Honkai Star Rail 3.5 is now here, and it introduces one of the hardest fights yet. There is a boss fight against Zandar, aka Lygus. After revealing himself to you as one of the nine vessels of Zandar One Kuwabara, you will face a multi-phase battle that has a lot of annoying mechanics and damaging attacks. This guide will go through his moveset, the characters you want, and how to play smart so you can get the win.
Best Characters to Use Against Zandar
Zandar’s mechanics punish teams that spam summons and/or use Remembrance. To make your life a little easier, you are gonna want Physical, Ice, or Wind DPS units. Here are the recommended characters against Zandar:
- Support Picks: Ruan Mei, Robin, Tribbie, Jade, Pela, Bronya, Sunday, Tingyun
- DPS Options: Hysilens, Phainon, The Herta, Blade, Argenti, Jingliu, Black Swan, Saber
- Sustain Units: Lingsha, Aventurine, Gallagher, Natasha, Fu Xuan, Gepard, Huohuo
Recommended Teams
- Argenti Hypercarry – Argenti, Jade, Ruan Mei, Lingsha
- The Herta Hypercarry – The Herta, Jade, Ruan Mei, Lingsha
- Phainon Hypercarry – Phainon, Sunday, Bronya, Tingyun
- DoT Stack – Hysilens, Kafka, Black Swan, Gallagher
Stick with these comps and you’ll have a much smoother time.
Zandar’s Moveset Explained
- Form Shift – Changes forms in a phase. Each time continues to get more damage as each form shifts.
- Summon & Support – Zandar can summon mystical creatures to battle alongside him and can even heal them in battle.
- Paradox Trigger – Randomly empowers an ally’s Ultimate and allows them to act immediately. If they use that Ultimate, they will lose half of their max HP. Shields have the privilege of blocking them without killing.
- Genesis Mode – His default stance. If too many allies or enemies are present (like Memosprites), he’ll quickly move into his next phase, Debate Mode.
- Debate Mode – A setup phase where he charges his Ultimate. He takes more damage here, but unless you take down 10 summoned enemies in time, he’ll unleash it before returning to Genesis Mode.
- Judgment: Prime Mover’s Verdict – His big Ultimate attack. Massive AoE damage plus Entanglement, and the longer he stays in Debate Mode, the more dangerous it becomes.
How to Counter Zandar’s Mechanics
Managing Zandar’s mechanics is vital, so be careful when approaching Ultimates that are granted through the Antinomy State as the 50% HP penalty is usually not worth it for most characters, except Phainon. In the Disputation Mode, getting rid of the enemies he has summoned is a priority, as eliminating them decreases the power of the Ultimate. Rely on Memosprites sparingly, as they can accelerate Zandar’s form changes.
Final Thoughts
Zandar will feel brutal to fight at first, however, with a better understanding of how his phases operate, and the right character choices, he becomes much easier to manage. Think about your team build carefully, prioritize Zandar’s adds, use your Ultimates wisely, and you should finish this encounter successfully.
