He’s a liar. A cheat. A guy who would probably sell you your own shoes if you weren't looking.
But honestly? We’ve all been sleeping on Sampo Koski. While the Astral Express is busy playing hero across the cosmos, this blue-haired "businessman" from Jarilo-VI has been running circles around everyone. He isn't just some comic relief thief. He is the most dangerous person you’ve met so far.
The Masked Fool Hiding in Plain Sight
Most players initially wrote Sampo off as a low-stakes scammer. You meet him face-down in the snow, getting kicked around by Silvermane Guards, and he spends most of the Belobog arc acting like a cowardly sidekick.
That was the first trick.
The ending of the Jarilo-VI main quest dropped a massive bombshell that changed everything. That Fourth Wall-breaking monologue where he speaks directly to the "audience"? Yeah, that wasn't just a meta-joke. It was a confirmation that Sampo is a member of the Masked Fools, a faction of chaos-loving pathstriders who follow Aha, the Aeon of Elation.
Think about that for a second.
📖 Related: Tony Todd Half-Life: Why the Legend of the Vortigaunt Still Matters
Jarilo-VI was a frozen tomb, cut off from the rest of the galaxy for seven centuries. No one got in, and no one got out. Yet, somehow, this Masked Fool was just... there. He didn't arrive with the Trailblazer. He’s been operating in the Underworld for years, building a reputation and maintaining contact with off-world entities like Sparkle.
Is Sampo Koski Actually an Emanator?
There is a theory floating around the community—and it’s a spicy one—that Sampo might be an Emanator of Elation.
The evidence is hard to ignore. In the Simulated Universe, the "Rating Pistol" curio can give almost every character a numerical score. March 7th gets a 10. Dan Heng gets an 88.
Sampo? The gun refuses to give him a rating. It just says "Invalid."
In Honkai Star Rail lore, the Rating Pistol usually fails on beings that are "beyond" normal human limits or possess power from an Aeon that defies logic. If Sampo is just a "simple merchant," why can't a genius-tier piece of Herta's tech figure him out?
👉 See also: Your Network Setting are Blocking Party Chat: How to Actually Fix It
Furthermore, he has a moral code that separates him from the more "hardcore" Masked Fools. While Sparkle is happy to watch the world burn for a laugh, Sampo seems to genuinely care about Belobog. He helped the Trailblazer save the city, even if his methods were shady. He even went back to Penacony to retrieve his actual mask, hinting that a major catastrophe is coming back to his "home" and he needs his full power to stop it.
Making the 2026 Meta Work: Is He Still Viable?
Let’s talk gameplay. It’s 2026. We’ve seen powercreep hit old units like a freight train. Black Swan exists. Acheron exists. Does our favorite scammer still have a place on your team?
Surprisingly, yes.
Sampo is the king of Wind Shear. His talent, Windtorn Dagger, allows every single hit he lands to have a 65% base chance to inflict stacks of DoT (Damage over Time). Since his Skill, Ricochet Love, bounces multiple times, he can cap out those 5 stacks on an entire enemy wave in a single turn.
- The E4 Power Spike: If you have his fourth Eidolon, The Deeper the Love, the Stronger the Hate, Sampo becomes a "detonator." When his skill hits an enemy with 5 or more stacks of Wind Shear, it immediately triggers 8% of that damage.
- The Kafka Synergy: He is still one of the best partners for Kafka. While Black Swan offers higher raw numbers, Sampo provides consistent Wind Break and a massive Ultimate debuff that increases the DoT damage enemies take by up to 30%.
If you’re building him now, don’t just stack Attack. He needs Effect Hit Rate more than anything. If your debuffs don't land, he’s just a guy throwing butter knives. Aim for at least 67% EHR to ensure your Wind Shear sticks to high-level bosses.
✨ Don't miss: Wordle August 19th: Why This Puzzle Still Trips People Up
What Most People Get Wrong About His Lore
People think Sampo is a traitor. They think he’s going to stab the Trailblazer in the back the moment it becomes profitable.
I don’t buy it.
The Masked Fools believe that the universe is a joke and the only thing worth doing is laughing. But Sampo’s brand of "elation" is different. He enjoys the hustle. He enjoys the stage. During the Aetherium Wars event, we see him coaching the player, pushing them to win. He’s a mentor hidden behind a grin.
The biggest misconception is that he's a Belobog native. His name, Sampo, comes from Finnish mythology—a magical artifact that brings good fortune. His surname, Koski, means "rapids." He’s a "Rapid Fortune." This suggests he likely originates from a planet with a similar cultural background, possibly Kalevala, and ended up on Jarilo-VI by choice or exile.
Actionable Insights for Your Account
If you’ve got a Sampo sitting at level 20 in your roster, you might be sitting on a gold mine for specific endgame content.
- Pure Fiction King: Because his Ultimate hits every enemy on the field and boosts DoT damage, he is an absolute monster in Pure Fiction stages where enemies spawn in waves and need to be whittled down quickly.
- Break Effect Build: With the shift toward the "Super Break" meta, a Break Effect Sampo is surprisingly terrifying. His Skill has some of the highest toughness-reducing potential in the game for a 4-star character because of the multiple bounces.
- Light Cone Choice: If you don't have Patience is All You Need, go for Eyes of the Prey. It gives him the EHR he desperately needs and a flat damage boost to his DoTs.
Sampo Koski isn't going anywhere. Whether he shows up as a 5-star "Masked Form" in the future or stays as our reliable 4-star contact, he remains the most intriguing mystery in the Star Rail universe. He’s playing a long game, and we’re all just part of his audience.
Check your inventory for Eagle of Twilight Line relics. If they have high Speed and Effect Hit Rate substats, give them to Sampo. Take him into a Simulated Universe Run on the Path of Nihility. Watch the screen fill up with green numbers. You’ll see exactly why the "shady merchant" is still worth your time.