The best Honkai Star Rail Gepard build, Light Cones, and Relics

The best Honkai: Star Rail Gepard build turns the Silvermane general into a mighty shield that keeps your party safe and even negates the need for a healer.

Gepard ended up in the A category of our Star Rail tier list, held back only by his almost non-existent attack power.

If you need some extra Stellar Jade to throw at the standard banner, check out our Star Rail codes list for some freebies.

Honkai Star Rail Gepard build

What is the best Honkai Star Rail Gepard build?

Unlike Marth 7th, Gepard functions more like a traditional tank character. He deals a decent amount of damage with his skill, but his ultimate is the more useful ability, as it creates a shield for all allies that scales based on his defense. Defense, HP, and energy regeneration are the most important parts of any Gepard build.

Best Gepard Light Cone – Moment of Victory

Moment of Victory is Gepard’s signature Light Cone, and it’s excellent for a tank like him. It raises the wearer’s defense and increases the chance that enemies will target them. More importantly, it raises their effect hit rate, which means attacks – such as Gepard’s skill – are more likely to inflict a status effect, which would be freeze in Gepard’s case. Freeze is Gepard’s second most useful function, so if you end up with this Light Cone, definitely make sure Gepard gets it.

Landau’s Choice is a strong 4-star pick, though it’s simpler. It raises the wearer’s defense and increases the chance that enemies will target them. This Is Me! is another good choice if you want to eke out some extra damage from Gepard’s skill. It buffs defense, and after the wearer uses their ultimate, it buffs their overall damage by an amount that scales on their defense.

For 3-stars, Amber is your best pick. It gives the usual defense buff and doubles it if the wearer’s HP drops below 50 percent. If you’re struggling to keep Gepard’s HP up or don’t have a healer in the party, you may want to consider Defense, which restore’s the wearer’s HP after they use their ultimate.

Best Gepard Relics – Cavern Relics

Two Relic sets fit Gepard quite well, depending on what you want for him. A Gepard without a healer may benefit the most from Guard of Wuthering Snow.

• Two-piece effect: Reduces damage taken by eight percent
• Four-piece effect: If the user’s HP is below 50 percent, they regenerate eight percent of their max HP at the start of the turn and five energy

Knight of Purity Palace is the standard set for him, though.

• Two-piece effect: Increases defense by 12 percent
• Four-piece effect: Shields the user creates can absorb 20 percent more damage

Best Gepard Relics – Planetar Ornaments

Belobog of the Architects works the best for Gepard. It buffs the user’s defense by 15 percent, and if their effect hit rate is higher than 50 percent, the defense buff doubles.

Whatever you decide to use on Gepard, defense, effect hit, and energy regeneration should be your main stat priorities.

Is Gepard good?

Gepard is the best defender in the game as of the launch version, though defending is, admittedly, all he really does. His basic attack scaling is lower than it is even with some support characters, and his skill is a single-target attack that deals only moderate damage. It does, however, have a decent chance of freezing enemies, which causes extra ice damage at the start of their turn and leaves them vulnerable to melee damage.

Gepard’s ultimate creates a shield for the entire party, and his special talent saves him from a fatal blow once per battle. If you’re struggling with energy regeneration or want to focus on other stats, make sure to use Gepard’s technique before a fight. You’ll start the battle with shields for the entire party, which keeps everyone safe while Gepard’s energy meter fills up.

That’s pretty much all there is to him. It sounds bland, but his setup makes him excellent against difficult bosses, long stretches in the Simulated Universe, or Formidable Foes. A team with Gepard can also probably survive without a healer, which frees up a slot for someone else – another damage dealer or a support.

Gepard needs a strong DPS character to take down foes, someone such as Seele or Clara, and an Erudition character would be helpful as well – Himeko, for example. We also recommend sticking Tingyun, Bronya, or Asta on the team to regenerate energy and keep speed up.

Should I pull for Gepard?

Gepard is one of the guaranteed 5-stars in the beginner’s banner and will remain permanently available in the standard banner. There’s no rush to pull for him, and this early in Star Rail’s life, it might be worth holding onto your Stellar Jade to see what other characters HoYoverse has in store.

If you’ve got extra passes to spend, though, it’s certainly worth trying to get Gepard on your team.

If you opt for a certain scythe-wielding warrior, take a look at our build guide to make the most of her, and don’t forget to increase your Equilibrium Level and tackle the Simulated Universe for some extra rewards.