Fu Xuan Material Farming Guide: Ascension and Traces in Honkai Star Rail

Hey, Trailblazer! So you finally pulled Fu Xuan, huh? Welcome to the club. She's a 5-star Quantum character who follows the Path of the Preservation, but she doesn't play like Gepard. Instead of throwing up shields, she absorbs a chunk of the damage your teammates take and gives everyone a CRIT Rate buff. She scales off Max HP, so the bigger her health pool, the more she survives and the more HP she shares with the team. Pretty neat, right?

But here's the catch: none of that matters if you don't farm her Ascension and Trace materials. And let me tell you, Fu Xuan is hungry. She wants Artifex parts, Nail of the Ape, Preservation trace books, weekly boss drops, and a scary amount of Credits. So, what exactly do you need? Let's break it down.

Ascension Materials: Getting Fu Xuan to Level 80

First, let's talk Ascension. You need two main item families: Artifex's Module, Artifex's Cogwheel, and Artifex's Gyreheart; and Nail of the Ape. The Artifex items come from Entranced Ingenium enemies—those mechanical animal-like creatures on the Xianzhou Luofu, like Illumination Dragonfish, Golden Cloud Toad, and Obedient Dracolion. You can also grab them from Assignments and the Embers Exchange. Nail of the Ape, on the other hand, is a Version 1.3 material from the Stagnant Shadow: Shape of Abomination challenge. That means you'll be punching the Malefic Ape a lot. 🐒

Wait, 65 Nail of the Ape? Yep. That's the price of a 5-star. And because Stagnant Shadow runs cost Trailblaze Power, you can't just binge-farm it in one sitting. The daily cap will slow you down, so plan your sessions. If you're wondering whether to use Fuel, that depends on how badly you want her on your team right now.

Trace Materials: The Real Grind

Okay, Ascension is only half the battle. Fu Xuan's Traces are where the farming gets serious. You'll need more Artifex items—yes, even more—plus a Preservation-specific trace material family: Endurance of Bronze, Oath of Steel, and Safeguard of Amber. These come mainly from Calyx (Crimson): Bud of Preservation in Herta Space Station's Supply Zone. You can start farming that pretty early in the campaign, which is nice. You can also get some from activities and the Embers Exchange, but the Calyx is your bread and butter.

Then there's Regret of Infinite Ochema. This one only drops from the weekly boss Phantylia. You can't fight her until you've finished the Xianzhou Luofu main story quests that resolve the Stellaron crisis, so if you're a newer player, you'll need to push through the story first. And because Phantylia is a weekly boss, you can only claim rewards a limited number of times per week. That means maxing Fu Xuan's Traces can take several weeks. Annoying? Absolutely. Worth it? For a top-tier support, yes.

Here's a quick source table for her Trace materials:

Don't forget Tracks of Destiny for those final Trace levels. They're time-gated too, so grab them from events whenever you can. And Credits? Oh boy. Fu Xuan's Ascension alone costs around 308,000 Credits, which is only about 11% of the total Credits you'll spend on all her upgrades. If you're also building other characters, your wallet is going to cry. Farm Calyx (Golden): Bud of Treasures when you have spare Trailblaze Power, or use your daily Assignments.

Is Fu Xuan Worth the Grind in 2026?

Now, it's 2026, and Honkai: Star Rail has a lot more characters than it did back in Version 1.3. So is Fu Xuan still worth building? In my opinion, absolutely. She remains one of the most comfortable sustain units in the game. Her damage absorption, team-wide CRIT Rate buff, and HP scaling make her a fantastic fit for many teams. She's not just a defensive wall—she's an offensive enabler. When your DPS gets a free CRIT Rate boost, that's extra damage without changing your relics. Who doesn't love that?

That said, she does demand a heavy upfront investment. If you're a new player with limited resources, you might need to prioritize. But if you already have a solid DPS and you need a reliable support who can keep everyone alive, Fu Xuan is a great pickup. She's the kind of character who makes hard content feel manageable, and that's worth a few weeks of farming.

Final Tips for Farming Fu Xuan

• Start with Ascension first. Getting her to level 80 unlocks her full base stats and trace levels.

• Farm Artifex enemies while doing daily assignments. Double-dip whenever possible.

• Do your weekly Phantylia fights every week. Missing a week sets you back.

• Save your Fuel for Stagnant Shadow runs if you're in a hurry.

• Don't neglect Credits. They disappear faster than you think.

• Use the Embers Exchange to patch gaps, but don't rely on it for everything.

Farming Fu Xuan may be exhausting and long, as many resources are needed, including an immense number of Credits. But once she's built, she has the potential to be one of the strongest support characters in Honkai: Star Rail—especially when you give her a solid team comp. So, are you ready to start the grind? I believe in you, Trailblazer. Now go punch that Malefic Ape. 🛡️✨