If you’ve ever stared at Honkai Star Rail’s event banner, wondering if you’ll ever land your favorite 5-star character before the banner disappears, you’re not alone. Most players start the game with only a handful of free characters, and figuring out how to get characters in Honkai Star Rail that fit your team comp can feel overwhelming at first. I’ve been playing since launch, and I’ve pulled 12 limited 5-stars without spending more than $20 total, so I’ve tested every method for unlocking characters both free and paid. This guide breaks down every reliable way to add new units to your roster, no luck required for most of the options.
All Free Ways to Get Characters in Honkai Star Rail
When you first start learning how to get characters in Honkai Star Rail, free sources should be your first stop, since they require no gacha luck to claim. You’ll unlock most core 3 and 4-star units just by playing through the main story, but there are far more free options for expanding your roster as you progress. Stellar Jade from open world exploration is the most consistent free source for pull tickets, and every new planet added to the game gives you enough jade for 15 to 20 pulls if you collect every chest and complete all side quests.
- Story progression unlocks for core 3-4 star units like March 7th, Dan Heng, and Serval
- Limited time event rewards, including occasional free 5-star units during major anniversaries
- Herta Store exchanges for 4-star characters using Undying Starlight earned from duplicate pulls
- Forgotten Hall and Pure Fiction clears that give Stellar Jade and occasional character shards
- Daily login rewards, maintenance compensation, and pre-registration bonuses for new updates
How to Maximize Your Pull Odds for Limited 5-Star Units
Limited 5-star units are the most sought-after characters in the game, and they only appear on special event banners for 3 weeks at a time. The good news is the game has a fixed pity system that guarantees you’ll get a 5-star character eventually, so you don’t have to rely on pure luck. Soft pity triggers at 75 pulls for all character banners, which means your odds of getting a 5-star jump dramatically after your 74th pull on the same banner, and hard pity hits at 90 pulls if you haven’t gotten a 5-star yet. Each limited banner has a 50/50 system: your first 5-star pull has a 50% chance of being the featured limited unit, and a 50% chance of being a standard banner 5-star. If you lose the 50/50, your next 5-star pull on any limited character banner is guaranteed to be the featured unit. Never pull on standard banners if you want a specific limited unit, since standard banners never include limited characters and will only waste your hard-earned Stellar Jade. I learned this lesson the hard way early on, when I wasted 40 pulls on the standard banner trying to get Clara, only to get her for free 2 weeks later from an event reward.
Paid Options Worth Considering (And Ones to Skip)
You don’t have to spend any money to build a strong, fun team in Honkai Star Rail, but there are a few paid options that give you great value if you want to support the game and speed up your progress. The Monthly Supply Card is the best value paid item in the game, costing just $4.99 a month for 90 Stellar Jade a day plus 300 Oneiric Shards upfront, which adds up to 3000 Stellar Jade a month, enough for almost 20 pulls. The Nameless Honor battle pass is another good pick if you play regularly, as it gives you thousands of Stellar Jade, upgrade materials, and a 4-star character selector at level 50 for just $9.99 a season. Skip any paid packs that only give you raw Stellar Jade, as they are wildly overpriced. A pack that gives you enough jade for 10 pulls costs almost $20, which is 4 times the value you get from the monthly supply card. You should also skip random character loot boxes, since all 4-star characters are available for free through events or the Herta Store eventually, and you’re far better off saving your money for supply cards or battle passes if you do choose to spend.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Trying to Unlock Characters
A lot of new players waste hundreds of pulls and thousands of Stellar Jade on simple mistakes that are easy to avoid with a little planning. The biggest mistake I see is pulling on every new banner that drops, just because the character looks cool, even if they don’t fit your team comp. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype for new units, but if you spend all your jade on a character you don’t actually want, you’ll have nothing left when your dream unit drops a few weeks later. Undying Starlight is one of the rarest resources in the game, so don’t waste it on pull tickets or low-tier upgrade materials. You only get Undying Starlight when you pull duplicate characters, so save it for 4-star characters you really want that aren’t available through events, or for 5-star light cones that fit your main team. Also, don’t fall for gacha myths like pulling at a certain time of day or using single pulls instead of 10-pulls to get better odds. The game’s pity system is completely fixed, so these tricks don’t change your pull odds at all, they just make the process more stressful.
At the end of the day, figuring out how to get characters in Honkai Star Rail doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t have to empty your wallet to build a team you love. Stick to saving your jades for banners you actually care about, prioritize free rewards first, and avoid the common mistakes that waste your hard-earned resources. I’ve used these exact methods to build a roster of 27 unique characters in just over a year of mostly F2P play, so I know they work. Take your time, don’t stress about getting every new unit, and you’ll have your dream team before you know it.
