First depicted in a Light Cone artwork, Luka is now joining the Honkai: Star Rail playable roster as another 4-star character. Hailing from Belebog, he’s the current Fight Club champion, being more than a capable close-combat fighter equipped with his mechanical arm.
And the boy got the moves when he’s on the battlefield! He’s a Physical Nihility character with an emphasis on delivering big hits that inflict Bleed damage on his targets. If you like to punch things till they’re dead, this is definitely your character. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need to build him properly for the next big ring fight.
Luka Overview, Role, and Traces in Honkai: Star Rail
Luka’s playstyle revolves around inflicting and activating Bleed debuffs on his targets through his abilities. His Skill delivers a Bleed based on the target’s maximum HP, and his Ultimate also increases the damage taken by the target, making him perfect for bosses. His Normal Attacks can also be enhanced through his Passive (similar to Fire Trailblazer), so you won’t need to spend that many Skill Points with him every turn.
With all of this in mind, his best role is that of a secondary DPS/debuffer with powerful hits, being particularly a great pair for Kafka as both can complement each other’s kit very well. He was also introduced in her banner, and all of that just screams, “PLEASE USE ME WITH THIS WOMAN.” Yeah, you should do that.
Leveling priority for traces is Skill > Ultimate = Talent > Normals. His Skill is his bread and butter, while his other aspects are simply complementing the main dish.
Related: All Luka Ascension and Trace Materials in Honkai: Star Rail
As a 4-star, it’s easier to stumble across a few Eidolons for him, but he’s perfectly functional at E0. E1 and E6 are the most impactful on his damage, but take them as extras rather than necessities.
Best Relics for Luka
The best set you can get for Luka is the 4-piece Champion of Streetwise Boxing set. It’s almost like it’s named just for him! Luka has heavy Attack scaling, so this set provides everything he needs to bring out his best, especially during long-drawn battles.
This is also why he prefers the Space Sealing Station Ornament set, which will increase said attack boosts even further. This may require using Speed boots or some good speed substat rolls, but the damage increase is definitely worth it.
| Set Piece | Main Stat |
| Head | HP |
| Hands | Atk |
| Body | Atk% |
| Boots | Atk%/Speed |
| Sphere | Physical DMG% |
| Link Rope | Atk%/Energy Recharge |
Similar to Kafka, you won’t need to get more than 29% EHR to consistently hit your Bleeds. Attack is preferred for Boots, but you might need some extra Speed in order to activate Sealing Station’s effect.
| Preferred Substats (in order) | Atk% Speed Effect Hit Rate% Break Effect% Critical Rate/Damage% |
As for the Link Rope, Atk% is the usual choice too, while Energy Recharge% is preferred for a guaranteed 100% uptime on his damage debuff. This is definitely not needed depending on your team, but might be worth giving a try.
Best Light Cones for Luka
Luka also has a ton of good Light Cone options, which can help to fulfill his (almost nonexistent) Effect Hit Rate needs or give the boy even more muscles to work with.
1 – Patience is All You Need
The best Light Cone for DoT characters currently. This is definitely his best option, but if you’re building Luka, you probably have Kafka. And if you have Kafka, she should be the one holding this Cone. It’s literally hers.
2 – Good Night and Sleep Well
Almost just as strong as the previous options, Luka gets access to two debuffs by himself (three if he breaks the enemy), so he can quickly fulfill its requirements for maximum damage. A great choice, especially with a few Superimpose levels.
3 – In the Name of the World
Luka’s skill is the most important part of his kit, and giving it some extra power is never a bad choice. The other gacha 4-star options could be better with a few Superimpose levels, though. You shouldn’t buy this Light Cone at the shop just for Luka as there are better, more general choices.
Related: Honkai: Star Rail Damage Over Time (DoT) Explained
4 – Eyes of Pray
More Effect Hit Rate and more DoT damage are always welcome. But if you’re torn between giving it to Luka or Sampo (in case you’re building him too), the latter is the correct choice as Sampo has a higher need for EHR.
5 – Resolution Shines As Pearls of Sweat
Luka’s own “signature” Cone focuses more on utility Luka than damage Luka. Use an Energy% Link Rope if you’re using this, as he can potentially become a big debuff/bleeding machine.
We Will Meet Again is fairly decent on him if you have nothing else, but there are better Light Cone options to get from the Battle Pass. Hidden Shadow is probably the best 3-star option you have, as the other Light Cones don’t really benefit him much.
Best Luka Teams and Compositions
As mentioned before, Luka’s greatest strength is shown when he’s paired with Kafka, the DoT queen herself. Teams will often place any combination of him, Sampo and Serval alongside her to lash out maximum DoT chaos. Consider building any of these other 4-stars too and the results will speak for themselves.
Asta is a great partner for Luka as she can increase his DoTs immensely by simply existing. In the same vein, Silver Wolf and Pela will also be welcome thanks to her various debuffs. More specifically, their Defense-shredding debuffs can stack with Luka’s own debuffs, making way for some huge numbers from your other main DPS (and Luka himself too).
Defensive utility in the form of Luocha, Natasha, Gepard or similar characters is also a good call, especially for longer fights in the Memory of Chaos. As tough as he looks, Luka can actually be quite fragile (just like most Nihility characters), so be careful to not get him knocked out before the bell rings.
