Who is Dan Heng in Honkai Star Rail? Origins and more explained

Honkai Star Rail is the newest action-adventure game published by HoYoverse. It features many characters of 4 and 5-star rarity, some of which are free and others obtainable through rolling in the gacha banners. Dan Heng, the Guard and Archivist of the Astral Express, is one of the free-to-obtain characters. He is a wielder of the Wind element, and his spear is named Cloud-Piercer.

Dan Heng’s origin and how he became the Astral Expresses’ Guard and Archivist are discussed below.

Who is Dan Heng in Honkai Star Rail?

Dan Heng is the Archivist of the Astral Express (Image via HoYovese)

In Honkai Star Rail Dan Heng is a cold, tall, slender young man who wields the spear known as the Cloud-Piercer. He is the Archivist and guards the Astral Express on its trailblazing journey through stars and worlds. Dan Heng never talks about his life, but he joined the Astral Express crew to escape from his past.

Dan Heng’s origin and how he became the Archivist of the Astral Express

It was just another day for Dan Heng as a child in the giant ship. The markets had just opened, but the young man venturing through it had never seen a sight like that. But before he noticed the differences between the city and the descriptions he had read in books, he started savoring the sun’s warmth.

When he arrived at the port, the soldier escorting him removed his shackles, and the young man started to walk forward again without looking back. He could feel several eyes gazing at him within the city, and they were filled with hatred. Then the spaceship took off, and Dan Heng took a final look at that place.

After that, he boarded another spaceship, and saw all the passengers wearing different masks. He almost had his memories stolen and was forced to listen to a lecture that sounded like mad rumbling. He also knew that various monsters prowled upon this route, but he could find a way and survive by travelling on dangerous roads.

Dan Heng defeated monsters and left the spaceship at the next port, only to be stopped by a redhead woman. She thanked him, saying she was with one of the ships he had rescued before, and when he was about to leave, he saw a parked train behind the redhead woman. After a conversation with the redhead woman, Dan Heng boarded the Express as its guard and an archiver in Honkai Star Rail.

Dan Heng’s abilities in Honkai Star Rail explained

Dan Heng is an excellent Wind character (Image via HoYoverse)

Dan Heng follows The Hunt path in Honkai Star Rail, and excels in single-target damage.

Cloudlancer Art: North Wind: Dan Heng deals Wind damage to an enemy equal to 50% of his ATK stat.
Cloudlancer Art: Torrent: Dan Heng deals Wind damage to an enemy equal to 130% of his ATK. On a CRIT hit, the target’s speed is reduced by 12% for two turns.
Ethereal Dream: Dan Heng deals Wind damage to a single enemy equal to 240% of his ATK stat; if the enemy is slowed, the ultimate damage multiplier increases by 72%.
Superiority of Reach: When Dan Heng is a target of his ally’s ability, his subsequent attack’s wind RES PEN increases by 18%. This effect can be triggered every three turns.

Trailblazers wondering about Dan Heng’s kit can read the detailed description of his abilities here.