help. At the same time, in an alliance with Kafka or Serval, this will be even easier.
Solitary Healing (F2P) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ HP 48-1058 ATK 24-529 DEF 18-396	The wearer's break effect is increased by 20-40%. Using the ult increases the periodic damage dealt by the wearer by 24-48% for 2 turns. Defeating an enemy with a damage over time effect applied by the owner restores 4-8 of energy.	Free cone of Herta's shop. By default, it increases Break Effect, which allows you to deal more damage after reducing enemy toughness, but most importantly, it provides an increase in all DPS after using the ultimate. An additional bonus to energy recovery will further speed up the process of charging the ult, which activates the main weapon buff.
Incessant Rain ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ HP 48-1058 ATK 26-582 DEF 21-463	Increases EHR by 24-40%. When the owner deals damage to an enemy whose number of existing debuffs is greater than or equal to 3, his critical chance increases by 12-20%. After using a basic attack, skill, or ultimate, there is a 100% chance to place Ethereal Code on the target. The damage received by the enemy under this status is increased by 12-20% for 1 turn.	Light Cone consistently provides EHR, which already makes it a worthy option. Although the crit chance is not particularly needed by the Memokeeper, since she primarily specializes in periodic rather than instant damage, she will also benefit from an overall increase in DPS. To do this, you need to use any skill, and then with a 100% chance, the Aether Code will be applied.
In the Name of the World ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ HP 48-1058 ATK 26-582 DEF 21-463	Increases damage dealt to debuffed enemies by 24-40%. When the owner uses a skill, the chance of the skill's effects hitting increases by 18-30%, and the attack power is 24-40%.	Considering that periodic damage is considered a debuff, and in addition, the girl is able to lower the defense of opponents with her skill (sometimes with her ult), she has no problem activating the first part of the passive. Having an increase to EHR will also be useful, since it will increase the probability of applying Arcana. However, this only applies to the skill.
Resolution Shines As Pearls of Sweat ⭐⭐⭐⭐ HP 43-952 ATK 21-476 DEF 15-330	When the owner hits an enemy that does not have the Ensnared status, he has a base chance of 60-100% to impose the status of Ensnared on this opponent. The defense of the enemy with the status of Ensnared is reduced by 12-16% for 1 turn.	The weapon allows you to apply a special status Ensnared. In combination with the skill, the overall defense cut can be about 32%, if the cone is R1, and the heroine's ability is leveled up to level 9-10. Since the debuff lasts only a turn, in order for the clairvoyant herself to use it, it is necessary to apply the status with an attack or skill and, before the turn ends, use the ultimate (if it has time to charge).
Void ⭐⭐⭐ HP 38-846 ATK 14-317 DEF 12-264	At the start of combat, increases the chance of the wearer's effects hitting 20-40% for 3 turns.	Weapons for beginners. Gives a chance to hit effects in a fairly large number, especially at maximum awakening. However, the main drawback is that the buff only lasts 3 turns. Often, at the beginning of the game, battles are not that long, so the boost can be enough for the entire battle. However, you can equip any other 3-star “card”.

What relics and ornaments are needed

When choosing relics, as in the case of the light cone, it is worth giving priority to sets that provide an increase in its main parameters.

Cavern relics

Name	Effects	Recommendation
Prisoner in Deep Confinement	2 parts: Increases attack power by 12%. 4 parts: For each damage over time effect the enemy has (up to a max of 3), when dealing damage, the owner ignores 6% of that enemy's defense.	The best relic set. Increases ATK and allows you to ignore up to 18% of defense if enemies are under Wind Shear, Bleed, Burn or Shock, which is a powerful buff and synergizes well with the skill. Taking into account the fact that the clairvoyant can supernaturally apply all statuses with periodic damage at once, the passive will work on an almost constant basis, especially in alliance with other DoT characters.
Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters Prisoner in Deep Confinement (or Musketeer of Wild Wheat)	2 parts: Increases damage dealt to enemies with Debuffs by 12%.  2 parts: Increases attack power by 12%.	An excellent 2x2 option with bonuses to increase DPS depending on the number of debuffs applied, and ATK, which scales not only skills, but also periodic damage.
Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters Eagle of Twilight Line	2 parts: Increases damage dealt to enemies with Debuffs by 12%.  2 parts: Increases wind bonus by 10%.	Another optimal combination. It is recommended to use, for example, if there is a planar sphere for ATK, and not wind damage, to balance the characteristics, or if there is no Ruan Mei in the team.
Eagle of Twilight Line	2 parts: Increases wind bonus by 10%. 4 parts: After using the ultimate, action advances by 25%.	Alternatively, you can use a full Wind set, which advances the action after using your Ultimate. This allows you to start your next turn earlier, which is generally beneficial, but can also cause desyncs in your team. It's worth using only if you know how to set up the rotation correctly.

Planar ornaments

Name	Effects	Recommendation
Pan-Cosmic Commercial Enterprise	2 Piece: Increases EHR by 10%. Attack power increases by an amount equal to 25% of EHR, up to a maximum of 25%.	The chance of getting hit by effects is one of the key parameters for the character due to the need to constantly apply Arcana and other debuffs, as well as the % bonus to damage from the third trace of Candleflame's Portent. At the same time, the set increases ATK depending on this characteristic. Please note that to get the maximum bonus, you need at least 100% of EHR.
Firmament Frontline: Glamoth	2 parts: Increases the owner's attack power by 12%. If the owner's speed is greater than or equal to 135/160, the damage dealt increases by 12%/18%.	A great planar decoration for increasing DPS if you can get 120% EHR from other sources. If you don't have the minimum Haste value, you can use Asta, Hanyu or Ruan Mei in your team. Since the difference between the min. and max. bonus is small, the set works well in any situation.
Space Sealing Station	2 parts: Increases attack power by 12%. When speed reaches 120 or higher, attack power is increased by an additional 12%.	Optimal set available in one of the starting worlds simulated universe (3rd world) Provides an increase to ATK, and also doubles it if the fortune teller's speed is above 120 units. Since this is the minimum threshold, which is achieved by equipping light speed boots, it is difficult to get the full increase.
Talia: Kingdom of Banditry	2 parts: Increases break effect by 16%. If the owner's speed is greater than or equal to 145, then his break effect increases by an additional 20%.	If for some reason the sets listed above are missing, but there are good parts of this planar decoration, then it will do for the first time. Break Effect in any case is not an unnecessary characteristic and will even allow you to inflict more first. damage after depleting enemy vulnerability, but still loses to other stats in importance.

Black Swan Team Guide in HSR

In the team, Black Swan plays the role of the main or secondary DD. Since she needs to gain levels of Arcana, which also triggers when dealing periodic damage, she is primarily recommended to have characters that can apply DoTs.

At the same time, the Memokeeper can gain stacks on her own, albeit more slowly, and apply all the effects at once with the help of the ult, simultaneously increasing the DPS received by enemies. Potentially, she is able to play outside of such teams, although this definitely does not contribute to the disclosure of her potential.

Which characters are suitable?

Below are the heroes with whom the girl has the best synergy.

Character	Path	Damage type	Features
Kafka	Nihility	Lightning	A team consisting of Kafka and the Prophet has the highest damage output compared to other Stellaron Hunter combinations. She is able to inflict Shock status with her bonus attack and ult, as well as activate all DoT effects with her skill off-turn. This will allow the heroine to gain additional Arcana stacks and inflict more powerful damage.
Jiaoqiu	Nihility	Fire	The Fox applies the Ashen Roast debuff (counts as a Burn DoT). Enemies affected by Ashen Roast take increased damage. Additionally, the ultimate applies a debuff that increases damage dealt to enemies by Ultimates.
Guinaifen	Nihility	Fire	Specializes in Burn, which is applied to multiple enemies with a skill and to one target with a basic attack (with a trace). Like Kafka, she can detonate DoT status with her ultimate, but only one type, Burn. The talent increases the damage taken by the enemy due to the Fiery Kiss status, which is written in the talent.
Sampo	Nihility	Wind	Focuses on applying Wind Shear with any skills (basic attack, skill, ult), helping to gain stacks of Arcana. The ultimate deals wind damage to all enemies and increases the periodic damage they receive. The last one increases the duration of Wind Shear.
Luka	Nihility	Physical	A character with a physical type of periodic damage - Bleed. Applies this status by using his skill, but only on one enemy target. At the same time, he increases the damage that the enemy receives from the ultimate. Immediately activates Bleed when the enhanced basic attack is triggered.
Pela	Nihility	Ice	A great support hero for Path of Nihility. Doesn't apply DoT effects, but removes a buff from one enemy and also reduces the defense of all enemy targets on the battlefield. Combined with the Guardian's skill, this will give you a pretty powerful defense cut. Then, The Secret Strategy increases EHR of all teammates by 10%.
Silver Wolf	Nihility	Quantum	Has various debuffs: decrease in defense, attack power and speed. With a certain probability, creates a vulnerability to the element owned by one of the allies on the target. In addition, Side Note will further reduce the enemy's resistance if he has 3 or more debuffs when using the skill.
Acheron	Nihility	Lightning	A damage dealer with a special ult mechanic that requires Slashed Dream charges to use. The points are earned by debuff enemies. In addition, the heroine gets a big boost from the Abyss trace if there are Path of Nihility allies in the team. The fortune teller in combination with another DoT character will provide Acheron with everything she needs, and she, in turn, will increase the DPS of the entire team.
Hook	Destruction	Fire	Capable of inflicting the Burn status with a skill, gaining Arcana status levels. Acts as an additional source of damage, but can take the position of the main party if all Eidolons are present and the stats are high.
Serval	Erudition	Lightning	Applies the Shock status to several enemies with a skill, dealing additional Lightning damage to them. The ultimate deals damage in an area and extends the effect of Shock for another 2 turns. Due to the fact that the status is applied to several enemies, more Arcana stacks are given accordingly.
Himeko	Erudition	Fire	Has excellent mass DPS and carries out bonus attacks outside of her turn. When opening the Starfire trace by using basic attack with 50% also applies the status of Burn to the enemy target for 2 turns.
Doctor Ratio	The Hunt	Imaginary	Despite the lack of any effects with initial damage, Doctor Ratio has a certain synergy between the heroes. In particular, the girl imposes debuffs, which are incredibly important for Veritas. At the same time, he can also offer the clairvoyant pleasant bonuses: the Summation trace allows the skill to reduce the target's resistance, and the Inference trace increases the damage inflicted on the enemy.
Ruan Mei	Harmony	Ice	One of the best supports for teams with two or more damage dealers, as her buffs apply to all allies. Increases the overall DPS and speed of team members, as well as their effectiveness and break effect. Additionally, increases resistance break of all elemental types.
Robin	Harmony	Physical	A representative of the highest tier of Harmony, whose skills are aimed at increasing outgoing and critical damage, attack power. When using the ultimate, advances the movement of all allies forward by 100%.
Sparkle	Harmony	Quantum	Generates skill points and increases their max. amount, which will allow allies to constantly use their skills. For each consumption of skill points, it additionally increases all damage, and with the skill it moves the action forward by 50%, giving the opportunity to take action earlier.
Bronya	Harmony	Wind	Buffer from the standard banner. Increases the ATK and crit value of the team with the help of ultimate. The skill allows you to immediately perform an action on the selected ally, while simultaneously removing debuffs from them. Thanks to this, you can take more actions in one cycle.
Tribbie	Harmony	Quantum	Can be effective in a DoT team due to buffs that directly increase the team's damage output to enemies. Since these builds typically have two DPS characters and they often deal damage to multiple targets, Tribbie will regenerate additional energy from the trace.
Asta	Harmony	Fire	Provides increased attack speed and attack power, key stats for the Farseer. In addition, with a basic attack it can apply the Burn status to the enemy after opening the Ignite trace.
Tingyun	Harmony	Lightning	Restores energy, allowing stable use of the ultimate without equipping a connecting rope or planar energy ornaments. In addition, increases ATK by applying the Blessing status from the skill, which deals additional lightning damage.
Hanya	Harmony	Physical	Buffs ATK and speed with ultimate, and with skill, like Sparkle, generates action points, which allows allies to use the skill much more often. In a team, such a bonus is especially in demand, since it will allow you to gain Arcana status levels more actively.
Fu Xuan	Preservation	Quantum	Creates a Matrix of Prescience, which transfers part of the damage received by allies to the head of the Divination Commission , and increases health and crit. chance. If the trace "Dunjia, the Metamystic" is open, restores HP by using her superpower.
Gepard	Preservation	Ice	Places a strong shield that extends to all allies and blocks incoming damage. With a certain chance, it freezes the enemy with the skill, which is why the target cannot perform actions. Gepard is an excellent tank, capable of being revived after being killed once per battle.
Aventurine	Preservation	Imaginary	Places shields and during the battle, renews them after activating his ult, as well as performing a bonus attack. Virtually no demands on skill points. In addition to providing protective functions, helps the team with damage. The perfect team for a character is the cooperation of several heroes who can perform bonus attacks. In other teams he is just as good, but performs bonus attacks a little less often.
Fire MC	Preservation	Fire	Using the taunt mechanics contained in the skill, it attracts the attention of opponents. With any attack, puts a small shield on allies. When Magma accumulates, deals fiery damage to several targets, and with the superpower damages the area.
March 7	Preservation	Ice	Places a shield on one ally using a skill. The ultimate deals area damage and activates the Freeze effect with a certain chance. When an enemy hits an ally under a shield, performs a bonus attack.
Huohuo	Abundance	Wind	One of the best healers. In addition to stable healing from the skill and the status of the talent, which heals at the beginning of an ally's turn and after using the ult, restores energy with a ultimate and increases ATK for all team members.
Luocha	Abundance	Imaginary	Passively heals thanks to the Magic Circle, which is triggered by any attack from an ally. Can instantly heal the skill if a teammate's health drops to half or below. The ultimate deals imaginary damage in an area, removing one buff from enemies.
Lingsha	Abundance	Fire	A multifunctional support that not only heals, but also deals significant damage during combat. In addition, it summons an assistant, which is a bonus hit. Due to this creature, it additionally heals, deals damage outside of the turn and removes debuffs.
Bailu	Abundance	Lightning	Healer from a standard banner. Restores health with skill and superpower. Has a special status: Invigorate, which returns a fallen team member from the dead, but no more than once during the battle (2 times on E6).
Lynx	Abundance	Quantum	The researcher has both instant and periodic healing in her arsenal. With his ultimate skill, he heals each ally and at the same time removes from them debuffs imposed by opponents (for example, control).
Gallagher	Abundance	Fire	A unique representative of the healer path, whose healing depends on the negative status Besotted imposed on enemies. When hitting opponents with this effect, health is restored. The character's skill set also includes instant healing with a skill and massive healing with an enhanced basic attack.
Natasha	Abundance	Physical	Restores the HP of one ally with a skill, removing 1 debuff upon activation and additionally healing over the next 2 turns. Using the superpower heals the entire team.

Best team samples

Based on the characters discussed above, the following squads can be formed:

Character 1	Character 2	Character 3	Character 4	Features
Kafka	Black Swan	Ruan Mei Tribbie Asta	Huohuo Natasha	Stellaron Hunter helps Black Swan gain Arcana levels with her ult and bonus strike, and activates DoT statuses outside of her turn. The Prophet, in turn, applies Wind Shear and other effects, lowers defense, and increases damage taken by enemies. You can put Ruan Mei, Tribbie, or Asta in the support role, and Huohuo or Natasha in the healer position.
Kafka	Black Swan	Tingyun Sparkle Bronya	Luocha Lynx	An alternative team with characters of the Path of Harmony. Depending on the situation, buffs are applied to any damage dealer. For example, after using the fortune teller's ult, you can advance Kafka's action so that she uses a skill and instantly activates all DoT statuses. In the situation with Bronya and Tingyun, a little more skill points are consumed, so it is advantageous to use more "economical" healers such as Luocha or Lynx.
Kafka	Black Swan	Sampo Guinaifen Luka	Fu Xuan Fire MC Path of Abundance	In this case, instead of supports, characters that impose periodic statuses are used. This way, it will be possible to accumulate Arcana stacks quite quickly. At the same time, each hero offers a boost in the form of increased damage in one way or another. Fu Xuan, Fire Trailblazer, or any other representative of the Path of Preservation or Abundance are suitable for the support position.
Kafka	Black Swan	Pela Silver Wolf Jiaoqiu	Path of Abundance or Path of Preservation	A variant of the team with support from the Path of Nihility debuffers. Pela, like the Memokeeper, lowers defense, but at once for all enemy targets; Silver Wolf lowers attack power, speed, defense and causes the enemy to be weak to the element of one of the allies; Jiaoqiu increases the damage received by enemies, including from the ult. Any available character can be used as a healer or defender.
Acheron	Black Swan	Kafka	Lingsha Gallagher	Instead of the usual character of the Path of Harmony, Acheron is put in, who receives a lot of benefits from this union. – permanent debuffs that allow you to quickly gain a charge of Slashed Dream. Although she herself only provides a decrease in all types of resistance, she significantly increases the overall DPS of the team, which completely compensates for the lack of a buffer.
Black Swan	Sampo Guinaifen Luka	Serval Hook Himeko	Bailu	The Seer can interact with other heroes playing from DoT effects, if there is no Kafka. For example, a strong variant of the build with Sampo, Guinaifen and a healer/shielder. The squad works on the following principle: secondary damage dealers apply first. statuses, stacking the Seer's debuff, due to which she deals increased DPS.
Black Swan	Sampo Guinaifen Luka	Path of Harmony	Lingsha Natasha	A DoT team with support from buffering supports who use their abilities to buff squad members. You can put any Harmony support on your account. However, if we talk specifically about this type of build, then Ruan Mei and Asta are best suited here, since their buffs affect all allies.
Black Swan	Sampo Guinaifen Luka	Pela Welt Cipher	Aventurine Lynx	A great addition would also be the Path of Nihility debuff characters, who apply debuffs to opponents. For example, Pela lowers defense, Welt applies the Ensnare status, which delays the actions of enemy targets, and Cipher increases the damage received by opponents. All this has no less an impact on the outcome of the battle.
Black Swan	Sampo	Silver Wolf	Huohuo Lynx	A team built on the mechanics of creating a weakness to the wind element in the enemy. This is achieved thanks to the Silver Wolf skill, which is also an excellent sub-DD. This build does not depend on the vulnerabilities of enemy targets, but shows itself best in battles against elite monsters or bosses.
Ratio	Black Swan	Guinaifen	Gallagher Aventurine	An unconventional, but quite functional team. Since Ratio depends on the enemy's debuff, it combines well with the Guardian, who will provide him with a whole range of debuffs: Arcana, Epiphany from the ult, lowering the enemy's defense from the skill. The build can be supplemented with Guinaifen, who is great for both heroes.

Is The Character Worth Pulling?

Black Swan is a representative of the Path of Nihility, whose mechanics are related to periodic damage. In particular, the character's gameplay is based on a set of levels of the special Arcana status, which is also the main source of her DPS. Every time the Memokeeper attacks enemies with DoTs or allies activate imposed statuses, special stacks accumulate - the more of them, the higher the multipliers of the debuff.

However, these are not all the heroine's capabilities. She is also able to lower the defense of targets, increase the damage they receive, and apply all DoT effects at once. The girl will ideally complement classic teams with Lightning Kafka or will work in combination with other units that use similar mechanics. Although crits are not mandatory, the build can be challenging due to the need for a lot of attack power, speed, and chance to hit effects. However, the Clairvoyant has access to budget light cones and does not have a strong need for Eidolons.

Which is better: signature or E1

E1 reduces resistance to wind, physical, fire or Lightning types, which is extremely popular both for the heroine herself and her standard team. Her Signature Cone is more aimed at increasing personal damage and facilitating the build. For this reason, the weapon can become more profitable if the heroine occupies the hyper-carry position, there is a shortage of EHR or there are no other suitable "cards".

We hope we've helped you understand the mechanics of the Memokeeper from Honkai: Star Rail and put together the best build for Black Swan. Feel free to ask questions in comments so that the author or other players can help you. 

Achievements

The achievement cannot be obtained in a test run, only when using your own or someone else’s heroine.

• All Is Predestined - Cast at least 20 lvl Arcana status on enemies when using the technique "From Façade to Vérité" to enter combat. Reward: star jade ×5. To unlock the achievement, go to Stagnant Shadow: Shape of Doom. Then use your or someone else's Memokeeper and activate her technique. If everything worked, at the beginning of the battle the achievement will unlocked, otherwise restart.

Trailer