Honkai Star Rail 3.8 Light Cones Rank List and Pull Priorities

Version 3.8 features six limited 5-star signature Light Cones spread across three phases, alongside several strong 4-star options. The patch runs from December 16, 2025 to February 12, 2026 with the usual 80-pull hard pity and 75% featured rate-up on the Light Cone banner.

North America sees Phase 1 begin on December 16 at 22:00 (UTC-5), while Asia and EU servers start on December 17 at 11:00 (UTC+8). Pity, rate-up rules, and carry-over behavior match previous Brilliant Fixation weapon banners.

How the 3.8 Light Cones are evaluated

Not every signature Light Cone is worth Stellar Jade, especially when it only fits one character. The ranking below focuses on:

• Flexibility: How many current and future characters can use the Light Cone effectively on their Path.
• Account value: How much it improves clear times and team comfort compared with strong 4-star or free options.
• Synergy: How central it is to the signature character’s best teams and how much it adds to meta archetypes such as Break and hypercarry.
• Opportunity cost: Whether the same amount of Jade could instead secure a high-impact character or a more universal Light Cone.

The result is a ranking for general account building. A Light Cone can sit low here yet still be excellent if that signature unit is your main investment.

Rank 1 – A Grounded Ascent (Harmony)

A Grounded Ascent is the standout Light Cone in Version 3.8 in terms of long-term value and flexibility. It is Sunday’s signature Harmony Light Cone, but its effect pattern fits almost every Harmony buffer in the game.

When the wearer uses a Skill or Ultimate that targets an ally, several things happen at once. The user regenerates Energy, the targeted ally gains a stacking damage buff for a limited number of turns, and after every second activation the team recovers a Skill Point. At superimposition 1 this interaction already accelerates Ultimate rotations and strengthens the hypercarry; at higher superimpositions the damage increase and resource refund become even more pronounced.

Most Harmony units target allies with Skills or Ultimates by design, so characters such as Sunday, Bronya, Sparkle, Robin, Tingyun and Harmony Trailblazer can all trigger the effect consistently. Testing shows that in hypercarry teams, A Grounded Ascent can outperform traditional Harmony staples such as But the Battle Isn't Over by a significant margin, thanks to extra Energy and team-wide damage uptime rather than only buffing one rotation.

When A Grounded Ascent is worth pulling

• Hypercarry teams: Accounts built around a single main DPS (Firefly, Feixiao, Yunli, Imbibitor Lunae and similar) with strong Harmony support gain clear, repeatable value from faster Ultimates and large damage buffs.
• Multiple Harmony units: Players who already own or plan to pull several premium Harmony supports gain flexibility, since this Light Cone works on almost all of them.
• Future-proofing: The design of Harmony Path kits makes this type of Energy plus Skill Point engine reliably useful in later patches.

When to skip

• Harmony is not a focus on the account and you rely mostly on free buffers.
• Stellar Jade is already committed to new characters and there is no room for a weapon banner.

Rank 2 – Never Forget Her Flame (Nihility)

Never Forget Her Flame is the new 5-star Nihility Light Cone introduced in Version 3.8 and functions as The Dahlia’s signature weapon. It is a Break-focused support option aimed at Nihility characters who scale with Break Effect.

At level 80, it grants 1164 HP, 529 ATK and 463 DEF. Its passive adds a large chunk of Break Effect to the wearer and increases Break damage for both the wearer and the ally with the highest Break Effect, starting at 32% Break damage at superimposition 1. Whenever the wearer triggers a Weakness Break, the team also recovers a Skill Point; this part of the passive resets after the user casts their Ultimate.

The kit leans directly into The Dahlia’s role as a Break enabler, turning her into both a potent debuffer and a Skill Point battery in Break teams. For accounts built specifically around Break compositions (for example The Dahlia, Firefly, Ruan Mei, Harmony Trailblazer and a sustain), this Light Cone substantially raises damage output and rotation smoothness. In terms of pure Break output it can rival or surpass other premium Break tools when used in the right setups.

When Never Forget Her Flame is worth pulling

• You are pulling The Dahlia: It is effectively her best-in-slot, maximizing her Break multipliers and enabling smoother rotations.
• Dedicated Break teams: If you already own several Break-centric units and center teams around Weakness Break and Super Break damage, the team-wide Break damage buff is extremely efficient.

When to skip

• Your Nihility roster focuses on damage over time or DEF shredding rather than Break Effect.
• You do not plan to use The Dahlia, and existing 4-star Break tools like Memories of the Past already cover your needs at a reasonable level.

Rank 3 – Long Road Leads Home (Nihility)

Long Road Leads Home is a 5-star Nihility Light Cone tied to Fugue. It targets a similar niche to Never Forget Her Flame but leans more into debuff-focused play.

The Light Cone performs best on Fugue in teams built around constant debuff application, such as Acheron or Black Swan lineups. It also works on other Nihility characters whose damage or utility scales directly with Break Effect. Sports-driven testing highlights The Dahlia as another suitable user, particularly when she plays a broader debuffing role instead of being the sole Break engine.

Compared with Never Forget Her Flame, Long Road Leads Home offers less raw Break amplification for a single centerpiece unit but more flexibility for debuff-heavy Nihility supports that want to combine Break contribution with utility.

When Long Road Leads Home is worth pulling

• You own Fugue: It is her intended signature and strengthens her support for Acheron, Black Swan and similar debuff compositions.
• Nihility-heavy rosters: Accounts that run multiple Nihility characters at once, especially in dual-carry teams, can rotate this Light Cone between them.

When to skip

• Your only Break-focused Nihility unit is The Dahlia and you already plan to chase Never Forget Her Flame.
• You rely mainly on DoT Nihility characters where Break Effect scaling is secondary.

Rank 4 – Whereabouts Should Dreams Rest (Break-focused DPS/support)

Whereabouts Should Dreams Rest returns in Version 3.8 as the Break-focused signature for Firefly and a strong support tool for certain Break teams. Its design assumes an aggressive Weakness Break playstyle rather than traditional crit-based DPS.

The Light Cone provides additional Break Effect and strengthens Break damage. It also introduces a special debuff, often referred to as Routed, that lowers enemy Speed and increases the Break damage they suffer for a couple of turns. At superimposition 1 this Break damage boost sits around the mid-twenties percentage range for affected enemies.

Firefly makes the most direct use of these effects, since her kit naturally chases repeated Weakness Breaks and high Break multipliers. In more support-oriented roles, the Routed-style debuff synergizes well with characters such as Ruan Mei and Harmony Trailblazer, who already reward slowing enemies, increasing Break Effect and creating extra turns through action advantage.

When Whereabouts Should Dreams Rest is worth pulling

• Firefly main carry: Firefly gains a noticeable spike in Break damage and consistency that generic Destruction Light Cones cannot fully replicate.
• Specialized Break support: Players missing strong Break debuffs and Speed control on their account can use this Light Cone to patch that gap in Ruan Mei-centric or Break Trailblazer teams.

When to skip

• You do not own Firefly and do not intend to build routed or Speed-control Break teams.
• Your Break compositions already work well with existing tools, including 4-star options like Memories of the Past in the Herta Store.

Rank 5 – Time Woven Into Gold (Remembrance)

Time Woven Into Gold is Aglaea’s signature Remembrance Light Cone and focuses on improving her unique playstyle. Its main strengths are a combination of Speed and critical damage for the wearer, tailored to characters who repeatedly control the field through Skills and Ultimates rather than relying on basic attacks.

For Aglaea, this Light Cone represents a substantial upgrade over generic Remembrance options, providing a large jump in both damage and rotational comfort. Internal comparisons indicate that the performance gap versus standard 5-star alternatives can be very large when Aglaea is built and supported correctly.

Outside Aglaea, the story is different. Remembrance characters that care less about crit scaling or can already meet their Speed thresholds comfortably do not gain as much from this package. While Evernight can equip it, she generally prefers Light Cones that align more directly with her own scaling and team role.

When Time Woven Into Gold is worth pulling

• Aglaea main carry: The Light Cone is strongly tailored to her and unlocks a higher ceiling than generalist Remembrance weapons.
• Remembrance enthusiast: If you invest heavily into this Path and run multiple Remembrance units, having one premium signature in the pool can still be useful.

When to skip

• You do not plan to pull or build Aglaea.
• Your Remembrance usage is limited to Evernight, who already has competitive alternatives.

Rank 6 – Scent Alone Stays True (Abundance)

Scent Alone Stays True sits at the bottom of the Version 3.8 ranking for most accounts, not because it is weak in isolation, but because its impact is narrow compared with the cost of a 5-star Light Cone pull.

This Abundance Light Cone is designed for Lingsha. It increases the wearer’s Break Effect and causes enemies to take more damage after the user hits them with their Ultimate. The combination supports a hybrid break-healing style where the healer contributes extra damage through Break while still fulfilling sustain duties.

The main problem is compatibility. Only Abundance units can equip it, and within that group Lingsha is the clear primary user. Gallagher can make some use of it in Break-oriented teams, but he competes with several strong and easily accessible alternatives, including free or 4-star options such as Post-Op Conversation for general Energy regeneration and healing.

When Scent Alone Stays True is worth pulling

• Heavily invested in Lingsha: Accounts that rely on her for both sustain and Break contribution can justify the pull to maximize that niche.

When to skip

• You do not own Lingsha or rarely field Break-centric Abundance units.
• Other account gaps, such as missing Harmony or DPS signatures, are more pressing.

Light Cone priorities by account type

Stellar Jade is limited, so priorities change depending on roster and goals.

Break-focused accounts

Players who enjoy and invest in Break teams should first look at Never Forget Her Flame in Phase 1, especially if The Dahlia is a target. Pairing this Light Cone with her unlocks the highest Break damage ceilings, with the Skill Point refund helping to sustain expensive rotations. After that, Long Road Leads Home and Whereabouts Should Dreams Rest are secondary considerations for Fugue, Firefly and Ruan Mei-based setups, depending on who is already built.

Hypercarry and generalist accounts

For most players, A Grounded Ascent from Phase 3 is the safest long-term investment. Harmony supports appear in nearly every meta team, and this Light Cone functions as a universal engine for Energy, Skill Points and damage. Even without owning Sunday, it can immediately slot into existing hypercarry cores with Bronya, Sparkle or Robin.

Remembrance or Abundance specialists

Time Woven Into Gold becomes more appealing only if Aglaea is a major focus and you already own the necessary supports. Scent Alone Stays True is the lowest priority overall and should generally be skipped unless Lingsha is a cornerstone of your account and other critical slots are already covered.

Overall, Version 3.8 is unusually concentrated on Break and support Light Cones rather than traditional DPS weapons. For many accounts, securing one copy of A Grounded Ascent or Never Forget Her Flame at superimposition 1 offers far more value than chasing multiple refinements, while players without strong Harmony or Break infrastructure can safely skip several phases and save Stellar Jade for future characters.