Healing vs Shielding : Why One is Superior in Honkai Star Rail (& why things will change)

Summary

This video discusses the comparison between shielders and healers in games like Honkai Star Rail. Shielders generally outperform healers due to effective max HP boosts and aggro-drawing mechanics. However, healers become more valuable in situations with HP-draining or corrosion mechanics. The video explains that while preservation characters (shielders) offer better defensive protection, abundance characters (healers) can provide offensive buffs and other utilities. The analysis suggests that future game updates might balance both types by introducing new mechanics or character roles, encouraging players to use both preservation and abundance characters strategically.

Takeaways

• 🛡️ Shielders are generally better than healers in most games due to their ability to increase effective max HP.
• 💪 Shielding adds to a character's HP pool, making them harder to take down, whereas healers only restore lost HP.
• 🎯 Preservation characters, like shielders, have increased aggro draw, protecting squishier characters from enemy attacks.
• ❤️ Healers are typically better when mechanics like corrosion or HP sapping bypass shields, necessitating healing to restore max HP.
• ⚔️ Characters that require taking damage (e.g., Blade) benefit more from healers rather than thick shields, which obstruct their self-damage mechanics.
• 🛡️ Honkai Star Rail favors preservation (shield) characters currently, with shielders generally offering more utility in the meta.
• 📉 Shielders may lose effectiveness in certain situations where shields are bypassed, and healing becomes essential for survival.
• 🚀 Abundance (healer) characters can also offer offensive buffs, break damage, or energy recovery, making them more versatile in some contexts.
• 🔄 Future game balance might involve buff-stealing or shield-piercing mechanics, which would reduce the dominance of shielders.
• 📊 Game developers may need to distinguish between preservation and abundance to slow power creep and maintain balance, making players invest in both types of sustain characters.

Q & A

Why are there more four-star healers than four-star preservation characters in games?

The script suggests that while there are many decent four-star healers, there are fewer four-star preservation characters because game mechanics often favor shielding over healing, especially when it comes to damage mitigation and increasing effective max HP.

What is the main advantage of shielders over healers according to the video?

The main advantage of shielders is that they increase the effective max HP of characters by adding a shield on top of their existing HP pool. This makes shielders better for preventing damage, especially when enemies cannot penetrate the shield.

What role does aggro play in differentiating preservation characters from healers?

Preservation characters often have in-built increased aggro draw, making them more likely to be attacked by enemies. This helps protect other, more fragile characters on the team. Healers generally do not have this feature, meaning the entire team is more likely to take damage.

Why might healers be preferred over shielders in certain situations?

Healers are preferred when the shield is not enough to cover the total HP loss, such as in cases where there are corrosion or HP-sapping mechanics. In these cases, shielders cannot heal lost HP, and healers become essential to restore the team's full HP.

What game mechanics can counter shielders and make healers more effective?

Mechanics like corrosion (where HP is drained over time, bypassing shields) and characters that sap HP, such as Jing Yuan, are examples where healing is more important than shielding because shielders cannot restore HP.

How do preservation and abundance characters differ in their offensive and defensive roles?

Preservation characters focus primarily on defensive actions such as shielding and drawing aggro, while abundance characters are more offensive, offering healing as well as buffs like energy regeneration, break damage, and sometimes even attack boosts.

What are some potential ways developers could nerf preservation characters in the future?

Developers could introduce mechanics like buff stealing (where enemies steal shields), shield piercing attacks (that damage through shields), or mechanics that remove shields over time. This would make shielders less effective in certain game states.

Why might players prefer preservation characters over abundance characters in the current meta?

Preservation characters are currently more comfortable to play because they offer consistent shielding and protection. Abundance characters, while strong, tend to focus more on offensive roles, which might not be as necessary for sustaining a team.

What balance challenges might arise if games fail to distinguish between preservation and abundance characters?

If there is no clear distinction between preservation and abundance characters, it could lead to power creep, where newer characters are continually made stronger. This would reduce the need for variety in team compositions and make the game less balanced.

What does the video suggest about future trends in game design for preservation and abundance characters?

The video suggests that developers might further distinguish preservation from abundance characters to ensure both types are viable in the long-term meta. This could involve creating unique roles for each type, thus preventing power creep and encouraging more diverse team compositions.