Endgame guide

Honkai: Star Rail Memory of Chaos Guide

Memory of Chaos is the earliest endgame mode you can unlock, and its rule sounds simple: wipe out every enemy before your Cycles run out. This guide covers how to unlock it, how the 12 stages and their two halves work, how stars and rewards are counted, how to set up two teams that don’t fall short on Cycles, and who is strong in this mode in version 4.6.

Version 4.6Updated October 7, 2026

In This Guide

How to Unlock Memory of Chaos

Memory of Chaos sits inside the Forgotten Hall. To reach the part that refreshes every phase, you need to meet the three requirements below. If you follow the story at a normal pace, you’ll get there fairly early.

  1. Reach Trailblaze Level 21This is the first endgame mode you can open. For comparison, Pure Fiction waits until Trailblaze Level 34.
  2. Finish the Fleeting Lights missionThe mode has its own unlock mission. When it shows up in your list, do it right away instead of letting it sit there.
  3. Clear Forgotten Hall Memory Stage 15Stage 15 is the last stage of the Forgotten Hall Memory series. Beat it and Memory of Chaos opens up.
The Older Memory Stages Pay Out OnceThe two older Forgotten Hall series, Memory of Jarilo-VI and Memory of Xianzhou, give their rewards one time and never reset. Memory of Chaos works differently: every new phase lets you earn everything again, which makes it a steady, long-term source of Stellar Jade.

12 Stages and Two Halves: How the Mode Is Built

Each phase has 12 stages, and Stage 12 is the hardest. Every stage is split into a first half and a second half. Each half has its own enemy lineup and needs its own 4-person team. In other words, every stage asks for 8 different characters.

First Half

Your first team

One enemy lineup with its own Weaknesses. Team 1 handles this half alone, and its job is done once every enemy is down.

Second Half

Your second team

A different lineup, often with different Weaknesses from the first half. That’s why your two teams should have main DPS of different Types.

Phase Effect

Changes every phase

Each phase adds a shared effect to every fight. Some phases clearly favor one playstyle, so read it before you build your teams.

Starward Mode

Added in version 4.3

Turn it on and the hardest stage becomes a Starward Stage that needs 3 teams for 3 fights. Full stars there pay an extra 100 Stellar Jade.

A made-up example: say the first half is full of enemies weak to Fire and Ice, and the second half is weak to Wind. You’d send the team with a Fire or Ice DPS into the first half and the team with a Wind DPS into the second. Enemies, Weaknesses and the phase effect all change from phase to phase, so a team that full-stars this phase might not fit the next one. That’s the reason to build DPS of several Types over time.

How Stars Are Earned by Cycle Count

Memory of Chaos doesn’t score you on how many enemies you defeat, the way Pure Fiction does, or on how many actions you take, the way Apocalyptic Shadow does. All it cares about is how many Cycles you need to clear every enemy. Fewer Cycles means more stars, up to 3 per stage. Check the exact Cycle thresholds for each star in game before you start the fight.

A Cycle is the fight’s unit of time, while a turn is each time one character acts. So to use fewer Cycles, you either deal enough damage in fewer turns or squeeze more turns for your team into the same Cycle. What helps:

  • SPD. The higher a character’s SPD, the more turns they get per Cycle. How to build it is in the Relics and stats guide.
  • Weakness Break. Usually you have to hit an enemy’s Weakness to deplete its Toughness. Once it’s broken, the enemy’s action is delayed and your team gets more time to act. More in the Break and Super Break guide.
  • Action Advance. Supports who push your DPS’s turn forward let the DPS attack more often within the same number of Cycles.
  • Staying alive. One character going down mid-fight throws off your rhythm and drags the fight into extra Cycles. If a team keeps losing someone, add a healer or a shielder.
Easy Stars Count TooRewards are paid on the total number of stars you collect, no matter which stage they come from. The first few stages are far easier to full-star, so grab every star there first, then start worrying about the hard stages.

Rewards and Reset Schedule

Memory of Chaos resets on a Monday at 04:00 server time (UTC-5 on America, UTC+1 on Europe, UTC+8 on Asia). A phase lasts a few weeks. When it ends, the enemies change and you can earn every reward again from scratch. Check the exact end date in game, because the endgame modes don’t switch phases at the same time.

MilestoneReward
Clear any stageLost Crystals, Traveler’s Guides, Refined Aether, Credits and a few other materials
Every 3 starsStellar Jade and Credits
Stars 21 to 30Jade Feathers, up to 600 per phase, spent at the Priceless Jewels shop in the Forgotten Hall
Full stars in Starward ModeAn extra 100 Stellar Jade and 100 Jade Feathers
Every objective doneStellar Jade from every star milestone across the 12 stages, plus 100 from Starward Mode

Don’t let your Jade Feathers pile up. Drop by the Priceless Jewels shop now and then and pick up anything you actually need. As for the Stellar Jade you collect, plan it around the banner you’re saving for with the Stellar Jade and pity guide.

Skip a Phase and It’s GoneRewards count per phase and don’t carry over. If you never enter a phase, its Stellar Jade is lost for good. Even a few star milestones from the easy stages beat skipping it.

Preparing Two Teams and Picking Types by Weakness

  1. Check both halves firstBefore you pick anyone, look at which enemies sit in each half and what they’re weak to, then read the phase effect. Doing this first saves you from rebuilding your teams over and over.
  2. Pick main DPS who hit the WeaknessA DPS that matches the Weakness depletes Toughness fast, and a Weakness Break delays the enemy’s action. An off-Type DPS can still fight, but you lose that edge and can easily run out of Cycles. You can look up each character’s Type on the characters page.
  3. Pair two teams with no overlapThe two halves need 8 different characters. Plenty of strong teams lean on the same support, so pick a pair of teams that don’t clash from the start (see the table below).
  4. Split your strength evenlyDon’t pack all your best characters into one half. If the other half runs out of Cycles, you still lose stars on that stage.
  5. Make room for sustain when neededIf a team keeps losing someone, give one slot to a healer. Huohuo, Hyacine and Lingsha are all SS in this mode, and Gallagher is S+. With one of them on the team, deaths mid-fight become much less of a worry.

Strong Teams for This Mode (From the Site’s Character Pages)

TeamMembersNotes
Silver Wolf LV.999Silver Wolf LV.999, Sparxie, Yao Guang, PearlSuggested on all four characters’ pages. All four are SS
EvanesciaEvanescia, Trailblazer (Elation), Yao Guang, PearlShares Yao Guang and Pearl with the team above, so you can’t run both in one stage
CastoriceCastorice, Evernight, Cyrene, HyacineThe Robin • Summeretto page suggests her in place of Cyrene
FireflyFirefly, Fugue, The Dahlia, LingshaA Break team that wants Break Effect. All four are SS
Himeko • NovaHimeko • Nova, Sparkle, Sunday, Dan Heng • Permansor TerraeAll four are SS in this mode
AshveilAshveil, Mortenax Blade, Robin • Summeretto, Dan Heng • Permansor TerraeThe Aventurine • Waveflair page suggests another version: Ashveil, Mortenax Blade, Aventurine • Waveflair, Hyacine
AcheronAcheron, Mortenax Blade, Welt, AshveilSuggested on the Mortenax Blade page

Some pairs that don’t share anyone: the Silver Wolf LV.999 team with the Castorice team, or the Firefly team with the Himeko • Nova team. On the other hand, the Ashveil and Himeko • Nova teams both need Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae, and the Silver Wolf LV.999 and Evanescia teams both want Yao Guang and Pearl, so pick one from each of those pairs. Which team goes into which half still depends on that phase’s Weaknesses.

Short on 5-Stars?If you don’t have enough characters, build from what you own. Asta and Pela both sit at S in this mode, and 4-stars like Lynx, Natasha and Yukong often fill the support or sustain slot on smaller accounts. See the F2P 4-star teams guide and the best teams page for more.

Strongest Characters in Memory of Chaos (Version 4.6)

This section follows the Memory of Chaos column of the site tier list, updated October 6, 2026:

TierCharacters
SSPearl, Robin • Summeretto, Silver Wolf LV.999, Ashveil, Sparxie, Yao Guang, Aventurine • Waveflair, Evernight, Evanescia, Firefly, Fugue, Himeko • Nova, Castorice, Mortenax Blade, Sunday, The Dahlia, Cyrene, Hyacine, Lingsha, Sparkle, Robin, Tribbie, Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae, Aventurine, Huohuo
S+Trailblazer (Elation), Cerydra, Kafka, Hysilens, Acheron, Archer, Saber, Phainon, Cipher, Rin Tohsaka, Gilgamesh, Boothill, Trailblazer (Remembrance), Blade, Anaxa, Luocha, Mydei, Bronya, Ruan Mei, Jingliu, Aglaea, Gallagher, Trailblazer (Harmony), Tingyun, Silver Wolf
SJing Yuan, Black Swan, Himeko, Argenti, Welt, Fu Xuan, Dr. Ratio, Yunli, The Herta, Clara, Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae, Topaz & Numby, Rappa, Jiaoqiu, Moze, March 7th (The Hunt), Feixiao, Asta, Pela
AGuinaifen, Qingque, Bailu, Gepard, Seele, Jade

Tiers here differ quite a bit from the overall list, so don’t judge by the overall tier alone. Firefly, Fugue, The Dahlia, Lingsha, Cyrene, Sparxie, Robin and Aventurine are only S+ overall but SS here. With Firefly, Fugue, The Dahlia and Lingsha all at SS, that Break team is a dependable pick for Memory of Chaos. Boothill misses the top two groups overall, yet still reaches S+ in this mode.

It works the other way too. Archer and Rin Tohsaka are SS overall but S+ here. The Herta is S+ overall and SS in Pure Fiction, yet only S in Memory of Chaos. Seele is S+ overall and Jade is SS in Pure Fiction, but here both are only A. If you already have them, they still do the job. Just don’t pull for them only to clear this mode.

Tiers Can ChangeThe tier list is updated with each version. Before you pull, check the latest tier list and the Banner History to see which banners are running.

Common Mistakes That Cost You Stars

Stacking one half

A quick first half won’t save the stage if the second half drags on. Spread your strongest characters across both teams.

Two teams, one support

You finish Team 1 and only then notice Team 2 also needs Yao Guang or Pearl. Pairing your teams from the start avoids this.

A DPS that misses the Weakness

Without hitting the Weakness, enemy Toughness barely moves, you never get the Break, and the enemies keep acting on schedule.

Ignoring the phase effect

The phase effect can help one team a lot and do almost nothing for another. Read it before you pick anyone.

Not enough SPD

High damage stats with low SPD means fewer turns and more Cycles. Check the SPD target on each character’s page and build up to it.

Pushing Stage 12 first

Easy stages pay the same stars as hard ones. Collect every star from the early stages, then try the last stage if you have strength left.

Starward Mode Is for 3-Team AccountsWith Starward Mode on, the hardest stage asks for 3 teams across 3 fights. If you don’t have 12 well-built characters yet, full-star the 12 regular stages first. The bonus here is only 100 Stellar Jade, much smaller than what the star milestones pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

What level do you need to unlock Memory of Chaos?

You need Trailblaze Level 21, the Fleeting Lights mission done, and a clear of Forgotten Hall Memory Stage 15, the last stage of the Memory series. It’s the earliest endgame mode you can open in the game.

When does Memory of Chaos reset?

It resets on a Monday at 04:00 server time. The America server runs on UTC-5, Europe on UTC+1 and Asia on UTC+8. Each phase runs for a few weeks, and the game shows the exact end date in the mode itself.

How much Stellar Jade do you get from Memory of Chaos?

Stellar Jade is paid at star milestones across the 12 stages, plus an extra 100 if you get full stars in Starward Mode. You keep every milestone you reach even without full stars, so it’s worth entering each phase for the easy-stage stars.

How many characters do I need for Memory of Chaos?

Each stage has two halves with a 4-person team each, so 8 different characters. Starward Mode needs 3 teams, which means 12. Beyond the headcount, try to have at least two main DPS of different Types so you can match each half’s Weakness.

Should I turn on Starward Mode?

Only if you have 3 strong teams, since the hardest stage turns into 3 fights with a separate team each. The bonus is 100 Stellar Jade and 100 Jade Feathers, far less than what the star milestones across the 12 regular stages pay.

Who are the best characters for Memory of Chaos in version 4.6?

According to the site tier list, the SS group in this mode includes Pearl, Robin • Summeretto, Silver Wolf LV.999, Ashveil, Sparxie, Yao Guang, Firefly, Castorice, Himeko • Nova and many more. The full list and suggested teams are in the sections above.

Related Guides

Updated October 7, 2026 (version 4.6). See also all guides, the tier list and the best teams.