Castorice Build Guide 2026: Best Relics, Light Cones & F2P Teams
Complete Castorice build guide for version 4.x. Includes best relic sets, F2P light cone alternatives, team compositions, and stat targets for F2P and light spenders.
Overview
Castorice is a 5-star Quantum Remembrance DPS who has dominated the meta since her release. She scales entirely off Max HP, uses a unique Newbud charge system (no energy), and summons a powerful memosprite dragon called Netherwing.
She excels in all three endgame modes, particularly Memory of Chaos and Pure Fiction.
Role: Main DPS Rarity: 5★ Element: Quantum Path: Remembrance
F2P Verdict: Very strong. Her team options are F2P-friendly (Remembrance Trailblazer is free), but her light cone options are limited. If you can only afford one thing, pull her E0 — she's excellent even without her signature LC.
How Her Kit Works (Simple Explanation)
Castorice doesn't use energy or skill points. Instead:
- Newbud system: She gains charge when allies lose HP. Need 34,000 charge to use her ultimate.
- Skill: Drains 30% of all allies' current HP (this generates Newbud).
- Ultimate: Summons Netherwing (the dragon) and reduces enemy All-Type RES by 20%.
- Netherwing: A memosprite with 165 base SPD that spams breath attacks. Each hit ramps up damage up to 34% multiplier.
- Global passive: Once per battle, saves a dying ally from death.
The key takeaway: you want allies who lose and heal HP frequently — shielders actually hurt her performance.
Best Relic Sets
4-Piece: Poet of Mourning Collapse ★★★★★ (Best in Slot)
| Bonus | Effect |
|---|---|
| 2-Piece | Increases Quantum DMG by 10% |
| 4-Piece | When wearer's SPD is ≤ 95, CRIT Rate increases by 32% |
This is Castorice's best set — and she naturally has 95 base SPD, so the 32% CRIT Rate is essentially free. This makes building her much easier.
Alternative: 2-Piece Longevous Disciple + 2-Piece Genius of Brilliant Stars
- Both 2-piece bonuses apply to Netherwing too
- ~5-8% worse than Poet, but easier to farm
- Use this as a transition set while farming Poet
Fallback: 4-Piece Longevous Disciple
- 12% HP + up to 16% CRIT Rate on HP loss
- The CRIT bonus doesn't apply to Netherwing, so it's noticeably worse
Planar Ornaments
| Set | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Bone Collection's Serene Demesne ★★★★★ | Best in slot. 12% HP + 28% CRIT DMG (easy to trigger with 5000+ HP). Farm this. |
| The Wondrous BananAmusement Park | 48% CRIT DMG while memosprite is active. Decent but the CRIT doesn't apply to Netherwing's own attacks. |
| Rutilant Arena ✅ F2P | Good stat stick while farming Bone Collection. 8% CRIT Rate + skill DMG boost. |
| Sigonia, the Unclaimed Desolation | Situational — only for Pure Fiction. |
Main Stats & Substats
Stat Priority
| Piece | Main Stat | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Body | CRIT DMG | ★★★★★ |
| Feet | HP% | ★★★★★ |
| Planar Sphere | HP% (preferred) or Quantum DMG% | ★★★★ |
| Link Rope | HP% | ★★★★★ |
Substats Priority
- CRIT Rate (need ~68% from substats with Poet 4-piece)
- HP% (more HP = more damage and survivability)
- CRIT DMG
- Flat HP
Stat Breakpoints
| Stat | Target | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HP | 8,000+ | Minimum 7,000. Scales all her damage. |
| CRIT Rate | 100% in combat | Poet gives 32%, need ~68% from substats |
| CRIT DMG | 150%+ | The higher the better |
| SPD | 95 (base) | Do NOT add SPD — it breaks the Poet set bonus |
Best Light Cones
Premium Options
| Light Cone | Rarity | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Flames of the Netherwing | 5★ | Signature — best in slot by a large margin |
| Yet Hope is Priceless | 5★ | Strong alternative if you already own it |
| A Grounded Ascent | 5★ | Viable limited option |
F2P Options ⚠️
This is Castorice's biggest weakness — her F2P light cone options are limited.
| Light Cone | How to Get | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Victory In a Blink ✅ Best F2P | Herta's Store | Best free option at S5. Gives CRIT DMG. Free! |
| Reminiscence | Gacha (4★) | Decent placeholder until you get Victory to S5 |
| The Birth of the Self | Gacha (4★) | Viable for Pure Fiction |
| Passkey | 3★ | Budget option — only use if you have nothing else |
Tip: Even if the passive isn't perfect, any high-base-HP Remembrance light cone works as a stat stick since Castorice scales everything off HP.
Trace Priority
| Trace | Priority | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Skill | ★★★★★ | Main damage source and HP drain |
| Ultimate | ★★★★★ | Summons Netherwing + RES PEN debuff |
| Talent | ★★★★★ | Damage boost on HP loss |
| Memosprite Skill | ★★★★★ | Netherwing's breath attacks |
| Memosprite Talent | ★★★★ | Explosion and healing on Netherwing leave |
| Basic ATK | ★☆☆☆☆ | Almost never use this |
Best Team Compositions
Premium S-Tier Team
| Role | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DPS | Castorice | — |
| Support | Sunday | Action advance for Netherwing + energy (well, Newbud) |
| Support | Cyrene / Tribbie | Team-wide HP synergy |
| Sustain | Hyacine / Luocha | Massive healing to fuel Castorice's HP drain |
F2P A-Tier Team ✅
| Role | Character | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| DPS | Castorice | Limited banner |
| Support | Remembrance Trailblazer | ✅ Free — best F2P support |
| Support | Pela | ✅ Free — DEF shred |
| Sustain | Gallagher | ✅ Free — excellent healing throughput |
Budget Team
| Role | Character |
|---|---|
| DPS | Castorice |
| Support | Remembrance Trailblazer (free) |
| Flex | Asta / Tingyun / Hanya |
| Sustain | Lynx / Natasha |
❌ Characters to AVOID with Castorice
Avoid shielders and Preservation characters:
- Aventurine ❌
- Gepard ❌
- Fu Xuan ❌ (her damage mitigation reduces HP loss)
- March 7th (Preservation) ❌
Castorice needs allies to lose HP to charge her Newbud. Shields block this.
Eidolons Worth
| Eidolon | Worth It? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| E0 | ✅✅ Must-have | Already a complete character |
| E1 | ✅ Yes | Bonus DMG when enemies are low HP |
| E2 | ✅ Yes | Extra turns for Netherwing |
| E6 | ❌ Not for F2P | 20% RES PEN + ignore weakness — overkill |
Recommendation: E0 is excellent. E1 is a nice upgrade. E2 is strong but not necessary. Skip E6.
Game Mode Performance
| Mode | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Memory of Chaos (MoC) | ★★★★★ | S-tier. Massive single-target damage. |
| Pure Fiction (PF) | ★★★★★ | S-tier. Netherwing's AoE breath is excellent. |
| Apocalyptic Shadow (AS) | ★★★★ | A-tier. Strong, but break-focused teams often perform better here. |
F2P Quick Build Summary
Relic Set: 4-pc Poet of Mourning Collapse
Planar Set: Bone Collection's Serene Demesne
Light Cone: Victory In a Blink (S5, Herta's Store)
Main Stats: CRIT DMG / HP% / HP% / HP%
Substats: CRIT Rate (to 68%) > HP% > CRIT DMG
Team: Castorice + RMC + Pela + Gallagher
Final Verdict
Should you pull Castorice as a F2P / light spender?
Yes. Castorice is one of the best DPS units in the game right now. She works excellently with free characters (Remembrance Trailblazer, Pela, Gallagher), has a farmable relic set, and a free light cone from Herta's Store.
Her only downside is limited light cone options, but the free Victory In a Blink at S5 is good enough to clear all content.
Rating: 9.5/10 — pull recommendation: ✅ Strong Yes