Updated for Version 3.2
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Castorice is the 5★ Quantum-Type Goddess of Death in Honkai: Star Rail following the Path of Remembrance who, through her command over Netherwing, lays waste to the entire field with powerful AoE attacks at the cost of ally HP. This guide will help you with her best Relics, Light Cones, teams, synergies, and more!
Infographic
Credits to: euphorysm, soul_fish, and KQM Staff
Character Overview
Pros
- Extremely strong AoE damage
- SP efficient
- Unique and flexible playstyle
- Death can’t possibly be this cute
Cons
- Damage is heavily reliant on her memosprite, Netherwing
- Requires a strong healer due to HP drain
- Will probably make your phone explode
Playstyle
Castorice’s main priority in a fight is generating “Newbud” to summon Netherwing, which she does with both teamwide HP reduction and healing. This is important as Netherwing disappears after it spends 3 turns on field or after consuming all of its HP. When this occurs, Netherwing will perform “Wings Sweep the Ruins,” a sweeping explosion attack which will be referred to as “detonation” from this point onward.
After summoning Netherwing, there are two main ways it can be played.
- Constantly using “Breath Scorches the Shadow” and immediately detonating Netherwing for a burst of damage.
- Using 2–3 “Breath Scorches the Shadow” then healing it up between turns.
Which playstyle you choose will depend both on the enemies you are facing and the “Newbud” generation ability of your team.
Immediately detonating Netherwing is often recommended if there are very few enemies, as the Bounce property of “Wings Sweep the Ruins” makes it stronger than “Breath Scorches the Shadow.” This playstyle is also strong against any content if “Newbud” is generated fast enough, potentially allowing Netherwing to act more often than it would through its own SPD!
If the team does not generate sufficient “Newbud” to constantly summon Netherwing, keeping it on field for 2–3 turns, while healing Netherwing so it can use 2–3 “Breath Scorches the Shadow” every turn, can perform better, and ideally finishes with a full 4 to maximize the value of Castorice’s A6 Bonus Ability.
Netherwing’s scaling is two-fold, scaling off of Castorice’s Max HP but using its own CRIT and DMG stats, which will be relevant later when choosing equipment and supports to pair with Castorice.
Traces
Basic ATK | Lament, Nethersea’s Ripple
Trace Description
Lament, Nethersea’s Ripple [Single Target]
Deals Quantum DMG equal to 25%/50%/55% of Castorice’s Max HP to one designated enemy.
An HP-scaling Basic ATK, can do ok damage, but is not worth using as it does not help Castorice generate “Newbud.”
Skill | Silence, Wraithfly’s Caress / Boneclaw, Doomdrake’s Embrace
Trace Description
Silence, Wraithfly’s Caress [Blast]
Consumes 30% of all allies’ current HP. Deals Quantum DMG equal to 25%/50%/55% of Castorice’s Max HP to one designated enemy and Quantum DMG equal to 15%/30%/33% of Castorice’s Max HP to adjacent targets.
If the current HP is insufficient, reduces the current HP down to 1.
If Netherwing is on the battlefield, the Skill becomes “Boneclaw, Doomdrake’s Embrace” instead.
Boneclaw, Doomdrake’s Embrace [AoE]
Consumes 40% of the current HP of all allies (except Netherwing). Castorice and Netherwing launch Joint ATK on the targets, dealing Quantum DMG equal to 15%/30%/33% and 25%/50%/55% of Castorice’s Max HP to all enemies.
If the current HP is insufficient, reduces the current HP down to 1.
Skill
While it does decent Blast damage, this ability’s primary use is generating “Newbud” through its teamwide HP drain.
This should almost always be used, especially since it does not consume any SP.
Enhanced Skill
A stronger, full AoE version of Castorice’s Skill with a slightly higher HP drain with the added benefit of healing Netherwing thanks to her Talent.
As this is a Joint ATK, a portion of the damage uses Netherwing’s DMG and CRIT stats.
Like her regular Skill, this ability also does not consume SP.
Ultimate | Doomshriek, Dawn’s Chime
Trace Description
Doomshriek, Dawn’s Chime [Summon]
Summons the memosprite Netherwing and advances its action by 100%. At the same time, deploys the Territory “Lost Netherland,” which decreases all enemies’ All-Type RES by 10%/20%/22%. If Castorice has the DMG Boost effect from her Talent, then this effect spreads to Netherwing. Netherwing has an initial SPD of 165 and a set Max HP equal to 100% of max “Newbud.”
After Netherwing experiences 3 turns or when its HP is 0, it disappears and dispels the Territory “Lost Netherland.”
The core and focus of Castorice’s kit. Her Ultimate allows her to summon the memosprite, Netherwing, while fully advancing its action.
In addition, this ability introduces a new gameplay mechanic: “Territory.” Territories are effects that modify the entire battlefield, providing various benefits. However, only one of these abilities can exist at a time. Other Territory abilities cannot be used if one is already active.
Talent | Desolation Across Palms
Trace Description
Desolation Across Palms [Enhance]
The maximum limit of “Newbud” is related to the levels of all characters on the battlefield. For every 1 point of HP lost by all allies, Castorice gains 1 point of “Newbud.” When “Newbud” reaches its maximum limit, can activate the Ultimate. When allies lose HP, Castorice’s and Netherwing’s DMG dealt increases by 10%/20%/22%. This effect can stack up to 3 time(s), lasting for 3 turn(s).
When Netherwing is on the field, “Newbud” cannot be gained through Talent, and HP lost by all allies (except Netherwing) will be converted to an equal amount of HP for Netherwing.
Grants an easily stackable DMG bonus for Castorice and Netherwing when allies lose HP, while providing Castorice with “Newbud” from team HP loss.
“Newbud” has a maximum value of 34000 at Equilibrium Level 5 and 6.
Technique | Wail, Death’s Herald
Trace Description
Wail, Death’s Herald
After using Technique, enters the “Netherveil” state that lasts for 20 seconds. While “Netherveil” is active, enemies are unable to actively approach Castorice.
During “Netherveil,” active attacks will cause all enemies within range to enter combat. At the same time, summons the memosprite Netherwing, advances its action by 100%, and deploys the Territory “Lost Netherland.” Netherwing has its current HP equal to 50% of max “Newbud.” After entering battle, consumes 40% of the current HP of all allies (except Netherwing).
If Netherwing is not summoned after entering battle, Castorice gains “Newbud” by an amount equal to 30% of max “Newbud.”
Works similarly to Castorice’s Ultimate and allows her to summon Netherwing at the start of battle. While Castorice’s Technique does not summon Netherwing at full HP, the HP drain does heal it, effectively allowing it to start at full or close to full HP, depending on the team.
Starting the battle without Technique generates 30% “Newbud” for Castorice, helping accelerate her first Ultimate.
Ascension 2 Bonus Ability | Contained Dark Tide
Trace Description
After ally targets (excluding Netherwing) receive healing, converts 100% of the healed amount into “Newbud.” If Netherwing is on the field, this is converted to Netherwing’s HP instead. Each ally target can accumulate a conversion amount up to 12% of the max “Newbud”. After any unit takes action, all units reset their accumulated conversion amount.
This Bonus Ability allows healing to generate “Newbud,” significantly accelerating the rate at which Castorice is able to recharge her Ultimate.
The healing conversion while Netherwing is on the field allows healers to focus on healing other teammates without losing out on potential “Breath Scorches the Shadow” uses.
Ascension 4 Bonus Ability | Inverted Torch
Trace Description
When Castorice’s current HP is higher than or equal to 50% of her Max HP, her SPD increases by 40%. When Netherwing uses “Breath Scorches the Shadow” and deals fatal damage to all enemies on the field or brings them to a point where their HP cannot be reduced further, Netherwing’s SPD increases by 100%, lasting for 1 turn.
This Bonus Ability allows Castorice to have a relatively high SPD stat in battle, even when using no equipment that gives SPD, so she can activate the full bonus from the Poet of Mourning Collapse Relic set.
The SPD bonus for Netherwing is highly conditional, but can be useful against Bosses with phase changes, or multi-wave content such as Pure Fiction.
Ascension 6 Bonus Ability | Where The West Wind Dwells
Trace Description
Each time Netherwing uses “Breath Scorches the Shadow,” the DMG dealt increases by 30%. This effect stacks up to 6 time(s) and lasts until the end of this turn.
Incentivizes using “Breath Scorches the Shadow” as many times as possible during each of Netherwing’s turns.
Without E2, or some way to heal Netherwing during its attack, this DMG bonus can not be fully stacked.
Exclusive | Sanctuary of Mooncocoon
Trace Description
Sanctuary of Mooncocoon [Support] [Exclusive]
After obtaining Castorice or when Castorice is in the current team, receive the following effect: In battle, when an ally character receives a killing blow, all ally characters that received a killing blow in this action enter the “Mooncocoon” state. Characters in “Mooncocoon” temporarily delay becoming downed and can take actions normally. After the action and before the start of the next turn, if their current HP increases or they gain a Shield, “Mooncocoon” is removed. Otherwise, they will be downed immediately. This effect can only trigger once per battle.
Castorice introduces the first global passive that takes effect for any team as long as she is owned, regardless of if she is in the team or not. This includes all endgame modes such as Memory of Chaos, Pure Fiction, and Apocalyptic Shadow.
Providing a revive once per battle the first time an ally receives fatal damage, reviving all allies that were downed by that attack. However, if those allies are not then shielded or healed they will be instantly downed again. This makes it act more as a safety net than a true revive, as it still requires a Sustain unit to prevent fatal damage.
Note: Trace levels shown are 1/10/12 (Basic ATK 1/6/7).
Memosprite Traces
Memosprite Skill | Claw Splits the Veil
Trace Description
Claw Splits the Veil [AoE]
Deals Quantum DMG equal to 20%/40%/44% of Castorice’s Max HP to all enemies.
A simple AoE attack, which then ends Netherwing’s turn. It should be used to conserve HP for future turns or to wait for buffs before detonating Netherwing.
Memosprite Skill | Breath Scorches the Shadow
Trace Description
Breath Scorches the Shadow [AoE]
Launching “Breath Scorches the Shadow” will consume 25% of Netherwing’s Max HP to deal Quantum DMG equal to 12%/24%/26.4% of Castorice’s Max HP to all enemies.
In one attack, “Breath Scorches the Shadow” can be launched repeatedly, with the DMG multiplier increased progressively to 14%/28%/30.8% / 17%/34%/37.4%. After reaching 17%/34%/37.4%, it will not increase further. The DMG Multiplier Boost effect will not decrease before Netherwing disappears.
When Netherwing’s current HP is equal to or less than 25% of its Max HP, launching this ability will actively reduce HP down to 1, and then trigger the ability effect equal to that of the Talent “Wings Sweep the Ruins.”
This ability can be consecutively used without ending the current action. This means that multiple usages of this ability counts as a single action/attack for effects that care about this.
As the multiplier does not reset between turns, and instead lasts until Netherwing leaves the field, fully healing Netherwing between turns is required to take full advantage of this to maximize the number of times this ability can be used when keeping Netherwing on field.
Memosprite Talent | Wings Sweep the Ruins
Trace Description
Wings Sweep the Ruins [Bounce]
When Netherwing disappears, deals 6 instance(s) of DMG, with each instance dealing Quantum DMG equal to 20%/40%/44% of Castorice’s Max HP to one random enemy. At the same time, restores HP by an amount equal to 3%/6%/6.6% of Castorice’s Max HP plus 400/800/880 for all allies.
Wings Sweep the Ruins [Bounce]
Consumes all HP and deals 6 instance(s) of DMG, with each instance dealing Quantum DMG equal to 20%/40%/44% of Castorice’s Max HP to one random enemy. At the same time, restores HP by an amount equal to 3%/6%/6.6% of Castorice’s Max HP plus 400/800/880 for all allies.
A powerful Bounce attack that also provides teamwide healing and helps keep the team alive after Netherwing’s death prevention effect is no longer active.
Note that the healing from this ability does not generate “Newbud” for Castorice, as Netherwing is still on the field as it happens.
Memosprite Talent | Mooncocoon Shrouds the Form
Trace Description
Mooncocoon Shrouds the Form [Support]
When Netherwing is on the field, it acts as backup for allies. When allies take DMG or consume HP, their current HP can be reduced down to a minimum of 1, after which Netherwing will consume HP at 500% of the original value until Netherwing disappears.
Netherwing being a Backup unit means it cannot be targeted by enemies, and must be directly targeted by allied Blast abilities (such as Huohuo’s Skill), for them to take effect on it.
In addition, Netherwing prevents allies from taking fatal damage while it is on field, but the tradeoff is that any fatal damage it prevents is dealt to Netherwing instead at a higher value than the original damage.
Memosprite Talent | Roar Rumbles the Realm
Trace Description
Roar Rumbles the Realm [Support]
When Netherwing is summoned, increases DMG dealt by all allies by 10%, lasting for 3 turn(s).
Provides a slight teamwide DMG Boost when Netherwing is summoned. Especially useful if the team has other characters who do notable damage, such as Tribbie.
Note: Memosprite Trace levels shown are 1/6/7.
Trace Priority
= > = > 
Memosprite Skill = Memosprite Talent > Talent = Ultimate > Skill
Most of Castorice’s damage comes from Netherwing’s Skill and Talent, making them her main leveling priority.
After that, her own Talent and Ultimate come in, as they can further increase Netherwing’s DMG, while her Ultimate gives allies a small damage increase.
Finally, Castorice’s Skill is her most used ability and should be leveled to maximize the damage she deals.
Castorice’s Basic ATK should generally be avoided since it neither contributes to “Newbud” generation, nor does it do notable damage.
Eidolons
Eidolon 1 | Snowbound Maiden, Memory to Tomb
When the enemy target’s current HP is 80%/50% of Max HP or lower, the DMG dealt to it by “Boneclaw, Doomdrake’s Embrace,” “Claw Splits the Veil,” “Breath Scorches the Shadow,” and “Wings Sweep the Ruins” is 120%/140% of the original DMG respectively.
Increases Castorice’s Enhanced Skill and Netherwing’s damage against weakened enemies. This increase directly raises the multiplier of her attacks, making it effectively function as an independent multiplier. In simple terms, it is a 1.2x or 1.4x multiplier depending on enemy HP.
Eidolon 2 | Crown on Wings of Bloom
After summoning the memosprite Netherwing, Castorice gains 2 stack(s) of “Ardent Will.” “Ardent Will” can stack up to 2 time(s) and can be used to offset the HP cost of Netherwing’s Memosprite Skill, “Breath Scorches the Shadow” and advance Castorice’s action by 100%. When using the next Enhanced Skill, Castorice gains “Newbud” by an amount equal to 30% of max “Newbud.”
An extremely potent Eidolon as it both increases Castorice’s damage potential, and opens up new rotations that she can use.
Castorice can use the “Ardent Will” stacks to obtain the maximum DMG bonus from her A6 Bonus Ability. Castorice is also advanced ahead of Netherwing whenever it is summoned (including when using her Technique), while allowing her first Enhanced Skill to generate a large amount of “Newbud” which significantly reduces the amount of time needed before she can summon Netherwing again.
This Eidolon particularly increases the potency of the playstyle where Castorice immediately detonates Netherwing when summoned, as consuming “Ardent Will” is not optional. This means that Netherwing must consume both stacks of “Ardent Will” and all its HP during the same turn to cap Castorice’s A6 DMG bonus, while any partial usage of “Ardent Will” makes Netherwing unable to do this on later turns.
Eidolon 3 | Pious Pilgrim, Dance in Doom
Ultimate Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.
Basic ATK Lv. +1, up to a maximum of Lv. 10.
Memosprite Talent Lv. +1, up to a maximum of Lv. 10.
Slightly increases Castorice’s healing and All-Type RES Reduction. Not a particularly noticeable gain.
Eidolon 4 | Rest in Songs of Gloom
While Castorice is on the field, all allies’ Incoming Healing during HP restoration increases by 20%.
Can improve team survivability and “Newbud” generation, but it is not worth stopping at this Eidolon.
Eidolon 5 | Pristine Pages, Prophecy as Plume
Skill Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.
Talent Lv. +2, up to a maximum of Lv. 15.
Memosprite Skill Lv. +1, up to a maximum of Lv. 10.
Provides a decent damage increase to Netherwing, but is not worth going for unless also going for Castorice’s E6.
Eidolon 6 | Await for Years to Loom
When Castorice or Netherwing deals DMG, increases Quantum RES PEN by 20%. During Netherwing’s attacks, can reduce enemy Toughness regardless of Weakness Types. When breaking Weaknesses, triggers the Quantum Weakness Break effect. And the number of Bounces for Netherwing’s Talent “Wings Sweep the Ruins” additionally increases by 3.
The additional Bounce instances noticeably increase Castorice’s nuking potential by immediately detonating Netherwing. Paired with the Quantum RES PEN, this Eidolon is a fitting capstone to Castorice’s kit.
The ability to inflict Toughness Reduction against any enemy can occasionally be useful to remove the DMG Reduction enemies gain when they are not Broken, as well as slightly delaying them, but Castorice does not otherwise take advantage of this effect.
Build
Light Cones
 Make Farewells More Beautiful | Castorice’s signature and Best-in-Slot option. Offers high Base HP, an HP Boost, DEF Ignore, and an Action Advance when Netherwing leaves the field. The HP provided by this Light Cone already makes it a good option, and the DEF ignore on top makes it an incredibly powerful option that performs significantly better than the others on this list. The advance this Light Cone provides increases Castorice’s effective SPD and allows for more flexible rotations. |
 Sweat Now, Cry Less | Castorice’s second best option, providing a straightforward CRIT Rate and DMG% bonus for both Castorice and Netherwing. Do note that it is easy to overcap on CRIT Rate when building Castorice. |
 High Base HP Light Cones | Light Cones with high Base HP (1164 HP/1270 HP/1375 HP) are better stat sticks and perform better than other options, including Light Cones from the Path of Remembrance. Examples include Flame of Blood, Blaze My Path (Mydei’s signature LC)/Time Waits for No One (Bailu’s signature LC). |
 Victory In a Blink | If no high Base HP Light Cones are available, Victory In a Blink S5 is the best free option that can be obtained. However, do note that it can be outperformed by other Light Cones with 1058 Base HP and might not be worth buying in comparison. |
Relics
Relic Sets
 4-Pc Poet of Mourning Collapse | Castorice’s best Relic Set, fully benefiting her and Netherwing. The 4-Pc Set Effect only considers SPD outside of combat (on the stat screen). Thanks to that fact, and Castorice’s low Base SPD, she can fully utilise the 4-Pc CRIT Rate bonus even if you have some SPD substats. |
   2-Pc Combinations | Other 4-Pc combinations generally do not buff memosprites, which account for most of Castorice’s damage. This means that going for 2-Pc combinations for the stat bonuses they provide will perform better. Recommended 2-Pc to go for are: Genius of Brilliant Stars, Longevous Disciple, or Scholar Lost in Erudition. |
Planar Ornaments
 Bone Collection’s Serene Demesne | This Planar was practically tailor-made for Castorice given how easily she can meet its HP requirement and the fact that it fully buffs her and Netherwing. Recommended Planar option for her. |
| Other options | Other options perform noticeably worse but can be used for their stat bonuses while farming for Bone Collector’s Serene Demesne pieces. Out of these stat sticks, Rutilant Arena and Wondrous BananAmusement Park work best. You should not specifically farm these sets for Castorice. |
Stats
 Body |  Boots |  Sphere |  Rope |
| CRIT DMG > HP | HP | HP ≥ Quantum DMG | HP |
Substats
CRIT > HP
Castorice has easy access to CRIT Rate thanks to the 4-Pc Set Effect of Poet of Mourning Collapse, her Stat Bonus Traces, as well as potential teammates. Therefore, Castorice should be built with a focus on CRIT DMG and HP.
Since Netherwing is unaffected by Castorice’s SPD, building SPD on her is unnecessary. Building SPD also ruins her synergy with her preferred Relic Set, the 4-Pc Poet of Mourning Collapse.
E1/E2 or S1?
E1 Description
Snowbound Maiden, Memory to Tomb
When the enemy target’s current HP is 80%/50% of Max HP or lower, the DMG dealt to it by “Boneclaw, Doomdrake’s Embrace,” “Claw Splits the Veil,” “Breath Scorches the Shadow,” and “Wings Sweep the Ruins” is 120%/140% of the original DMG respectively.
E2 Description
Crown on Wings of Bloom
After summoning the memosprite Netherwing, Castorice gains 2 stack(s) of “Ardent Will.” “Ardent Will” can stack up to 2 time(s) and can be used to offset the HP cost of Netherwing’s Memosprite Skill, “Breath Scorches the Shadow” and advance Castorice’s action by 100%. When using the next Enhanced Skill, Castorice gains “Newbud” by an amount equal to 30% of max “Newbud.”
S1 Description
Make Farewells More Beautiful
Increases the wearer’s Max HP by 30%. When the wearer or their memosprite loses HP during their own turn, the wearer gains “Death Flower.” “Death Flower” allows the wearer and their memosprite to ignore 30% of the target’s DEF when dealing DMG, lasting for 2 turn(s).
When the wearer’s memosprite disappears, advances the wearer’s action by 12%. This effect can only trigger up to 1 time, and the trigger count resets every time the wearer uses Ultimate.
E1 or S1
Castorice’s 1st Eidolon is a powerful albeit conditional one. It Increases both Castorice and Netherwing’s damage against enemies depending on their HP. This functions effectively as an independent and undiluted 1.2/1.4x multiplier.
Her Light Cone, however, provides a consistently powerful increase and even some quality of life. Her S1 has high Base HP, provides HP%, provides DEF Ignore, and has an Action Advance when Netherwing leaves the field. This, combined with the fact that Castorice simply does not have many alternatives (especially free ones) and that it requires less pulls on average, makes her Light Cone the recommended vertical investment option. Her S1 also pulls ahead if paired with other sources of DEF Shred, such as Pela or Sunday’s E1.
E2 or S1
However, things change when considering her 2nd Eidolon. This Eidolon allows Castorice to max out the DMG bonus from her A6 Bonus Ability, while advancing her ahead of Netherwing whenever it is summoned.
In addition, this ability further enhances Castorice’s flexibility by causing her first Enhanced Skill whenever Netherwing is summoned to generate 30% “Newbud,” significantly reducing the time required to summon Netherwing again after it disappears.
This is especially useful for the playstyle where Netherwing is immediately detonated, as when paired with a sufficiently strong healer, the additional “Newbud” can allow Castorice to recharge her Ultimate in potentially just 1 turn!
If a decent Light Cone option like Sweat Now, Cry Less is available, and Castorice’s team generates enough “Newbud” to quickly summon Netherwing, going for E2 before her signature can be a higher damage increase. It is typically recommended to go for both E2 and S1 if investing this much into Castorice.
Notable Synergies
Damage Amplifiers
 Tribbie | Contrary to their size, Tribbie boasts some large, functionally permanent buffs that make them a powerful teammate for Castorice, providing all allies with RES PEN and increasing the enemy’s DMG taken. They also build high HP that benefits Castorice’s “Newbud” generation, while possessing good personal damage on top. Their high attack frequency in particular synergizes well with some healers like Luocha or Gallagher who have on-attack healing for even more “Newbud” generation. |
 Trailblazer (Remembrance) | Unlike most single target buffers (such as Sunday), Remembrance Trailblazer’s buff applies to both Castorice and Netherwing regardless of when the latter is summoned. Trailblazer provides potent True DMG and CRIT DMG buffs, 100% Action Advance, and another character to contribute to “Newbud” generation. Additionally, Trailblazer can generate SP as needed or use their Skill to heal Mem, further contributing to “Newbud” generation. |
 Sunday | While Sunday possesses some strong buffs of his own, making them work with Castorice is a bit more difficult compared to other units. For starters, Sunday’s buffs don’t extend to Netherwing if it is not already on the field, making buff uptime inconsistent. Additionally, Sunday is currently the only character who can Advance both summon and summoner, meaning he has a unique, potentially powerful synergy with Castorice. |
 Ruan Mei | Ruan Mei provides potent teamwide buffing that is essentially permanent and affects memosprites. Even if Netherwing is summoned after Ruan Mei uses her Skill or Ultimate, it will still receive the buff. The Weakness Break Efficiency provided by Ruan Mei’s Skill can also be useful for content such as Apocalyptic Shadow, enhancing Netherwing’s significant Toughness Reduction further. Do note that while the buff from Ruan Mei’s Ultimate may not appear in Netherwing’s in-combat stat screen, it will still increase its DMG as long as the effect is active on other allies. |
 Pela | Pela provides a significant DEF Shred debuff to all enemies which synergizes particularly well with Castorice’s signature Light Cone due to how DEF Shred works (the more you have of it, the better it is). As a small added benefit, Pela can only attack enemies and has an AoE Ultimate, helping drive Luocha or Gallagher’s on-attack healing. |
 Jiaoqiu | While Jiaoqiu’s debuffs aren’t as potent as the other options listed above, they do have essentially 100% uptime and benefit all allies, including memosprites. Much like Pela, Jiaoqiu can only attack enemies and has an AoE Ultimate, helping drive Luocha or Gallagher’s healing. |
Healers
 Gallagher | Gallagher has strong healing when facing AoE content, but tends to fall off in single target or if allies aren’t frequent attackers. However, Gallagher can alleviate these issues by building more SPD (as his builds are fairly forgiving) and using Multiplication to generate more SP for Skill spamming for even more healing. |
 Luocha | Luocha has very linear but consistent healing and can heal allies who do not attack frequently thanks to his Zone and high frequency of attack. |
 Other healers | Healing directly converts into “Newbud,” thanks to Castorice’s A2. Healers also let the team take the most damage compared to other Sustain options such as Fu Xuan or Shielders, further enhancing Castorice’s “Newbud” economy. |
Special Considerations
 Mydei | Mydei synergizes decently well with Castorice due to her large HP drain, helping build up his Talent. In return, Mydei benefits her with his large HP pool and taking more damage, contributing a fair share to “Newbud” generation. This synergy performs notably worse without Tribbie and/or Mydei’s signature Light Cone. |
 Blade | While Castorice drains large amounts of HP, she does so fairly infrequently making her synergy with Blade notably weaker than that with Mydei. Blade cares more about frequent HP loss, rather than larger and less frequent ones, to improve his Talent frequency, which Castorice does not particularly benefit from. However, he does have other benefits such as a fully AoE follow-up attack and more frequent healing. Performs notably worse without Tribbie. Generally not recommended, but can work well if certain conditions are met. |
 Flame of Blood, Blaze My Path | Mydei’s signature Light Cone provides a substantial HP Boost, increased healing, and a strong DMG buff, all while contributing more HP drain, pairing decently well with the above options and improving their synergy with Castorice further. |
Notable Anti-Synergies
Preservation
 Fu Xuan | Castorice’s entire kit revolves around HP drain and fluctuations, which runs directly counter to Fu Xuan’s Sustain identity. While Fu Xuan can occasionally restore her HP, she cannot keep up with Castorice’s consistent HP draining. Additionally, other allies will end up falling in combat due to the lack of healing. |
 Shielders | Much like Fu Xuan above, Shielders cannot keep up with Castorice’s HP drain. In addition, having Shields prevents enemies from doing damage which restricts Castorice’s “Newbud” generation. |
Sunday Vs. Remembrance Trailblazer
As mentioned previously, Sunday and Trailblazer (Remembrance) have their own strengths to provide.
On one hand, the Trailblazer is much easier to use since their buffs extend to Netherwing regardless of when you summon them. They provide True DMG and CRIT DMG buffs, which synergize very well with Castorice, and a 100% Action Advance for Castorice. On top of that, they come with their own memosprite, adding yet another character who can help generate “Newbud.” To top it all off, they are completely free and can be played to generate SP or heal Mem through their Skill, further contributing to Netherwing’s uptime.
On the other hand, Sunday requires more planning to use efficiently. His buffs only apply to Netherwing if used after Netherwing is summoned. On top of that, his Energy generation from Ultimate is wasted on Castorice, and the CRIT Rate he provides will generally need to be planned around as she has very easy access to the stat from other sources, such as the 4-Pc Poet of Mourning Collapse and her Stat Bonus Traces.
That being said, when utilised effectively, Sunday is a very powerful support. He is currently the only character in the game who can Advance his target and their summon, including memosprites such as Netherwing. However, it should be noted that there are risks to his Advance, namely that it increases Castorice’s HP drain.
Sunday’s S1 makes him SP positive, allowing Sustains to use their Skills more frequently to provide more healing for “Newbud.” His E1 synergizes very well with Castorice’s S1 due to how DEF Shred works (the more sources of it, the better). All in all, Sunday needs careful planning but when SPD tuned properly and invested in, he can make Castorice even more of a powerhouse.
Teams
Castorice Hyper
Castorice Hyper teams typically follow the same structure, utilizing 2 damage amplifying supports and a strong Abundance character to keep the team sufficiently healthy.
These teams are generally very SP efficient, meaning the Sustain can get away with using more SP for healing to keep everyone alive and help generate more “Newbud.”
Example Teams
The premium Castorice team, taking advantage of the damage amplification abilities of Trailblazer (Remembrance) and Tribbie to maximize the damage Castorice and Netherwing can do.
In addition to their potent buffs, Trailblazer brings yet another character that Castorice can drain HP from in Mem, all while providing a 100% Action Advance for Castorice. It is usually recommended to apply “Mem’s Support” to Castorice, as this allows Netherwing to be under its effect as soon as it is summoned.
Tribbie benefits from the high HP pool of this team as well, increasing their own personal damage while providing great AoE damage amplification.
Additionally all the members of this team frequently attack, allowing them to trigger the healing of Gallagher and Luocha’s Talents, while its low SP consumption allows the Sustain to use their Skill more frequently for further healing and “Newbud” generation.
This team utilizes Sunday’s potent buffs to maximize Netherwing’s damage. However, Sunday’s buffs do not apply to Netherwing unless it’s already on the field. This necessitates more planning on when to summon Netherwing, which attack to use, and making sure to apply Sunday’s buffs after summoning Netherwing.
Luocha generally outperforms Gallagher in this team, as Sunday does not attack to trigger Gallagher’s Talent healing.
It should be noted that Sunday is not SP positive without his S1. Combining that with him increasing Castorice’s HP drain frequency means that the Sustain option can’t get away with carelessly using Skill and requires more planning around SP use.
The budget Pro Max of Castorice teams ever since Ruan Mei (and Luocha) were made purchasable in game, making it a lot more accessible to run.
This team combines Castorice’s absurd AoE Toughness-Reducing DMG with Ruan Mei’s Weakness Break Efficiency (and Gallagher’s frequent attacks) to absolutely shred through Toughness bars, granted enemies are Quantum Weak.
This is particularly relevant for Apocalyptic Shadow where Breaking enemies is emphasised; however, it works quite well in general outside of that particular mode.
The budget Castorice team, utilizing only free or 4★ characters. It plays very similarly to the team composition with Tribbie.
Pela’s DEF Reduction abilities synergize especially well with Castorice’s signature Light Cone if available.
Additionally, Pela can run 4-Pc Eagle of Twilight Line and Before the Tutorial Mission Starts for more frequent actions and Ultimates, synergizing further with on-attack healers like Gallagher.
Dual Carry
While generally less potent, a Dual Carry setup alongside Blade or Mydei can be run. These teams take advantage of Castorice’s HP drain abilities on her (Enhanced) Skill to charge Blade or Mydei’s Talents. Blade and Mydei’s tendency to build high HP and built-in HP drain also in turn allows them to generate significant amounts of “Newbud” for Castorice.
Supports are ideally characters who provide strong AoE damage amplification that both Castorice and the secondary carry can take advantage of.
Example Teams
Tribbie is the strongest amplifier for this team archetype, taking advantage of the team’s high HP to increase their own HP further, while providing buffs that both Castorice and Blade or Mydei can take full advantage of.
All the characters in this team also frequently attack to trigger Gallagher or Luocha’s healing.
Credits
Authors
Eris
Soul Fish
Editors
Ley
Publishers
nyte
Changelog
- 9 April 2025 – Published for v3.2