Gilgamesh Best Build In Honkai Star Rail

Gilgamesh has arrived in Honkai: Star Rail as a 5-star Destruction character dealing Lightning DMG. His unique mechanic revolves around stacking “Interest” to enter a permanent enhanced state, letting him spam his Skill while ignoring DEF and dealing massive AoE damage. Whether you’re pulling for him or already farming materials, this guide covers everything you need to build Gilgamesh effectively.

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Gilgamesh Best Build At a Glance

• Best Light Cone: I Am As You Behold (signature)
• Best Relic Set: Scholar Lost in Erudition
• Best Planar Ornament: Cosmic Life Sciences Institute
• Main Stats: CRIT Rate / ATK / Lightning DMG or ATK / ATK
• Substats: CRIT Rate > CRIT DMG > ATK%
• Skill Priority: Skill > Ultimate > Talent > Basic ATK
• Eidolon Priority: E1 > E6 > E2 > E4

Because Gilgamesh gains SPD from Interest stacks, ATK boots are preferred over SPD boots. His 360 Energy cap means the Cosmic Life Sciences Institute set provides a permanent 32% DMG boost.

Skill and Mechanic Overview

Gilgamesh automatically uses his Basic ATK until he accumulates 10 Interest to enter Interest Piqued! state, which lasts the entire battle. Each Interest stack increases SPD by 10%. Once in this state, he can only use his Skill, which ignores a portion of enemy DEF for 3 turns and deals Lightning DMG to a primary target and adjacent enemies.

How to Generate Interest

• Ally actions: +1 Interest per ally turn
• Technique: +3 Interest
• Ultimate use: +2 Interest per ally Ultimate; also regenerates Energy based on the Energy consumed
• Joint Follow-up ATK with Saber: +3 Interest

Every Interest stack also provides 25% CRIT DMG (up to 6 stacks). After using Skill, the Interest stacks are cleared, but the permanent state remains.

Joint Follow-up ATK

When Gilgamesh or Saber attacks, a shared tally increases. After 8 hits, they launch a joint follow-up ATK against all enemies, restoring Saber’s Energy and boosting her next Ultimate. This makes Saber an essential partner for maximizing Gilgamesh’s damage output.

Other Passive Effects

• King’s Burden: When an ally uses Ultimate, Gilgamesh gains increased Ultimate DMG for 3 turns.
• Team Buff: While on field, all allies gain 20% ATK and 20% CRIT DMG. For every point of Max Energy over 140, allies gain an extra 1% ATK and CRIT DMG (up to 100% increase). This heavily rewards high-energy teammates like Saber and Huohuo.

Best Light Cones for Gilgamesh

Light Cone	Why It’s Best
I Am As You Behold (5★)	Signature LC – +18% ATK, +10% Energy Regen, +72% Ultimate DMG. After Ultimate, boosts team CRIT DMG by 24%.
A Thankless Coronation (5★)	Saber’s signature – +36% CRIT DMG, +80% ATK after Ultimate for 2 turns, and 10% Energy refund.
On the Fall of an Aeon (5★ F2P)	R5 gives +64% ATK after 4 attacks and +24% DMG after breaking Weakness. Solid free option.
A Trail of Bygone Blood (4★)	Battle Pass – Boosts CRIT Rate, Skill DMG, and Ultimate DMG. Conditional but strong.
Under the Blue Sky (4★)	R5 provides +32% ATK and +24% CRIT Rate on kill. Good early-game choice.

For F2P players, On the Fall of an Aeon from Simulated Universe is the most accessible. If you have the Battle Pass, A Trail of Bygone Blood is a significant upgrade.

Best Relics and Planar Ornaments

Relic Sets

• Scholar Lost in Erudition (4-piece): +8% CRIT Rate, +20% Skill DMG, +20% Ultimate DMG. After Ultimate, next Skill deals 25% more DMG. Perfect for Gilgamesh’s Skill-spam playstyle.
• Band of Sizzling Thunder (4-piece): +10% Lightning DMG, +20% ATK after Skill (permanent as long as you use Skill every turn). A solid alternative if you don’t have Scholar pieces.

Planar Ornaments

• Cosmic Life Sciences Institute (2-piece): With 360 Energy, Gilgamesh gets a flat 32% DMG increase unconditionally. No other set comes close.

Main Stat Recommendations

• Body: CRIT Rate (or CRIT DMG if you have external CRIT Rate sources)
• Feet: ATK%
• Planar Sphere: Lightning DMG Boost > ATK%
• Link Rope: ATK%

Substats Priority

1. CRIT Rate (until ~70%+)
2. CRIT DMG
3. ATK%

Team Synergies and Best Compositions

Gilgamesh’s kit rewards high-energy teammates and frequent Ultimate usage. The best core is:

• Gilgamesh (Main DPS)
• Saber (Sub-DPS / Joint ATK enabler)
• Mortenax Blade (Support buffer)
• Huohuo (Sustain + Energy battery)

Mortenax Blade provides massive ATK and CRIT DMG buffs, but requires high Energy to maintain uptime. Huohuo’s Ultimate restores 20% of max Energy, which scales perfectly with Gilgamesh’s 360 cap and Saber’s high pool. Huohuo also heals and cleanses, keeping the team alive.

If you don’t have Saber, consider pairing Gilgamesh with other high-energy supports like Tingyun (though her flat Energy boost is less effective) or Ruan Mei. For budget options, Asta can provide SPD and ATK buffs, and Natasha or Lynx can sustain.

For more team ideas, check out our Rin Tohsaka Best Teams and Mortenax Blade Best Build guides.

Best Eidolons for Gilgamesh

Eidolon	Effect	Priority
E1 – He Who Saw the Deep	DEF ignore from Skill also applies to allies; +60% ATK; Skill regenerates 40 fixed Energy.	Highest
E2 – Wisdom That Encompassed All	Starts with 5 Interest; Ultimate gives 5 more; Skill multiplier +100% primary, +50% adjacent.	High
E4 – King Who Bowed to None	+20% Energy Regen.	Medium
E6 – Soul That Bore Friendship	+80% Ultimate bounce DMG; 20% All-Type RES PEN; Golden Rule stacks give +100% CRIT DMG per stack.	High

E1 is the most transformative, as it turns Gilgamesh into a team-wide DEF shredder while also giving him more Energy. E6 dramatically increases his nuke potential, but is a heavy investment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Gilgamesh need Energy Regen rope?
A: Not generally. His 360 Energy pool means external Energy from allies (Huohuo, Saber’s LC) is more efficient. ATK rope gives more damage.

Q: Can I use Gilgamesh without Saber?
A: Yes, but you lose the joint follow-up ATK synergy. He still functions as a strong hypercarry with standard supports.

Q: Is SPD boots ever better?
A: No – his Interest stacks give enough SPD to reach speed breakpoints. ATK boots are always better.

Conclusion

Gilgamesh is a powerful, self-sufficient DPS who excels in teams that spam Ultimates. His best build – I Am As You Behold, Scholar Lost in Erudition, and Cosmic Life Sciences Institute – maximizes his Skill and Ultimate damage while his passive buffs support the whole party. Focus on CRIT and ATK stats, and pair him with Saber and Huohuo for peak performance.

For more Honkai: Star Rail character builds and meta updates, keep an eye on the Honkai: Star Rail guides page.