Memory of Chaos 2025 introduces summon-focused Turbulence effects providing 40% damage boosts. This guide covers optimal team compositions for Acheron (debuff hypercarry), Firefly (Super Break specialist), Phainon (Coreflame transformation), and Evernight (Remembrance synergy) to achieve full 36-star clears.
MoC 2025 Meta Overview: What's Changed and Why It Matters
Here's the thing about Memory of Chaos 2025's Category Mistake cycle (October 27 - December 8, 2025) – it's all about those summons now. Teams running memosprites are getting a massive 40% damage boost through Memory Turbulence effects, and honestly? It's completely shifted the meta landscape.
The numbers don't lie. We're seeing teams with memosprites pull off up to 2 instances of True Damage per cycle, which has basically catapulted Remembrance path characters straight into T0 territory.
Stage 12 data from 24,691 players tells quite the story. Castorice lineups are achieving 1-cycle clears in First Half scenarios – yeah, you read that right. Meanwhile, Acheron's maintaining her usual dominance with 8.78 average cycles (95.99% of players are running Along the Passing Shore, by the way). Firefly's sitting pretty at 5.5 cycle averages with proper Super Break support, while our newcomer Phainon is already hitting 6.5 cycle averages at E0.
What you're facing in Stage 12: Furiae Praetor (2,011,149 HP) and Flame Reaver (3,631,241 HP) in First Half – these guys demand coordinated AoE strategies. Second Half throws Dreamjolt Gorilla and Ichor Memosprite at you, with Physical/Fire/Imaginary weaknesses to exploit. The 3-star objectives? Complete within 10-20 cycles with zero character defeats. Sounds simple until you're actually doing it.
Acheron Meta Teams: Complete Build and Strategy Guide
Acheron remains the queen of consistency – her debuff-focused hypercarry system just ignores weaknesses entirely and performs regardless of what the game throws at you.
Optimal Acheron Team Compositions
Premium Hypercarry Setup: Acheron, Silver Wolf (that 45% DEF reduction plus weakness implant is chef's kiss), Sparkle (CRIT DMG amplification and action advance), Huohuo (energy restoration and ATK buffs).
This setup activates The Abyss trace for a hefty 60% damage increase with two Nihility allies – it's math that works beautifully.
F2P Alternative: Acheron, Pela (40% AoE DEF shred), Tingyun (ATK buffs plus Lightning follow-ups), Gallagher (healing plus that Besotted debuff). Pela's Ultimate provides consistent debuff stacking while Gallagher's E6 enhances turn economy. Not as flashy as the premium setup, but it gets the job done.
E2 Optimized: Acheron, Jiaoqiu (Vulnerability application), Sunday (turn advance), Aventurine (shields plus Ultimate debuff). E2 reduces those Nihility requirements while adding Slashed Dream generation – it's a different beast entirely.
Build Priority and Relic Sets
4-piece Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters is your bread and butter here. 12% damage to debuffed enemies and up to 24% CRIT DMG scaling. Target these stats: 70%+ CRIT Rate, 160%+ CRIT DMG, 3000-3500 ATK, and hit those 101 or 135+ SPD breakpoints. Along the Passing Shore adds 36% CRIT DMG and generates Slashed Dream stacks on Skill usage – it's basically made for her.
Trace prioritization goes like this: Ultimate/Talent (five stars for that RES shred), Skill (four stars), Basic (one star – honestly, you'll barely use it). That Thunder Core trace provides 30% damage per Crimson Knot hit, which adds up fast.
Acheron Rotation and Skill Usage
Use Octobolt Flash every turn to gain 1 stack and inflict Crimson Knot (80-160% ATK Lightning damage). At 9 stacks, unleash Slashed Dream Cries in Red for 223-372% single-target and 180-300% AoE damage. The beauty? It ignores weaknesses and shreds 10-20% All-Type RES.
Pro tip from my testing: distribute Crimson Knots in multiples of 3 for maximum Rainblade detonations. The damage difference is noticeable.
Firefly Lineups: Maximizing DPS Potential
Firefly's Super Break specialization is hitting 300k+ damage on properly broken enemies through Complete Combustion state. Those DEF-ignoring capabilities? Absolutely devastating when executed correctly.
Best Firefly Support Partners
Premium Super Break Team: Firefly, Harmony Trailblazer (Break support plus Super Break synergy), Ruan Mei (50-75% Break Efficiency increase – this woman is broken), Lingsha (sustain plus Break advancement). This team averages 5.5 cycles through optimized Break windows and turn manipulation.
F2P Alternative: Firefly, Trailblazer (Imaginary), Asta (SPD buffs), Natasha (sustain). Focus on Break Effect accumulation and SPD optimization for frequent transformation states. It's not as smooth as the premium version, but it's accessible.
Ruan Mei's 75% efficiency boost combined with Firefly's inherent Break scaling produces exceptional burst potential. Her enemy action delays create extended damage windows – it's like having extra time to demolish everything.
Light Cone and Eidolon Priorities
Whereabouts Should Dreams Rest provides 24-40% Break Effect and 48-80% Super Break damage amplification. E2 adds substantial Super Break multipliers, though E0 remains viable with proper support (trust me, I've tested this extensively).
4-piece Thief of Shooting Meteor (16% Break Effect, 60% Super Break damage) with Talia ornaments (16% Break Effect, 20% ATK at 145+ SPD). Main stats: Body Break Effect, Feet SPD, Sphere Fire DMG, Rope Break Effect. Pretty straightforward, but the devil's in the substats.
Floor-Specific Firefly Strategies
Complete Combustion rotation involves Ultimate transformation, Enhanced Skill usage on weakened enemies, Basic ATK exit for Burn application and healing. Stack Association buffs during transformation for ATK amplification.
In Stage 12, prioritize Flame Reaver breaking before Enhanced Skill usage to maximize Super Break windows. The timing here is crucial – mess it up and you're looking at an extra cycle or two.
Phainon Team Integration: New Meta Possibilities
Phainon introduces Coreflame mechanics that enable sustainless gameplay through transformation states. Territory creation and Physical weakness implantation provide unique strategic advantages that honestly caught me off guard during initial testing.
Phainon Character Analysis
Coreflame accumulation works through ally targeting (+1 stack per action, +30% CRIT DMG for 3 turns) and Skill usage (+2 stacks). At 12+ stacks, Ultimate triggers Enhanced State (Khaslana) providing 8 extra turns at 60% Base SPD with deployed Ruinous Irontomb for Physical weakness application.
During transformation, Calamity Skill taunts and advances enemies (+20% damage per Soulscorch stack), while Foundation Skill consumes Scourge for 585-1170% ATK damage. Death resistance (25% HP plus final hit immunity) enables aggressive positioning without sustain requirements. It's wild how self-sufficient this character is.
Synergy with Existing Meta Units
Premium Hypercarry: Phainon, Sunday (Ultimate grants 2 Coreflame – this synergy is insane), Bronya (action advance for stack generation), Ruan Mei (RES PEN plus Break support). Averages 6.55 cycles through optimized action economy and buff coordination.
Sunday's Skill provides +2 Coreflame while Ultimate grants additional stacks, enabling 12-stack Ultimates within 2 turns. For enhanced damage output, Honkai Star Rail top up code through BitTopup offers competitive rates and instant processing for optimal team building.
Optimal Team Configurations
Sustainless Premium: Phainon, Sunday, Cerydra (Skill damage amplification), Tingyun (energy plus ATK support). Enhanced State temporarily removes allies for safety while maintaining buff persistence – it's like having a panic button that also deals massive damage.
F2P Viable: Phainon, Trailblazer (Ice), Tingyun, Lynx. While damage output decreases, this configuration remains capable of 8+ cycle clears with proper execution.
Evernight Character Guide: Synergies and Applications
Evernight's hybrid Sub-DPS/Support role provides exceptional value in current summon-focused meta through memosprite synergies and team-wide buffs. She's basically tailor-made for this cycle.
Evernight Mechanics Breakdown
Ultimate (O Wakeful World, Goodnight) delivers 200% Max HP AoE Ice damage while entering Darkest Riddle state, providing 30% Vulnerability and 60% damage boost with CC immunity for 2 turns. Skill consumes 10% HP to summon/heal Evey while buffing allied memosprites with 60% CRIT DMG.
Memoria stack accumulation (2 stacks normal Basic, 12 in state) triggers Evey actions at 16 stacks for additional Ice damage. HP scaling demands 35,000-40,000 HP optimization with 60% CRIT Rate and 150%+ CRIT DMG targets. The stat requirements are hefty, but the payoff is worth it.
Best Team Partners
Castorice Hypercarry Support: Castorice, Evernight (Sub-DPS/memosprite amplification), Cyrene (damage amplification), Hyacine (HP-focused sustain). Evernight's Ultimate Vulnerability application and Skill memosprite buffs enable exceptional burst potential.
Remembrance Focused: Evernight, Remembrance Trailblazer, Sunday, Hyacine. A-tier configuration leveraging Remembrance synergies for consistent performance.
Situational Usage in MoC
Excels in Ice-weakness encounters and summon-heavy stages where Memory Turbulence provides 40% damage amplification. CC immunity during Darkest Riddle proves valuable against high-pressure boss mechanics. 134 SPD tuning enables 2 actions within first 5 cycles (AV 74.63) for optimal performance.
Floor-by-Floor Strategy Breakdown
Floors 9-10: Team Assignment Strategy
Assign primary DPS teams to floors matching elemental advantages while reserving premium supports for higher difficulty. Acheron excels in mixed-weakness scenarios, Firefly against Fire-weak encounters, Phainon for Physical-weak bosses.
Practice manual rotations to optimize cycle efficiency – auto isn't going to cut it here.
Floors 11-12: Advanced Tactics
Stage 12 First Half: Prioritize Furiae Praetor elimination to prevent minion summons while using AoE for add management. Recommended: Castorice + Evernight + Tribbie + Hyacine for 0-1 cycle potential through summon amplification. Yes, 0-cycle is possible with proper setup.
Second Half: Deploy Phainon teams for Physical weakness exploitation while using shield mechanics to reduce Toughness on hits. Coordinate debuff application early for Acheron Ultimate access while preventing minion spawns through focused targeting.
Boss Counter Strategies
Dreamjolt Gorilla's reflection attacks benefit from Aventurine shield teams. Ichor Memosprite's +50% damage taken when broken favors burst-focused compositions. Judge of Oblivion mechanics favor CC immunity from Evernight's Darkest Riddle state during high-pressure phases.
Each boss has tells – learn them, exploit them.
Character Build Optimization for MoC Success
DPS Character Build Priorities
Acheron: 70%+ CRIT Rate through Pioneer Diver 4-piece, level Ultimate to 12 for maximum RES shred. Target 224% CRIT DMG with 61% CRIT Rate averages from top performers.
Firefly: 200%+ Break Effect through Thief of Shooting Meteor 4-piece, maintain 145+ SPD for Talia ornament activation.
Phainon: 2500+ ATK with 100% CRIT Rate and 150%+ CRIT DMG through Wavestrider Captain 4-piece, maintain 134+ SPD for optimal Coreflame generation.
Evernight: 35,000-40,000 HP through World-Remaking Deliverer 4-piece, balance 60% CRIT Rate and 150%+ CRIT DMG while maintaining 134+ SPD.
Support Character Investment Guide
Sunday emerges as premier support with 71.96% usage rates, providing action advance and Coreflame generation. Ruan Mei maintains 59.05% usage through Break Efficiency buffs and RES PEN capabilities. Sparkle provides crucial SP economy and CRIT DMG amplification with 57% dominance in sub-6 cycle clears.
The data speaks for itself – these three are meta-defining.
Relic Farming Efficiency
Prioritize Pioneer Diver domain for Acheron builds (97.63% usage rates – basically mandatory). Thief of Shooting Meteor benefits Firefly and Break-focused characters. World-Remaking Deliverer serves Evernight and HP-scaling characters while providing team-wide damage amplification.
Farm smart, not hard.
F2P vs Premium Team Comparisons
Budget-Friendly Alternatives
F2P Acheron: Acheron + Pela + Tingyun + Gallagher achieves 10+ cycle clears through consistent debuff application.
Pela's 40% DEF shred combines with Tingyun's ATK buffs for solid damage output.
F2P Firefly: Firefly + Trailblazer (Imaginary) + Asta + Natasha enables Super Break synergy with SPD optimization, maintaining sub-8 cycle performance with proper Break timing.
F2P Phainon: Phainon + Trailblazer (Ice) + Tingyun + Lynx provides Coreflame generation through basic support interactions, maintaining 8+ cycle viability with 20% damage decrease.
Investment Priority for F2P Players
E6 4-star characters provide exceptional value, particularly Gallagher for universal advancement and SP neutrality. Pela's E6 DEF shred enhancement and Tingyun's energy generation offer substantial team-wide benefits.
Light cone prioritization should focus on 4-star options with strong effects rather than pursuing 5-star signatures. Your wallet will thank you.
Performance Gap Analysis
Premium teams achieve 20-30% DPS improvements through superior buff coordination. Acheron premium configurations enable sub-6 cycle clears compared to F2P 10+ cycles. Firefly premium setups create 2-3 cycle gaps through enhanced Break efficiency. Phainon premium teams achieve 6.55 cycle averages compared to F2P 8+ cycles.
The gap exists, but it's not insurmountable.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Team Building Pitfalls
Overlooking Enemy Weaknesses: Ignoring Physical weakness for Phainon reduces damage output significantly. Scout stages beforehand and adjust team assignments, using Silver Wolf for weakness implantation when necessary.
Insufficient Debuff Application: Acheron teams failing to maintain consistent debuff stacking lose Ultimate access. Always prioritize Skill usage over Basic attacks for stack generation.
SP Management Issues: Fast-SP teams drain reserves quickly without proper management. Use Sparkle for +2 SP recovery and tune SPD orders (Sparkle > DPS > supports).
Resource Allocation Errors
Premature Eidolon Investment: Pursuing character Eidolons before optimizing relics and light cones reduces overall effectiveness. Focus on +15 relic sets and appropriate light cones before considering Eidolon upgrades.
I've seen too many players chase shiny Eidolons while running +12 relics. Don't be that player.
Neglecting Support Investment: Underinvesting in support characters limits team potential. Level support Ultimates and key traces for maximum buff effectiveness.
Rotation and Timing Issues
Transformation Timing Errors: Phainon transformation without proper setup wastes Ultimate potential. Ensure 12+ Coreflame accumulation and coordinate with support abilities before activation.
Energy Management Problems: Evernight Ultimate frequency issues stem from insufficient ERR optimization. Use ERR rope pieces and signature light cone for energy restoration.
Future Meta Predictions and Preparation
Upcoming Character Impact
Version 3.7 introduces enhanced Chrysos Heirs synergies with expanded summon mechanics. Prepare for HP-scaling emphasis by investing in versatile support characters. Cerydra's integration promises Meteor duplication for Phainon, potentially elevating performance through enhanced Skill amplification.
DoT team resurgence appears likely based on balance adjustments. Consider maintaining Kafka/Black Swan investments as alternatives to current meta dominance.
Long-term Investment Strategies
Sunday and Ruan Mei represent the most future-proof support investments, maintaining relevance across diverse team compositions. Remembrance path characters show strong potential through summon-focused content design. Versatile DPS characters like Acheron maintain value through weakness-ignoring capabilities.
Patch Cycle Planning
MoC cycles reset every 6 weeks with new enemies and Turbulence effects. Character banner timing influences optimal pulling strategies, with Phainon's November 26-December 16, 2025 banner providing current acquisition opportunities.
Coordinate farming schedules with enhanced drop periods for maximum efficiency.
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FAQ
Q: What are the minimum requirements for achieving 36 stars in MoC 2025? Level 80 characters with +15 relics, appropriate light cones, and leveled Ultimate/Skill traces. Specific thresholds: 70% CRIT Rate for DPS, 200% Break Effect for Firefly, 35k HP for Evernight.
Q: Which characters provide the best return on investment for F2P players? E6 Gallagher offers universal value through advancement and SP neutrality. Pela provides essential DEF shred. Sunday and Ruan Mei represent highest-priority 5-star investments.
Q: How important are signature light cones for MoC success? Not mandatory for full-star completion. 4-star alternatives enable viable performance, though premium options provide 15-25% damage improvements.
Q: Can F2P teams achieve full stars in current MoC? Absolutely. F2P teams achieve 36-star completion with proper builds. Expect 8-10 cycle clears compared to premium 5-6 cycles, requiring precise rotation timing.
Q: Which floors benefit most from specific character types? Floors 11-12 favor summon teams due to Memory Turbulence bonuses. Break-focused stages benefit Firefly compositions. Acheron provides universal coverage through weakness-ignoring capabilities.
Q: How often should I expect meta changes in MoC? Major meta shifts occur every 6-week cycle with new Turbulence effects and enemy compositions. Character releases every 3 weeks may introduce new strategies, though core frameworks remain stable for 2-3 cycles.