# Herta (Honkai: Star Rail)
**Herta** (黑塔) is a playable 4-star character in the turn-based role-playing game *Honkai: Star Rail*, aligned with the Ice element and the Path of Erudition, the game's class for area-of-effect damage dealers[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta). In the game's story she is Herta Space Station's true master, described as the human with the highest IQ on "The Blue" (the in-game name for Earth), who only pursues what interests her and abandons projects the moment she loses interest[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta). She is a member of the Genius Society, holding the number 83, and typically appears as a remote-controlled puppet modeled after her younger self, which she says is "about seventy percent similar to how I looked as a child"[2](https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Herta) • [1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Rarity, element, path | 4-star, Ice, Path of Erudition[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta) |
| Signature mechanic | Talent "Fine, I'll Do It Myself": a follow-up attack against all enemies whenever an ally's attack drops an enemy's HP to 50% or lower[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta) |
| Ultimate | "It's Magic, I Added Some Magic": Ice DMG equal to 200% of ATK to all enemies, costing 110 energy[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta) |
| Level 80 base stats | HP 952, ATK 582, DEF 396, Speed 100[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta) |
| Acquisition | Given to every player unconditionally; her Eidolons (duplicate copies) are earned free by completing Simulated Universe worlds[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta) |
| Endgame rating | T1 in Pure Fiction, T3 in Memory of Chaos and Apocalyptic Shadow (Prydwen tier list)[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta) |
| Voice actors | PJ Mattson (English), Yamazaki Haruka (Japanese), Hou Xiaofei (Chinese), Kim Seo-yeong (Korean)[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta) |
## Lore and role in the story
Herta is the owner of the eponymous Herta Space Station, the setting of the game's prologue: completing the "A Moment of Peace" part of the Prologue mission on the station is required to unlock banners and the Warp (gacha) system[3](https://assets-global.website-files.com/65dcd90d66c8ef14561de4fb/68160dfc2637e021759426cb_ziwokirawiwasomaxumifut.pdf). Because she rarely appears in person, the puppet acts as her stand-in in most scenes, and the station bears her name[2](https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Herta).
She is also one of the four creators of the Simulated Universe, a roguelike game mode within the game. The project was jointly made by four Genius Society members: Herta, who provides the venue, personnel, and resources; Ruan Mei, a life-sciences expert who cultivated the protoplasm simulating the Aeons; Screwllum, who wrote the underlying logic and algorithms; and Stephen Lloyd, who developed the game elements[4](https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Simulated_Universe). The mode unlocks shortly after players finish a side quest given by Herta and is entered through the station's Master Control Zone[5](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/guides/simulated-universe).
## Combat kit
Herta's kit is built around punishing enemies whose health bars drop below the halfway point. Her Talent, "Fine, I'll Do It Myself," launches a follow-up attack dealing Ice damage to all enemies whenever an ally's attack causes any enemy's HP percentage to fall to 50% or lower, regardless of who dealt the damage[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta) • [6](https://www.hoyolab.com/article/19915031). The attack scales to 40% of her ATK per spin at base level, and if multiple enemies cross the threshold, she performs one spin per enemy, dynamically updating within the same follow-up window; Prydwen's review calculates that five consecutive spins against five enemies amount to roughly 1000% ATK of total damage across the field[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta). Each spin also restores 5 energy and deals its own instance of [Toughness](https://www.edgepedia.org/toughness) damage[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta).
Her other abilities reinforce the area-of-effect identity. The Skill "One-Time Offer" hits all enemies and deals 20% increased damage to targets at 50% HP or higher, which helps push enemies down to the Talent threshold[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta). The Ultimate deals 200% ATK to all enemies with a below-average 110 energy cost, and her Technique raises her ATK at the start of the next battle[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta). Her major traces add a further 25% damage boost on her Skill against high-HP targets (A2, "Efficiency"), 35% crowd-control resistance (A4, "Puppet"), and 20% more Ultimate damage against Frozen enemies (A6, "Icing")[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta).
**Eidolons at no cost.** Unlike most 4-star characters, whose duplicates come from the gacha, Herta and her Eidolons are granted free through Simulated Universe world completions, so she is typically evaluated at full Eidolon investment[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta). E2 grants a stacking 3% CRIT Rate per Talent trigger up to 5 stacks (15% total), E4 raises Talent damage by 10%, and E6 boosts her ATK by 25% for one turn after her Ultimate[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta).
## Strengths and weaknesses
Herta is a feast-or-famine unit. Against groups of enemies she chains follow-up attacks, regenerates energy quickly, and deals large amounts of Toughness damage; against a single boss with no reinforcements her Talent rarely triggers and her damage collapses[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta). Her base stats are low for a damage dealer, making her frail, and her progression is uneven, with returns appearing only after meaningful investment[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta).
The release of the Pure Fiction endgame mode, which rewards area-of-effect damage against waves of weak enemies, transformed her standing. She pairs naturally with Himeko, whose own follow-up attacks can chain into Herta's and back, and with [Robin](https://www.edgepedia.org/robin-honkai-star-rail), whose extra damage lets even support characters trigger Herta's Talent[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta).
## Builds
Recommended Light Cones include Before Dawn (S1), Night on the [Milky Way](https://www.edgepedia.org/milky-way) (S1, Pure Fiction only), Geniuses' Repose (S5), and Eternal Calculus (S5, Pure Fiction only)[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta). The best relic set is The Ashblazing Grand Duke (4-piece), which boosts follow-up attack damage, followed by Scholar Lost in Erudition and Hunter of Glacial Forest; Sigonia, the Unclaimed Desolation is the top planar ornament when its effect is fully stacked[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta). Stat priorities are CRIT Rate on the body, ATK% on feet and link rope, and Ice DMG on the planar sphere, with recommended endgame targets of 2000 to 2400+ ATK, 65 to 70%+ CRIT Rate, and 130 to 150%+ CRIT DMG[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta).
## The Herta
In version 3.0, "Paean of Era Nova" (announced January 1, 2025, and launched January 15), HoYoverse released **The Herta** (大黑塔), a 5-star Ice Erudition character described as the real Herta rather than her puppet, skilled at area-of-effect damage[7](https://www.hoyoverse.com/en-us/news/127975) • [8](https://wiki.hoyolab.com/pc/hsr/entry/3285?lang=en-us). Her kit rewards pairing with a second Erudition character, and the 4-star Herta is a recommended partner: her frequent follow-up attacks generate stacks and energy for The Herta, particularly in Pure Fiction and other modes with weak or respawnable enemies[9](https://hsr.keqingmains.com/the-herta/) • [1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta). The two versions are distinct playable characters, and community guides commonly refer to the 4-star as "mini Herta" or "puppet Herta" to distinguish them[1](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta).
## References
1. [Herta Best Build Guide, Prydwen.gg](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/characters/herta)
2. [Herta, Honkai: Star Rail Wiki (Fandom)](https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Herta)
3. [Honkai Star Rail beginners guide](https://assets-global.website-files.com/65dcd90d66c8ef14561de4fb/68160dfc2637e021759426cb_ziwokirawiwasomaxumifut.pdf)
4. [Simulated Universe, Honkai: Star Rail Wiki (Fandom)](https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Simulated_Universe)
5. [Simulated Universe guide, Prydwen.gg](https://www.prydwen.gg/star-rail/guides/simulated-universe)
6. [Strategy Guide to All Follow-Up Attackers and the Path of The Elation, HoYoLAB](https://www.hoyolab.com/article/19915031)
7. [Honkai: Star Rail Version 3.0 "Paean of Era Nova" Unveiled, HoYoverse](https://www.hoyoverse.com/en-us/news/127975)
8. [The Herta, HoYoWiki](https://wiki.hoyolab.com/pc/hsr/entry/3285?lang=en-us)
9. [The Herta Guide, KeqingMains](https://hsr.keqingmains.com/the-herta/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › In-game subjects: characters, levels, items, and locations within single games › Playable and protagonist characters › Role-playing game characters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license