Here’s the thing about Cerydra: she’s unapologetically niche. Her ‘Military Merit’ system isn’t trying to make your whole team stronger—it’s about turning one character into an absolute monster. Think of her as the ultimate wingman, but only for one person at a time.
The Kit That Broke the Mold
After covering support characters for years, I’ve got to say—Cerydra’s design philosophy is refreshingly bold. Most Harmony units play it safe with team-wide benefits, but she’s laser-focused on single-target amplification.
Pawn’s Promotion (Skill) is where the magic starts. You’re essentially crowning one ally as your chosen one, granting them ‘Military Merit’ while Cerydra builds up ‘Charge’ stacks. Here’s where it gets spicy: hit 6 ‘Charge’ and boom—‘Peerage’ state kicks in with +36% Skill CRIT DMG and +8% All-Type RES PEN. Plus, that ‘Coup de Main’ trigger? It’s like having a mini cleanse built right in.
Scholar’s Mate (Ultimate) hits all enemies for 144% ATK Wind damage and gives you 2 ‘Charge’ stacks. Fair warning though—this thing’s energy-hungry. You’ll need ERR investment, no question about it.
What really caught my attention is Ave Imperator (Talent) . Your buffed ally gets ATK equal to 18% of Cerydra’s ATK, but here’s the kicker—every time they attack, Cerydra follows up with 30% ATK Wind damage. Twenty triggers max before it resets on Ultimate. That’s some serious additional damage potential.
First-Move Advantage (Technique) gives you overworld prep with ‘Military Merit’ that transfers to your active character. Battle starts with a free Skill use. Simple, effective.
Why Niche Isn’t Always Bad
Look, I get it. When you see ‘single-target support,’ alarm bells start ringing. But here’s my take after diving deep into her numbers: sometimes concentrated power beats scattered benefits.
Cerydra’s essentially enabling hypercarry strategies that weren’t viable before. The multiplicative damage increases—36% Skill CRIT DMG, 8% RES PEN, plus potential DEF ignore from Eidolons—create scenarios where one character can carry harder than ever.
The trade-off? You’re completely committed to that strategy. Content requiring multiple damage sources or broad team support will expose her limitations fast.
Meta Positioning (And Why It Matters)
Traditional supports give you safety through versatility. Cerydra gives you ceiling through specialization. Based on my analysis, she’s not replacing your Robin or Sunday—she’s opening up entirely different team archetypes.
Her advantages: Unmatched single-target amplification, unique mechanics, ATK-scaling buffs that grow with investment.
Traditional support advantages: Broader compatibility, simpler rotations, lower resource requirements.
The value proposition is clear: if you’re building around one monster DPS, Cerydra’s your girl. If you want flexible team options, stick with established supports.
Team Building Around Cerydra
The Phainon Partnership is where things get interesting. Community math suggests Cerydra enables ‘up to 2 more Meteors’ in his ultimate rotation. That’s not coincidence—they’re clearly designed as a package deal.
My recommended hypercarry setup? Cerydra + Phainon + Sunday + Bronya. Multiple buff layers plus turn manipulation equals some truly ridiculous damage ceilings.
Alternative compositions I’ve been testing:
Cerydra + Anaxa + Robin + Lingsha for Erudition focus
Cerydra + Wind DPS + Tribbie + sustain for elemental synergy
Wind teams specifically benefit from elemental resonance and those juicy ‘Penacony, Land of the Dreams’ set bonuses.
Building Your Cerydra
Relic priority is straightforward: 4-piece ‘Sacerdos’ Relived Ordeal’ for that +18% CRIT DMG buff to your target ally. Stacks twice on single-target Skills/Ultimates, which synergizes perfectly with her kit focus.
Alternative sets include Eagle of Twilight Line for post-Ultimate action advance or good old Musketeer for ATK%/SPD stats.
Main stats matter more than usual here. ATK% body is non-negotiable—her buffs scale directly off her ATK. SPD feet for frequent actions, Wind DMG sphere for personal damage, ERR rope for Ultimate sustainability.
Substat priorities from my testing:
SPD (134+ for two first-cycle actions)
ATK% (direct buff scaling)
CRIT DMG (synergizes with her 100% CRIT Rate trace)
Effect RES (30%+ if running Broken Keel)
Defensive benchmarks are pretty forgiving—4000+ HP and 2000+ DEF handle current content fine.
Light Cone Reality Check
Her signature ‘Epoch Etched in Golden Blood’ (same banner window) addresses the energy management issue head-on. Battle start energy plus increased ERR make rotations much smoother.
5-Star alternative: ‘But the Battle Isn’t Over’ provides ERR and SP utility.
4-Star options are honestly limited. ‘Dance! Dance! Dance!’ for team action advance or ‘Planetary Rendezvous’ for Wind team damage work, but you’ll feel the energy crunch.
Here’s my honest assessment: the signature Light Cone isn’t just nice-to-have, it’s borderline essential for smooth gameplay.
Trace Priority & Rotation Flow
Level her Skill first, Ultimate second, then Talent. Basic Attack can wait.
All three bonus traces are must-haves. ‘Vici’ provides SPD buffs and energy regen, ‘Vidi’ gives 100% CRIT Rate, ‘Veni’ scales CRIT DMG. No skipping these.
Rotation flow is elegant once you get the rhythm: Technique pre-battle, Skill your DPS, build ‘Charge’ through ally actions, maintain ‘Peerage’ state, Ultimate for ‘Charge’ generation. The ‘Vici’ trace gives 5 Energy per buffed ally attack, which keeps things sustainable.
Eidolon Investment Guide
E1 adds +16% DEF ignore (36% total for ‘Peerage’ Skills) plus 2 Energy to your ally on Skill use. High value for serious investment.
E2 is where she transforms. +40% damage for buffed ally, +160% personal damage for Cerydra. She basically becomes a sub-DPS at this point.
E4 cranks Ultimate damage with +240% multiplier. E6 adds +20% All-Type RES PEN for both characters plus +300% additional damage multiplier.
Investment sweet spot? E1 for most players, E2 if you’re going all-in on hypercarry strategies.
Endgame Reality
Memory of Chaos showcases her strengths and weaknesses clearly. Single-target bosses? She’s incredible. Multi-enemy waves? You’ll feel the limitations. That 134+ SPD threshold enables two first-cycle actions, which helps with ‘Charge’ building.
Pure Fiction’s multi-enemy focus challenges her design, but she can still amplify AoE DPS capabilities effectively.
Simulated Universe provides mixed results depending on encounter variety. Universe blessings help with energy management significantly.
Should You Pull?
Early game players: Skip. You need versatile supports first.
Mid-game players: Evaluate your current roster. If you don’t have Robin or Sunday yet, prioritize them.
Endgame players: This is your target demographic. If you’re optimizing specific compositions and have the resources for high investment, Cerydra opens up new strategies.
Resource costs are hefty—308,000 Credits for ascension, 3,000,000 for traces, plus Light Cone investment and extensive relic farming. She’s more expensive than typical supports due to ATK-scaling requirements.
The Honest FAQ
Worth pulling without Phainon? She provides value for other high-investment DPS characters and Wind teams, but the synergy isn’t as pronounced. If you’re not building around specific hypercarry strategies, traditional supports offer better value.
Energy management in practice? Build ERR on rope, prioritize the signature Light Cone, max the ‘Vici’ trace. Buffed ally attacks provide 5 Energy each, creating sustainable loops once you get the rhythm down.
Signature vs Eidolons priority? Light Cone first. It solves critical energy issues that make or break her gameplay flow. E1 can wait.
F2P viability? Less friendly than most supports. Investment scaling, energy requirements, and Light Cone dependency create barriers. Only consider if you’re specifically building synergy teams.
Thinking about taking the plunge? Stock up on Honkai Star Rail Oneiric Shard before Version 3.5 Phase 2 drops!
