I still remember when Xueyi showed up in Honkai: Star Rail 1.6. She wasn't just another Destruction character to me—she had this rhythm of cracking an enemy's Weakness, shredding their Toughness, and then letting her Ultimate do the talking. Because of that, I wanted to stack ATK and Break Effect on her like toppings on a sundae. But here's the catch: at launch, no Destruction Light Cone boosted both stats at the same time. That forced me to get creative, and honestly, it made building her feel more personal. Even in 2026, when I dust her off for Memory of Chaos or just for old times' sake, I keep circling back to a handful of favorites. Let me walk you through them.
Collapsing Sky was one of my earliest companions, and it taught me a lot about compromise. Its Basic ATK buff mostly sits there unused because Xueyi barely touches her Basic, but the Skill DMG increase is still decent. Her Ultimate is the real star of the kit, so Collapsing Sky never felt like a perfect soulmate. Think of it as that friend who hypes up the wrong part of your set—supportive, sure, but not exactly on beat.
Then came Shattered Home, and oh boy, this little cone has hands... as long as the enemy is above 50% HP. It turns Xueyi into a surprisingly strong opener in the early game. The moment a target's health bar dips below half, though, it kind of dozes off. I remember clearing some early Memory of Chaos floors with it and thinking, 'Okay, respect.' For new players, Shattered Home punches way above its rarity.
Under the Blue Sky is where things get spicy in AoE fights. Against a crowd, it stacks buffs and turns Xueyi into a blender of Weakness Break and follow-up damage. But here's the rub: against a lone elite or boss, the passive loses a ton of steam. When I was farming waves of enemies, this thing felt amazing. Against a single target? Not so much. That's when I'd quietly swap over to Nowhere to Run for a fatter ATK buff.
The Moles Welcome You is my reliable daily driver. It gives an ATK boost whenever Xueyi uses her Basic ATK, Skill, or Ultimate. She doesn't exactly spam her Basic, so you won't squeeze out every drop of value, but it's still a comfy, no-drama pick. No crazy conditions, no sudden mood swings—just steady damage. Sometimes that's all you need.
Now, let's be real about the 5-star options. None of them were perfectly tailored to Xueyi's kit at release, but several could still put in work:
| Light Cone | What it offers | My honest take |
|---|---|---|
| I Shall Be My Own Sword | Crit DMG plus a passive when allies get hit or lose HP | Decent, though you rarely stack it fully on her. |
| The Unreachable Side | Crit Rate and DMG when attacked | Conditional, but strong in longer fights. |
| Brighter Than the Sun | Basic ATK requirement, Energy Regen and ATK | Handy if you run out of Skill Points, but not ideal. |
| Something Irreplaceable | Flat ATK, extra DMG when hit/defeat, small heal | Surprisingly comfortable for survivability. |
But if you asked me which one actually stayed on her, the answer is On the Fall of an Aeon. It gives a DMG bonus when Xueyi breaks an enemy's Weakness—which is basically her entire personality. It also upgrades to S5 far more easily than those gacha-only 5-stars, so a fully enhanced copy can quietly outperform fancier options. Even in 2026, if you're building Xueyi on a budget or just revisiting her for fun, this cone still feels like home.
At the end of the day, Xueyi doesn't ask for much—just enemies to break and a cone that respects her Toughness-damage lifestyle. I won't pretend I never made a weird choice along the way... but honestly, tinkering with her build was half the fun. If you still rotate older units in 2026 like I do, maybe give one of these classics another look. She might just surprise you again.