Yao Guang Best Light Cone Guide | HSR 4.0 Build & Tier List

With the release of Honkai: Star Rail 4.0, the meta has officially shifted towards the "Elation" archetype, and sitting at the throne of this new era is Yao Guang. As a Xianzhou strategist and a key figure in the Alliance's intelligence network, Yao Guang introduces a complex kit that bridges the gap between pure Harmony buffs and sub-DPS capabilities.

Unlike traditional Harmony units like Ruan Mei or Robin, Yao Guang scales aggressively with Critical Damage and relies on high-frequency Follow-up Attacks (FUA) from teammates to maintain her "Zone" uptime. This unique "Sub-DPS Support" identity makes her Light Cone selection tricky. Do you prioritize personal damage, team energy regeneration, or raw stat amplification?

In this comprehensive guide, we will break down the mathematics behind Yao Guang’s best Light Cones, compare 5-star signature options against F2P alternatives, and help you decide where to invest your Stellar Jades.

Understanding Yao Guang’s Kit & Stat Needs

Before diving into the tier list, it is crucial to understand why we choose specific Light Cones. Yao Guang functions on a specific priority system detailed in our latest character tier list:

• Crit DMG Transfer: Her Skill, "Stratagem of the Seven Stars," grants teammates a portion of her own Crit DMG. This means Light Cones that provide unconditional CDMG are inherently more valuable than those granting ATK%.
• The "Punchline" Mechanic: Her Talent generates stacks when allies launch Follow-up Attacks. When stacks max out, she launches a coordinated attack. This makes Light Cones that buff Follow-up DMG or Ultimate DMG highly effective for her personal output.
• Energy Regeneration (ERR): Her Ultimate, which extends her "Zone" duration, has a high energy cost (140). Without an Energy Regeneration Link Rope or an ERR Light Cone, she struggles to maintain 100% uptime on her buffs.
• Speed Breakpoints: To generate Skill Points (SP) and refresh buffs, Yao Guang typically aims for the 160.1 Speed breakpoint.

Bottom Line: The perfect Light Cone for Yao Guang must offer high Base Stats, Crit DMG buffs, or Energy Regeneration. Pure ATK% buffs are diminished in value due to her split scaling.

Light Cone Tier List (Summary)

Here is the quick ranking for players in a rush. Detailed analysis follows below.

Deep Dive: Best 5-Star Light Cones

TOP PICK: When She Decided To See (Signature)

Stats (Lv 80): HP: 1270 | ATK: 582 | DEF: 463

Passive (S1): Increases the wearer's Crit DMG by 60%. When the wearer uses their Skill, grants the "Epiphany" effect to all allies: Follow-up Attacks ignore 20% of the target's DEF for 2 turns.

Analysis: This Light Cone is tailor-made for the 4.0 meta. The 60% Crit DMG is the highest single-stat boost in the class, directly feeding into her buff scaling. However, the real game-changer is the Teamwide Defense Ignore for FUAs. Defense Ignore is a rare multiplier that scales exponentially when stacked (e.g., with E1 Ruan Mei or the Quantum set). For characters like Sparxie or Dr. Ratio, this Light Cone represents a team damage increase of roughly 15-20% compared to non-signature options.

RUNNER UP: Earthly Escapade (Sparkle's LC)

If you pulled for Sparkle in 2.0 but are benching her for Yao Guang, her Light Cone is an incredible substitute. It provides 32% Crit DMG flat, plus an additional Crit Rate/Crit DMG buff to the team.

Why it’s T1: It offers better Crit consistency than the signature but lacks the Defense Shred. In high-defense content (Deep Mirror floors 10-12), the Defense Shred from her signature outperforms the raw stats from Earthly Escapade.

UTILITY PICK: But the Battle Isn't Over (Bronya's LC)

This is the comfort pick. The 10% Energy Regeneration Rate usually allows Yao Guang to run an ATK% or HP% rope instead of an ERR rope, or guarantees a 3-turn Ultimate rotation without getting hit. The SP recovery is also vital for SP-negative teams (like Imbibitor Lunae or heavy Skill-spamming comps).

Recommendation: If your Yao Guang is E0 and you are struggling with Skill Points, But the Battle Isn't Over might actually feel smoother to play than her signature, despite the lower damage ceiling.

The Best 4-Star & F2P Options

Not everyone has the budget for the weapon banner. Fortunately, Harmony Light Cones have some of the strongest 4-star options in the game.

The Speed King: Dance! Dance! Dance!

Effect (S5): When the wearer uses their Ultimate, all allies' actions are Advanced Forward by 24%.

Why use it? In Memory of Chaos and Pure Fiction, the game is a race against the cycle counter. Advancing the whole team by 24% essentially "buys" you extra turns. Since Yao Guang builds high speed and wants to Ult often to maintain her Zone, she triggers this effect frequently. For experienced players aiming for 0-Cycle clears, this is often better than her Signature Light Cone.

The Battle Pass Choice: Carve the Moon, Weave the Clouds

This is the "Jack of all trades" Light Cone. It cycles between ATK%, Crit DMG, and ERR buffs.

Pros: Every buff is useful for Yao Guang.

Cons: You cannot control which buff you get, making speed-tuning or damage calculation inconsistent. It also requires real money (Battle Pass) to obtain and 5 months to max out.

The F2P Standard: Past and Future

Available in the Forgotten Hall shop. It boosts the DMG of the next ally taking action after the wearer uses a Skill.

The Catch: You must speed-tune Yao Guang to be 1 speed faster than your DPS. If a healer or shielder cuts in between Yao Guang and your DPS, the buff is wasted. This restriction makes it T4, despite the high damage number (32% DMG boost at S5).

Comparison: Signature vs. Alternatives (Damage Calculation)

To help you visualize the value, we simulated a standard rotation (3 turns: Skill-Basic-Basic) in a team with Yao Guang, Sparxie (DPS), Robin, and Aventurine. The baseline is set to 100% (using Meshing Cogs).

Key Takeaway: The jump from F2P options to her Signature Light Cone is significant (almost 38%). This is larger than the typical 15-20% gap seen on other supports, primarily because Yao Guang herself contributes personal damage via the signature's stats.

Should You Pull? (Investment Advice)

Making the decision to spend Stellar Jades (or money) is never easy. Here is our verdict based on player archetypes:

• For Whales/Min-Maxers: Must Pull. The Defense Ignore is future-proof. As enemies get tankier in version 4.x, Def Shred becomes the most valuable stat in the game. Check out our Light Cone Priority Guide for more spending tips.
• For F2P/Low Spenders: Skip if you have S5 Dance! Dance! Dance!. If you are comfortable with speed tuning and mechanics, DDD offers competitive clear times without the jade cost.
• For New Players: Skip. Prioritize getting new characters. Yao Guang functions adequately with 4-star Light Cones. A wider roster is always better than a tall vertical investment early on.

Team Synergies & Light Cone Interaction

Your Light Cone choice might change depending on who Yao Guang is supporting.

With Sparxie (The Quantum FUA Carry)

Since Sparxie attacks incredibly frequently (off-turn), the Signature Light Cone is exponential here. The Def Ignore debuff is applied to the enemy, meaning Sparxie’s off-turn attacks benefit fully without needing to worry about buff expiration timing.

With Argenti / Clara (Physical AoE)

In a mono-Physical team with Planetary Rendezvous (4-star Harmony LC), Yao Guang can act as a dedicated element buffer. While not listed in the top tiers, Planetary Rendezvous at S5 gives unconditional 24% DMG bonus to Physical allies. This is a viable "Lazy" strategy for Pure Fiction.

With Acheron (Nihility interactions)

Surprisingly, Yao Guang can work with Acheron if you have the Signature LC. Why? Because the Signature LC applies a debuff (Def Ignore context) or if Yao Guang's kit applies debuffs. If the LC is considered a buff, it doesn't help Acheron's stack generation. However, generally, Yao Guang is not the premier support for Acheron.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I use "Memories of the Past" (Ruan Mei's 4-star LC)?

A: It is usable for the Energy Regeneration, but the Break Effect stat is largely wasted on Yao Guang unless you are running a Super Break hybrid team (which is niche for her). Meshing Cogs is easier to get and performs the same function regarding Energy.

Q: Does the Signature LC stack if I run two Harmony units?

A: Generally, Light Cones with the same name do not stack their effects if the description says "Same type of effect cannot stack." However, pure stat buffs usually do. Check the specific wording upon release, but usually, it is inefficient to pull two copies.

Q: Is Superimposition (S2+) worth it for the Signature?

A: For supports, usually no. The jump from S1 to S5 usually gives ~10-15% more effectiveness, which costs 4 more gold pulls. That creates a terrible value proposition compared to E1 or E2 on the character itself.

Q: What Relics should I farm if I get her Signature LC?

A: Since the LC provides massive Crit DMG, your Relic substats should prioritize Speed and HP%/DEF% (survivability). You don't need to hunt for Crit DMG sub-stats as aggressively, making gearing easier.

Conclusion

Yao Guang is set to redefine the Follow-up Attack meta in Honkai: Star Rail 4.0. While she is a capable unit at baseline, her Signature Light Cone, "When She Decided To See," unlocks her true potential as a sub-DPS/Support hybrid.

If you have the Jades, the signature is a safe investment. If not, polish off your copy of Dance! Dance! Dance! and get ready to speed-tune. The stars are aligning, and Yao Guang is leading the charge.

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