Honkai Star Rail 2.5 Pull Guide: Who to Choose Among Feixiao, Robin, Black Swan, and Kafka

Wow, can you believe it's already 2026 and we're looking back at the amazing Honkai: Star Rail 2.5 update? I remember it vividly because it was such a unique event—four incredible limited banners all running at the same time! As a Trailblazer who's seen many versions come and go, I still think that patch offered one of the toughest, yet most exciting, pulling decisions ever. We had three top-tier damage dealers and one phenomenal support character vying for our Stellar Jades. If you're planning your pulls with the benefit of hindsight or just love diving into character kits, let me walk you through my thoughts on Feixiao, Robin, Black Swan, and Kafka. This isn't just about who's strong; it's about who fits your account and playstyle.

Let's start with the new face back then, Feixiao. She is, without a doubt, a Hunt character with a laser focus. Her whole deal is delivering that satisfying, massive single-target nuke, especially when she's set up perfectly. I loved watching her demolish an enemy's Toughness Bar; it felt so strategic. But here's the real talk—she's not a plug-and-play kind of DPS. Her power is deeply tied to a very specific team archetype.

Her main strengths are obvious:

• Devastating Single-Target Damage: When she hits, she really hits.

• Excellent Toughness Break: Super useful for controlling the flow of battle.

However, her weaknesses required some planning to overcome:

• Strict Teammate Requirements: Her damage felt underwhelming if she wasn't surrounded by other characters who could trigger Follow-up attacks. She desperately needed friends like Moze, Topaz, or Aventurine to truly shine.

• Support Compatibility: Not every buffer could effectively empower her. She craved very specific buffs.

• AOE Limitations: As a Hunt unit, she naturally struggled against waves of multiple enemies compared to Erudition or Destruction characters.

So, who was she perfect for? I'd say pull for Feixiao if:

✅ You were dedicated to building or already had a strong Follow-up Attack team.

✅ You possessed or were willing to pull for her best-in-slot Light Cones, like Worrisome, Blissful or Baptism of Pure Thought.

✅ You had Robin (or planned to get her), as they were a match made in heaven.

Speaking of which, let's talk about Robin. Oh, Robin. What a fantastic Harmony unit she turned out to be! Her value has only grown since her debut in Penacony. She provides a beautiful, blanket buff to your team's ATK%, DMG%, and Crit DMG. The best part? Her Ultimate! It advanced the entire team's action and let her join in the attack with a guaranteed Crit hit. Building her was straightforward—stack as much ATK% as possible to maximize her buffing potential.

What made her special for this particular patch was her Ascension passive that boosted Follow-up Attack Crit DMG. This instantly catapulted her to the top of the support list for characters like Feixiao. In fact, running them together on the same banner was a masterstroke by the developers—it was the ultimate package deal.

You should have pulled for Robin if:

✅ You owned or were building any Follow-up Attack team (Feixiao, Topaz, etc.).

✅ Your roster was lacking in versatile Harmony characters.

✅ You were aiming for Feixiao—pulling for Robin was essentially boosting your future DPS's potential exponentially.

Now, onto the queens of Damage Over Time (DoT), starting with Black Swan. Even now, she's considered one of the most elegantly designed Nihility characters. Her kit is just... seamless. There are no real downsides. She applies powerful DoT effects, her Skill shreds enemy DEF, and her Ultimate not only increases DoT damage taken but also extends the duration of debuffs. It's a perfect cycle of suffering for your foes.

She operated brilliantly in two roles:

1. As a hyper-carry DoT DPS when built for damage.

2. As an amazing debuff support for other DPS units like Dr. Ratio or Acheron, who thrive on having many debuffs on the enemy.

Her synergy was, and still is, legendary. You should have pulled for Black Swan if:

✅ You were committed to the DoT playstyle or wanted to start a DoT team.

✅ You needed a top-tier 5-star debuffer to enable other carries.

✅ You had, or were planning to get, Kafka. Their partnership defined the DoT meta.

And that brings us to Kafka, the core engine of any DoT team. She is a pure DoT DPS, but her genius lies in her ability to detonate all DoT effects on an enemy instantly. On her own, she could only apply Shock, which limited her damage. Her true power was unlocked by surrounding her with other DoT appliers.

While she worked well with 4-star units like Sampo, Jiaoqiu, or Guinaifen, her ultimate partner was, without question, Black Swan. Black Swan could layer multiple, potent DoTs, and Kafka would be there to trigger them all for explosive burst damage. Having them both featured in the same phase was a dream come true for DoT enthusiasts.

You should have pulled for Kafka if:

✅ You loved the DoT team archetype and wanted its central catalyst.

✅ You possessed or were pulling for Black Swan. One without the other felt incomplete.

Final Thoughts & Recommendations

Looking back, the choice really boiled down to your existing roster and preferred gameplay:

Character	Role	Best For Players Who...	Key Synergy Partner
Feixiao 🎯	Hunt / Follow-up DPS	Have built Follow-up teams & Robin	Robin, Topaz, Aventurine
Robin 🎵	Harmony / Buffer	Lack Harmony units or run Follow-up teams	Feixiao, any ATK-scaling DPS
Black Swan 🦢	Nihility / DoT Debuffer	Want a top debuffer or a DoT core	Kafka, any debuff-reliant DPS
Kafka ⚡	Nihility / DoT Detonator	Are dedicated to the DoT playstyle	Black Swan, other DoT appliers

• For Newer Players: Robin offered the most universal, long-term value as an amazing support that fits into almost any team.

• For Veteran Team Builders: If you had the pieces, going for the Feixiao & Robin duo or the Kafka & Black Swan duo created incredibly powerful and specialized teams that dominated their respective niches (Follow-up vs. DoT).

Ultimately, Honkai: Star Rail 2.5 was a celebration of distinct playstyles. There was no single "best" character—only the best character for you. Whether you wanted precise surgical strikes with Feixiao, harmonious buffs with Robin, or chaotic poetic damage-over-time with Kafka and Black Swan, the power was in your hands. It was a fantastic time to be a Trailblazer!