He’s expensive. Honestly, that’s the first thing anyone thinks about when they see Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae (DHIL) hovering over the battlefield with those glowing horns and that judgmental stare. You aren’t just playing a turn-based RPG at that point; you’re managing a volatile bank account where every single "transaction" costs three Skill Points. It’s a lot. If you mess up the rotation once, the whole team falls apart like a house of cards in a windstorm. Yet, despite the power creep that usually eats gacha characters alive, this specific version of Dan Heng remains a staple for anyone trying to brute-force the hardest content in Honkai: Star Rail.
The game calls him a Destruction path character. That's a bit of an understatement. He’s more like a tactical nuke that requires a very specific, very pricey launch sequence.
The Skill Point Problem Most People Get Wrong
Most players look at his kit and think, "Okay, I just need more Skill Points." It’s actually deeper than that. The core of Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae isn't just about having the points; it's about the timing of his "Fulgurant Leap." When you enhance his Basic ATK three times, you're hitting for massive Imaginary damage, but you're also committing to a turn where your supports must be passive.
You can't just throw him into a random team. If you try to run him with someone like Bronya without her Signature Light Cone or E1, you're going to run out of steam by the second cycle. It’s painful to watch. You end up using a regular, un-enhanced basic attack because you're broke. That is the quickest way to lose a Memory of Chaos run.
The reality is that he forced the player base to learn "SP-positive" rotations. Characters like Pela or Luocha became his best friends not just because they’re good, but because they literally never touch the Skill button. They exist solely to feed the dragon.
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Why the Vidyadhara Lore Actually Matters for Gameplay
It isn’t just flavor text. The High Elder of the Luofu, the bearer of the Azure Dragon's inheritance—it all translates to how he scales. Unlike the 4-star Dan Heng, who is a single-target Wind Hunt character, Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae focuses on "Blast" damage. He hits the center target and leaks that massive damage to the adjacent enemies.
This mirrors the lore of the "Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae." He was too powerful for his own good. He broke the laws of life and death, and in-game, he breaks the economy of the combat system. If you look at his animations—the way the water swirls and the dragon shadows bite—it feels heavy. That weight is felt in the damage numbers. When he’s built correctly with a decent amount of Critical Damage (aim for 160% minimum), those numbers aren't just high; they're "skip the boss phase" high.
Breaking Down the Trace Priority
Don't level everything equally. It's a waste of materials.
- Basic ATK: This is where 90% of your damage lives. If this isn't level 10, don't even bother taking him into the Swarm Disaster.
- Talent (Righteous Heart): This gives him stacking DMG boosts for every hit he lands in a turn. Since his level 3 enhancement hits multiple times, this stacks almost instantly.
- Ultimate: It’s important, sure, but mostly because it gives him "Squama Sacrosancta." These act as free Skill Points.
- Skill: Paradoxically, the Skill button itself doesn't need to be the first priority, as it just increases the Crit DMG of the hits.
The Sparkle Factor: A Shift in the Meta
For a long time, DHIL felt a bit clunky. Then Sparkle (Hanabi) was released. Everything changed.
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Sparkle didn't just buff his damage; she expanded the Skill Point cap to seven. This was a direct "buff" to Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae without actually touching his code. Suddenly, the stress of the SP economy vanished. You could actually use a skill on your healer and still have enough for the dragon's triple-tap.
If you're playing him in 2026, you're likely noticing that while newer units have "prettier" gimmicks, the raw Imaginary weakness break efficiency of DHIL is still king. He depletes toughness bars faster than almost anyone else in the game. That’s why he’s still the go-to for many Gold and Gears runs.
Common Mistakes: The "Speed Tune" Trap
Stop making him fast. Seriously.
I see so many people putting Speed boots on him. Why? If he moves too fast, he moves before your supports can generate the points he needs to eat. Unless you have a very specific E2 setup (where he gets a 100% Action Forward after his Ultimate), he should generally be slow. Let him be the "anchor."
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- Attack Boots over Speed Boots: You want his hits to count. Let Sparkle or Bronya pull him forward if you need him to move.
- The ER Rope Debate: Most experts agree that an Attack % rope is better unless you are struggling to get his Ultimate back every 3 turns.
- Imaginary DMG vs. ATK% Orb: Usually, the Imaginary Orb wins, but if you have amazing sub-stats on an ATK% one, use it. The difference is smaller than you think.
The Reality of E2 (Eidolons)
Is he the best at E0? He’s great. Is he a god at E2? Yes.
His second Eidolon is arguably the most broken power spike in Honkai: Star Rail. It makes it so after he uses his Ultimate, his next action is moved up by 100%. He also gets an extra Squama Sacrosancta. This allows for a "Burst -> Basic" combo that can do nearly a million damage in a single window. It completely changes his playstyle from a slow burner to a burst assassin.
If you're a F2P (Free to Play) player, don't feel pressured to pull for it. But if you want a "delete" button for the game, that’s where it is.
Actionable Insights for Your Build
To get the most out of Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae, you need to stop treating him like a standard DPS. He is a resource hog, and you must build the team for him, not alongside him.
- Farm the Wastelander of Desert Banditry set: The 10% Crit Rate and 20% Crit DMG against debuffed/imprisoned enemies is tailor-made for him. If you run him with Welt or Pela, this is always active.
- Prioritize the "Brighter Than the Sun" Light Cone: If you missed his signature, the Herta Shop's "On the Fall of an Aeon" is a decent second place, but the gap in Energy Regeneration is noticeable.
- Team Composition: The "Golden Trio" for him is usually DHIL, Sparkle, Tingyun (for the energy battery), and a sustain like Fu Xuan or Huohuo.
- The 70/160 Rule: Don't settle for less than 70% Crit Rate. Missing a crit on his final hit of the animation feels like a physical punch to the gut because of the wasted Skill Points.
He isn't the "easy mode" character people claim he is. He requires a brain. You have to count. You have to plan two turns ahead. But when that dragon descends and the screen fills with six-digit numbers, it’s hard to argue with the results. Stick to the SP-positive supports, keep his Speed low, and focus on that triple-enhanced basic. That is how you master the High Elder.