If you’ve just unlocked Castorice in Honkai: Star Rail or are planning to build her, you’ve probably realized she’s not your average DPS. While most damage dealers rely on stacking ATK or crits and staying healthy, Castorice thrives on something different—managing HP loss and recovery to keep her damage loop running.
In this complete guide, you’ll discover the best team compositions for Castorice, from top-tier meta lineups to budget-friendly alternatives. Whether you’re building around her HP-drain mechanics or trying to maintain an efficient Ultimate rotation, we’ll help you pick the right teammates to bring out her full potential.
Let’s dive in.
Who Is Castorice in Honkai: Star Rail?
Castorice is a DPS character with unique mechanics centered around HP manipulation. Unlike most units, her Ultimate does not charge through hits or turns—it charges based on how much HP is gained or lost across the team.
That means the usual tank-and-heal approach won’t work here. Instead, you need a team that understands her rhythm—balancing between controlled chaos and smart healing.
If you’re just plugging her into a generic team, you’re not getting the most out of her. Castorice needs synergy, not shields.
How Castorice Works: A Quick Summary
Before you build her team, understand her core mechanic:
- Castorice’s Ultimate charges based on HP loss/gain.
- She deals more damage when her teammates are actively shifting HP.
- She doesn’t work well with traditional shielders.
- Healing should be passive or timed carefully.
- Her damage increases through a well-synced loop.
With that in mind, let’s move on to the best team compositions.
Top Meta Team: Maximum Synergy and Performance
Team: Castorice + Remembrance Trailblazer (MC) + Tribbie + Luocha
This is Castorice’s best team right now, offering unmatched synergy and control in high-difficulty battles.
Why This Works:
- Castorice handles the damage.
- Tribbie provides HP-scaling attacks and self-harm mechanics, fueling Castorice’s Ultimate quickly.
- Remembrance Trailblazer (MC) offers True Damage, freeze utility, and RES PEN, controlling enemies and boosting team damage.
- Luocha heals without requiring active turns, ensuring Castorice’s HP-drain synergy remains effective.
This team flows smoothly. Tribbie’s HP manipulation helps power up Castorice’s kit, while MC’s crowd control buys time for perfect rotations. Luocha anchors the team without interfering with the HP mechanics Castorice relies on.
If you have all four units, this should be your go-to comp.
Budget and Flexible Team Alternatives
Not every player has premium characters or top-tier relics. If you’re a newer or free-to-play user, these alternatives still let you play Castorice effectively.
Here are great substitutes and why they work:
1. Ruan Mei – For Speed Buffs and RES PEN
- Helps reach the SPD thresholds needed for Poet of Mourning Collapse relic bonus.
- Buffs the team’s overall damage and resistance penetration.
- Great in place of MC or Tribbie if you want smoother turns and buffs.
2. Bronya – For Faster Castorice Rotations
- Action Advance lets Castorice take more turns.
- Her CRIT DMG buff increases overall team output.
- Works well in compositions aiming to maximize DPS windows.
3. Pela – For DEF Shred
- Helps even early teams output more damage.
- A solid pick if you don’t have MC or Ruan Mei.
- Her Elemental DEF shred is especially helpful in tough content.
4. Lingsha – For AoE Healing and Buff Clearing
- Doesn’t interfere with HP mechanics too much.
- Offers team healing while also removing debuffs.
- Useful for players who need both survivability and utility.
5. Gallagher – For Budget Healing
- Works fine if you time his Ultimate carefully.
- Not as smooth as Luocha, but functional in less intense fights.
- A solid pick for early and mid-game players.
These options allow flexibility while still respecting Castorice’s mechanics. You may need to adjust playstyle slightly, but the synergy can still be effective.
Aggressive Double DPS Comp: High Risk, High Reward
Team: Castorice + Mydei + Remembrance Trailblazer (MC) + Luocha
This team is perfect if you enjoy playing fast-paced, high-damage comps that can end fights quickly—before enemies have time to push back.
Why This Works:
- Mydei also benefits from HP loss, making her a natural partner for Castorice.
- The shared HP drain fuels both Ultimates at once.
- MC still provides freeze and debuffs, helping maintain control.
- Luocha keeps the team alive with passive healing.
This comp demands perfect timing. You’ll have fewer support tools, but much more damage output. Both DPS characters will power up faster, letting you burst down enemies before they can react.
Use this setup if you’re confident in your mechanics and want a faster fight.
F2P Team Example: Beginner-Friendly Castorice Squad
If you’re early in the game and don’t have any premium 5-stars, you can still build around Castorice.
Team: Castorice + Pela + Natasha + Lingsha
Why This Works:
- Natasha offers stable healing without active interference in Castorice’s loop.
- Pela reduces DEF, improving Castorice’s damage.
- Lingsha adds AoE healing and debuff cleansing.
- Timing will matter more since you lack synergy from units like Tribbie or Luocha.
This team requires manual management, but it’s very doable. Make sure you balance HP loss and healing. Avoid over-healing or stacking shields, and watch for when to activate Castorice’s Ultimate for maximum impact.
Understanding Key Mechanics for Team Building
To make any of these teams work, here are the key gameplay principles to follow when building around Castorice:
1. Avoid Shielders
Shielding prevents the HP loss needed to charge her Ultimate. That means characters like March 7th or Gepard don’t work well with her.
2. Time Your Healing
Don’t heal too early or too often. Let your characters take controlled damage so that Castorice can build up Ultimate energy.
3. Watch Speed Stats
To maintain rotations, your team needs to meet specific Speed thresholds—especially with the Poet of Mourning Collapse relic set.
4. Choose Characters with Self-Damage or HP Shifts
The more your team’s HP changes—up or down—the better. Units like Tribbie, Mydei, and even Blade (in the future) can help fuel Castorice.
5. Respect Her Skill Order
She’s not plug-and-play. Castorice has a learning curve. You need to master her Skill → Ultimate → Basic ATK rotation cycle for top performance.
Castorice Build Tips for Best Performance
Even with the right team, you won’t get the most out of Castorice unless she’s built correctly. Here are a few tips:
- Main Stats: Crit DMG / HP% / Speed
- Relic Set: Poet of Mourning Collapse (get the SPD bonus)
- Planar Set: Broken Keel (helps with survivability and damage)
- Eidolons: Not mandatory, but some can help smooth out her kit
- Light Cone: Use her signature if possible; otherwise, go for HP-scaling or damage-boosting alternatives
Final Thoughts
Castorice is one of the most interesting characters in Honkai: Star Rail. She’s not just about hitting hard—she’s about smart timing, constant HP changes, and building around her unique mechanic.
If you’re looking to play her at the highest level, the Castorice + Tribbie + Remembrance MC + Luocha team is currently the strongest. But even if you don’t have access to premium characters, this guide gives you the tools to build budget teams that still let her shine.
Just remember: Castorice rewards creativity and control. Build around her mechanics—not against them—and she’ll carry you through the toughest fights.