Honestly, if you told me back in 2023 that a barefoot girl and her overprotective robot dad would still be clearing endgame content in Honkai Star Rail three years later, I might’ve laughed. But here we are. Clara is one of those rare standard banner characters who hasn’t just survived powercreep; she’s kind of thrived on it. While other early DPS units have been relegated to the "bench of shame," Clara remains a staple for anyone who values a "hit me and find out" playstyle.
It’s weirdly satisfying. You just sit there, let the enemy take their best shot, and then Svarog comes out of nowhere with a giant mechanical fist to ruin their day.
How Clara Honkai Star Rail Actually Works
Most people look at Clara and think she's a tank. She isn't. Not really. She's a "bruiser" who relies on a mechanic called Counter. Basically, her whole kit is built around the idea that being attacked is actually a good thing.
When an enemy hits Clara, Svarog marks them with a Mark of Counter and immediately retaliates. This isn't just a tiny slap, either. It’s a follow-up attack that deals Physical DMG based on Clara's ATK.
The Ultimate: Promise, Not Command
Her Ultimate is where things get spicy. When she pops it, two things happen:
- She gets a massive damage reduction (up to 30% at max level) and a huge boost to her "aggro," meaning enemies are way more likely to target her.
- Svarog’s counters get "Enhanced."
This "Enhanced" state is the bread and butter of her damage. For the next two times any ally is hit—not just Clara—Svarog will counter. And it’s an AoE counter. He blasts the target and everyone standing next to them. If you’re playing her right, you want this Ultimate up as often as possible.
The 2026 Build: What’s Changed?
Look, the old advice of just stacking HP and calling it a day is dead. If you want her to actually clear things like the current MoC (Memory of Chaos) or Pure Fiction, you need to treat her like the DPS she is.
Relics and Stats
You’ve got options now. The Streetwise Boxing 4-piece set is still the old reliable because it stacks ATK every time she gets hit. Since Clara gets hit a lot, she reaches max stacks almost instantly. However, if you’re running her in a follow-up heavy team, the The Ashblazing Grand Duke set is also a contender, though it’s a bit more niche for her specifically.
For your Planar Ornaments, Duran, Dynasty of Running Wolves has become a top-tier choice in 2026, especially if you’re pairing her with other follow-up characters. It rewards her for every follow-up attack performed by the team, and let's be real, she's doing most of the heavy lifting there.
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- Body: Crit Rate or Crit DMG (She doesn't have crit traces, so this is hard to balance).
- Boots: ATK% (Do NOT put Speed boots on her. She wants to be slow so her buffs last longer).
- Sphere: Physical DMG Boost.
- Rope: ATK% or Energy Regeneration Rate.
The "Barefoot" Meta: Best Team Comps
Clara is surprisingly flexible. You can shove her into a "Hypercarry" team where everyone just buffs her, or a "Dual DPS" setup.
The Aggro-Management Team
One of the biggest issues with Clara is that sometimes the enemies just... don't hit her. It’s annoying. To fix this, Lynx is her best friend. Lynx’s skill increases the Max HP of a Destruction or Preservation character AND increases their chance to be attacked. It’s a perfect synergy.
The Follow-Up Dream Team
If you have Robin and Topaz & Numby, you’re golden. This team is a literal machine gun of follow-up attacks. Topaz applies a debuff that makes enemies take more follow-up damage, and Robin buffs the entire team's ATK while providing extra damage on every hit. In this setup, Clara isn't just a tank; she’s a trigger for a dozen other attacks.
The New 2026 Supports
With the introduction of characters like Sunday and Tribbie, Clara’s ceiling has gone up. Sunday, in particular, allows for some weird action-forwarding shenanigans that can help her refresh her Ultimate faster, though you have to be careful not to burn through her buffs too quickly.
Common Mistakes People Make
I see this all the time in forums. People complain that Clara "doesn't do enough damage," and then I look at their build and they have 134 Speed.
Stop building Speed on Clara. She is one of the few characters in the game where being slow is an advantage. Most of her damage happens on the enemy's turn. If she is too fast, she takes her turn, her Ultimate buff ticks down, and suddenly she's vulnerable and weak before the boss even moves. You want her to be as slow as possible so those "2 turns" of Ultimate uptime feel like an eternity.
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Another mistake is pairing her with Gepard or Fire Trailblazer. Both of those characters have high innate aggro and skills that taunt enemies. If the enemy is hitting Gepard's shield, they aren't hitting Clara. If they aren't hitting Clara, Svarog is just standing there doing nothing. It’s a total anti-synergy.
Why Clara Still Matters
Beyond the mechanics, Clara’s story is still one of the most touching in the game. She’s this "Bloody Rabbit" of the Underworld, a girl who just wants everyone to be family. Emily Sun (English) and Rina Hidaka (Japanese) do an incredible job of making her feel vulnerable but determined.
She represents a different side of the Destruction Path. It's not about reckless anger like Blade; it's about the "destruction" of threats to protect those you love. That nuance is why people still main her years later.
Actionable Next Steps for your Clara
- Check your Speed: If it’s over 100, look for ATK% boots.
- Farm Duran Ornaments: If you're still using old Salsotto sets, the 2026 meta has moved on. The extra crit damage from Duran is worth the grind.
- Level her Talents: Her Talent and Ultimate are 90% of her value. If they aren't at level 10, you’re leaving massive damage on the table.
- Pull for Yunli’s Light Cone: If it ever reruns, Dance at Sunset is arguably better for Clara than her own signature cone because it has a built-in aggro boost. It's a game-changer.
Clara might look small, but with Svarog behind her, she’s still one of the most formidable forces on the Astral Express’s roster. Just keep her away from the Speed substats and she'll carry you through just about anything.