No matter how well-built your DPS characters are, their full potential can only be unlocked, if you pair them with the right supports! When we're speaking of supports, there are more or less two types: buffer and healer / offensive and defensive.
Just quite recently, the number of offensive supporters was expanded by one, since Yukong has been released with the latest update! Finally, we have a Harmony character, who deals Imaginary damage, but can she compete to the “Queen of Buffs”, also known as Tingyun? Honkai Star Rail: Upcoming Character Banners Leaked
Just like Tingyun, Yukong's ability kit is mainly focused on buffing your ally's ATK and damage in general. Since both are pretty similar to each other, should you pull for her, even if you already have Tingyun? Or will our OG Foxian stay Best Girl?
Let's find out, who is the better support!
Honkai Star Rail: Yukong VS Tingyun
Before we really get into it, it's important to note, that BOTH characters are really strong and are useable in a bunch of team constellations! So don't let that stop you from building the one you like better!
To be honest, I wouldn't mess with either of those ladies, since both are super strong! However, you have to admit, that Yukong is definitely the unit, who is much harder to build and play!
Let's check out, where the build differences between both characters lay.
Yukong VS Tingyun: The Perfect Build
When looking at the Light Cones first, there is no huge difference, since both belong to the path of The Harmony and can use the same weapons!
If you want to find out more about Yukong's build, check out this article:
Light Cones
However, the weapon choice does get affected by who you are playing these supports with! For example: Tingyun is a great user of “Planetary Rendezvous”, since she can be played with multiple other Lightning characters!
Yukong on the other hand, would have to play in an Imaginary focused team, which is not quite possible hence the lack of said elemental type. A big game changer could be the release of Dan Heng IL, since he will be an Imaginary DPS.
Apart from this exception, both units can use the same weapons.
Relics
Also in terms of relics, both Foxians benefit from similar stats and effects! Both are absolutely brilliant users of the “Musketeer of Wild Wheat” set. Especially the SPD effect is super useful for these two characters.
However, Tingyun actually really likes the ATK stats as well, since her abilities and buffs scale with her own ATK. This makes this set the perfect fit for her.
In return, however, Yukong has significantly more good options when choosing her relics. She does profit off of Energy Regeneration and Break Effect! This makes this “Thief's Myriad-Faced Mask” super valuable for her. Next to that, you can build her damage focused as well! Just slap the “Wastelander's Breathing Mask” on her, and she can deal a good amount of damage!
In the end, this means that Yukong can offer a little more variation in their equipment.
Tingyun VS Yukong: Buffs & Abilities
If you want an easy-to-use buffer, then Tingyun is your girl! Her skills are super simple to understand, and her buff durations are more than clear. Just slap a bunch of ATK and SPD on her, and she is ready to go!
If you prefer a little more expansive and trickier character, you might want to give Yukong a shot! Her skills are not as easy to use, and they tend to get useless if you mistime them.
A good example to compare are the two skills of Yukong and Tingyun!
Tingyun
As mentioned earlier, Tingyun's skill is super easy to use. It provides an ATK buff to the target ally for three turns. The buff scales with Tingyun's own ATK. There is not much to mess up there! Since this skill's buff lasts three turns, you have a bunch of time to refresh it.
Yukong
Yukong's skill however, is a little trickier! Her “Emboldening Salvo” does not scale with any of Yukong's stats nor does it actively give any buffs. But it does give another effect to the target ally, which is the most important thing about her skill. It triggers “Roaring Bowstrings”, which provides a massive ATK buff to the target.
After using her skill, you will obtain two stacks of said buff. And now the tricky part comes: You have to time this buff AND understand, how “Turn Extension” works. There are three known times, when you can extend your turn in order to use buffs longer:
- Immediate Follow-Up Attacks
Herta's Follow-Up attack DOES count as the turn, where the enemy dropped below 50%. Unfortunately, Jing Yuan's “Lightning Lord” DOES NOT count as immediate Follow-Up.
- Using an Ultimate
Since you can use your Ultimates freely, you can choose to activate it during another ally's turn, in order to profit off of the buff.
- Seele's Talent
Of course, Seele has to be a little extra about her turns! Her Talent “Resurgence”, gives Seele an extra tun after she kills an enemy with any of her spells. If you combine that, with the Ultimate usage in other ally's turns, Seele can actually use her Ultimate AND another ability in someone else's tun, keeping the buff even longer!
These things are important to keep in mind when playing Yukong, since her effect does last for two turns, however in order to have a 100 percent uptime, it needs to last three. Means, the unit that attacks last, won't have “Roaring Bowstrings” anymore.
This little overview hopefully helped you to decide, which of these two ladies you want to choose for your perfect team. And to be fair, you can use the other one, in your second team anyway.