Dr. Ratio vs Kafka: Which is the better 5-star to pick in Honkai Star Rail 1.6?

The second phase of Honkai Star Rail 1.6 is scheduled to release on January 17, 2024. The upcoming update’s phase two features two 5-star characters, Kafka and Dr. Ratio. While Dr. Ratio is a brand new unit, the former is getting her first rerun in the forthcoming version. As both characters will be available at the same time, Trailblazers may get confused about which unit they should pick.

This article discusses which 5-star character they should choose during the second phase of Honkai Star Rail 1.6.

Disclaimer: This article is subjective and solely relies on the author’s opinion

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Trailblazers should pull for Kafka over Dr. Ratio in Honkai Star Rail 1.6

Trailblazers should pull for Kafka during the second phase of Honkai Star Rail 1.6 (Image via HoYoverse)

During phase two of Honkai Star Rail 1.6, players should pick Kafka instead of Dr. Ratio. This should be a no-brainer as Trailblazers will obtain Dr. Ratio for free at the start of the second phase of the upcoming update. Those who have skipped Kafka during version 1.2, can now obtain her without having second thoughts.

Newcomers are also recommended to use their saved Stellar Jades to roll for Kafka, who is one of the best DoT (Damage over Time) characters and has reigned supreme after three major updates, thanks to her kit. Free-to-play players should also pull for her if they do not possess a strong DoT DPS character.

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Advantages of Kafka over Dr. Ratio

• Kafka can deal damage to multiple enemies at once.
• Kafka can be used as a primary DPS or a secondary DPS character in certain team compositions.
• In terms of overall damage output, Kafka is better as she primarily deals AoE (Area of Effect) damage on the battlefield.

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Advantages of Dr. Ratio over Kafka

• Dr. Ratio can deal an absurd amount of damage to a single opponent.
• Dr. Ratio can fit into hypercarry team compositions, where Kafka requires another unit who can inflict DoT (Damage over Time) on the adversaries to deal significant damage.
• Dr. Ratio is less likely to be powercreeped as quickly, and characters such as Seele remain excellent to this day.

That being said, the choice of characters is primarily up to the players. They can choose any unit they want as long as they overlook Honkai Star Rail's rapid meta shifts.

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