Honkai Star Rail's Version 3.8 Currency Wars event (updated November 28, 2025) introduces the Cosmic Scholar bond system with A-tier optimization potential. This guide shows how to maximize 4,000 Stellar Jades through strategic bond activation, character roster optimization, and pre-A8 boss farming. Master the 10-character Cosmic Scholar composition, leverage 150% On/Off-Field Strength buffs at Bond Level 6, and claim Stellar Jade x20 rewards through activation milestones.
Understanding Currency Wars: Event Overview & Mechanics
Currency Wars transforms resource acquisition through the bond system, offering 4,000 Stellar Jades across a two-week refresh cycle. Unlike previous events, this emphasizes strategic character composition and bond synergy over raw combat power.
Cosmic Scholar bond requires specific character combinations for maximum efficiency. You'll need Asta, Herta, Ruan Mei, Dr. Ratio, and The Herta as core members, plus seven AoE ATK characters for the optimal 10-character configuration. This activates the Cosmic Scholar Emblem, essential for Galactic Voyager farm progression.
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What Makes Currency Wars Different
Currency Wars introduces 12 faction bonds and 11 school bonds, creating complex character synergies. The unique Cake Cat mechanic generates stacks that restore 20% HP to on-field allies at turn start, with each stack adding 5% to the healing multiplier. Cosmic Scholar bond generates these stacks while providing damage reduction scaled to bond level.
Progression rewards incremental roster expansion:
4 Cosmic Scholar members: Stellar Jade x20 + Ascension Points x200
6 members: Stellar Jade x20 + Ascension Points x200
Amethyst Gold rank (all 6 members): Stellar Jade x20 + Ascension Points x200
Cosmic Scholar Phase Timeline
The pre-A8 boss phase is the optimal farming window. Bond Link unlocks at A5 difficulty (enemy level 30), but maximum rewards require A8 progression. This creates a strategic choice: farm extensively before bosses or conserve resources for endgame.
Cake Cat DNA progression scales exponentially:
1-star: 2 DNA
2-star: 4 DNA
3-star: 8 DNA
4-star: 20 DNA
Version 3.8 bond level buffs directly impact progression through DNA multipliers.
Event-Exclusive Buffs
Version 3.8 introduces tiered On/Off-Field Strength buffs through Cosmic Scholar Bond levels:
Level 2: 25% strength, 1x DNA
Level 4: 60% strength, 1.5x DNA multiplier
Level 6: 150% strength, 2x DNA multiplier
These buffs apply universally to bond members regardless of field position, enabling flexible team compositions. Cake Cat damage reduction scales with bond level, providing defensive utility alongside offensive buffs.
Cosmic Scholar Tier List for Pre-Boss Farming
Bond tier rankings determine farming efficiency. Understanding these enables strategic resource allocation.
S-Tier Bond Systems
Three bond types dominate S-tier:
Energy Bond: Rapid ultimate rotation for burst-damage strategies
Debuff Bond: Amplifies damage through enemy vulnerability stacking
DoT Bond: Passive damage accumulation, reducing active combat time
S-tier faction bonds: Xianzhou faction and Day Demigod faction offer superior character synergy and availability.
A-Tier Options
Cosmic Scholar sits in A-tier alongside Skill Points bond, Quantum Resonance bond, and AoE ATK bond. This tier represents optimal efficiency for developed rosters without whale-level collections.
A-tier faction bonds: Planet of Festivities, Galactic Voyager, and Belobog provide accessible entry points for mid-game players while maintaining competitive reward rates.
Strategic Bond Activation Priority
Focus on bonds yielding immediate Stellar Jade returns. Four-member Cosmic Scholar activation provides identical Stellar Jade x20 as six-member activation, making partial activation viable for resource-constrained players. However, Amethyst Gold rank bonus justifies full six-member investment.
Pair Cosmic Scholar with complementary A-tier bonds like AoE ATK to maximize character overlap. Since Cosmic Scholar requires seven AoE ATK characters, activating both bonds simultaneously doubles reward efficiency.
Optimal Character Builds for Currency Wars
Top 5 Characters with Event Bonuses
The Herta: AoE damage scaling with enemy count
Ruan Mei: Team-wide damage amplification and break efficiency
Dr. Ratio: Consistent single-target damage for elites
Herta: Follow-up attack damage, reducing active skill usage
Asta: Speed buffs and fire damage bonuses
All benefit from 150% On/Off-Field Strength buff at Bond Level 6.
Best F2P Team Compositions
F2P players can achieve competitive clear times focusing on four-member Cosmic Scholar activation. Asta and Herta are accessible 4-stars, while Dr. Ratio appeared in free event distributions. Ruan Mei and The Herta require gacha investment but aren't mandatory for basic bond activation.
Supplement the core with free AoE ATK characters from story progression. Prioritize low skill point consumption for sustainable rotations.
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Light Cone Recommendations
Prioritize Light Cones enhancing AoE damage or reducing skill point consumption. The Herta benefits from follow-up attack frequency, Ruan Mei from break effect amplification, Dr. Ratio from effect hit rate.
For farming, 4-star Light Cones with energy regeneration or damage buffs often outperform 5-stars lacking farming-specific utility.
Relic Set Priorities
Cake Cat healing reduces sustain pressure, allowing aggressive DPS-focused builds. Stack attack%, crit rate, and crit damage on primary damage dealers. The 20% HP restoration per turn provides sufficient healing without dedicated healers.
For Cake Cat stack generators, prioritize speed and effect hit rate to maximize generation frequency. The 5% healing multiplier per stack scales with generation rate.
Step-by-Step Pre-Boss Farming Route
Daily Checklist
Bond Link Activation: Verify Cosmic Scholar bond active with optimal configuration
Cake Cat Stack Generation: Complete minimum encounters for DNA progression
Ascension Point Collection: Target activities offering Ascension Points x200
Stellar Jade Milestone Tracking: Monitor progress toward thresholds
Daily engagement requires 15-30 minutes for core activities.
Weekly Priority Tasks
Focus on bond level advancement. Progressing from Level 2 (25% buff) to Level 4 (60% buff, 1.5x DNA) significantly accelerates Cake Cat progression. Level 6 (150% buff, 2x DNA) represents maximum efficiency.
Allocate resources toward Amethyst Gold rank for final Stellar Jade x20 bonus.
Trailblaze Power Allocation
Prioritize power on activities offering bond progression and Cake Cat DNA. The Cosmic Scholar Emblem requirement for Galactic Voyager farms makes this bond essential.
Avoid power waste on non-bond activities during pre-A8 phase. A5 difficulty (enemy level 30) provides sufficient challenge for bond progression.
Trailblaze Power Management
When to Use Fuel vs. Saving
Pre-A8 farming offers superior Stellar Jade acquisition rates versus post-boss content. Prioritize fuel consumption during this window to maximize bond activation rewards. The 4,000 total Stellar Jades justify aggressive fuel usage.
Reserve minimal fuel for A8 bosses, as these test team composition and strategy rather than raw resources. Cosmic Scholar's 150% buff at Level 6 provides sufficient power when properly leveraged.
Emergency Farming Strategies
As the two-week refresh approaches, audit remaining Stellar Jade milestones. If close to activation thresholds, concentrate all available power on bond progression. Stellar Jade x20 rewards justify emergency fuel consumption.
Cake Cat DNA's exponential scaling means final DNA investments yield disproportionate returns. A last-minute push from 3-star to 4-star unlocks The Herta 1-star x1 reward at Level 5.
Currency Yield Analysis
Bond-Focused vs. Traditional Farming
Currency Wars shifts optimal farming from traditional material routes to bond-focused activities. Cosmic Scholar's A-tier status means dedicated bond progression outperforms generic material farming for Stellar Jade acquisition.
The Cosmic Scholar Emblem requirement for Galactic Voyager farms creates a dependency chain. You must activate Cosmic Scholar before accessing specific high-value locations.
Cake Cat DNA Progression Efficiency
DNA accumulation rates determine Cake Cat tier advancement speed. The 1.5x DNA multiplier at Bond Level 4 and 2x at Level 6 create exponential acceleration. Prioritize bond level advancement before extensive farming.
Rewards:
Level 2: Gold Coins x3 (total 6)
Level 5: The Herta 1-star x1 (total 105)
Advanced Strategies
Leveraging On/Off-Field Strength Buffs
Cosmic Scholar's unique buff applies to all bond members regardless of field position. This enables sub-DPS characters to contribute meaningful damage without active field time. Build teams with multiple damage sources.
At Bond Level 6's 150% enhancement, even support-oriented characters like Ruan Mei contribute significant damage, reducing reliance on single hypercarry strategies.
Cake Cat Stack Optimization
Maximize stack generation through rapid encounter completion. The 20% HP restoration per turn plus 5% healing multiplier per stack creates near-immortality at high stack counts, eliminating healing downtime.
Position Cosmic Scholar members to trigger stack generation frequently. Damage reduction scaling with bond level provides additional defensive layers.
Multi-Bond Activation Synergies
Activate complementary bonds simultaneously to multiply reward efficiency. Cosmic Scholar's requirement for seven AoE ATK characters naturally overlaps with AoE ATK bond activation. Both provide Stellar Jade x20 at activation thresholds, effectively doubling returns.
Audit character faction affiliations to identify multi-bond activation opportunities.
Common Mistakes
Delaying Bond Activation
Many delay bond activation while pursuing optimal character combinations. However, four-member Cosmic Scholar activation provides identical Stellar Jade x20 as six-member. Activate partial bonds immediately rather than waiting.
The two-week refresh means delayed activation directly reduces total event participation time.
Ignoring Bond Level Progression
Bond level advancement from Level 2 to Level 6 triples the buff (25% to 150%) and doubles DNA acquisition (1x to 2x). Players focusing solely on character acquisition while neglecting bond level sacrifice massive efficiency gains.
Prioritize bond level advancement early to maximize multiplier benefits across the entire farming period.
Misallocating Trailblaze Power
Traditional farming priorities compete with bond progression for Trailblaze Power. During Currency Wars, bond-focused activities offer superior Stellar Jade returns.
Temporarily suspend non-essential farming to concentrate power on bond progression and Cake Cat DNA.
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Identifying Resource Bottlenecks
Calculate remaining Stellar Jade requirements for desired rewards. Compare against projected earnings from bond activation and farming. The gap represents minimum top-up requirement.
Cosmic Scholar's structured rewards (Stellar Jade x20 at 4 members, 6 members, Amethyst Gold rank) provide clear milestone targets.
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Calculating Optimal Amounts
Determine minimum Stellar Jade quantity required to reach next reward milestone. Small top-ups can unlock disproportionate returns if positioned near milestone boundaries.
Players one character short of six-member activation can unlock Stellar Jade x20 plus Ascension Points x200 through single targeted character acquisition.
Real Player Results
F2P Player: 7-Day Results
F2P players focusing on four-member Cosmic Scholar activation achieve baseline Stellar Jade x20 plus Ascension Points x200. Supplementing with accessible A-tier bonds like AoE ATK doubles reward potential.
Seven-day intensive farming with optimal power allocation yields approximately 25-30% of total event potential (1,000-1,200 of 4,000 total). Assumes Bond Level 4 achievement and consistent daily engagement.
Light Spender: $5-20 Investment
Small investments targeting specific character gaps enable multi-bond activation synergies. A $10-15 expenditure securing one missing member unlocks six-member activation rewards plus Amethyst Gold rank potential.
This tier achieves 50-60% of total event potential (2,000-2,400 of 4,000 total) through strategic character acquisition and Bond Level 6 progression.
Hardcore Farmer: Maximum Gains
Dedicated players with complete rosters extract full 4,000 Stellar Jade potential. Requires six-member Cosmic Scholar activation at Amethyst Gold rank, Bond Level 6 achievement, and comprehensive multi-bond activation.
Time investment: 2-3 hours daily across two weeks (28-42 hours total). Yields approximately 95 Stellar Jades per hour.
FAQ
What is the Cosmic Scholar bond tier ranking in HSR 3.8?
Cosmic Scholar ranks A-tier. Requires six specific members (Asta, Herta, Ruan Mei, Dr. Ratio, The Herta) plus seven AoE ATK characters for optimal 10-character roster. Provides 150% On/Off-Field Strength at Level 6 with 2x DNA multiplier, yielding Stellar Jade x20 at 4-member, 6-member, and Amethyst Gold rank thresholds.
How many Stellar Jades can I earn before A8 boss?
Currency Wars offers 4,000 total Stellar Jades across two weeks. Cosmic Scholar provides Stellar Jade x20 at three thresholds (4 members, 6 members, Amethyst Gold rank) plus Ascension Points x200 per milestone. Complete participation requires Bond Level 6 and multi-bond activation.
Which characters are mandatory for Cosmic Scholar?
Core five: Asta, Herta, Ruan Mei, Dr. Ratio, The Herta. Four-member activation provides initial Stellar Jade x20, while six-member unlocks additional rewards and Amethyst Gold eligibility. Roster requires seven additional AoE ATK characters for optimal 10-character configuration.
When should I use Trailblaze Power during pre-boss phase?
Prioritize power on bond progression and Cake Cat DNA accumulation during pre-A8. The 4,000 Stellar Jade total reward pool justifies aggressive power usage before bosses. Focus on advancing from Bond Level 2 (25% buff) to Level 6 (150% buff, 2x DNA) early to maximize multiplier benefits.
How does the Cake Cat system work?
Cosmic Scholar generates Cake Cat stacks restoring 20% HP to on-field allies at turn start, with each stack adding 5% to healing multiplier. DNA progression: 1-star (2 DNA), 2-star (4 DNA), 3-star (8 DNA), 4-star (20 DNA). Bond Level 4 provides 1.5x DNA multiplier, Level 6 grants 2x. Rewards: Gold Coins x3 at Level 2, The Herta 1-star x1 at Level 5.
Is topping up worth it during Currency Wars?
Strategic top-ups targeting character gaps enable multi-bond activation and milestone unlocks. Players one character short of six-member activation can unlock Stellar Jade x20 plus Ascension Points x200 through targeted acquisition. BitTopup offers competitive pricing, instant delivery, and secure transactions for maximum event rewards.
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