Best characters to use with Arlan in Honkai Star Rail

The head of Herata’s Space Station security department, Arlan, is arguably the most underrated character in Honkai Star Rail. He appears during the game’s prologue and leaves a lasting impression as a caring soul, willing to risk his life to protect the researchers around him. The inhabitants of the Space Station acknowledge him as a beacon that guides them in the face of adversity. Although he is considered an earnest person, he lets go of his guard and shows a rare smile only while embracing his pet dog, Peppy.

Arlan is an inspirational character who is resilient to pain and wears his scars like a badge of honor. He follows the Destruction Path to access strong AoE abilities that can easily bust down shields and eliminate grouped-up opponents.

Coupled with a Skill Point neutral kit, he excels as a Lightning unit that scales exponentially in the late-game contents. This guide will talk about some of the characters you can pair with him to unleash his true potential in Honkai Star Rail.

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What are the best characters to use with Arlan in Honkai Star Rail?

Arlan can activate Shackle Breaker by consuming his HP instead of Skill Points, making him a coveted pair for characters that burn through the points during combat. He also deals increased damage at lower health, prompting you to use protective characters to keep him alive.

On that note, Gepard is an excellent partner since the captain of the Silvermane Guard can generate shields for the entire team. Moreover, his taunts can distract the enemies from attacking Arlan when he gets to critical health. It is better to use the latter with a 5-star shielder instead of healers to access his peak damage output.

The Fire Trailblazer is a great alternative to Gepard in F2P setups, as they can generate small barriers from their abilities. They also possess the strongest taunt in Honkai Star Rail to attract opponents’ attacks during combat, keeping them distracted from Arlan. However, it is best to employ Natasha in their team for some clutch healing against enemies likely to rupture their minuscule shields.

Seele is currently the best DPS in the game, capable of nuking down bosses with her massive single-target Quantum damage. Her Resurgence passive grants her an extra turn after defeating an enemy, which also costs her an additional Skill Point. Thus, you can use Arlan as her sub-DPS to balance the points. He can also use his AoE attacks to cover Silver Wolf against multiple opponents.

Interestingly, the young Lightning character can also be a dedicated DPS character. In that case, pair him with Bronya or Tingyun to use their buffs to increase his damage output in Honkai Star Rail. Asta is another great buffer to use with Arlan, as she can increase his ATK and SPD during battle.