Arlan In 2026: My Glass Cannon Love Letter

I still remember the first time I used Arlan in Honkai: Star Rail. Everyone told me to bench him, and in 2026 the meta is still a revolving door of shiny five-stars, but this four-star Destruction boy has a special place in my heart. He is the definition of a glass cannon: his Skill does not cost a Skill Point, it costs his own HP, and the lower his HP gets, the harder he hits. That is a wild catch-22, and I love it. You do not play Arlan because he is safe. You play him because he is living on the edge, and when the stars align, he hits like a truck.

The first rule of Arlan is simple: shields are your best friend. Healing him is usually a mistake, because his Talent, Pain and Anger, gives him a damage bonus for every percent of HP he is missing. If you top him off, you are basically throwing away free damage. So I build him like a pure damage dealer and let a shielder keep him alive at low HP. No sweat, right? Well, it takes some getting used to, but once you see those low-HP numbers, you will understand.

Relics And Planar Ornaments: Double Down On Damage

Since Arlan is on the Path of Destruction, he is built for single-target punishment. I do not bother with HP or DEF main stats. I go straight for Crit Rate or Crit DMG, ATK percent, and Lightning DMG. The Band of Sizzling Thunder is my go-to relic set. The two-piece bonus gives 10 percent Lightning DMG, and the four-piece bonus increases ATK by 20 percent after using his Skill. That is tailor-made for Arlan. If you want a hybrid route, two-piece Band of Sizzling Thunder plus two-piece Musketeer is fine, but I prefer the full thunder set because it boosts his overall damage.

For planar ornaments, Space Sealing Station is the standard DPS choice. It gives 12 percent ATK, and if your Speed is over 120, you get another 12 percent ATK. Arlan is not the fastest guy around, so if you cannot hit that Speed threshold, do not lose sleep over it. Some players put Speed on his Feet slot instead of ATK percent, and that is a valid preference. I usually stick with ATK percent because I want every hit to count.

Light Cones: Do Not Heal Him By Accident

Here is where I almost tripped. Something Irreplaceable is a five-star Light Cone that looks amazing on paper, but its passive restores Arlan's HP. That sounds helpful until you remember that Arlan wants to stay at low HP. In most cases, you want to shield him, not heal him. My top pick is On the Fall of an Aeon. It increases his attack whenever he attacks, and it boosts his attack further after a Weakness Break. That is exactly what he wants.

If you are running a four-star budget, A Secret Vow is arguably his best four-star option. It gives 20 percent ATK and deals 20 percent extra damage to enemies with more HP than Arlan. Since Arlan should always be at low HP, that condition is almost always active. Mutual Demise is a three-star gem that gives 12 percent Crit Rate when his HP is below 80 percent. Collapsing Sky is another simple three-star choice that boosts Basic Attack and Skill damage by 20 percent. It is free and easy to get, so no excuses.

Traces And Bonus Abilities: Talent First, Always

When I level Arlan, I prioritize his Talent first, then his Skill, then his Ultimate. His Talent is the engine behind his whole kit, because it increases his damage based on how much HP he has lost. His Skill, Shackle Breaker, spends 15 percent of his max HP to deal Lightning damage to one target. It cannot kill him, though. If he does not have enough HP, he will be reduced to one HP instead. That is a small mercy, and I will take it.

His Ultimate, Frenzied Punishment, hits one enemy hard and splashes damage to adjacent enemies based on his ATK. His Technique, Swift Harvest, lets him start a fight with AoE Lightning damage. For Bonus Abilities, I unlock Repel first. If Arlan enters battle below 50 percent HP, he becomes immune to all damage except DoT effects until he attacks. That is huge for keeping him alive while he is sitting at low HP. Endurance comes second, giving him a 50 percent chance to resist DoT debuffs. Revival comes last, because it restores a bit of HP after killing an enemy. It is nice, but honestly, I would rather keep him low.

Eidolons: Nice, But Not Mandatory

Arlan's Eidolons are worth chasing if you do not have a main DPS or a Lightning character. They all increase his damage in some way, and his first, fourth, and sixth Eidolons are the standouts. E1 gives his Skill 10 percent more damage when he is at low HP. E4 lets him survive a killing blow once per battle, which is a lifesaver when you are dancing on the edge. E6 makes his Ultimate hit even harder and inflicts full damage to adjacent enemies. That is a big deal for a four-star.

Team Talk: Shield Him, Do Not Babysit Him

In 2026, there are plenty of premium shielders, but the old reliables still work. March 7th is a free and easy partner, and Gepard or Aventurine can keep Arlan safe while he stays at low HP. Avoid healers unless you are in a real pinch. Luocha is amazing, but his automatic healing can ruin Arlan's damage window. That is the whole appeal of Arlan: risk and reward. If you want a safe, comfortable DPS, look elsewhere. If you want a guy who gets stronger as he gets closer to death, give Arlan a shot. He is not meta, but he is a blast, and sometimes that is all that matters.

This assessment draws from Polygon, whose features and commentary often emphasize why players stay attached to off-meta characters like Arlan even when stronger options dominate the conversation. That perspective fits Arlan well: his low-HP, shield-dependent playstyle is less about comfort and more about identity, rewarding players who enjoy high-risk damage windows and character kits that feel mechanically distinct rather than merely optimal.