Top 5 Honkai Star Rail characters to replace March 7th

As a follower of the Preservation Path, March 7th secures her position as a prominent shielder in Honkai Star Rail, which players acquire for free, a few minutes into the prologue. She is dedicated to protecting the Trailblazers during the crisis of Herta Space Station and Belobog at the beginning of their Astral Journey. Hence, fans use her frequently across multiple beginner team setups in the title.

That said, March 7th can rival other protective characters in the game since her shield has a strong multiplier. Coupled with her cleansing ability, she remains viable for end-game content in Honka Star Rail. However, players will likely switch her to other units depending on their team setups and preferences.

This article will list some characters that can be used to replace March 7th in Honkai Star Rail, expanding on their use cases.

---

What are the five best characters to replace March 7th in Honkai Star Rail?

5) Herta

Image showing Herta from Honkai Star Rail (Image via HoYoverse)

Similar to March 7th, Herta is one of the free 4-star units from the Ice lineup, implying both can break down shields that share weaknesses with the element. However, players will likely replace the former with the latter since she provides more consistency in busting down barriers in the early game phase.

In the presence of a healer, Herta flourishes as an Ice sub-DPS as she hits enemies in an AoE. Despite lacking in the damage department, her follow-up attack with the Elation resonance deals massive damage in Simulated Universe, one of the late-game content from Honkai Star Rail.

While March 7th offers more value to a team setup, Herta outshines her across niche content that demands a dedicated Ice character.

---

4) Natasha

Image showing Natasha from Honkai Star Rail (Image via HoYoverse)

While March 7th dominates as a shielder in the early phases of Honkai Star Rail, she gets swapped out for Natasha later. As players inch towards the late game, they acquire well-built characters capable of surviving any onslaught with a single healer. Naturally, they remove shielders to equip supports or a sub-DPS in a setup.

Moreover, Natasha can be used instead of March 7th to sustain every unit in the team with her burst healing. As a free 4-star character, she can also cleanse, which puts her among the top contenders on the tier list.

---

3) Bailu

Bailu is the 5-star healer from the Lightning element (Image via HoYoverse)

As the only 5-star healer in Honkai Star Rail, Bailu can single-handedly keep an entire team alive. Of course, players will have to build her with sufficient HP to push her potential into overdrive.

That said, her Invigoration effect rivals March 7th’s shields, as allies affected by it recover HP every time they take damage, which helps them sustain incoming burst damage. Additionally, she can apply AoE healing from her Skill and Ultimate, which helps sustain teams during long battles, especially against elite enemies and bosses.

---

2) Fire Trailblazer

Fire Trailblazer is one of the best characters in Honkai Star Rail (Image via HoYoverse)

After unlocking Fire Trailblazer from the campaign, players will likely swap out March 7th with the new unit. They are, arguably, one of the best F2P characters in Honkai Star Rail since all their abilities generate small shields for the entire party. They can also taunt enemies, a unique skill that distracts opponents from targeting squishier characters during combat.

Like March 7th, Trailblazer's Ultimate hits every enemy on the battlefield, making them an excellent candidate to trigger Weakness Break.

---

1) Gepard

Gepard feels like the 5-star version of March 7th (Image via HoYoverse)

Gepard’s abilities are a direct upgrade over March 7th’s kit since he is a 5-star character from the Preservation Path. As a young captain of the Silvermane Guard, he generates massive shields to protect his allies during battle. He also deals plenty of Ice damage to play out as a shieldbreaker across various team compositions.

While March 7th can provide barriers more consistently, Gepard uses his Ultimate to provide shields to his entire team. Paired with his Skill, which has a 65% chance to Freeze an enemy, he stands out as a direct replacement for the 4-star unit in Honkai Star Rail.