Is Kafka worth pulling for in Honkai Star Rail 1.2?

Kafka is expected to have her banner in Honkai Star Rail 1.2 on August 9, 2023. This highly anticipated character is somebody many Trailblazers will get due to her design and lore significance. However, some players may wonder if she will be worthwhile in the metagame. Based on early impressions, this character will be worth pulling.

Kafka is a strong 5-star Lightning unit that specializes in DoT damage. This means allies who focus on DoTs (such as Serval and Sampo) will appreciate having Kafka on their team. Let's look at what is currently known about this mysterious Stellaron Hunter.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinions

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Why players should pull for Kafka in Honkai Star Rail 1.2

Highly subjective reasons like liking her design won't be listed below (Image via HoYoverse)

Here is a quick rundown of why you may wish to consider pulling for Kafka in Honkai Star Rail 1.2:

• Auto-triggers DoTs: Her Technique will Shock all enemies for three turns at the start of a battle. Her Talent and Ultimate also Shock enemies.
• Synergizes with DoT damage dealers: Her Skill can instantly trigger all DoT damage up to 82.5% of the original value (as datamined by Honey Hunter). Her first and second Eidolons are also tied to DoT damage.
• Good against multiple foes: This character's kit either hits all foes or multiple enemies at once.

However, there are also some factors against her to consider:

• Other 5-star characters: Blade may already drain your resources since he has the banner before Kafka. Likewise, other future characters from leaks may interest the player.
• Requires certain units to be built up well: Sampo, Serval, and other DoT-based characters are recommended to be built to maximize this Stellaron Hunter's usefulness.

The pros generally outweigh the cons, meaning many Trailblazers will want to pull Kafka in Honkai Star Rail 1.2.

Let's look at the character's kit in more detail since such information is tied to her advantages and may help highlight why she can be considered strong in the first place.

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Kafka kit details in Honkai Star Rail 1.2

Her abilities are already known for the public to see (Image via HoYoverse)

Here's what her kit basically boils down to:

• Skill: Does Lightning DMG to one foe and hits two adjacent enemies. If that enemy has DoT, then that damage from that DoT happens instantly.
• Ultimate: Does Lightning DMG to all enemies and has a high chance to inflict Shocked for two turns.
• Talent: If an ally does a Basic ATK, then Kafka does a follow-up attack to deal Lightning DMG and Shock the enemy for two turns.
• Technique: Inflicts Lightning DMG on all foes and Shocks them for two turns.

Two notable traces are Plunder and Torture. Plunder regenerates Energy when a Shocked enemy faints, making it easy for this character to spam Ultimates. Torture makes all foes take damage from all DoT sources once they get hit by her Ultimate.

While this character may have some niche applications compared to top-tier options, she should still be a good pull in Honkai Star Rail 1.2 for Trailblazers to get. Stockpile on Stellar Jade, as you have several weeks to do so before she finally becomes playable.