Gilgamesh joins Honkai: Star Rail in Version 4.4 as a free 5-star Lightning unit on the Path of Destruction, handed to every account through the Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] login event starting July 24, 2026. He runs on a 600 Energy Ultimate and an Interest gauge, so building him wrong leaves most of his damage on the table. Below is the exact setup that keeps that engine running.
Quick answer: Equip I Am As You Behold, run 4-piece Scholar Lost in Erudition with the Cosmic Life Sciences Institute ornament, aim for CRIT Rate 70%+ / CRIT DMG ~2x Rate / high ATK, and pair him with Saber + Mortenax Blade + Huohuo.
Recommended Gilgamesh build
This is the full loadout. Each piece is explained further down, but if you just want the working configuration, use this.
| Slot | Pick |
|---|---|
| Light Cone | I Am As You Behold (signature) |
| Relic set | 4pc Scholar Lost in Erudition |
| Planar Ornament | Cosmic Life Sciences Institute |
| Body | CRIT Rate |
| Feet | ATK% |
| Sphere | Lightning DMG Boost |
| Rope | ATK% (Energy Regen if short on Ultimate) |
| Substats | CRIT Rate = CRIT DMG > ATK% > Speed |
| Best team | Gilgamesh, Saber, Mortenax Blade, Huohuo |
How the Interest engine works
Gilgamesh does not charge himself through his own attacks. His damage comes from two linked systems, and every gear and teammate choice exists to keep them running.
Interest: Every time any ally takes an action, Gilgamesh gains 1 point of Interest. At 10 points he immediately takes an extra turn outside the normal turn order. The first time this happens he enters the “Interest Piqued!” state and can only use his Skill from then on. Faster teams that act often feed him more turns, which is where his real ceiling lives. He does not need high Speed himself.
Energy and King’s Burden: Whenever an ally uses their Ultimate, Gilgamesh siphons a fixed chunk of Energy toward his own 600 Energy bar and gains King’s Burden, raising his Ultimate DMG by 40% for 3 turns. In a team with frequent Ultimates he is almost always sitting on that buff before firing Enuma Elish.
His Skill, King’s Treasure, applies King’s Acknowledgement for a 30% DEF ignore lasting 3 turns, and it is the ability he spams on every Interest-triggered turn. His Ultimate, Enuma Elish, deals 400% ATK to all enemies plus 10 extra bounce hits, so it shreds both bosses and groups.
Best Light Cones
His signature is the clear best-in-slot because every stat on it feeds his rotation. If you lose the 50/50 or want to save Jade, the alternatives below still leave him fully functional.
| Priority | Light Cone | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Best | I Am As You Behold | ATK and Energy Regen, Ultimate DMG scales with Energy spent, and grants the whole team CRIT DMG after his Ultimate. |
| 5-star alt | A Thankless Coronation | 36% CRIT DMG plus a large ATK boost after Ultimate for high-Energy carriers. |
| F2P 5-star | On the Fall of an Aeon | Herta Shop cone that stacks ATK% on attack and adds DMG after a Weakness Break. |
| 4-star | A Trail of Bygone Blood / Under the Blue Sky | CRIT Rate plus Skill and Ultimate DMG as budget fallbacks. |
Note: His Eidolons change his kit more than the Light Cone does. If Stellar Jade is tight, an early Eidolon copy delivers more than chasing the signature.
Best relics and ornaments
Scholar Lost in Erudition (4-piece) is the top set. The 2-piece adds CRIT Rate, and the 4-piece raises Skill and Ultimate DMG by 20%, then boosts the next Skill by an extra 25% after you use your Ultimate. That maps directly onto his natural loop of Ultimate into Skill spam on Interest turns.
For the ornament, Cosmic Life Sciences Institute is the strongest pick. Once Max Energy is 200 or higher, it adds DMG for every point above that threshold, up to a 32% bonus. Gilgamesh has one of the highest Max Energy values in the game, so it caps naturally.
| Type | Best | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Relic set | 4pc Scholar Lost in Erudition | Genius of Brilliant Stars, or Band of Sizzling Thunder as a stopgap |
| Ornament | Cosmic Life Sciences Institute | Inert Salsotto |
Stat targets and substat priority
Build CRIT Rate first. His Hero’s Hauteur trace already grants a large amount of CRIT DMG from Interest stacks, so if your CRIT Rate is low, all that bonus damage barely lands. Get Rate high, then pile on CRIT DMG and ATK.
| Stat | Target |
|---|---|
| CRIT Rate | 70%+ (up to 100% with buffs) |
| CRIT DMG | Roughly 2x your CRIT Rate |
| ATK | High as possible; his multipliers reward it |
| Speed | Base to ~134-140; not a priority |
Substat order is CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG first, then ATK%, then Speed. Skip Break Effect entirely. Speed matters less than usual because Interest hands him extra turns without needing raw Speed, so never sacrifice CRIT to chase it.
Tip: Keep an eye on the 600 Energy bar. If your supports have low-cost Ultimates and you keep landing just short of Enuma Elish, swap the Rope from ATK% to Energy Regen and test both.
Trace priority
Level his Skill and Ultimate together first, since they carry nearly all of his damage. His Talent drives the Interest loop and the King’s Burden buff, so it comes next. Basic ATK only fires automatically before Interest Piqued, so leave it at minimum.
Three bonus traces meaningfully change how he plays and are worth unlocking early:
- Epic’s Opening: Gives extra Interest and refunds Energy when allies use their Ultimates, creating the feedback loop that makes high-Energy teammates so valuable.
- Hero’s Hauteur: Every point of Interest raises his CRIT DMG, stacking up to 6 times, so stacking Interest before firing his Ultimate matters.
- Hegemon’s Strife: All allies gain 30% ATK and 30% CRIT DMG. Allies with Max Energy above 140 gain 1% more of each per excess point, up to 100%. This is one of the strongest unconditional team buffs in the game.
Best teams
Saber core (best)
Gilgamesh was clearly designed alongside Saber. After Saber lands a set number of attacks, the pair launch a Joint Follow-Up ATK dealing Lightning DMG equal to 400% of Gilgamesh’s ATK and Wind DMG equal to 600% of Saber’s ATK to all enemies. The combo also feeds Saber Energy plus an action advance and hands Gilgamesh 3 Interest, so it loops fast.
| Slot | Character |
|---|---|
| DPS | Gilgamesh |
| Sub-DPS | Saber |
| Support | Mortenax Blade (or Tribbie / Remembrance Trailblazer) |
| Sustain | Huohuo (or Hyacine / Dan Heng Permansor Terrae) |
Hypercarry without Saber
Gilgamesh still works without Saber in any lineup built around fast, repeated actions and frequent Ultimates. Ashveil slots in as a sub-DPS, turning his frequent attacks into follow-ups and cutting enemy DEF, while Mortenax Blade and Huohuo keep the tempo and Energy flowing.
| Slot | Character |
|---|---|
| DPS | Gilgamesh |
| Sub-DPS | Ashveil (or Sunday / Remembrance Trailblazer) |
| Support | Mortenax Blade (or Tribbie / Sparkle) |
| Sustain | Huohuo (or Hyacine / Dan Heng Permansor Terrae) |
The only firm requirement in any team is tempo. Allies with high Max Energy and frequent, high-cost Ultimates feed his Interest and Energy the hardest. Slow, passive comps stall his loop and leave his Ultimate offline.
Eidolons and where to stop
Version 4.4 gives one free copy, so E0 is the default stopping point and already delivers his full core gameplay. E0 clears current Memory of Chaos, Pure Fiction, and Apocalyptic Shadow with the right supports. If the paid banner turns out generous, E1 is the standout upgrade because it shares his DEF ignore with the whole team and speeds up his ramp, and E2 completes the self-sustaining loop. Extra copies come only from the paid banner, so be deliberate.
| Eidolon | Effect | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| E1 | DEF ignore applies to the whole team; extra ATK and Energy on Skill | High |
| E2 | Extra Interest on entry and Ultimate; large Skill multiplier boost | High |
| E4 | Energy Regeneration Rate up 20% | Medium |
| E6 | Bounce multiplier and CRIT DMG scaling; team RES PEN | Whales only |
How to claim him and what to pre-farm
Log in any time from July 24, 2026 through the end of Version 4.6 to claim Gilgamesh, no pulls required. If you already claimed the other Fate unit during the first collab, Gilgamesh comes to you outright. If you are new to the collab, you pick between the two, and Gilgamesh is the stronger general choice for most rosters since he scales with team investment.
To have him ready on day one, stockpile credits early, since a full trace unlock costs roughly 2.4-3M credits. Prioritize getting his Skill, Ultimate, and Talent to a working level first. Farm Scholar Lost in Erudition now if you already run characters who use it, and wait for Version 4.4 to farm the Cosmic Life Sciences Institute ornament.
Built correctly, Gilgamesh is a genuine A-tier Lightning carry that costs zero Stellar Jade. Get his CRIT balance right, keep his team acting fast, and pair him with high-Energy allies, and the free login unit holds a real spot in endgame teams rather than sitting idle waiting for his big button.
