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HoYoverse
Sampo in Honkai Star Rail is one of the most underappreciated DoT (Damage Over Time) characters in the game. This may be due to the lack of viability for his type of playstyle compared to other DPS (Damage Per Second/Skill) characters like Blade and Seele who can deal a ton of burst damage. What players don’t realize is that Sampo in Honkai Star Rail is actually quite viable with the right team compositions and even enables other 5-stars like Kafka to deal even more damage. He also excels in some scenarios than other 5-star characters in terms of being a sub-DPS.
5 Reasons Why Sampo is a Must-have in Honkai Star Rail
1. Guaranteed action delay debuff technique compared to Welt
Welt’s technique “Gravitational Imprisonment” has a 100% Base Chance to activate and imprison enemies, slowing them by 20% and reducing their SPD (Speed) stats. This ability can still be resisted by bosses who are either immune or have an insanely high amount of debuff resistance.
Sampo’s technique “Shining Bright” actually has a 100% Fixed Chance to activate and slow enemies by 25%. Abilities with a Fixed Chance to activate are not affected by any resistances, making this ability a guaranteed effect.
Of course, if you have both characters, you can always use both techniques to get the best of both worlds.
HoYoverse
2. Massive DoT amplifying buff
Sampo’s Ultimate ability “Surprise Present” not only applies multiple Wind Shear debuffs on the enemies but also increases any other DoT effects the enemy has by a significant amount. This is perfect for characters like Kafka who forces a DoT effect to activate with her skills.
3. A good Wind Toughness breaker
Out of all Wind Characters, Sampo is arguably the best Toughness Breaker in Honkai Star Rail. His Skill “Ricochet Love” attacks a main target and bounces to four more enemies. When dealing with only one enemy or boss with a Wind Weakness, this skill can easily shred a Toughness Bar as it will activate five times (six times on Eidolon 1).
4. Sampo does not need to be fast
One of the greatest struggles of players in Honkai Star Rail is setting up a decent SPD stat on their characters. However, Sampo does not need too much SPD stat in order to function. As long as he can reapply at least one Wind Shear to enemies, all current stacks of Wind Shear will refresh their duration. This means players can focus more on amplifying their damage and simply stick with one pair of SPD Boots.
However, keep in mind that if you are using Sampo as a main Toughness Breaker then a decent amount of SPD stat will be more viable.
5. Intriguing Backstory
Among the cast of playable characters in Belobog, loyalty and the unwavering commitment to preserving trust and honor are deeply cherished values—except for Sampo. His true intentions for aiding the main protagonists in the game remain a mystery. While he's inclined to perform acts of goodwill in exchange for financial rewards, he also possesses a capricious streak, often betraying his 'allies' without hesitation. Sampo's intriguing duality as a character beckons players to delve further into his background and uncover his ultimate objectives within the overarching narrative of Honkai Star Rail."
