F2P 4-Star Must-Build Guide: Tingyun, Pela, Gallagher & More
Complete guide to the best 4-star characters in Honkai: Star Rail. Covers Tingyun, Pela, Gallagher, and other must-build 4-stars for F2P and light spenders.
Overview
As an F2P or light spender, your 5-star roster is limited — but the game gives you incredibly powerful 4-star characters for free. Some of these 4-stars are better than many 5-stars at E6 and form the backbone of top teams even in endgame content.
This guide covers every 4-star worth building, ranked by priority.
Priority Rankings
S-Tier (Must Build) ⭐
These characters are meta-defining and fit into multiple teams. Build them immediately.
| Character | Path | Element | Why S-Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pela | Nihility | Ice | Best DEF shredder in the game. Fits everywhere. |
| Gallagher | Abundance | Fire | SP-positive healer with debuff application. |
| Tingyun | Harmony | Lightning | 50 energy battery + ATK buff. Universal. |
| Herta (4★) | Erudition | Ice | Pure Fiction queen. Follow-up AoE is unmatched for adds. |
A-Tier (Strong Build)
Excellent characters with specific use cases or slightly less versatility.
| Character | Path | Element | Why A-Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asta | Harmony | Fire | SPD buff + Fire break support. Great for Firefly teams. |
| Lynx | Abundance | Quantum | Cleanse + team taunt on ult. Good budget sustain. |
| March 7th (Hunt) | Hunt | Imaginary | Free Hunt unit with strong single-target. |
| Moze | Hunt | Lightning | Strong F2P follow-up attacker. |
| Serval | Erudition | Lightning | Solid AoE DPS. Good early-game carry. |
| Xueyi | Destruction | Quantum | Break DPS with strong toughness damage. |
B-Tier (Niche/Situational)
Build these only if they enable a specific team or you lack better options.
| Character | Path | Element | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sampo | Nihility | Wind | DoT support. Only build if you play Kafka/Swan. |
| Guinaifen | Nihility | Fire | DoT debuffer. Good for Acheron stack generation. |
| Luka | Nihility | Physical | Physical break support. Niche. |
| Hook | Destruction | Fire | Decent early fire DPS. Powercrept by Firefly. |
| Arlan | Destruction | Lightning | Very niche. Not recommended. |
| Qingque | Erudition | Quantum | RNG-dependent. Fun but inconsistent. |
Detailed Builds for S-Tier 4-Stars
Pela (Nihility — Ice)
Pela is the single best 4-star support in the game. She provides 40% AoE DEF shred on her ultimate which is equivalent to a major damage multiplier for the entire team.
Build:
| Slot | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Light Cone | Resolution Shines (S5) or Pearls of Sweat, Tutorial Mission |
| Relic | 4-pc Messenger (SPD/SPD/HP%/ERR%) |
| Planar | Broken Keel or Fleet of Ageless |
| Stats | EHR (to 67%) > SPD > HP% |
| Target | 145+ SPD, 67%+ EHR |
Priority: Skill ≥ Ultimate > Talent. Basic ATK is also fine. She's low-investment.
Gallagher (Abundance — Fire)
Gallagher is arguably the best 4-star sustain and rivals 5-star sustains in break-focused teams. He's SP-positive, applies debuffs, and heals through his ultimate state.
Build:
| Slot | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Light Cone | What Is Real? (S5), Quid Pro Quo, Post-Op |
| Relic | 2-pc Messenger + 2-pc Passerby (SPD/HP%/HP%/HP%) |
| Planar | Broken Keel or Fleet of Ageless |
| Stats | SPD > Break Effect > HP% |
| Target | 145+ SPD, as much Break Effect as possible |
Priority: Ultimate > Skill > Talent. Basic ATK used often.
Best teams: Firefly break teams, Acheron debuff teams, any team needing SP.
Tingyun (Harmony — Lightning)
Tingyun is the ultimate energy support. She gives 50 energy + ATK buff to your carry and boosts their DMG%. She enables comfortable 3-turn ultimate rotations for many DPS.
Build:
| Slot | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Light Cone | Dance Dance Dance (S5), Carve the Moon, Memories of the Past |
| Relic | 4-pc Messenger (SPD/SPD/HP%/ERR%) |
| Planar | Fleet of Ageless or Vonwacq |
| Stats | SPD > ATK% > HP% |
| Target | 160+ SPD, ERR rope for ult uptime |
Priority: Skill > Ultimate > Talent. Basic ATK is lowest priority.
Best teams: Any hypercarry team (Jing Yuan, Seele, DHIL, etc.)
Herta (4★) (Erudition — Ice)
The original Herta is a Pure Fiction specialist. Her follow-up attack triggers when enemies drop to 50% HP, making her incredible for wave-clearing content.
Build:
| Slot | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Light Cone | Eternal Calculus (S5), Genius' Repose, Breakfast S5 |
| Relic | 4-pc Scholar or 4-pc Hunter (CRIT/SPD/Ice%/ATK%) |
| Planar | Rutilant Arena or Izumo |
| Stats | CRIT Rate > CRIT DMG > ATK% |
| Target | 134+ SPD, 70%+ CRIT Rate, 120%+ CRIT DMG |
Priority: Skill > Ultimate > Talent. Basic ATK: lowest priority.
Best teams: Pure Fiction with The Herta or any AoE content.
Investment Priority Order
If resources are limited, build in this order:
- Pela (low investment, huge returns)
- Gallagher (best F2P healer)
- Tingyun (universal battery)
- Herta (Pure Fiction enabler)
- Asta (break support)
- Lynx (second healer)
- March 7th (Hunt) / Moze (free single-target)
Eidolon Priority
| Character | Key Eidolons | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pela | E4 (more DEF shred uptime) | Already great at E0 |
| Gallagher | E2 (remove debuff), E4 (energy) | E2 is a big QoL jump |
| Tingyun | E1 (SPD), E6 (energy refund) | Great at E0 |
| Herta | E6 (more follow-ups) | E4 is fine |
| Asta | E4 (burn uptime), E6 (more SPD stacks) | Useable at E0 |
Final Verdict
Don't sleep on 4-stars. Pela, Gallagher, and Tingyun are legitimate endgame characters that you'll use even with a full 5-star roster. They cost minimal resources to build and provide outsized value.
Key takeaway: E6 4-stars > E0 5-stars in many cases. Prioritize them.