Currency Wars brings a different kind of challenge to Honkai Star Rail, blending team-building with long-term resource strategy in a way that feels closer to an auto-battler than a traditional combat mode. You aren’t just looking for strong characters—you’re managing a whole economic ecosystem where every purchase, reroll, and level-up has long-term consequences. Because of that, understanding which characters actually perform well in this mode is essential if you want consistent clears in the higher ranks.
This HSR Currency Wars Tier List breaks down the strongest performers, the most reliable supports, and the units that fall behind as the difficulty climbs. Instead of relying solely on combat power, the rankings here also account for synergy potential, value in early economy phases, and how well each character holds up when enemy affixes begin stacking. Whether you are experimenting with Bonds for the first time or refining your roster for Wealth Creator runs, this guide gives you a clear, practical look at who is truly worth building around.
Currency Wars Tier List (List view)
SS Tier
- Aglaea
- Imbibitor Lunae
- Welt
- Sunday
- Cyrene
- Phainon
- Castorice
- Anaxa
- Hyacine
S+ Tier
- Bronya
- Evernight
- Tribbie
- Trailblazer (Ice)
- Luocha
- Fu Xuan
- Tingyun
- Cerydra
- The Herta
- Sparkle
- Firefly
- Acheron
- Feixiao
S Tier
- Robin
- Permansor Terrae
- Saber
- Archer
- Cipher
- Gepard
- Yunli
- Fugue
- Himeko
- Jing Yuan
- Jade
- Hysilens
- Dr. Ratio
- Kafka
- Topaz
- Lingsha
- Boothill
- Aventurine
- Mydei
A Tier
- Ruan Mei
- Yanqing
- Seele
- Argenti
- Black Swan
- Herta
- Gallagher
- Rappa
- Silver Wolf
- Jiaoqiu
B Tier
- March 7th
- Qingque
- Sampo
C Tier
- Natasha
- Pela
Currency Wars rewards efficient, repeatable team compositions. Top-tier characters either drastically improve sustained income, drastically reduce encounter time, or create reliable synergy windows for other units. In practical terms: a well-chosen SS or S+ pick converts difficult nodes into predictable wins and lets you preserve resources for the long run.
Currency Wars is deceptively about money management. A few rules that change outcomes far more than raw damage numbers:
Interest is king. You earn 1 extra coin per 10 saved, up to +5 at 50 coins. That consistent drip compounds over a run and outpaces many early spending spikes.
Early restraint pays off. Avoid rerolling and heavy buys until you can comfortably maintain interest thresholds. Spend only to avoid losing or when a clear power jump is available.
Rerolls are short-term gain, long-term loss. Treat rerolling as a tactical tool (get you out of a bad loss streak) rather than a default growth method.
Reward nodes are a spending window. These fights are usually easy — minimize prep spending and make your main purchases after collecting the node reward.
After 50 coins you can be more aggressive. With maximum interest secured, selective spending to upgrade board strength is more reasonable, but don’t blow your bankroll on low-value rerolls.
Forming your 10-unit roster
You bring ten characters into each run but only field four in combat. The six off-field units provide passive bonuses and unlock Bonds. As a rule, prioritize Bonds that produce recurring value (income, healing, or repeatable crowd control) rather than one-off bursts.
Mode-exclusive abilities
Currency Wars introduces unique, mode-specific adjustments to certain characters. Treat these differences like alternate builds: some units that are middling in standard play become far stronger here because the Currency Wars behavior changes their role.
Free trial characters
You can test with characters you don’t own. Trials let you prototype bonds before committing pulls — use them to validate comp ideas, especially when a single character unlocks a powerful bond.
Rank progression
Difficulty increases in predictable ways as you pass ranks. Each rank adds enemy affixes, star rating increases, and systemic mechanics that punish sloppy progression. Here are the meaningful shifts to watch:
- Black Iron (entry): Small difficulty bump; early affix starts.
- Viridian Bronze / Jade Steel: Star ratings and affixes increase; encounter nodes begin appearing.
- Cobalt Silver / Ice Titanium: Encounter nodes demand minimum progress; enemy affix count rises.
- Amethyst Gold / Investment Master: Squad HP, EXP costs, and affix complexity increase; ascension matches appear.
- Monarch of the Capital / Wealth Creator: Highest challenge tiers where investments actively boost enemy difficulty and random nodes may frenzied-enhance enemies.
Knowing these changes is vital: an investment-heavy early run that worked at Bronze will feel punishing at Silver because enemies scale with your choices.
Rewards
Deep Immersifier: Collect Planar Ornaments passively — great for farming without combat.
Fuel Vouchers: Convert immediately to Calyx materials and other resources. They speed up progression and reduce grind.