Understanding 3.8 Banner Hopping Strategy
Banner hopping allocates limited Stellar Jade across consecutive banners to build cohesive teams. Version 3.8's eight weeks create unique Fire team opportunities with four synergistic characters across three phases.
Launch times: Dec 16, 10PM UTC-5 (NA) | Dec 17, 4AM UTC+1 (EU) | Dec 17, 11AM UTC+8 (Asia).
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Resource Requirements: Stellar Jade and Pity
Each 5-star requires 180 pulls (28,800 Stellar Jade) for hard pity guarantee. Soft pity starts at 73 pulls. Four characters need 115,200 Stellar Jade worst-case, though 50/50 wins reduce this.
Version 3.8 provides 80-90 free pulls from events, dailies, Simulated Universe, and exploration. Monthly Nameless Honor adds 8 pulls, Express Supply Pass adds 10.
Total free pulls:
- F2P: 160-180 pulls (one guarantee + partial second)
- Low spenders (both monthlies): 196-216 pulls (two guarantees or three with luck)
- Dolphins (first-time bonuses): 296-336 pulls (three guarantees or two + eidolons)
Version 3.8 Timeline
Phase 1 (22 days): The Dahlia + Firefly. 4-stars: Gallagher, Luka, March 7th.
Phase 2 (21 days): Fugue + Lingsha. 4-stars: Natasha, Sampo, Arlan.
Phase 3 (15 days): Aglaea + Sunday. 4-stars: Tingyun, Yukong, Dan Heng.
The Dahlia: Zone-Based Break Support
5-star Fire Nihility. Skill deploys 3-turn Zone: +50% Weakness Break Efficiency, converts Toughness damage to Super Break. Talent assigns Dance Partner to highest Break Effect ally, enabling 200% follow-ups when they hit broken enemies. Ultimate applies 4-turn Wilt debuff (DEF reduction) and implants Dance Partner's elemental weakness.
Signature Light Cone Never Forget Her Flame:
- Stats: 1164 HP, 529 ATK, 463 DEF
- 60% Break Effect, 32% Break DMG on combat entry
- Recovers 1 SP when applying Weakness, resets on Ultimate
Synergy with Break Teams
The Dahlia's Zone stacks multiplicatively with Firefly's 50% Weakness Break Efficiency (Complete Combustion), creating 125% total boost. Firefly's Enhanced Skill scales 0.2× Break Effect + 200% ATK (primary) and 0.1× Break Effect + 100% ATK (adjacent), capped at 360% Break Effect.
With Fugue's Foxian Prayer (30% Break Effect, 50% Toughness Reduction ignoring weakness), creates three-layer amplification. Dance Partner typically targets Firefly, triggering 200% follow-ups on broken enemies.
Ruan Mei remains premium fourth slot (Break Efficiency, SPD, Weakness Break extension), but The Dahlia's DEF shred and SP recovery reduce dependency.
Investment Requirements
E0 functions fully—core Zone and Dance Partner need no eidolons. E0 + signature costs 41,600-48,000 Stellar Jade (260-300 pulls).
Pull priority:
- F2P with Ruan Mei: Consider over Fugue for unique mechanics
- F2P without premium supports: Skip for Fugue
- Low spenders: Pair with Firefly in Phase 1 if targeting Zone teams
- Dolphins: E0S1, skip eidolons
Firefly Rerun: Fire Break Hypercarry
5-star Fire Destruction. Ultimate enters Complete Combustion: +100% action advance, enhanced ATK/Skill damage, +60 SPD, +50% Weakness Break Efficiency. Enhanced Skill deals 0.2× Break Effect + 200% ATK (primary), 0.1× Break Effect + 100% ATK (adjacent), Break Effect capped at 360%.
Base stats (Lv80): 814 HP, 523 ATK, 776 DEF, 104 SPD.
Signature Whereabouts Should Dreams Rest: 60-100% Break Effect, 24-40% enemy Break DMG taken.
Optimal build: 360% Break Effect, 2600+ ATK, 150 SPD. 4pc Iron Cavalry + Forge of Kalpagni Lantern.
Break Effect Scaling
At 360% Break Effect with Ruan Mei (68% Break Effect, 50% Weakness Break DMG) and Fugue (30% Break Effect, Super Break conversion), Firefly hits 6-figure damage per Enhanced Skill on broken enemies.
Super Break adds separate damage from Toughness reduction. Fugue's Cloudflame Luster converts 100% of attacks on broken enemies to Super Break, doubling damage output.
Memory of Chaos: E0S1 Firefly + Fugue + Ruan Mei + Lingsha clears 12-cycle content in 4-5 cycles vs Fire-weak enemies.
E0 vs E1 vs E2
E0: Complete functionality, 90% potential at E0S1. Recommended baseline.
E1: Improves Complete Combustion uptime/energy. Costs +28,800 Stellar Jade. Non-essential.
E2: Significant damage multipliers. Premium tier. Not recommended for banner hopping—team completion > solo eidolons.
Alternatives
No Fire Destruction character replicates Firefly's Break Effect hypercarry role. Budget: Harmony Trailblazer (free Super Break) + any high Break Effect DPS. Physical Break teams (Boothill, Luka) offer similar gameplay, different element.
F2P without Firefly should reconsider Fire team investment—The Dahlia and Fugue provide limited value without Break hypercarry.
Fugue: Break Effect Amplifier
5-star Fire Nihility. Skill grants Foxian Prayer: 30% Break Effect, 50% Toughness Reduction ignoring weakness, 3-turn Torrid Scorch. Talent applies Cloudflame Luster: 40% extra Toughness damage, 100% Super Break conversion on broken enemies.
Base stats (Lv80): 1125 HP, 582 ATK, 557 DEF, 102 SPD.
Optimal build: 220% Break Effect, 67% Effect Hit Rate, 145+ SPD. 2pc Thief + 2pc Iron Cavalry/Talia.
Signature Long Road Leads Home: 60-100% Break Effect, 18-30% enemy Break DMG taken (stacks).
Firefly Synergy
Foxian Prayer's 30% Break Effect stacks with Firefly's scaling, pushing effective Break Effect beyond 360% cap for Super Break purposes. 50% Toughness Reduction ignoring weakness enables Firefly to break all enemy types.
Cloudflame Luster's 100% Super Break conversion applies to every Firefly attack on broken enemies. With Ruan Mei's Weakness Break extension, enemies stay broken longer, maximizing conversion windows.
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Torrid Scorch duration (3 turns) aligns with Firefly's Complete Combustion timing. SP neutral (1 SP for multi-turn buff) supports Firefly's SP-intensive rotations.
Fugue vs Ruan Mei vs Harmony MC
Fugue and Ruan Mei are complementary, not competitive. Ruan Mei: 68% Break Effect, 50% Weakness Break DMG, SPD, extension. Fugue: 30% Break Effect, Toughness Reduction ignoring weakness, Super Break conversion. Optimal teams use both.
Harmony MC (free): Team-wide Super Break based on MC's Break Effect. With Ruan Mei, delivers 70-80% of Fugue's performance at zero cost.
Team slot priority:
- With Ruan Mei: The Dahlia > Fugue (unique Zone vs overlapping buffs)
- Without premium supports: Fugue > The Dahlia (direct Break buffs)
Premium composition: Firefly + Fugue + Ruan Mei + Lingsha/Gallagher.
Investment Requirements
E0 functions fully. E0 + 4-star Light Cone provides 80-85% potential. Signature optional.
E0S1 costs 41,600-48,000 Stellar Jade. Prioritize E0 character > signature > eidolons.
F2P decision: Entering Phase 2 with 80-90 pulls—guarantee Fugue and forfeit Sunday, or skip Fugue for Sunday's universal value? Secured The Dahlia + Firefly in Phase 1 → prioritize Fugue. Skipped Phase 1 → consider Sunday.
Sunday: Universal Action Advance
5-star Imaginary Harmony. Action advance mechanics reduce ally action delays, increasing damage per cycle. Ultimate advances target ally 100% + damage buffs, enabling hypercarries to execute multiple turns rapidly.
Base stats (Lv80): TBD (subject to final balance).
Signature A Grounded Ascent: Harmony stat buffs + energy regeneration.
Fire Team Applications
Sunday's Ultimate advancing Firefly 100% enables immediate Enhanced Skill follow-ups. Combined with Firefly's Complete Combustion (already +100% action advance), enables 4-5 Enhanced Skills per window vs 3-4, increasing damage 25-33%.
Also benefits The Dahlia's Zone timing, ensuring uptime aligns with Firefly's Complete Combustion.
But: Imaginary Harmony creates team slot conflicts. Optimal Fire Break already uses Fugue + Ruan Mei, leaving limited flexibility without sacrificing sustain.
Sunday's universal value shines in alternative teams (Quantum, Lightning, Ice hypercarries) > specialized Fire Break.
Synergy Analysis
Four-character Dahlia + Firefly + Fugue + Sunday sacrifices sustain—survivability challenges in endgame. Practical: replace The Dahlia or Fugue with Lingsha/Gallagher.
Variants:
- Sunday + Fugue + Firefly + Lingsha: Break focus + action economy
- Sunday + The Dahlia + Firefly + Gallagher: Zone control + action advance
True value: account flexibility > Fire optimization. Secured Dahlia + Firefly + Fugue in Phases 1-2 = complete Fire team, Sunday becomes luxury. Universal support justifies investment for diverse team builders.
Long-Term Value
Harmony path + universal buffs apply to all future DPS releases. Action advance remains powerful regardless of meta shifts.
Sunday vs Ruan Mei: Similar universal philosophies. Already own Ruan Mei? Evaluate if Sunday's action advance provides sufficient differentiation vs element-specific supports.
Banner hopping priority: Lowest for dedicated Fire builders. Dahlia + Firefly + Fugue = complete Fire functionality. Sunday benefits non-Fire compositions primarily.
Players with resource surplus after Phases 1-2 (favorable 50/50s, early pulls) can justify Sunday for long-term account value.
Complete Fire Team Routes
Premium: Firefly + Fugue + Ruan Mei + Lingsha. Optimal Break scaling, consistent damage, survivability.
Alternative premium: Firefly + The Dahlia + Fugue + Lingsha. Zone control vs Ruan Mei's extension.
Sunday-inclusive: Firefly + Sunday + Fugue + Lingsha. Action economy focus. Suits players who skipped Dahlia but secured Sunday.
F2P Route (160-180 pulls)
Priority: Firefly > Fugue > others.
Firefly = highest priority (no free alternative). Consumes 90-180 pulls depending on pity/50/50.
Obtained Firefly? Evaluate Fugue: with Ruan Mei = moderate benefit, without premium supports = significant improvement. Harmony MC provides free Super Break, reducing Fugue necessity.
Budget team: Firefly (limited) + Harmony MC (free) + Asta (free) + Gallagher/Lynx (4-star). Achieves 60-70% premium performance, clears MoC 10-11.
Skip Firefly entirely? Reconsider Fire investment—Dahlia + Fugue provide limited value without Break hypercarry.
Low Spender Route (196-216 pulls)
Two guaranteed characters. Optimal routes:
- Phase 1 Firefly + Phase 2 Fugue: Complete Break core
- Phase 1 Dahlia + Phase 1 Firefly: Zone hypercarry foundation (requires favorable pity)
- Phase 1 Firefly + Phase 3 Sunday: Hypercarry + universal support
Firefly + Fugue prioritizes Break specialization, functions with free Harmony MC + 4-star sustain.
Dahlia + Firefly emphasizes Phase 1, requires early pulls/50/50 wins for both within 196-216 pulls.
Firefly + Sunday balances Fire functionality with universal support, sacrifices specialized Fire support for account flexibility.
Flex Slots
Sustain options:
- Lingsha: Fire coverage, Break Effect scaling, follow-up healing
- Gallagher: SP-positive, Break Effect buffs
- Luocha: Auto-healing, cleanse for debuff-heavy content
Non-Fire-weak enemies: Fugue's Foxian Prayer (50% Toughness Reduction ignoring weakness) enables Firefly to break regardless of resistance. Dahlia's Ultimate implants Dance Partner weaknesses.
Content-specific:
- Pure Fiction multi-wave: Lingsha (AoE follow-ups)
- MoC single-target: Gallagher (SP generation)
- Apocalyptic Shadow debuffs: Luocha/March 7th (cleanse)
Speed-clear low-difficulty: Firefly + Dahlia + Fugue + Ruan Mei (no sustain, max offense).
Pull Priority by Player Type
F2P hierarchy:
- Fire focus: Firefly > Fugue > Dahlia > Sunday
- Universal account: Firefly > Sunday > Fugue > Dahlia
With Ruan Mei: Deprioritize Fugue (overlapping buffs), prioritize Dahlia (unique Zone).
Without premium supports: Prioritize Fugue (immediate performance).
Account age: New accounts benefit from universal Sunday (multiple teams). Established rosters gain more from specialized Dahlia/Fugue.
Monthly Pass Optimization
Express Supply Pass: 300 Oneiric Shards + 10 Star Rail Passes over 30 days = ~4,500 Stellar Jade value for $4.99.
Nameless Honor: 8 Special Passes + 680 Stellar Jade + resources for $9.99.
Combined $14.98/month = ~18 pulls/month. Eight weeks spans two cycles = 36 bonus pulls.
Timing: Purchase Express Pass on launch day, renew at 30-day mark for full Phase 1-3 coverage. Complete Battle Pass objectives for Special Passes before Phase 2-3 deadlines.
Allocation: First guarantee to Firefly (Phase 1). 100+ pulls remaining after Firefly = safely pursue second guarantee. 50-90 pulls = 50/50 gamble. Risk-averse: guarantee two characters vs gambling for three.
Dolphin Strategy (296-336 pulls)
First-time double bonus: 12,960 Stellar Jade (81 pulls) for $99.99, plus smaller packs = 100-120 additional pulls.
Routes:
- E0 Firefly + E0 Fugue + E0 Sunday (three-character coverage)
- E1 Firefly + E0 Fugue + E0 Dahlia (hypercarry focus + dual supports)
- E0S1 Firefly + E0 Fugue (signature weapon investment)
Firefly E1 improves uptime/energy but provides lower account value than additional characters. Prioritize E1 only after securing Fugue.
Signature vs Eidolon: E1 Firefly (28,800 Jade) vs E0S1 Firefly (41,600-48,000 total). Compare based on existing Light Cones and damage breakpoints.
Pity Management
Limited banner pity persists between phases, resets between versions. 70+ pity entering Phase 1 = account for imminent 5-star in planning. Soft pity at 73 creates 50/50 risks.
Lost Phase 1 50/50 = guaranteed rate-up next pull. Guaranteed status entering Phase 2 ensures Fugue within 90 pulls.
Track: Pity count + guarantee status via in-game warp history.
Transitions: Complete Phase 1 pulls 12+ hours before Jan 7 transition. Same for Phase 2→3 on Jan 28. Avoid last-minute technical issues.
Buffer: Plan 10-20 extra pulls beyond calculated requirements. Conservative calculations (180-pull hard pity) provide safety margins.
Endgame Performance
Memory of Chaos 11-12: Fire-weak enemies ~30-40% of rotations. Firefly + Fugue + Ruan Mei + Lingsha achieves 3-4 cycle clears vs Fire-weak bosses. Non-Fire-weak requires Fugue's Toughness Reduction ignoring weakness.
Dahlia variant (Firefly + Dahlia + Ruan Mei + Gallagher): Dance Partner follow-ups compensate for missing Fugue's Super Break conversion. Comparable vs Fire-weak, struggles vs resistant.
Sunday variant (Firefly + Sunday + Fugue + Lingsha): 2-3 cycle clears optimal scenarios. 5-6 Enhanced Skills per Complete Combustion vs 3-4. Sacrifices Ruan Mei's extension, reducing sustained damage.
Pure Fiction
Multi-wave format favors AoE. Firefly's Enhanced Skill adjacent damage (0.1× Break Effect + 100% ATK) provides moderate AoE, inferior to Himeko/Herta.
Dahlia's follow-ups improve wave-clearing 15-20% vs solo Firefly. Fugue's Cloudflame Luster creates continuous damage during transitions. Lingsha's follow-ups add AoE coverage.
Scoring: 30,000-36,000 points (full rewards) vs Fire-weak cycles. 24,000-30,000 vs neutral. Deploy selectively based on weekly lineups.
Apocalyptic Shadow
Boss-focused favors Firefly's single-target. Fire-weak bosses receive 30-40% increased Toughness damage, accelerating Weakness Break.
Dahlia's Ultimate implants Dance Partner weaknesses, converting resistant bosses to Fire-weak (4-turn duration). Deploy immediately before Firefly's Complete Combustion.
Fugue's Foxian Prayer enables damage vs non-Fire-weak without Dahlia's Ultimate—redundant weakness coverage. One character suffices.
Debuff-heavy bosses: Lingsha provides limited cleanse (Ultimate only), Gallagher offers none. Substitute Luocha/March 7th for defensive utility.
Rotation Examples
Optimal Firefly: Fugue Skill (Foxian Prayer) → Ruan Mei Skill → Lingsha Skill → Firefly Ultimate (Complete Combustion + action advance) → 3-4 Enhanced Skills on broken enemies.
Dahlia modification: Dahlia Skill (Zone) → Fugue Skill → Firefly Ultimate → Enhanced Skill spam within Zone. Dahlia Ultimate at 50% Complete Combustion duration for DEF shred + weakness implant alignment.
Sunday adjustment: Sunday Ultimate (Firefly action advance) → Firefly Enhanced Skill → Sunday Skill → Firefly Enhanced Skill → repeat. High SP consumption—Gallagher's SP-positive sustain > Lingsha's neutral.
Energy management: Track Ultimate availability. Firefly's energy cost/generation determines Complete Combustion frequency. Practice in Simulated Universe before MoC.
Common Mistakes
Overestimating resources: 160-180 free pulls support one guarantee + partial second, not three guarantees. Calculate conservative (180 pulls/character) vs optimistic (90 pulls with 50/50 wins).
Pity miscalculation: Limited banner pity persists between phases, resets between versions. 80 pity entering 3.8 = first Phase 1 pull may trigger immediately. Track pity status.
Light Cone costs: Weapon banner hard pity = 80 pulls, 75% rate-up guarantee requires 107 pulls absolute. Signature costs 12,800-19,200 Jade (40-60% of character guarantee).
Ignoring Light Cone Value
Complete E0S1 builds cost 41,600-48,000 Stellar Jade. Budgeting only 28,800/character overlooks weapons, forcing suboptimal 4-star substitutions.
Firefly signature: 60-100% Break Effect, 24-40% enemy Break DMG taken = 25-30% damage increase vs 4-stars. Justifies investment for mains.
Fugue signature: 60-100% Break Effect, 18-30% enemy Break DMG taken. Support role makes it lower priority than Firefly's weapon.
Dahlia signature: Break Effect, Break DMG, SP recovery. SP mechanic (1 SP on Weakness application, resets on Ultimate) valuable for SP-intensive comps. Prioritize over eidolons.
Overcommitting to Eidolons
E2 Firefly without Fugue underperforms E0 Firefly with E0 Fugue. Synergistic E0 combinations > isolated eidolon investments.
Support eidolons: Diminished value vs hypercarry DPS. Fugue E1 improves buffs but E0 suffices for endgame. Avoid support eidolons until completing rosters.
Sunday eidolons: May improve action advance/buffs, but E0 functions with proper Light Cone. Evaluate against alternative character investments.
Balanced development: diverse E0 roster > hyper-invested individuals. E2 Firefly without Fugue/Ruan Mei/sustain struggles despite individual strength.
Resource Acquisition
Stellar Jade sources (8 weeks):
- Daily training: 60 × 56 days = 3,360
- Events: 2,400-3,000 × 3 = 7,200-9,000
- Simulated Universe: 225 × 8 weeks = 1,800
- Exploration: ~2,000-3,000
- Total: 16,360-19,160 Jade
Star Rail Passes:
- Monthly shop: 5 × 2 = 10
- Events: 10-15
- Herta Store: limited
- Total: 25-30 passes = 4,000-4,800 Jade value
Combined F2P: 20,360-23,960 Jade (127-150 pulls).
Undying Starlight: 150 pulls = 15-20 duplicate 4-stars = 75-100 Starlight = 15-20 passes.
Final F2P total: 142-170 pulls, aligns with 160-180 estimate including version bonuses.
Maximizing Free Jade
Events: 2,400-3,000 Jade each, three major events. Complete daily vs procrastinating—prevents missed rewards.
Simulated Universe: 225 Jade weekly for clearing assigned worlds. Eight weeks = 1,800 Jade (11-12 pulls). Maintain diverse roster for weekly conditions.
Forgotten Hall + Pure Fiction: Bi-weekly resets, ~800 Jade each (1,600/month). Both modes = 3,200-3,600 Jade across 3.8. Optimize teams for full star clears.
Daily training: 60 Jade for 10-15 min investment. 56 days = 3,360 Jade. 100% completion essential—60 Jade lost per skipped day.
Strategic Top-Up Timing
First-time double bonus:
- $99.99: 12,960 Jade (81 pulls)
- $49.99: 6,480 Jade (40.5 pulls)
- $29.99: 3,280 Jade (20.5 pulls)
- $9.99: 1,090 Jade (6.8 pulls)
Wait until confirming pull requirements. 160 pity with guaranteed = need only 20 pulls = $29.99 pack sufficient. Avoid preemptive large purchases creating excess Jade.
Timing: Complete transactions 24+ hours before banner expiration. Avoid panic purchases during final hours—technical issues, maintenance, payment delays.
BitTopup's instant delivery supports precise timing without extended waits. Secure transactions and high ratings provide reliable alternatives to direct purchases.
FAQ
How many Stellar Jades guarantee all four characters?
115,200 Jade (720 pulls) worst-case hard pity. Realistic average luck (140 pulls/character) = 89,600 Jade (560 pulls). F2P provides 160-180 pulls, leaving 380-400 pull deficit requiring ~$400-500 in top-ups.
Should F2P prioritize Dahlia or Fugue?
Prioritize Fugue with Firefly—Break Effect buffs + Super Break conversion directly amplify damage. Dahlia offers broader applicability but lower immediate impact for Firefly comps. With existing Ruan Mei, Dahlia's differentiated mechanics > Fugue's overlapping buffs.
Can Harmony MC replace Fugue?
Yes, functionally. Harmony MC provides free Super Break, achieving 70-80% of Fugue's performance with Firefly + Ruan Mei. Fugue's Foxian Prayer (30% Break Effect, 50% Toughness Reduction ignoring weakness) + Cloudflame Luster (40% extra Toughness, 100% Super Break conversion) provide superior scaling justifying limited investment for optimal performance.
Is Sunday essential for Fire Break teams?
No, luxury addition. Optimal Fire uses Firefly + Fugue + Ruan Mei + sustain—all slots provide specialized Break support. Sunday's action advance improves damage compression but competes for slots. Primary value: universal applicability across non-Fire teams (Quantum, Lightning, Ice). Strong account investment, non-essential for Fire functionality.
Minimum investment for functional Fire Break team?
E0 Firefly (28,800 Jade) + Harmony MC (free) + Ruan Mei or Asta (Ruan Mei = 28,800 if not owned; Asta free) + Gallagher/Lynx (4-star). Total: 28,800-57,600 Jade depending on roster. With Ruan Mei = single guarantee cost.
How does pity carry over between phases?
Limited banner pity persists across all three phases within 3.8. 70 pity after Phase 1 = enter Phase 2 with 70 accumulated, need only 110 more for guarantee. Pity resets completely when 3.8 ends and 3.9 begins. Track carefully across phase transitions.
