Hunt Path Mechanics
Core Abilities
Here’s where Hunt characters really shine – they’re your go-to damage dealers for deleting single targets through concentrated damage, critical hits, follow-up attacks, and sustained DPS. Think surgical precision rather than AOE chaos.
March 7th (Hunt) operates on what’s called the Shifu mechanic. Basically, she designates an ally as her Master and gains charge stacks whenever they attack. Hit 7 charges? She unleashes an enhanced action with significantly increased damage. Her base stats at level 80 look solid: 1058 HP, 564 ATK, 441 DEF, 102 SPD – nothing groundbreaking, but respectable for a free unit.
Archer? He’s a different beast entirely. This guy operates as a hypercarry through his Circuit Connection state, and his Skill can cast up to 5 times per turn. Each subsequent cast deals 100% increased damage (capped at 2 stacks normally, 3 with E6). His level 80 stats tell the story: 1164 HP, 620 ATK, 485 DEF, 105 SPD, with a hefty 220 energy cost Ultimate. Quality over quantity.
Single-Target Focus & Synergies
March 7th’s Enhanced Basic Attack adapts based on her Shifu’s path – and this is where strategy gets interesting. Pair her with Destruction/Erudition/Hunt allies for Additional DMG. But here’s the kicker: with Harmony/Nihility/Preservation/Abundance allies, she gets 100% increased Toughness Reduction. Break builds, anyone?
Archer’s Talent Mind’s Eye (True) triggers follow-up attacks when teammates act, recovering 1 SP each time. His A6 Trace Guardian provides a massive 120% CRIT DMG boost for one turn when allies generate SP with 4+ team SP available. Combine this with March 7th’s E2 follow-up attacks, and you’ve got cascading damage chains that just keep going.
Hunt Character Tier Analysis
S-Tier: Archer
Let me be blunt – Archer absolutely dominates single-target scenarios. His burst potential through the multi-cast system is unmatched, allowing 5 consecutive attacks per turn with multiplicative scaling. That’s not just good; that’s game-changing.
E1 gives him 1 additional charge from Ultimate/Technique. E2 provides 20% CRIT Rate for 3 turns after Enhanced Skill, translating to roughly 15-20% DPS increase. His signature Light Cone The Hell Where Ideals Burn offers CRIT Rate and stacking ATK% bonuses that activate with each cast.
For those looking to maximize their investment, HSR Top Up provides convenient access to enhancement materials without the farming grind.
A-Tier: March 7th (Hunt)
Here’s exceptional value wrapped in a free 4-star package. She offers dual build paths: CRIT build using ATK% Body, CRIT Rate/DMG Circlet, SPD/ATK% Feet, or Break build focusing on Break Effect stats and Toughness Reduction.
What makes her special? Adaptability. She fits follow-up teams (E2), Break teams (Toughness Reduction), hypercarry teams (secondary DPS). Best part? You get her through the March to Mastery: A Star is Born mission. No gacha investment required.
Essential Materials & Farming
Ascension Requirements
Both characters demand serious material investment, so let’s break this down:
March 7th: 15 Horn of Snow (Stagnant Shadow), 65 Destroyer’s Final Road (Echo of War), Meteoric series materials: 41 Bullet + 56 Bolt + 58 Drill + 18 Whetstone (Hunt Crimson Calyx), plus 3,000,000 Credits.
Archer: 15 Darkveil Moonlight (Stagnant Shadow: Gelidmoon), 65 Guardian’s Lament (Echo of War: Cocolia), identical Meteoric requirements, 3,000,000 Credits.
The material overlap is actually helpful for planning – you can farm efficiently for both.
Trace Priorities
March 7th: Enhanced Basic ATK > Skill > Ultimate > Basic ATK. That Enhanced Basic is her bread and butter.
Archer: Skill > Ultimate > Talent > Basic ATK. His A2 Projection Magecraft increases team max SP by 2 (bringing total to 7), which enables those sustained burst windows we’re after.
Players looking to accelerate farming can utilize Buy Oneiric Shards for refresh attempts or battle pass materials.
Optimal Stat Priorities
Critical Ratios & Targets
The standard 1:2 CRIT Rate to CRIT DMG ratio still applies, but let’s talk realistic endgame targets:
Archer: 70-80% CRIT Rate, 140-160% CRIT DMG, 2400-2800 ATK, 120-140 SPD. March 7th CRIT build: 60-70% CRIT Rate, 120-140% CRIT DMG, 2000-2400 ATK, 110-130 SPD.
ATK% boots generally outperform SPD boots for maximum damage output. Archer’s multi-hit Skill benefits more from raw ATK than action economy – counterintuitive, but the math checks out.
Substat Thresholds
You’ll want minimum 4+ CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG rolls per relic piece for endgame viability. Speed substats should contribute 8-12 total SPD across all pieces.
Here’s something interesting I’ve noticed: ATK% often outperforms Elemental DMG% due to scaling calculations. Elemental DMG% requires 15-20% higher substat quality to justify over ATK%. Worth keeping in mind during relic selection.
Light Cone Recommendations
Premium Options
Archer’s signature The Hell Where Ideals Burn is his optimal choice, providing CRIT Rate and stacking ATK% bonuses that activate with each Skill cast. Materials needed: 15 Seed of Abundance, 65 Flower of Eternity, plus the usual Meteoric series.
Alternatives include Sleep Like the Dead for CRIT DMG or In the Night for SPD builds.
Budget Alternatives
Swordplay offers accessible CRIT Rate/DMG for both characters. Only Silence Remains provides solid ATK% scaling. River Flows in Spring supports energy regeneration for Archer’s expensive 220 energy Ultimate.
Budget builds can achieve 80-90% of premium performance with proper 4-star selection and superior relic substats. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
Relic Sets & Main Stats
Meta Combinations
Archer: 4pc Genius of Brilliant Stars for Quantum scaling or 4pc Hunter of Glacial Forest for CRIT DMG. Alternative 2pc Musketeer + 2pc element sets work too.
March 7th CRIT: 4pc Hunter of Glacial Forest or 2pc combinations emphasizing ATK%/CRIT. Break build: 4pc Iron Cavalry or Watchmaker sets.
Stat Distribution
Universal priority remains: CRIT Rate = CRIT DMG > ATK% > SPD > Effect Hit Rate. Break builds flip this: Break Effect > SPD > ATK% > CRIT.
Standard main stats: Body ATK%, Feet ATK%/SPD, Planar Sphere Elemental DMG%/ATK%, Link Rope ATK%. March 7th Break builds substitute Break Effect main stats on Feet/Link Rope.
Team Composition Strategies
Archer Hypercarry
The optimal setup: Archer + Sparkle + Robin + Aventurine. This provides SP economy, damage buffs, and survivability in one neat package.
Sparkle generates SP and provides CRIT DMG buffs. Robin offers team-wide damage bonuses that stack beautifully with Archer’s kit. The rotation strategy? Accumulate 4-5 SP, then execute multiple Skill casts for devastating burst windows.
March 7th Break Team
March 7th + Harmony Trailblazer + Ruan Mei + Gallagher creates a Super Break engine that’s surprisingly effective. March 7th breaks Toughness while providing secondary DPS. This setup excels in multi-wave content and weakness-breaking scenarios.
For team building resources, Honkai Star Rail Top Up Online enables efficient character banner and Light Cone acquisitions.
Advanced Strategies
Memory of Chaos Optimization
Archer benefits from 120-140 SPD with team support, enabling 2-3 turns per cycle while maintaining damage stats. Teams should generate 4-5 SP before Archer’s turn for maximum Skill casts. Remember, his A6 Trace requires 4+ team SP for those CRIT DMG bonuses.
March 7th’s speed varies by Shifu selection. Optimal play involves timing Skill refresh with Enhanced Basic Attack windows. Break builds focus on maximizing Super Break damage multiplication over raw hit damage.
Material Planning
HoYoLAB’s Leveling Calculator provides comprehensive planning for exact requirements – I highly recommend using it. Weekly boss materials create 8-10 week bottlenecks for complete Trace maxing. Daily domains provide 2-3 weeks of ascension material accumulation per character.
Maintain a 2:1 ratio between character development and relic farming. Characters first, then optimize.
FAQ
How do I obtain these characters for free? March 7th (Hunt) through the March to Mastery: A Star is Born mission. Archer comes during the Fate/stay night collaboration (Version 3.4-3.6). His signature Light Cone is free after 200 pulls on any banner during Version 3.4.
ATK% or SPD boots for Archer? ATK% boots for maximum damage. Archer’s multiplicative Skill scaling benefits more from raw ATK than marginal speed gains.
Optimal Shifu for March 7th? CRIT builds: Destruction/Erudition/Hunt allies for Additional DMG. Break builds: Harmony/Nihility/Preservation/Abundance for 100% increased Toughness Reduction.
Archer’s SP requirements? 4-5 SP for maximum burst (2 SP per Skill, up to 5 casts). His A2 Trace increases team SP limit to 7. Include SP-positive supports like Sparkle.
Best Eidolons? Archer E1 provides additional charges – good value. E2 gives 20% CRIT Rate buffs (15-20% DPS increase). March 7th E2 adds follow-up attacks for team synergy.
Complete material requirements? Both need identical Meteoric series (41/56/58/18) and 3,000,000 Credits. March 7th: 15 Horn of Snow, 65 Destroyer’s Final Road. Archer: 15 Darkveil Moonlight, 65 Guardian’s Lament.
