Honkai Star Rail: Seele vs Jing Yuan – Who Should You Pick?

Honkai: Star Rail, like many RPGs before it, features a memorable cast of cool characters you’ll want to add to your team. However, you’ll want to aim for particular characters first, especially where 5-star options are concerned. Here is our guide telling you who you should pick in Honkai Star Rail: Seele or Jing Yuan.

Note: We’ll have a Honkai Star Rail guides and features hub once the game has officially released, so stay tuned.

Should you pick Seele or Jing Yuan in Honkai: Star Rail?

When you play Honkai: Star Rail, you can’t simply pick the characters you want to add from a list. The best characters must be pulled in random draws, including Seele and Jing Yuan. You’ll have to accept what you are awarded unless you restart the game to try again with a new account. This may lead you to the question: is rerolling worth it in Honkai Star Rail?

If you decide rerolls are too much of a nuisance, then the 5-star character you get soonest will be the one you wind up going with. If you aim for a particular character, however, you’re likely to wind up trying for either Seele or Jing Yuan. They are both terrific options right out of the gate, with compelling reasons available for either one.

Artwork by HoYoverse

The argument for picking Seele

The best build for Seele turns her into a true weapon for your cause. Seele possesses some excellent abilities, including the Appear Again talent in particular. It lets her take a second action when she destroys an enemy. That bonus applies only once per battle round, but it’s like having an extra team member to whittle through enemy reserves (especially since Seele has such spectacular offensive capabilities). This is slightly less useful when facing a boss, but versatile enough to still matter even then.

The argument for picking Jing Yuan

When you put together the best build for Jing Yuan, you produce a character who attacks with remarkable lightning-based skills (a more powerful Serval, essentially). Those attacks damage foes across the battlefield. Although Jing Yuan targets single enemies somewhat efficiently, he is similar to Seele in that his greatest utility shines through when facing mobs rather than bosses. For AoE attacks, he simply has no peer. This makes him especially useful when you are farming against weaker enemies (which you may find yourself doing a lot as the game progresses).

Your style of play, your preference for character design, and your other party members will ultimately determine which character is most useful for you.

Honkai: Star Rail is available via its official website.