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The Herta
Ice
Erudition
5-Star
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Build Guide
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Best Light Cone
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The Herta, also known as Madam Herta, is a formidable 5-Star Ice character on the Erudition Path in Honkai: Star Rail. As an Emanator of Nous, the Aeon of Erudition, she holds the 83rd seat in the prestigious Genius Society and founded the Herta Space Station. The various Herta puppets seen across the station, including the playable 4-star version, are all modeled after her younger self.
As an Erudition unit, The Herta shines in multi-target scenarios but remains effective against fewer enemies. She possesses strong self-buffs and high damage multipliers, including an 80% CRIT DMG boost for the entire team when paired with another Erudition character and a personal three-turn ATK buff from her Ultimate. This makes her relatively easy to build, with several free-to-play friendly options for Light Cones and team compositions.
Herta's gameplay focuses on accumulating Inspiration stacks for herself and building Interpretation stacks on enemies. Spending an Inspiration stack lets her unleash a powered-up Skill version. Meanwhile, thanks to her Talent and Traces, the more Interpretation stacks an enemy has, the more damage her Enhanced Skill and Ultimate deal. With this playstyle in mind, here is a concise guide to the best build options for maximizing Herta's potential in Honkai: Star Rail.
Best Build for The Herta in Honkai: Star Rail
Light Cone
Relic Sets
Relic Stats
- (S1) Into the Unreachable Veil (Best-in-Slot)
- (S1) Night on the Milky Way (5+ Targets)
- (S5) Today is Another Peaceful Day
- (S1) Before Dawn (Stat Stick)
- (S1) An Instant Before A Gaze
- (S5) Geniuses' Repose
- (S1) Yet Hope Is Priceless (Stat Stick)
- (S5) Eternal Calculus
- (S5) The Day the Cosmos Fell
- (S5) The Seriousness of Breakfast
Relics:
- 4pc Scholar Lost in Erudition (Best-in-Slot)
- 4pc Hunter of Glacial Forest
- Any 2pc mix of Crit Rate, Ice DMG, or ATK%
Planar Ornaments:
- Izumo Gensei and Takama Divine Realm (Overall Best)
- Rutilant Arena
- Sigonia, the Unclaimed Desolation (Best for Pure Fiction)
- Body: CRIT Rate
- Feet: ATK% or SPD
- Planar Sphere: Ice DMG or ATK%
- Link Rope: ATK%
Best Relics for The Herta in Honkai: Star Rail
When building The Herta, prioritize the classic offensive stats: ATK, CRIT Rate, and CRIT DMG. Since her Enhanced Skill and Ultimate deliver most of her damage, any bonuses to these abilities are highly valuable. While SPD can be useful, its importance varies based on team synergy.
Her best Relic set is the aptly named Scholar Lost in Erudition. This set boosts CRIT Rate by 8% and increases Skill and Ultimate DMG by 20%. It also provides an extra 25% DMG boost to the next Skill used after casting an Ultimate. This synergizes perfectly with The Herta’s Ultimate, "Told Ya! Magic Happens," which grants an Inspiration stack and allows her to act immediately to use her Enhanced Skill.
The Herta can theoretically use the Poet of Mourning Collapse set by avoiding all SPD investments, but this is difficult to execute and not advised for most players.
If you don't have the Scholar set yet, Hunter of Glacial Forest is a strong alternative. It provides a 10% Ice DMG boost and a 25% CRIT DMG increase for two turns after using an Ultimate. However, farming the Scholar set is generally more efficient, as it shares a Cavern of Corrosion with the excellent support set, Sacerdos’ Relived Ordeal.
For beginners or those with limited resources, any 2-piece combination of CRIT Rate, Ice DMG, or ATK% sets can serve as effective temporary gear.
For Planar Ornaments, Izumo Gensei and Takama Divine Realm offers the best overall performance. It grants a 12% ATK boost and an additional 12% CRIT Rate when another ally shares the same Path. With an Erudition partner, The Herta's Talent amplifies Interpretation stack damage, and her A4 Trace gives all allies an 80% CRIT DMG boost while allowing Erudition units to apply more stacks. This set also benefits her Erudition teammate if they equip it.
A great alternative is Rutilant Arena, which increases CRIT Rate by 8% and Skill DMG by 20%. Its performance is close to Izumo's, and the small difference can be made up with good substats. Rutilant Arena is also a versatile set used by many characters, making it a practical farming target.
Finally, Sigonia, the Unclaimed Desolation can outperform both sets in Pure Fiction specifically. However, it's not generally recommended because The Herta excels in other modes where Sigonia does not. Since Sigonia is farmed in the same location as Izumo, players might keep a dedicated set just for Pure Fiction.
The Herta's Ideal Stat Targets
2,500-2,800 ATK (with SPD Boots)
3,000-3,400 ATK (with ATK% Boots)
3,600-3,900 ATK (with ATK% Boots & ATK% Sphere)
Base SPD or 134 SPD
80%-100% CRIT Rate (In Combat)
180%-200%+ CRIT DMG (with A4 Trace active)
Since The Herta's A4 Trace grants 80% CRIT DMG in combat, most players should use a CRIT Rate body piece to approach the ideal 100% CRIT Rate. Support units like Sunday or Remembrance Trailblazer can help cover any CRIT Rate shortfall.
The Herta performs well at various SPD breakpoints, so her needs depend on your team and her Eidolons. Because she relies on allies to generate Interpretation stacks and Energy, she can function at her base SPD, especially with the right partners. For example, Jade, one of her best Erudition partners, provides a 30 SPD buff and helps generate stacks via Follow-Up Attacks.
The Energy provided to The Herta by allies through her A2 and A4 Traces is a fixed value and is not increased by an Energy Regeneration Rope.
Her Eidolons also reduce her dependency on SPD boots. E1 lets her reach the 42-stack threshold of her A2 Trace with only 28 stacks. E2 grants action advances when using her Enhanced Skill. E4 gives all Erudition teammates a 12% SPD boost, potentially allowing The Herta to hit the 134 SPD breakpoint without SPD boots.
Of course, with SPD boots and the right team, she can also excel at higher SPD thresholds like 146 or 164.
Best Light Cones for The Herta in Honkai: Star Rail
The Herta's best Light Cone is her signature, Into the Unreachable Veil, which has the highest base ATK among Erudition Light Cones. At S1, it increases CRIT Rate by 12% and boosts Skill and Ultimate DMG by 60% for three turns after using her Ultimate. If the Ultimate costs 140 or more Energy, it also recovers one Skill Point. These effects perfectly suit The Herta and help Skill Point-intensive teams run smoother.
Beyond her signature, several other Light Cones are viable. Night on the Milky Way has the second-highest potential if its conditions are consistently met. An Instant Before A Gaze is another good 5-star option, offering CRIT DMG and Ultimate DMG boosts. While she can't use their Follow-Up Attack buffs, both Before Dawn and Yet Hope Is Priceless serve as powerful stat sticks—the former boosting CRIT DMG, Skill, and Ultimate DMG, and the latter providing a solid CRIT Rate increase.
Night on the Milky Way's value drops sharply when facing fewer than four enemies or when its DMG bonus is inactive.
Among 4-star options, Today Is Another Peaceful Day and Geniuses' Repose are outstanding, especially for free-to-play and low-spend players. At S5, Today Is Another Peaceful Day can outperform many non-signature 5-star Light Cones and is more reliable than Night on the Milky Way.
For new players with limited choices, the free Erudition Light Cones—Eternal Calculus, The Day The Cosmos Fell, and The Seriousness of Breakfast—are all serviceable for The Herta and can be obtained at S5 over time.
