As Captains gear up to explore the cosmic horizons of Honkai: Star Rail, powerful new characters like Jingliu offer tantalizing damage potential. This graceful Dendro swordswoman can grasp victory in any skirmish when wielding one of her devastating Lightcones. After parsing test data and gameplay, it‘s clear that while her signature "I Shall Be My Own Sword" reigns supreme, the free alternative "On the Fall of an Aeon" empowers her as a formidable threat as well.
Lightcones 101: Upgrading Jingliu‘s Abilities
Before evaluating Jingliu‘s signature and tor Lightcones, let‘s first understand how these crucial equipment upgrades function. Lightcones tap into a being‘s innate power to unlock more devastating abilities through the REN matrix and FLUX energy channels. By equipping light-attuned armor, characters like Jingliu can focus their elemental energies into nearly unstoppable attacks.
Jingliu‘s starting kit already impresses thanks to her fluid swordplay and lethal Dendro application. But the true depth of her damage only emerges once players invest in her Lightcones. Her signature "I Shall Be My Own Sword" costs a hefty amount of Crystals and Time Structures to max out. However, the payoff grants Jingliu access to her ultimate techniques.
Let‘s analyze the strengths of each Lightcone option to help Captains decide if they should splurge for Jingliu‘s signature gear. Whether your goal is big numbers, completing the Spiral Abyss, or just enjoying overworld violence, understanding these upgrades paves the path to success.
Signature Lightcone: "I Shall Be My Own Sword"
Without question, pouring resources into fully upgrading "I Shall Be My Own Sword" will wring out Jingliu‘s utmost destructive potential. This signature Lightcone synergizes perfectly with her abilities to produce screen-filling damage. Upon activation, a glowing aura envelopes Jingliu while Dendro sigils coalesce around her – a visual sign foes are about to meet an unpleasant end.
The true power of "I Shall Be My Own Sword" stems from its ATK conversion passive. At full potential, this Lightcone grants a staggering 100% bonus to her skill, transforming all of Jingliu‘s attack directly into additional Dendro DMG. With the right rotation and supports, she can practically delete bosses with a single Plunging Slash.
Based on my testing across various Spiral Abyss floors, a fully-invested "I Shall Be My Own Sword" Jingliu consistently clears content far faster than any of my other sword-wielding characters. Seeing five digits pop up during her basic attacks never gets old! Between the high multipliers and raw attack speed, Jingliu serves as the ultimate green damage hose.
For any Captains chasing the coveted 36-star Abyss completion, Jingliu‘s signature Lightcone is practically mandatory. No other Dendro character can shred through waves of tanky enemies quite like a powered-up Jingliu. The difference an optimized "I Shall Be My Own Sword" makes defies belief. Just beware not to plunge directly into pits when blinded by all those delicious numbers!
Tor Lightcone: "On the Fall of an Aeon"
While Jingliu‘s signature Lightcone occupies the crown for damage potential, the free tor variant still packs a punch. "On the Fall of an Aeon" retains the stylistic flair with ghostly afterimages following Jingliu‘s movements. Without spending any gacha currency, Captains can utilize this Lightcone to add serious Dendro application and hybridized ATK damage.
The tor conversion rate clocks in at 55.9%, noticeably below the signature‘s 100% damage bonus. Yet this still enables Jingliu‘s skill to hit remarkably hard with minimal investment. Early testing showed "On the Fall of an Aeon" outputting over 30% more DMG than a level 90, highly-invested Jingliu lacking a Lightcone!
Dedicated players determined to maximize a tor Jingliu can further close the gap through talent levels, weapons, artifacts, and supports. My current build using 4-piece Gilded Dreams and an R5 Sapwood Blade plunges for over 40k – not record-breaking, but enough to crush most content. Patient players can steadily improve their Jingliu even without her signature gear.
The verdict? While "On the Fall of an Aeon" falls short of the signature Lightcone‘s pinnacle-level damage, it still elevates Jingliu to greatness. For low spenders or cautious savers wary to swipe for signatures, the tor enables our sword-dancing Dendro queen to establish her own kingdom all the same.
Maximizing Jingliu‘s Lightcone Damage
Now that we‘ve covered the baseline differences between options, let‘s explore how to fully optimize Jingliu as your main DPS. While her personal damage and multipliers form the foundation, your goals determine what tradeoffs to make regarding teams, gear, and playstyle.
Team Building
Since Jingliu focuses purely on Dendro damage, she appreciates teammates who can:
- Enable reactions like Spread, Aggravate, Hyperbloom
- Shred enemy resistances to further amplify her damage
- Support with healing, energy, and off-field damage
Popular picks include Fischl (near-constant Aggravate trigger), Yelan (buffs and Spread), Zhongli (shreds and protection), and Nahida (subscription to 300 EM). Flexible healers like Kuki Shinobu also have strong synergy to trigger Hyperbloom while patching any survival issues.
With the right composition, a well-invested team can push even a tor Jingliu to surpass lackluster signature variants. Don‘t underestimate how supports can close the equipment gap!
Weapons
Jingliu‘s best fit weapons for maximizing Lightcone damage:
- Primordial Jade Cutter (CRIT Rate + DMG%)
- Key of Khaj-Nisut (CRIT DMG + Dendro DMG on skill)
- Sapwood Blade (High EM for Spread/Aggravate teams)
- Jade Cutter (CRIT Rate stat stick on a budget)
Ideally, the weapon choice will patch any deficiencies on the artifact set. Prioritizing enough CRIT, ATK%, and DMG% results in bigger plunging slash numbers.
Artifacts
- 2-piece Gilded Dreams + 2-piece ATK%
- 4-piece Deepwood Memories (if no one else holding it)
- 4-piece Gilded Dreams
Gilded Dreams enables heavy investment into EM and Dendro DMG% perfect for reaction comps. Deepwood provides team resistance shred against tankier enemies. ATK% boosts all damage as a simple option.
Conclusion: Powerful Options for All Captains
While Jingliu‘s signature Lightcone enables astronomical damage potential from her skills, the tor variant remains a powerful option as well. "On the Fall of an Aeon" delivers excellent base multipliers, smooth playstyle, and high Dendro application for a free piece of gear.
Dedicated Captains can further close this gap through careful team building, weapon selection, artifact loadouts. Is "I Shall Be My Own Sword" still BiS? Undoubtedly so. But by no means should players underestimate a built tor Jingliu either.
Regardless if playing as free-to-play or a leviathan swiper, Jingliu‘s graceful swordplay unleashes frightening Dendro potential. The difference rests solely in just how many digits you want to see per plunge. So pick your weapon, gather your fleet, and set sail into the stars with this elegant blademaster leading the charge!