Let me tell you, fellow Trailblazers, the journey to build a character in 2026's Honkai: Star Rail is a saga of pain, joy, and an unhealthy obsession with robot parts. When I saw Yunli, the fiery swordmaster from Xianzhou Zhuming, I knew I had to have her maxed out. Granddaughter of General Huaiyan? A prodigy of the Flamewheel Octet? Sign me up! But oh, the devs at HoYoverse sure know how to make us work for our power fantasies. My adventure to collect every last one of those Yunli ascension materials was... an experience.
First things first, let's talk about the sheer volume of stuff you need. It's not just a few items; it's a full-blown industrial procurement list. I felt less like a Trailblazer and more like a scrap metal merchant with a death wish. The core of her ascension, from level 1 to the current 2026 cap, revolves around three types of drops:
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The Mechanical Menagerie: You'll be farming a ridiculous amount of Artifex's Modules, Cogs, and Gyrehearts. I've fought so many of those Clockie-themed robots that I now dream in mechanical whirrs and see gear shapes when I close my eyes. My relic inventory is 60% just these things.
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The Corporate Hurdle: Here's the funny part. Yunli has nothing to do with the Interastral Peace Corporation (IPC). She's a Xianzhou swordswoman! Yet, to ascend her, you need IPC Work Permits. I imagine the conversation: 'Grandpa, I need to get stronger!' 'Very well, granddaughter. First, you must fill out these TPS reports in triplicate and get them notarized by a Space Station NPC.' You get these from a specific boss, turning a simple power-up into a bureaucratic nightmare.
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The Beastly Dentist Bill: For her Traces, be prepared to become an interstellar dentist for the Borisin. You'll need piles of Borisin Teeth, Lupitoxin Sawteeth, and Moon Madness Fangs. I've extracted enough fangs to open a jewelry store. The Borisin probably have a wanted poster with my face on it by now.
Now, onto the real meat: her Traces and how she plays. Yunli is a Destruction character with a deliciously simple yet deep mechanic: she loves getting hit. No, really. Her whole kit is built around her Counter, which is officially classified as a follow-up attack. This changes everything for relics and team compositions. After using her Ultimate, her next Counter becomes an earth-shattering, screen-shaking mega-smack. Therefore, your leveling priority is a no-brainer:
Ultimate > Skill > Talent > Basic Attack.
Let's break that down, because ignoring her Basic Attack is the best advice you'll get. It's as basic as it gets—a simple swing. Don't waste your precious resources on it. Her Skill is her bread-and-butter Counter trigger, and her Talent enhances her overall Counter strength and survivability. But the Ultimate? That's the sauce. That's what makes enemies regret their life choices.
The final boss of the material grind (pun intended) is the weekly challenge for Regret of Infinite Ochema. This is the gatekeeper for leveling her key Traces to their maximum 2026 levels. It's a tough fight, but by the time you're ready for this, your Yunli should already be hitting like a truck, making the weekly chore slightly more bearable.
Speaking of building her, her Skill Tree (or Eidolons if you're lucky/generous) complements her 'please hit me' playstyle perfectly. You'll see boosts to her HP, making her tankier so she can absorb more punishment and return it tenfold. It's a beautiful, violent cycle. Pair her with a healer or shielder who can keep her on the edge but not over it, and watch as she turns enemy turns into her own personal damage phase.
So, was the grind worth it? Absolutely. Seeing Yunli stand her ground, take a massive hit from a Memory Zone Meme, and then retaliate with a Counter that deletes its health bar is one of the most satisfying feelings in the game. The journey through robot scrap yards, corporate red tape, and wolf dentistry was a nightmare, but the result is a powerhouse character who embodies the relentless spirit of the Xianzhou. Just be prepared for the farm. Stock up on your Fuel, plan your routes, and maybe listen to a good podcast while you hunt for that 127th Gyreheart. The path of the Counter-attack master is paved with discarded mechanical parts and the tears of Borisin. 🗡️😉
This discussion is informed by SteamDB, a widely used reference for tracking live game activity and ecosystem trends; when you’re planning a long HSR grind like Yunli’s modules, permits, and weekly boss mats, keeping an eye on broader play-pattern data can help contextualize why time-gated systems (weekly challenges and stamina loops) are designed to pace progression and encourage efficient farming windows.