In the Genius Society, all members have their own numbers. For example, Gerta is number 83, and Skryullum is number 76. But in this article, we will talk about Ruan Mei, who was assigned number 81. The genius biologist and one of the creators of the Virtual Universe first appeared in the game in version 1.6 and is still one of the most desired characters in Honkai: Star Rail
Below we will analyze all the pros and cons of Ruan Mei, look at her abilities and analyze the best build options.
About the character
Despite the fact that Ruan Mei is a Harmony character, according to the lore, she, like other members of the Genius Society, received the blessing of Nus – the Aeon of Erudition. Using the knowledge available to her, the scientist began researching the origin of life in the Universe and how to create living beings.
Together with Gerta, Skryullum and Steven, Ruan Mei took part in the development of the Virtual Universe, a special combat mode that allows for better study of the Aeons. But the scientist’s experiments did not end there. She created several intelligent living beings and even attempted to make a copy of the Spread Emanator, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
How to get
Ruan Mei is an event 5 character, so you can only get her during the Plum Blossom Trilogy event jump. By the way, we are expecting the scientist’s rerun in version 2.3, so get your cool stuff ready.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
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Ascension and leveling up
Level
| Phase | Maximum level | Credits | Stagnant shadow | Material |
| 1 | 30 | 4,000 | — | x5 Sprouts of Immortality |
| 2 | 40 | 8,000 | — | x10 Sprouts of Immortality |
| 3 | 50 | 16,000 | x3 Gelide chitin | x6 Ethereal Flower of Immortality |
| 4 | 60 | 40,000 | x7 Gelide chitin | x9 Ethereal Flower of Immortality |
| 5 | 70 | 80,000 | x20 Gelide Chitin | x6 Branch of Immortal Glory |
| 6 | 80 | 160,000 | x35 Gelide Chitin | x9 Branch of Immortal Glory |
Traces
| Credits | Material | Sepal | Elevation material | Echo of War: Isolation Zone |
| 3,000,000 | x41 Sprouts of Immortality
x56 Ethereal Flower of Immortality x58 Branch of Immortal Glory |
x18 Harmonious Melody
x69 Song of the Family x139 Symphony of the Constellations |
x8 Imprints of Destiny | x12 Wormhole Disasters of the Past |
Traces and abilities
Capabilities
| Name | Type | Description |
| Needle with orchid | Basic attack | Strikes the strings of the lute and attacks the enemy with ice damage. |
| The repetitive melody of singing strings | Skill | Activates Overtone status for 3 turns. While active, all allies deal more damage and pierce enemy vulnerability 50% more effectively. Overtone stacks are reduced by 1 each time Ruan Mei’s turn occurs. |
| Petals on the water, rest in a dream | Superpower | Plays the lute and creates a Magic Circle on the field that lasts for 2 turns.
While the buff is active, allies gain a bonus to Vulnerability Penetration of all types, and their attacks inflict Plum Blossom on enemies. The Plum Blossom status prevents the enemy from restoring the vulnerability that was pierced and delays its effect, and also deals additional ice damage. The debuff cannot be applied again if the enemy has not yet attempted to restore the vulnerability. |
| Somatotypic spiral | Talent | Increases the speed of allies. When one of them penetrates the target’s vulnerability, Ruan Mei performs an additional attack with ice damage. |
| Silk Serenade | Technique | Grants the Silk Serenade buff. Automatically activates E-class upon entering combat without consuming skill points.
While the status is active in the Virtual Universe, if the battle starts with an attack from the enemy, their vulnerability will be depleted. Breaking the vulnerability bar with Silk Serenade applies a vulnerability break effect similar to the damage type and characteristics of the character who struck first. Each blessing in the Virtual Universe increases damage to the enemies’ durability by 100%. If the vulnerability is broken, the enemy receives an additional blow. |
Traces
| Name | When does it open? | Description |
| Inert breathing | 2 rise | Grants allies 20% penetration effect. |
| The days are fading, thoughts are thickening | 4th rise | Ruan Mei restores 5 energy to herself during her turn. |
| Candle lights on the surface of the water | 6th rise | For every 10% above Ruan Mei’s 120% penetration effect, allies deal 6% more damage, up to a maximum of 36%. |
Ruan Mei’s Light Cones
| Icon | Name | Characteristics | Description |
| Reflection of the past me | Gives the wearer 60-100% of the penetration effect. After activating the ult, allies deal 20-40% more damage for 3 turns. If the wearer’s penetration effect becomes 150% or higher, 1 action point is restored.
When a new wave of enemies appears on the battlefield, 10-20 units of energy are restored to all allies. |
A very strong cone that is not only suitable for Ruan Mei due to the good buffs. It is worth getting in your collection if you haven’t already. | |
| Memories of the past | The character equipped with the cone gains 28-56% penetration effect. Any attack used restores an additional 4-8 energy per turn. | A good replacement for Signature Cone, but works best on 5th overlay. Also, doesn’t buff the team, but gives Ruan Mei a lot of stats. | |
| Interlocking gears | After dealing damage to an enemy or receiving an attack, 4-8 energy is restored once per turn. | Suitable if you have problems with energy collection. Easily collected up to 5 overlays. | |
| Cut out the moon and cut out the clouds | After the start of the battle or during the wearer’s turn, 1 random buff is applied:
· 10-20% attack power to all allies; · 12-24% critical damage; · 6-12% energy recovery rate. The effects alternate and cannot repeat the previous buff applied by the cone. The buffs are removed if the wearer is no longer able to fight. |
A versatile support cone that works well in any situation. The only downside is that it has to be purchased for real money, as it is a Battle Pass reward. | |
| The battle is not over | Grants the owner 10-18% energy recovery speed. After using the ult on allies, 1 action point is restored. Triggers 1 time for 2 ult activations.
After the wearer’s E-Shka, the ally who goes after him deals 30-50% more damage. |
This cone will require a speed balance so that your DD goes right after Ruan Mei, but if there are no other options, this might work. |
Relics
Cave relics
The top 1 relic set for Ruan Mei is the Clockmaker of Sleepy Machinations . The penetration effect is quite important for her and the team, so get this set first. 2 pieces give 16% penetration effect, and 4 pieces give 30% penetration to all allies after using the ult, and this buff lasts for 2 turns.
The second most effective is the Meteor Thief . It does not support the team, but it gives stats to Ruan Mei herself. Two parts give 16% penetration effect, and 4 parts give another 16% and restore 3 units of energy if the wearer penetrates the enemy scale.
Well, and the top is closed by the Herald, wandering in the hacker space . This is a universal support set, which will always go well with Harmony characters. Two parts give 6% speed to the wearer, 4 parts give allies 12% speed for 1 turn if Ruan Mei activates the ult.
Planar decorations
There are three options here too. Of course, you can also consider the narrowly focused Dreamland Penakonia set, but it only works with Gerta, Jingliu or Yanqing, and they don’t really fit into the new penetration meta. So we’ll mention it, but we won’t consider it closely.
Therefore, our top-1 is Taliya – the land of bandits . True, you will have to gain speed to fully utilize it. The set gives 16% of the penetration effect, and if the wearer’s speed is 145 units or higher, it gives another 20% of the effect.
The second place goes to the Living Wonvac set . It gives Ruan Mei a rather necessary energy recovery and the ability to distribute a buff to the team on the very first turn in battle. From the set we get 5% energy recovery speed, and if the wearer’s speed is 120 units or higher, then at the beginning of the battle his turn will move up by 40%.
The third place is taken by the Fleet of the Ageless . With it, Ruan Mei will be a little stronger in terms of HP and the team will receive a buff. A win-win set, it turns out. For a full set, we will receive 12% HP for the wearer and 8% attack for allies if Ruan Mei’s speed is higher or equal to 120 units.
Teams with Ruan Mei
There are quite a few team options that can be assembled. Ruan Mei fits well even in squads with hypercarry, but we will analyze several of the most interesting and relevant ones at the time of the guide’s release.
And the first will be the team from penetration. There are two options for damage dealers, and you can take the one you are more used to. The supports will remain the same.
The squad includes:
- Boothill/Xuei;
- Ruan Mei;
- Pioneer of the Path of Harmony/Armor;
The second option is with hypercarry Jingliu. And there can be several options. For example, the second support can be replaced with Blade for additional damage, or add Silver Wolf to the squad if you really like the pack, but its vulnerabilities do not suit it. Well, here you can just use the Dreamland Penakonia set.
The following people are accepted into such a team:
- Ruan Mei;
- Jingliu;
- Armor/Silver Wolf/Blade;
- XoXo/Cheetah/March 7.
Well, the third option, which is played quite cheerfully – doters, that is, Oblivion through periodic damage. This is a rather expensive build, but you put three beautiful women in the squad at once.
The following are joining the squad:
- Ruan Mei;
- Kafka;
- Black swan;
- HoHo/Fu Xuan/Locha.
Eidolons
Source: screenshot CQ.ru / Eidolons of Ruan Mei in Honkai: Star Rail
| Level | Name | Description |
| 1 | Neural pattern | While the Magic Circle is active, party members ignore 20% of enemy defense. |
| 2 | Walking along the reeds | If Ruan Mei is able to continue fighting, the damage allies deal to mobs with a broken vulnerability bar is increased by 20%. |
| 3 | Emerald Pirouette | +2 levels in ult, 2 levels in talent. |
| 4 | The shimmering shine of the mirror | When the enemy’s Vulnerability Gauge is penetrated, Ruan Mei gains 100% Penetration effect for three turns. |
| 5 | Decorative hairpin | +2 levels to E-class, +1 level to basic attack. |
| 6 | Fan on folds of silk fabric | Magic Circle lasts 1 turn longer. Ruan Mei’s talent penetration damage multiplier is increased by 200%. |
If Ruan Mei has joined your characters or you are just preparing to knock her out, use our guide. And don’t forget to read others on our website.