Cerydra Overview: Where She Fits in HSR 3.7's Meta
Here's the thing about Cerydra - she's incredibly specialized. This 5-star Wind Harmony character was built from the ground up to support Skill-heavy DPS units like Phainon, Anaxa, and Feixiao. Her entire kit revolves around this Charge system that transforms basic buffs into absolutely devastating Peerage enhancements once you hit 6 Charges. The payoff? Free Skill duplication without burning SP.
Breaking Down Her Kit
At Level 80, Cerydra's base stats sit at HP 1358, ATK 620, DEF 485, SPD 99 - pretty standard for a Harmony unit. But here's where it gets interesting: her core mechanic centers on Military Merit buffs that grant +24% ATK based on Cerydra's ATK stat. Every time an ally uses a Basic Attack or Skill, you get +1 Charge.
The magic happens at 6 Charges. That's when Peerage kicks in, delivering +72% Skill CRIT DMG, +10% All-Type RES PEN, complete crowd control dispel, and the crown jewel - Coup de Main. This creates a free Skill duplicate that triggers before the original at full power.
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Where She Stands in the Meta
With Phainon teams, Cerydra's sitting pretty at SS-tier. We're talking 30%+ damage increases through doubled transformation Skills and 4 Coreflame stack generation. The numbers don't lie - data from 27,036 accounts shows average cycles ranging from 4.81-7.63 across Memory of Chaos, Pure Fiction, and Apocalyptic Shadow.
E0 users are hitting 77.92% clear rates with 4.84 average cycles. Bump that up to E1? You're looking at improvements to 1.7 cycles with 19.5% adoption rates.
But let's be real here - Cerydra's got some serious limitations. She's phenomenal in single-target hypercarry scenarios but absolutely terrible with non-Skill DPS units. High SP consumption and minimal personal damage output mean you need to build around her, not just slot her in anywhere.
Best Light Cones for Cerydra: The Complete Breakdown
Her Signature: Epoch Etched in Golden Blood
This thing's a beast. +64-128% ATK scaling, Ultimate SP recovery, and +54-108% ally Skill DMG for 3 turns after using her Skill. At level 80, you're getting 635 ATK, 952 HP, 463 DEF, with a 28.15% usage rate among players who have it.
The ATK scaling feeds directly into Cerydra's trace requirements - you need that crucial 4000 ATK threshold for maximum Veni CRIT DMG buffs. Here's something interesting: S1 refinement actually outperforms E1 Cerydra in most scenarios. Worth considering if you're debating where to spend your pulls.
Premium 4-Star Options That Actually Work
A Grounded Ascent delivers 476 ATK, 1164 HP, 529 DEF at level 80. The Energy regen after ally Skills, +15% DMG per Hymn stack (max 3), and SP recovery every 2 uses gets you 85-90% of signature performance. Not bad for a 4-star.
Dance! Dance! Dance! at S5 offers 16-24% ally advance on Ultimate usage. This enables faster Charge accumulation, which is exactly what Cerydra needs.
F2P Players, Don't Sleep on This
The Forever Victual - and yes, it was free during the Chrysos Maze event (August 13-September 22, 2025) - provides +16-32% ATK and stacking +8-16% ATK bonuses per Skill use (maximum 3 stacks). This achieves 80-85% signature performance with a whopping 58.57% usage rate.
The high ATK stacking directly supports that 4000 ATK threshold I keep mentioning. If you missed the event... well, that's rough.
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Relic Builds That Actually Matter
Main Stats - No Compromises Here
Body ATK%, Feet SPD, Sphere ATK%, Rope ATK% or Energy Regeneration Rate. Period.
That 4000 ATK threshold unlocks Veni's maximum 360% CRIT DMG bonus through +18% per 100 ATK over 2000. Your substat priorities should be ATK% > SPD > CRIT DMG > Flat ATK. For speed, you're targeting 134-160 SPD, with 140 pre-buff reaching 160 via Vici's +20 SPD boost.
Set Bonuses - The Numbers Don't Lie
Sacerdos' Relived Ordeal 4-piece dominates with 90.48% usage rate for good reason: +6% SPD (2-piece) and +18% CRIT DMG on ally Skill/Ultimate usage that stacks twice to 36%.
Eagle of Twilight Line 4-piece offers +10% Wind DMG and 25% advance post-Ultimate, but only sees 3.21% usage. There's a reason for that disparity.
Hybrid combinations using 2-piece ATK% sets (+12%) with 2-piece SPD sets (+6%) work as balanced alternatives if you're still farming.
Your endgame targets: HP 3500-4000+, ATK 4000+, DEF 1000-1200+, SPD 140+. Aim for 120-140% ERR for consistent Ultimate availability without sacrificing core ATK requirements.
Skill Priority - Where to Spend Your Resources
Upgrade Order That Makes Sense
Skill and Talent get equal priority. They're the core of everything Cerydra does. Ultimate comes second - it provides AoE damage and +2 Charge generation. Basic Attack? Minimal priority. You're mainly using it for SP conservation.
Trace Investment - The Smart Path
Major traces follow this order: Vici (A6) > Vidi (A4) > Veni (A2).
Vici provides +20 SPD to self and allies for 3 turns - crucial for breakpoints and Energy regen. Vidi grants guaranteed 100% CRIT Rate and +1 Charge from ally Ultimates (once per battle). Veni scales CRIT DMG based on ATK (+18% per 100 ATK over 2000, maxing at 360% with 4000 ATK).
Total investment requires 3,000,000 Credits, 8 Tracks of Destiny, 12 Daythunder Anamnesis. Ascension materials total 308,000 Credits, 15 each of Ethereal Omen/Echoing Wail/Eternal Lament, and 65 Charred Bud of Twilight.
Eidolon Analysis - Is It Worth Your Wallet?
E1-E3: Where the Value Lives
E1's where things get spicy. Military Merit gains 16% DEF ignore, Peerage adds +20% Skill DEF ignore, and allies get +2 Energy on Skill usage. This translates to roughly +16% team DPS and faster Ultimate cycling. E1 often outperforms E0S1 in pure damage scenarios - something to think about.
E2 offers +40% DMG for Military Merit holders and +160% personal damage when allies have Merit. That's about +12% improvement over E1.
E4-E6: Whale Territory
E6 provides +20% All-Type RES PEN for Military Merit holders and +300% Additional DMG multiplier. We're talking +77% damage over E0 and +100% ally damage when combined with E1/E2.
The priority order for most players: E0S1 > E1S0 > E2S1 > E6S1.
E1 gives you the highest value per Stellar Jade invested - substantial team damage improvements for approximately 8000 Stellar Jade. Most players hit optimal performance at E0S1 or E1S0 depending on team composition.
Pure Fiction Team Compositions
Meta Teams That Actually Work
Phainon Hypercarry teams are where Cerydra truly shines. Double Enhanced Skills generating 4 Coreflame stacks per duplicate? Yes, please. Run Cerydra + Phainon + Sunday + Gallagher/Huohuo to maximize burst potential during vulnerability windows.
Anaxa Double Erudition teams leverage Anaxa + Cerydra + The Herta + Lingsha for 4 Skills per turn on 5+ weakness enemies. Herta grants +140% CRIT DMG with 2 Erudition characters, which is absolutely nuts.
Character Synergies Worth Knowing
Sunday provides advance mechanics and SP recovery - exactly what you need for faster Charge accumulation. Sparkle offers SP-positive support that's crucial for Cerydra's high consumption, particularly valuable in Archer teams requiring 5x Skill spam.
For sustain: Huohuo provides ATK buffs and Energy support, Gallagher offers break synergy, Aventurine enables aggressive positioning through shields.
Rotation Strategies
Open with Technique for initial Military Merit and free Skill (+1 Charge), then Skill on DPS (+1, total 2). Ultimate provides +2 Charges (total 4), with ally Basic/Skill reaching 5 Charges before final Skill activation triggers Peerage.
Turn order optimization: Sustain → Cerydra → Buffer → DPS with -10 SPD differences between each.
Cerydra vs Other Harmony Supports
Bronya offers universal compatibility through advance mechanics and CRIT DMG buffs - she works with any DPS archetype. Cerydra specializes exclusively in Skill-focused DPS but provides superior buffs for compatible characters through ATK scaling, RES PEN, and Skill duplication.
Team flexibility favors Bronya for general use. Cerydra dominates specific niches requiring dedicated Skill users.
Asta provides Fire weakness implant and SPD buffs for break-focused teams with F2P accessibility. Cerydra's higher rarity and specialized kit deliver superior performance in compatible teams but require significant investment.
Tingyun's Energy generation and ATK buffs complement Cerydra in dual-Harmony compositions, enabling faster Ultimate cycling and improved buff uptime.
Advanced Strategies and Rotations
Combat Mechanics You Need to Master
Charge management is everything. Track accumulation through Technique (+1), Skill (+1), Ultimate (+2), ally Basic/Skill (+1 each), and Vidi from ally Ultimates (+1 once per battle).
Here's the kicker - Military Merit affects only the latest target, and switching characters resets Charges to 0. Don't mess this up.
Peerage activation consumes 6 Charges for Coup de Main, creating free Skill duplicates that trigger before originals.
Energy Management
Target 130 Energy cost requires 120-140% ERR for 2-turn Ultimate cycles. Vici's ally Basic/Skill Energy regeneration (5 per action) provides substantial support. SPD breakpoints at 134/160 enable extra turns and improved rotation flexibility, with Vici's +20 SPD buff helping reach thresholds.
Common Mistakes - Don't Be That Player
Build Pitfalls to Avoid
Never use Skills before reaching 6 Charges unless absolutely necessary. You're wasting Peerage potential. Don't switch characters mid-rotation - it resets Charges to 0. Stop investing in CRIT Rate substats; Vidi provides guaranteed 100% CRIT Rate.
Performance Troubleshooting
SP management issues? Poor team composition. Pair with SP-positive supports like Sparkle or Sunday. Low damage output stems from insufficient ATK scaling or mistimed Peerage activation - verify that 4000 ATK threshold.
Energy problems suggest inadequate ERR or poor ally action frequency. Build 120-140% ERR and ensure consistent ally Basic/Skill usage.
Verify these thresholds: 4000+ ATK for full Veni scaling, 140+ SPD for breakpoints, 3500+ HP for survivability. Confirm trace investment: Vici/Vidi/Veni unlocked first, Skill/Talent maxed, Ultimate at functional levels.
FAQ
Q: What are the best Light Cones for Cerydra in HSR 3.7? Epoch Etched in Golden Blood (signature) provides optimal performance with ATK scaling and SP recovery. A Grounded Ascent offers 85-90% effectiveness as alternative, while The Forever Victual serves as best F2P option at 80-85% signature performance.
Q: Should I prioritize E1 or signature Light Cone for Cerydra? For Phainon teams, E1S0 outperforms E0S1 due to DEF ignore and Energy generation. For Anaxa teams, E0S1 provides better value.
Q: What stat thresholds are essential for Cerydra builds? Target 4000+ ATK for maximum Veni CRIT DMG scaling (360%), 140+ SPD for breakpoints with Vici buffs, and 120-140% ERR for 2-turn Ultimate cycles.
Q: How does Cerydra perform in Pure Fiction compared to other Harmony supports? Cerydra excels with Skill-focused DPS like Phainon and Anaxa through duplication mechanics, but struggles with general AoE teams. She ranks highly in specialized compositions but remains niche compared to universal supports.
Q: Which teams work best with Cerydra in current meta? Phainon hypercarry (Cerydra + Phainon + Sunday + sustain) provides optimal synergy. Anaxa Double Erudition and Archer teams also perform well. Avoid pairing with non-Skill DPS units.
Q: What are the most common Cerydra build mistakes to avoid? Never use Skills before 6 Charges unless necessary, avoid character switches that reset Charges, don't invest in CRIT Rate substats (Vidi provides 100%), and ensure proper SP management through team composition.
