Honkai: Star Rail's progression system is a wild ride, let me tell you. Leveling characters, grinding for Light Cones, and unlocking Traces and Eidolons—it's all part of the daily grind. But for me, nothing has been more of a head-scratcher, and sometimes a heartbreaker, than the relic system. These little pieces of gear are the real MVPs (Most Valuable Pieces) when it comes to pushing through endgame content like Apocalyptic Shadow or the higher floors of Divergent Universe, which have gotten even more punishing in 2026. It's the difference between your team feeling like a well-oiled machine or a bunch of misfits tripping over each other's feet. You know the feeling, right? When your DPS just can't seem to hit hard enough, or your support is slower than a Sunday stroll? Yeah, been there, done that. And it all boils down to those main stats, sub-stats, and crucially, the relic set you equip.

Farming relics is like facing the RNG gods in a five-round battle royale. First, which set drops? Then, which piece? What's the main stat? What sub-stats did it roll? And finally, which of those sub-stats get boosted when you level it up? It's enough to make you want to pull your hair out! That's why, after years of playing, I've learned that being smart about which caverns to farm is the ultimate life hack. You want sets that benefit the most characters, giving you the most bang for your precious Trailblaze Power. So, buckle up, this is my personal relic tier list and farming guide, straight from the trenches of 2026.

The Niche & Outdated: Sets to Avoid on Purpose

Let's start with the relics that, frankly, aren't worth your time anymore unless you're building a very specific, off-meta favorite.

• Wastelander of Banditry Desert & Firesmith of Lava-Forging: These are relics from the 1.0 era, and they show their age. The Wastelander set is for Imaginary DPS, but its 4-piece effect is so restrictive that only Welt can use it fully, and even he has better options now. The Firesmith set has a similar story—a decent 2-piece bonus held back by a clunky 4-piece effect that only boosts damage for one attack after an Ultimate. In 2026, with characters like the new Fire DPS Ignis focusing on sustained Skill damage, this set just doesn't cut it. It's a hard pass from me.

• Champion of Streetwise Boxing & The Ashblazing Grand Duke: Now, here's a tricky one. The Champion set is Clara's BiS (Best in Slot), and it's great for Argenti too. The Grand Duke set is the dedicated Follow-up set. So why are they here? Simple: opportunity cost. The Champion set is paired with the Thief set, which you get tons of from weekly Echo of War bosses. Farming the cavern for it is inefficient. As for the Grand Duke, its 4-piece effect is weird. It's amazing for characters with multi-hit follow-ups (like the new Chronos), but terrible for ones like Dr. Ratio. You're often better off using its 2-piece effect with another 2-piece set. Unless you're all-in on a specific follow-up carry, it's a risky farm.

The "Good Enough" & Support Specialists

These sets are solid, but they either have limited use cases or are outclassed by more efficient farms.

• Thief of Shooting Meteor & Watchmaker, Master of Dream Machinations: The Thief set is the old reliable for Break units. It's good, not great. The real star here is the Watchmaker set. This is the ultimate support set for Break teams. With the Super Break mechanic being so strong in 2026, having a support like Trailblazer (Imaginary) or Rappa in a full 4-piece Watchmaker set is a game-changer. It boosts the whole team's Break damage. The best part? You can get it from weekly bosses! Don't farm this cavern; just be patient.

• Passerby of Wandering Cloud & Knight of Purity Palace: The healer set and the shielder set. Passerby is BiS for almost every Abundance character (except Gallagher, who wants something else). Knight is BiS for every shielder except Fu Xuan. They do their job perfectly. But here's the tea ☕: once you have a decent 4-piece set for your main sustain unit with the right main stats and some speed subs, you're golden. There's no need to min-max your healer's relics when that Trailblaze Power could be boosting your DPS. The Knight set is paired with the Genius set, which is great, but the Passerby set is paired with the Musketeer set—which you also get from weekly bosses. See the pattern?

• Messenger Traversing Hackerspace & Longevous Disciple: The Messenger 2-piece bonus (+6% SPD) is arguably the most valuable 2-piece effect in the game. Every support wants to hit speed breakpoints (like 161 or the new 172 benchmark for 2026's endgame). I've slapped a 2-piece Messenger on more characters than I can count. The 4-piece effect is meh, but that 2-piece? Chef's kiss. Longevous is a niche HP set. It's Blade's BiS, and Fu Xuan likes the 2-piece, but for everyone else, it's just a survivability crutch. Since you'll be farming Messenger for your supports anyway, all the Longevous pieces become relic EXP fodder. Not a bad deal!

The Elemental Powerhouses (With Caveats)

These sets are strong for their element, but their future is uncertain or they're paired with a dud.

• Eagle of Twilight Line & Hunter of Glacial Forest: The Wind set's 2-piece is good for Wind DPS like Feixiao, but the 4-piece is mostly for meme-y speedrun strategies. The Ice set is in a precarious spot. It's still BiS for Jingliu in some scenarios, but the last dedicated Ice DPS was a while ago. With the 2026 meta shifting, a new Ice set focused on a mechanic like "Frostbite" or "Shatter" feels like it's just around the corner. Farming a cavern for a set that might be obsolete soon feels like a bad investment.

• Band of Sizzling Thunder & Genius of Brilliant Stars: The Lightning set is fantastic on paper—a permanent 20% ATK buff for Skill-spamming DPS. The problem? The only character who truly wants it as BiS is Arlan, who is... not meta. Every other Lightning DPS has a better option. The Genius (Quantum) set is a beast. Its 4-piece DEF ignore is insane. But (and it's a big but), it's only BiS when the enemy is weak to Quantum. This makes it the ultimate "Silver Wolf or bust" set. If you have her, this cavern is S-tier. If you don't, it's much harder to recommend.

The Top-Tier, Must-Farm Caverns

Finally, the cream of the crop. The caverns where spending your Trailblaze Power will benefit you the most in 2026.

1. Prisoner in Deep Confinement & The Ashblazing Grand Duke: This cavern is the ultimate two-for-one deal. Let me break it down:

   • Prisoner Set: The undisputed king of DoT teams. It's BiS for Kafka, Black Swan, Jiaoqiu, and the new Nihility character Vesper. DoT teams are consistently powerful and relatively easy to build.

   • Grand Duke Set: The dedicated Follow-up set. While its 4-piece is finicky, the 2-piece effect (+20% Follow-up DMG) is universally amazing for any follow-up attacker, present or future.

   Farming here lets you build two of the strongest team archetypes in the game. It's a no-brainer.

1. Wind-Soaring Valorous & Iron Cavalry Against Sparkling Tide: This is the cavern of the future, and the future is now.

   • Wind-Soaring Valorous: Niche but incredibly powerful for its users (Yunli and Feixiao). It's designed for Ultimate-centric follow-up attackers. With HoYoverse's love for follow-up mechanics, this set's value is only going up.

   • Iron Cavalry Set: This is the Break Effect DPS set. Made for Firefly and Boothill, Break teams are arguably the most cost-effective in the game. They shred content with minimal investment. If you're struggling with endgame, building a Break team is your ticket to victory. This set is non-negotiable for that.

1. Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters & Watchmaker... (Again!): Okay, I mentioned Watchmaker earlier, but its partner here is the real prize.

   • Pioneer Set: This is the premier set for debuff-centric DPS. It's BiS for Acheron, Dr. Ratio (in debuff teams), and Jiaoqiu when he's played as a sub-DPS. The 4-piece effect, which gives up to 24% CRIT Rate and DMG, is absolutely bonkers if you can meet its 3-debuff requirement. In 2026's meta, where debuffers are everywhere, this set is more relevant than ever.

So, there you have it. My personal relic farming bible. Focus on the Prisoner/Grand Duke and Wind-Soaring/Iron Cavalry caverns first. Sprinkle in some Pioneer farming if you love debuffers. For everything else—especially support sets—lean on those weekly Echo of War rewards. It's all about working smarter, not harder, so you can spend less time grinding and more time actually enjoying the amazing story and characters HoYoverse keeps giving us. Happy farming, Trailblazers! May your sub-stats always roll into SPD and CRIT DMG 🙏.