Honkai Star Rail 2.5 Apocalyptic Shadow: Best teams and strategies

With the most recent refresh of Apocalyptic Shadow in Honkai Star Rail 2.5, players get to complete four new stages. All of them are divided into two nodes that feature the same bosses Aventurine and Phantylia. While players have to defeat the same adversaries, in each stage the difficulty increases by a little.

This article discusses the best strategies and team compositions that you can use while completing the Honkai Star Rail 2.5 Apocalyptic Shadow, Gamer’s Instigation.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely rely on the writer’s opinion.

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A complete guide for the Honkai Star Rail 2.5 Apocalyptic Shadow, Gamer’s Instigation

Honkai Star Rail 2.5 Apocalyptic Shadow stage 4 lineup (Image via HoYoverse) (Image via HoYoverse)

Similar to the previous Honkai Star Rail Apocalyptic Shadow stages, the Gamer’s Instigation also features some unique buffs that benefit a few of the characters.

Two of the universal unique buffs of the Honkai Star Rail 2.5 Apocalyptic Shadow are as follows:

• When an adversary with the Steadfast Safeguard is inflicted with the Weakness Broken status effect, all allies recover all Skill Points and their action gets forwarded.
• All adversaries take 25% extra follow-up attack damage and 15% extra ultimate damage.

The Steadfast Safeguard buff grants the bosses a 50% damage reduction. Moreover, when the boss’s Weakness is broken, they take 100% extra damage.

Let’s take a look at the boss specific Traits:

Daring Diceroller

Aventurine boss traits (Image via HoYoverse)

Points Competition (Stage One and above)

• The boss’s Mirage ability bestows all adversaries and allies Points. When the targeted adversary has more points than the ally character, they take reduced damage and Toughness damage.

House Advantage (Stage Three and above)

• The boss summons take less damage when the allies have fewer points than the summons.

Preemptive Advantage (Stage Four)

• The summon’s HP increases depending on how many points it has.

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Opportunistic Provocateur

Phantylia boss traits (Image via HoYoverse)

Flower by Another Name (Stage One and above)

• The boss, Phantylia, enters the Toughness Protection state whenever it summons a Lotus. When an ally defeats a Lotus, the Toughness protection state gets dispelled.

Withered Tree’s Revival (Stage Three and above)

• When the boss changes form during the first phase, the summons get 25% of their health restored.

Hollowflower Blaze (Stage Four)

• The summon’s HP gets a 20% boost in the second phase.

Since the Honkai Star Rail 2.5 Apocalyptic Shadow is catered towards the FUA teams and characters who deal damage with their Ultimate ability, we recommend you build your teams accordingly.

Additionally, in both nodes, you must defeat the summons to deal hefty chunks of damage to the bosses. Since both nodes have more or less the same mechanic before players can deal damage to the boss, you should focus on the summons first. Defeating one or multiple summons will help you deal a significant amount of damage while the boss is vulnerable. Therefore, your first priority will be destroying at least one summon.

Node One buffs (Image via HoYoverse)

If you are building a FUA team for the first Node, go for the Turn of Luck buff. If you are building a team with other playstyles, Pursue and Eliminate is the ideal buff.

For the second node, if you’re building a team that primarily deals damage with Ultimate, for example, Acheron, the third buff, Sweeping Force is the one you should use. In case you go with a Break Effect team, the Tangled Chaos buff can prove to be useful.

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Best teams for Honkai Star Rail version 2.5 Apocalyptic Shadow, Gamer's Instigation

Feixiao, Robin, Aventurine, and Topaz & Numby

Topaz & Numby build (Image via HoYoverse)

Rotation

Since this is a FUA team composition, it is natural for the follow-up attack units to attack first. After that, make sure to protect all of the characters With Aventurine’s shields while Robin boosts all of them right after the former's turn. This allows the team to maximize the damage when fighting. Moreover, make sure Topaz takes her turn before Feixiao for more damage.

Ideal stats

As for the ideal stats for this team they are as follows:

• Feixiao: 75-100% Crit Rate, 150-220 Crit DMG, 2,500 - 3,000 ATK, 124 - 135 SPD.
• Robin: 121 SPD, 3,000 - 4,500 ATK, 120 - 130 ERR.
• Aventurine: 3,000 - 4,000 DEF, 50%-150% CRIT Rate and DMG ratio, 121 - 135 SPD.
• Topaz: 80% or higher Crit Rate, 175% or higher CRIT DMG, 3,000 - 4,000 ATK.

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Yunli, Clara, Sparkle/Robin, and Fu Xuan/Aventurine

Fu Xuan build (Image via HoYoverse)

Rotation

Unlike FUA teams, this is a counterattack playstyle-based team. Therefore, players must buff their DPS before they attack the enemies. Make sure Robin/Sparkle takes their turn first and buffs one of the DPS units. Then, one of the DPS units should take their turn and deal damage, ideally Clara. After that, during Fu Xuan/Aventurine’s turn, they use the damage reduction abilities while Yunli prepares to fight. Additionally, you can swap Yunli's positions with Clara's.

When the enemies take their turn, make sure Yunli always uses her ultimate for more damage output.

Ideal stats

• Yunli: 80 - 100% CRIT Rate, 150% or higher CRIT DMG, 3,500 - 4,000 ATK, 121 - 130 SPD.
• Clara: 70 - 100% CRIT Rate, 120% or higher CRIT DMG, 3,000 - 4,000 ATK, 120 - 134 SPD.
• Sparkle: 150 - 161 SPD, 250% or Higher CRIT DMG, 120 - 130 ERR, at least 50% or more Effect RES.
• Robin: 21 SPD, 3,000 - 4,500 ATK, 120 - 130 ERR (Energy Regeneration Rate).
• Aventurine: 3,000 - 4,000 DEF, 50%-150% CRIT Rate and DMG ratio, 121 - 135 SPD.
• Fu Xuan: 6,000 - 9,000 HP, 120 ERR, 80 - 100% Effect RES.

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Firefly, March 7th, Ruan Mei/Harmony MC (Trailblazer), and Gallagher

Firefly build (Image via HoYoverse)

Rotation

At the start of battle make sure March 7th assigns Firefly as her Master to start accumulating points for her Enhanced Basic ATK. Right after March 7th, Firefly should make her move and get energy for her ultimate. Next, either Gallagher or Ruan Mei can take their turn as the DPS will start dealing damage from the second cycle. Therefore, you shouldn’t waste the buffs from Ruan Mei in the first cycle.

When dealing damage you want to make sure Firefly and March 7th are taking their turn continuously while the buffer always keeps refreshing their buffs every two turns.

Ideal stats

• Firefly: 134 - 150 SPD, 200 - 250% Break Effect, 2,000 - 2,800 ATK
• March 7th (Hunt): Break Build: 200 - 250 BE, 2,500 - 3,000 ATK, 130 - 150 SPD.
• CRIT Build: 70% or higher CRIT Rate, 150% or higher CRIT DMG, 125 - 135 SPD.
• Ruan Mei: 140+ SPD, 150 - 250% Break Effect, 4,000 HP, 120 ERR.
• Trailblazer (Harmony): 121 - 135 SPD, 200+% Break Effect, 3,500 - 4,000 HP, a minimum of 120 Energy Regeneration Rate.
• Gallagher: 6,000 HP, 115 - 120 ERR, 50 - 100% Effect RES, 130 - 150% Break Effect.

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Acheron, Sparkle, Gallagher, and Pela/Jiaoqiu

Acheron build (Image via HoYoverse)

Rotation

As Acheron’s ultimate requires a set number of debuffs on the opponents, you should make her allies take their turn before the former’s. This means that all of the units, especially the characters can place debuffs, Pela/Jiaoqiu should take their turn before Acheron. Moreover, Sparkle should also do the same since she is a buffer. Lastly, Gallagher should take his turn after everyone to make the most out of his abilities and buffs.

When done perfectly the rotation should be Pela/Jiaoqiu, Sparkle, Acheron, and Gallagher.

Ideal stats

• Pela: 50-100% EHR, 150 SPD, 120 ERR, 3,500 - 4000 HP.
• Jiaoqiu: 3,500 - 4,000 ATK, 120 - 180 % EHR, 150+ SPD, 3,500+ HP, 130% or higher ERR.
• Sparkle: 150 - 161 SPD, 250% or Higher CRIT DMG, 120 - 130 ERR, at least 50% or more Effect RES.
• Acheron: 3,500 - 4,000 ATK, 100% CRIT Rate, 150 - 200% CRIT DMG.
• Gallagher: 6,000 HP, 115 - 120 ERR, 50 - 100% Effect RES, 130 - 150% Break Effect.

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