Meta Naito
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16 Min read Acheron is a Hypercarry DPS that focuses on stacking debuffs in order to unleash her powerful Ultimate. She benefits most from having nihility teammates, gaining a damage boost with 2 nihility members other than herself. Her Ultimate is also one of the strongest hitting abilities in the game. Acheron requires investment into her team comps to excel, and gains a lot of strength from vertical investment especially her E2 that unshackles her team building requirements.
Acheron was the undisputed best DPS at the time of her release. Nowadays however she faces a lot of competition from other equally powerful DPS. Acheron performs great in all endgame modes, but her potential is most prevalent in AoE situations and enemies with shared HP. Her technique is also one of the best, being able to insta kill enemies in the overworld or SU.
Acheron’s banner will be in the 2nd half of Version 2.6 releasing on November 13th, 2024 and will run until December 3rd, 2024.
Acheron’s goal when being played is sample. Stack debuffs quickly to get off as many Ultimates. To do this, Acheron needs to stack Slashed Dream. Slashed Dream requires 9 points, in order to launch her Ultimate, and has an overcap of 3. Slashed Dream gains a stack whenever a debuff is applied, hence why debuffs are so important for Acheron.
Acheron also applies one stack of Crimson Knot on the target whenever debuffs are applied to them. Crimson Knot increases her DMG dealt by 30%, stacking up to 3 times and lasts for 3 turns, as well as doing extra Lightning DMG. Crimson Knots transfer over to another enemy when the target is dead. Acheron will remove these Knots when she uses her Ultimate on the enemies.
Let’s talk about her Nihility trace. Acheron receives a DMG% increase of 115%/160% of the original DMG if there are 1 or 2 Nihility characters other than herself in the party. This multiplier is separate from everything else, making it very powerful. Hence, you want to have at least 2 Nihility members. Her E2 reduces this requirement by 1, freeing her team building.
Acheron when starting the battle starts off with 5 stacks of Slashed Dream and Crimson Knot. She can gain stacks on her own using her Skill. Her Skill does Blast damage and inflicts 1 stack of Crimson Knot and Slashed Dream. With Acheron’s Signature LC, she applies an additional debuff, meaning her Skill will now give 2 stacks and even her Basic Attack can give her one.
Finally, Acheron’s Ultimate. Befitting her lore, it is extremely powerful. When Her Ultimate is cast, she can reduce Toughness regardless of weakness, and reduces enemies’ All-Type RES by 20, lasting until the end of her Ult. Her Ultimate slashes 3 times in full AoE (Rainblade) and ends with a Bounce Attack (Stygian Resurge). Each Rainblade does 24% of her Attack to a single target and 15% for every Crimson Knot removed. In addition, each Crimson Knot increases the DMG by 60%. Stygian Resurge does 120% of her Attack to all enemies. Rainblade removes 3 Crimson Knots and Stygian Resurge removes the rest. Combined with her Nihility multiplier, Acheron’s Ultimate is one of the hardest hitting abilities in the game, and both good for AoE and ST situations due to the Bounce at the end.
Her technique provides one of the biggest QoL in the game. She can insta kill overworld mobs or enemies in the combat domain in the Simulated Universe modes. When used in combat, she applies 1 stack of Slashed Dream and Crimson Knot, so you would start out with 6 stacks when the battle starts. Her technique also does 200% of her Attack at the start of each wave and reduces toughness damage, ignoring elements.
Basic Attack – Trilateral Wiltcross: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 100% of Acheron’s ATK to a single target enemy.
Skill – Octobolt Flash: Gains 1 point(s) of Slashed Dream. Inflicts 1 stack(s) of Crimson Knot on a single target enemy, dealing Lightning DMG equal to 160% of Acheron’s ATK to this target, as well as Lightning DMG equal to 60% of Acheron’s ATK to adjacent targets.
Ultimate – Slashed Dreams Cries in Red: Sequentially unleash Rainblade 3 times and Stygian Resurge 1 time, dealing Lightning DMG up to 372% of Acheron’s ATK to a single target enemy, as well as Lightning DMG up to 300% of Acheron’s ATK to other targets.
Rainblade: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 24% of Acheron’s ATK to a single target enemy and removes up to 3 stacks of Crimson Knot from the target. When Crimson Knot is removed, immediately deals Lightning DMG equal to 15% of Acheron’s ATK to all enemies. For every stack of Crimson Knot removed, this DMG multiplier is additionally increased, up to a maximum of 60%.
Stygian Resurge: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 120% of Acheron’s ATK to all enemies and remove all Crimson Knots.
Talent – Atop Rainleaf Hangs Oneness: When Slashed Dream reaches 9 point(s), the Ultimate can be activated. During the Ultimate, reduces enemies’ Toughness regardless of Weakness Types and reduces all enemies’ All-Type RES by 20%, lasting until the end of the Ultimate.
When any unit inflicts debuffs on an enemy target while using their ability, Acheron gains 1 point of Slashed Dream and inflicts 1 stack of Crimson Knot on a target. If debuffs are inflicted on multiple targets, then the 1 stack of Crimson Knot will be inflicted on the enemy target with the most Crimson Knot stacks. This effect can only trigger once for every ability use.
After an enemy target exits the field or gets defeated by any unit while Acheron is on the field, their Crimson Knot stacks will be transferred to the enemy target with the most Crimson Knot stacks on the whole field.
Technique – Quadrivalent Ascendance: Immediately attacks the enemy. At the start of each wave, gains Quadrivalent Ascendance, dealing Lightning DMG equal to 200% of Acheron’s ATK to all enemies and reducing Toughness of all enemies irrespective of Weakness Types. When breaking Weaknesses, triggers the Lightning Weakness Break effect.
Quadrivalent Ascendance: After using the Ultimate, Acheron gains 1 point(s) of Slashed Dream and inflicts 1 stack(s) of Crimson Knot on a single random enemy.
If attacking a normal enemy, immediately defeats them without entering combat. When not hitting enemies, no Technique Points are consumed.
Red Oni: When battle starts, immediately gains 5.0 point(s) of Slashed Dream and applies 5.0 stack(s) of Crimson Knot to a random enemy. When Slashed Dream reaches its upper limit, for every point of Slashed Dream that exceeds the limit, gains 1 stack of Quadrivalent Ascendance. Enables Quadrivalent Ascendance to stack up to 3.0 time(s).
The Abyss: When there are 1 or 2 Nihility characters other than Acheron in the team, the DMG dealt by Acheron’s Basic ATK, Skill, and Ultimate increases to 115.0% or 160.0% of the original DMG respectively.
Thunder Core: When the Ultimate’s Rainblade hits enemy targets that have Crimson Knot, the DMG dealt by Acheron increases by 30.0%, stacking up to 3.0 time(s) and lasting for 3.0 turn(s). And when Stygian Resurge triggers, additionally deals DMG for 6.0 times. Each time deals Lightning DMG equal to 25.0% of Acheron’s ATK to a single random enemy and is considered as Ultimate DMG.
Acheron is one of those characters that gains a massive boost from her 2nd eidolon, as it opens up her team building from her restrictive double nihility requirement. With her E2, Acheron only needs one Nihiity unit including her to receive the full 160% DMG increase from her trace. She also gets one extra stack for her Ultimate on her turn, not including her skill/basic. Her E1 is great as well, allowing you to go Crit DMG chest for more damage, and the uptime on it should be constant since enemies should always be debuffed. Acheron’s E6 is a win more eidolon, giving her even more RES PEN, skill/basic are considered Ult DMG, and allowing her to do toughness damage on all her abilities regardless of element. She also has a unique animation just for her E6!
Players who want to vertically invest in Acheron and not lose out on using the most powerful class in the game(Harmony) will gain a lot of value from getting her E2.
Light Cones
Main Stats
Relics
Planar Set
Along the Passing Shore: Increases the wearer’s CRIT DMG by 36.0% / 42.0% / 48.0% / 54.0% / 60.0%. When the wearer hits an enemy target, inflicts Mirage Fizzle on the enemy, lasting for 1 turn. Each time the wearer attacks, this effect can only trigger 1 time on each target. The wearer deals 24.0% / 28.0% / 32.0% / 36.0% / 40.0% increased DMG to targets afflicted with Mirage Fizzle, and the DMG dealt by Ultimate additionally increases by 24.0% / 28.0% / 32.0% / 36.0% / 40.0%.
An amazing lightcone for Acheron, almost essential for how much it provides for Acheron. Not only is the damage increase compared to her other options massive, but because the LC provides a debuff called Mirage Fizzle, you get an extra stack for your Ultimate charge on your basic and skill. This is vital for Acheron because the quicker she can cycle her Ults, the more damage she can put out.
Incessant Rain: Increases the wearer’s Effect Hit Rate by 24.0% / 28.0% / 32.0% / 36.0% / 40.0%. When the wearer deals DMG to an enemy that currently has 3.0 or more debuffs, increases the wearer’s CRIT Rate by 12.0% / 14.0% / 16.0% / 18.0% / 20.0%. After the wearer uses their Basic ATK, Skill, or Ultimate, there is a 100.0% base chance to implant Aether Code on a random hit target that does not yet have it. Targets with Aether Code receive 12.0% / 14.0% / 16.0% / 18.0% / 20.0% increased DMG for 1 turn.
Silverwolf’s LC is a viable option and one of the rare limited nihility LCs that provides offensive stats, notably crit stats. Aether Code should always be up whenever she Ults, allowing her to benefit from the DMG% increase.
Good Night Sleep Well: For every debuff the target enemy has, the DMG dealt by the wearer increases by 12.0% / 15.0% / 18.0% / 21.0% / 24.0%, stacking up to 3.0 time(s). This effect also applies to DoT.
Acheron’s best 4 star LC. Since your teammates will be needing to stack debuffs in order to charge her Ult, getting the 3 stacks should be no issue.
Boundless Choreo: Increase the wearer’s CRIT Rate by 8.0% / 10.0% / 12.0% / 14.0% / 16.0%. The wearer deals 24.0% / 30.0% / 36.0% / 42.0% / 48.0% more CRIT DMG to enemies that are currently DEF reduced or Slowed.
Another good 4 star alternative for Acheron. The only restriction being that the debuffs have to be DEF or slow, making it harder to utilize compared to GNSW.
Fermata: Increases the wearer’s Break Effect by 16.0% / 20.0% / 24.0% / 28.0% / 32.0%, and increases their DMG to enemies afflicted with Shock or Wind Shear by 16.0% / 20.0% / 24.0% / 28.0% / 32.0%. This also applies to DoT.
Pure stat stick. It may be better to put on a limited LC with higher base stats that’s off path than using Fermata. The Herta Shop LC Solitary Healing also provides no useful stats to Acheron, since she uses no energy or benefits from Break Effect.
Acheron is a crit hypercarry DPS, despite being in the Nihility path. You want to build her to be as close to 100% Critical Rate, then invest in Crit Damage and Attack. Since the majority of Acheron’s damage is from her Ult, speed is not that important for her since she can Ult whenever it’s up. Her body can be exchanged for a Crit Damage chest if you get her E1, since it provides 18% Crit Rate.
Acheron’s boots are dependent on whether your supports are fast enough and whether she needs to take an extra turn. You lose out on damage with attack boots with the tradeoff of more damage, while speed boots will get you extra turns to stack Ult with your Skill at the cost of lower damage.
For her orb, Attack has an edge over Lightning Damage, since Acheron already gets a lot of DMG% from her kit and her LC. However, there comes variance from her team comps, so the one with better substats should be used. Her rope should always be Attack, since Acheron uses no Energy.
Acheron wants as close to 100% Crit Rate as possible, then goes for Crit Damage and Attack. Her bis relics provide a lot of innate Crit Rate that’s not visible in the stat screen. Izumo and both Pioneer give 12% and 4% respectively. If you get her E1 she gets another 18%.
Speedtuning:
Acheron’s speedtuning is not meant for her, but her teammates. Her debuffers want to be as fast as possible, ideally 160+. 160 speed gives you 2 turns in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th cycle in MOC, and the most realistic breakpoint for most players. There are higher breakpoints, but those require significant investment, both in wind sets, DDD, and action advancing mechanics. The more turns Acheron’s debuffers can take, the more stacks they can provide for Acheron, making Acheron’s Ult rotation faster. Acheron when running speed boots should aim for 134, an achievable speed without sacrificing her damage stats.
Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters
Acheron’s best relic set. Enemies should always be debuffed, since her teammates apply them, and Acheron’s Ult also applies a debuff of -20% All Type RES PEN when it’s used. Her signature LC also applies a debuff, so there are many sources she can get the 3 debuffs to get the maximum benefit from this relic.
Scholar Lost in Erudition
A good alternative for Acheron. Provides a good increase in CRIT Rate and since most of her damage comes from her Ultimate, works well on her. Having a stronger Skill also helps with not being as reliant on her Ultimate to kill weaker mobs.
Band of Sizzling Thunder
Another option for Acheron, but noticeable downgrade from Pioneer and Scholar. Acheron does benefit from the ATK, since her kit does not have many sources to get ATK from.
Izumo Gensei and Takama Divine Realm
A fantastic planar for Acheron, since she will always run at least one nihility unit in her team, even at E2, getting a free 12% CRIT Rate.
Inert Salsotto
A great 2nd planar for Acheron providing 15% Ult damage and 8% Crit Rate. Izumo does beat Salsotto, but if your substats are better on Salsotto, it will work fine as a substitute.
Jiaoqiu: A nihility unit that has everything Acheron asks for. Provides debuffs whenever the enemy takes their turn, and gives 15% increased Ultimate damage. Jiaoqiu after his release is a staple in every Acheron comp, and the value he provides for her is as big as Ruan Mei for break comps and Robin for FUA comps. Jiaoqiu single handedly boosts Acheron’s performance in PF to a viable unit, and fastens her Ult rotation the most out of any other character.
Pela: Pela’s AoE def shred and debuffing abilities makes her an ideal candidate for Acheron’s team. With her E4, Pela reduces Ice RES on the target. This counts as a debuff, giving her a stack for Acheron’s Ult. With the Pearls LC and Pela’s Ultimate, Pela provides good DEF shred as well.
Silverwolf: SW provides a myriad amount of debuffs whenever she uses her skill or Ult, due to her bugs. The only problem with her is she is ST restricted, so has a more limited use case compared to Pela or Jiaoqiu.
Robin: Robin makes her appearance once again with her unparalleled buffs. Her amp is so high that even at E0 running Robin and Jiaoqiu often performs the same or even better than dual nihility comps.
Sparkle: Sparkle’s value has gotten down a little since Jiaoqiu’s release, but since her buff lasts till the wearer’s next turn, Acheron can benefit even if it’s not her turn. Her action advance also allows Acheron to skill often to get more stacks.
Bronya: Bronya is in a similar vein to Sparkle, but is very SP negative without E1. Bronya’s buffs also expire after 1 turn, so Acheron cannot just Ult whenever without losing out on her buff. That being said, 100% Action Advance has its benefits over Sparkle, and E2 Bronya can let Acheron run Attack boots.
Any Nihility Unit with DoT: DoT also counts as a debuff, which can help Acheron getting stacks for her Ult. Black Swan can also double as a pseudo support with her def shred on her Skill. Kafka and the other DoT units don’t really help Acheron with increasing her own damage, but are used as a placeholder to satisfy Acheron’s nihility requirements as well as providing some extra damage.
Aventurine: Aventurine with his signature LC provides a debuff everytime he uses his FUA and his Ultimate. His E2 can also provide an additional debuff from his basic attack.
Gallagher: Gallagher can apply 2 debuffs as well when he uses his Ultimate and enhanced basic attack. Acheron can steal Quid Pro Quo from other units so do take that into consideration when using him with her.
There are sustain LCs that can also provide debuffs: Trend of the Universal Market and Scent Alone Stays True. Note that Trend does not work with Jiaoqiu, so its importance has been lowered since his release.
Each member of this team is able to provide debuffs for Acheron, which is what she values most, in order to be able to Ult as much as possible. Dual Nihility also gives Acheron the full benefit from her Nihility trace.
This comp is the strongest for Acheron arguably at E0, and most definitely at E2. Robin along with her superior buffs allows Acheron more time to gain stacks from her action advance on her Ultimate, and Jiaoqiu generates an unbelievable amount of stacks for Acheron whenever the enemies take a turn. Aventurine can also print stacks too depending on how aggressive the enemies are, which is becoming more common.
Not the most ideal comp for Acheron since she’s not getting much value outside of the DoTs being counted as debuffs, however Acheron is strong enough on her own if you give her the 2 required nihility units. This comp is decent for AoE heavy situations like Pure Fiction.
Acheron is no doubt a strong DPS, however pulling a DPS on a rerun is a gamble, especially in HSR since the meta evolves so fast. Acheron requires investment, both from her team options as well as her Signature Light Cone and/or Eidolons, depending on how long you want to use her comfortably. Her Signature is one of the biggest increases for a DPS, since it shortens your Ultimate rotation. Jiaoqiu is also a huge boost for her power level, especially if she wants to keep up with the new and shinier characters. The value Acheron gains from Jiaoqiu is similar to Robin’s importance in follow-up, to put it bluntly. Acheron’s team building is also restricted unless you get her E2, which is a tall task for many low budget players.
For players without Acheron that are looking into her rerun, only consider her if you do have Jiaoqiu or plan on getting him in the future as well her Signature Light Cone, because otherwise her gameplay experience will be underwhelming compared to newer units that require less. For people who already have Acheron and want to extend her longevity, E2 is highly worth considering since she can freely use the strongest class in the game (Harmony), without being penalized by her Nihility trace.
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