Boothill, the galaxy ranger with a penchant for duels, has carved out his place as a formidable 5-star Physical Hunt character in Honkai: Star Rail since his debut in Version 2.2. 🪐 Operating as a single-target DPS specialist, he brings a unique mechanic to the battlefield: initiating duels that amplify damage between himself and his chosen foe while reducing incoming damage from other sources. Beyond his raw damage output, Boothill possesses valuable debuffing capabilities, including inflicting Physical Weakness and delaying enemy actions. To fully harness the power of this cosmic cowboy, players must embark on a dedicated farming journey to gather the necessary materials for his Ascension and Trace leveling, a process that, while demanding, is essential for unlocking his maximum potential.

Ascension Materials for Boothill

Ascending Boothill to his maximum level is the first critical step. Fortunately, most of the required resources have been available since the Penacony expansion in Version 2.0, though players who recently ascended characters like Aventurine or Robin may find their stocks depleted. The process requires a significant investment of both materials and Credits.

Primary Ascension Material Groups:

1. Memory Zone Meme Drops: This item family is exclusive to Penacony and is foundational for both Ascension and Traces.

   • Items: Tatters of Thought, Fragments of Impression, Shards of Desire.

   • Sources:

     • Defeating Memory Zone Meme enemies across Penacony.

     • Completing specific Assignments.

     • Most Efficient Farm: Challenging Calyx (Golden) activities within Penacony. This is consistently the fastest method to accumulate these materials.

2. IPC Work Permit: This is a new Physical-type Ascension material introduced in Version 2.2, shared with the character Robin.

   • Total Needed: 65 units.

   • Source: Farmed exclusively from the Shape of Duty: Stagnant Shadow activity, located in the Clock Studios: Theme Park area on Penacony.

Financial and Experience Costs:

Ascension is not free. Players must budget a substantial amount of in-game currency:

• Ascension-Only Credit Cost: 308,000 Credits.

• Additional Level-Up Cost: Using Character EXP Materials to raise Boothill from level 1 to 80 requires an additional 508,000 Credits.

• Credit Farming: The most reliable source for Credits is the Calyx (Golden): Bud of Treasures activity.

Complete Ascension Material Table:

Materials for Boothill's Traces (Abilities)

Leveling Boothill's Traces is where the true investment begins. This process is notably more expensive and time-consuming than Ascension, often requiring weeks of dedicated farming due to weekly limits on certain boss materials. Patience is key.

Primary Trace Material Groups:

1. Memory Zone Meme Drops (Again!): The same Tatters, Fragments, and Shards are required in much larger quantities for Traces. Players should expect to spend considerable time at Penacony's Calyx (Golden) to meet the demand.

2. Hunt-Specific Trace Materials: A new item family for Hunt characters, added in Version 2.2.

   • Items: Meteoric Bullet, Destined Expiration, Countertemporal Shot.

   • Source: Farmed from the Calyx (Crimbon): Bud of the Hunt activity, located on the SoulGlad Scorchsand Audition Venue map in Penacony. Lower-tier materials can be synthesized into higher-tier ones.

3. Weekly Boss Material:

   • Item: Lost Echo of the Shared Wish.

   • Source: Drops from the Echo of War: Salutations of Ashen Dreams weekly boss challenge.

   • Unlock Requirement: Players must first complete the Version 2.2 main story quests and defeat the boss Harmonius Choir: The Great Septimus. With a limit of three weekly boss challenges per week, gathering enough of this material will take time.

4. Premium Trace Material:

   • Item: Tracks of Destiny.

   • Sources: This rare material has multiple, but limited, acquisition methods:

     • Weekly reward from the Simulated Universe.

     • Limited-time event rewards.

     • Purchased twice per month from the Embers Exchange shop.

     • Purchased from the Starlight Exchange store.

Complete Trace Material Summary (Estimated Totals to Max):

• Tatters of Thought: ~130-150

• Fragments of Impression: ~100-120

• Shards of Desire: ~60-80

• Meteoric Bullet: ~15

• Destined Expiration: ~60

• Countertemporal Shot: ~70

• Lost Echo of the Shared Wish: ~12

• Tracks of Destiny: 8

• Credits: ~3,000,000+

Farming Strategy and Timeline

Given the scale of the undertaking, an efficient farming plan is crucial:

Phase 1: Pre-Farm (Before obtaining Boothill):

• Priority 1: Grind Calyx (Golden) in Penacony daily to stockpile Tatters, Fragments, and Shards. Aim for hundreds.

• Priority 2: Farm Calyx (Crimson): Bud of the Hunt for the Hunt-specific Trace materials.

• Priority 3: Accumulate millions of Credits from Calyx (Golden): Bud of Treasures.

Phase 2: Post-Obtainment (Weekly Grind):

• Weekly Must-Do: Complete the Echo of War: Salutations of Ashen Dreams three times weekly for Lost Echo of the Shared Wish.

• Weekly Must-Do: Claim your Tracks of Destiny from the Simulated Universe.

• Continue daily farming of Calyx activities to fill remaining material gaps.

Pro Tips:

• Use the Synthesizer to convert lower-tier materials upwards, optimizing your farming runs.

• Plan your Trailblaze Power (Resin) expenditure daily. Focusing on one material type per day can be effective.

• Participate actively in all limited-time events, as they often provide valuable bundles of Trace materials and Tracks of Destiny.

While ascending Boothill and maximizing his Traces in Honkai: Star Rail is a significant commitment of time and resources, the payoff is a supremely powerful single-target Physical DPS capable of dominating end-game content. By methodically following this farming guide, players can efficiently build this galaxy ranger into a cornerstone of their team. 🚀