When I first sat down with Currency Wars in version 3.7, I expected another “Divergent-Universe-but-slightly-different” kind of mode. It isn’t that. It’s a genuinely new system, and after several runs, you start to see how much depth there actually is once the Bonds, on-field/off-field roles, and star-level upgrades kick in.
The mode looks chaotic at first, but with the right understanding of unit colors and bond synergies, it becomes one of HSR’s most satisfying long-form challenges.
Below is the tier list I’ve built from playing through early cycles, checking how abilities scale with star levels, and comparing how teammates perform under each Bond.
Currency Wars changes every few days, but the fundamentals you’ll see here stay reliable across cycles.
Currency Wars Tier List
This isn’t about raw kit strength, it’s about value in the mode’s economy, scaling, and Bond contribution.
S–Tier (Unconditionally Strong / Hard-carry Builds)
- Topaz (Gold) – The Follow-Up engine. Any run with Follow-Up ATK Bond becomes absurdly stable once Topaz shows up.
- Acheron (Blue) – Doesn’t even need debuff support here; her wide AoE clears let you rush early boards and snowball Coins fast.
- Ruan Mei (Green) – Still one of the strongest amplifiers, and her Bond options let you anchor almost any comp.
- Firefly (Gold) – Stellaron Hunter Bond turns her into a boss deleting machine.
- Bronya (Gold) – Expensive, but her consistency solves most boss rounds.
- Fu Xuan (Purple) – Stabilizes almost any 10-unit team.
- Jingliu (Blue) – Bloodflame Bond + her scaling makes her tempo insane.
- Sparkle (Green) – Skill Point comps become much more flexible, especially early.
A–Tier (Extremely Reliable, Flexible, Great Synergy Tools)
- Dr. Ratio (Blue) – Exceptional Follow-Up synergy; cheap to scale.
- Yanqing (Purple / Xianzhou Bond engine) – One of the most reliable Lightning Lord triggers.
- Jing Yuan (Gold) – Lightning Lord spam becomes meaningful when star levels rise.
- Kafka (Green) – Very strong in longer boss rounds with damage-over-time scaling.
- Aventurine (Green) – Follow-Up core with great survivability.
- Robin (Purple) – Excellent tempo and unified attack support.
- Qingque (Grey) – Cheap, scales extremely well, and unlocks Xianzhou and Skill Point Bonds.
- Fu Xuan (Purple) – Makes early rounds safer while your other units ramp.
B–Tier (Good, but needs specific Bonds or gear)
- Himeko (Blue) – Decent in AoE cycles; weak in single-target rounds.
- Tingyun (Grey) – Very efficient to pick early, but falls off if not starred.
- Sunday (Blue) – Niche strategies benefit, but the competition is stiff.
- Natasha (Blue) – Fine healer but overshadowed by Huohuo.
- Geopard (Purple) – Consistent but slow; shines mostly in defensive setups.
- Asta (Grey) – Works in Cosmic Scholar and speed-stack teams.
- Argenti (Green) – Pure AoE; great only when the week favors wave clearing.
C–Tier (Playable, but rarely optimal)
Most of these units need very specific Strategies, or they’re simply overshadowed.
Examples: Sampo, Pela, Moze, March 7th (Preservation), Herta
They’re usable, but you’ll replace them as soon as better Bond cores show up.
D–Tier (Use only if you have no Coins or badly bricked your draft)
Very early blanks, minimal scaling, or extremely niche roles.
Examples: Cipher, Rappa, some Grey units with minimal synergy
Not “bad,” just outclassed.
Best Bonds in Currency Wars (Ranked)
After multiple cycles, Bonds determine more success than raw unit strength. A strong Bond is the equivalent of a Simulated Universe Path—everything revolves around it.
S–Tier Bonds
1. Follow-Up ATK
If you force this Bond early, the run becomes extremely stable.
Topaz, Dr. Ratio, Aventurine, Feixiao, Moze—this Bond triggers “Unified Attack,” dealing massive true damage.
2. Bloodflame
This one surprised me. HP-consuming units scale incredibly fast here.
Jingliu, Blade, Evernight—once the Bond activates, their AoE wipes are ridiculous.
3. Skill Point
Skill Point economy is king in early rounds.
DPS units get more turns, Sparkle becomes broken, Archer and IL scale harder.
A–Tier Bonds
Xianzhou
Lightning Lord spam is way stronger here than in regular content. Jing Yuan + Tingyun + Qingque already trigger it consistently.
Stellaron Hunters
Turn Firefly into a monster. Kafka + SW + Blade all contribute meaningfully.
Cosmic Scholar
Asta + Herta + Ruan Mei + Dr. Ratio gives you an absurd Cake Cat economy and basically free rewards.
B–Tier Bonds
Wolf Hunt
Powerful, but the Borisin summon takes time to scale.
Best Characters by Color (Cost Efficiency Tier List)
This helps when you’re drafting based on Coin economy.
Gold (5 Coins) — Best Picks
- Bronya
- Topaz
- Firefly
- Jing Yuan
- Black Swan (amazing if the cycle allows DoT ramp)
- Welt (great if you need control)
Purple (4 Coins) — Best Value Picks
- Fu Xuan
- Yanqing
- Robin
- Boothill (if the cycle has many humanoid bosses)
- Silver Wolf (especially for Follow-Up teams)
Blue (3 Coins) — Reliable Carry Options
- Acheron
- Dr. Ratio
- Jingliu
- Seele
- Sunday
Green (2 Coins) — Most Cost-Effective Units
- Sparkle
- Ruan Mei
- Kafka
- Aventurine
- Huohuo
Grey (1 Coin) — Best Early Scalers
- Qingque
- Tingyun
- Herta (underrated when starred)
- Sampo
My Personal Recommendations (From My First Successful 3-Boss Clear)
On my best run, I leaned heavily into Follow-Up, mostly because it scales with almost no setup. Here’s what carried me:
- Topaz → Always the anchor
- Dr. Ratio → Free real estate
- Aventurine → Kept my whole line safe
- Qingque → Cheap early pickup that snowballs hard
- Sparkle → Because Skill Points win games
- Firefly → Saved me in later boss rounds
- Jingliu → Bloodflame Bond finisher
What I noticed fast is that the mode rewards wide roster strength, not just one hypercarry. Since you’re drafting 10 characters, the ones with “team effects”—like Sparkle, Ruan Mei, Fu Xuan—get exponentially more valuable.
Practical Tips to Win Currency Wars (If You’re Struggling)
These are the little habits that helped me stabilize my clears:
- Always recruit Grey units early — Their star upgrades matter more than Gold units’ base stats.
- Aim for one Bond core — Spreading across Bonds weakens every effect.
- Save Coins for key Purple/Gold pickups once your early board is stable.
- Use off-field units properly — many players misplace Jade, Robin, or Sparkle and lose 30–40% value instantly.
- Don’t fear rerolling — the draft format means a bad early pull can snowball into an impossible run.
Rewards Summary
Based on the current cycle:
- Up to 4000 Stellar Jade
- Self-Modeling Resin
- Tracks of Destiny
- Variable Dice
- Star Rail Passes
- Herta Bonds
- Lost Crystal / Refined Aether / Credit
- And milestone bonuses tied to rank
It’s basically a long-term Stellar Jade farm with a fun team-building puzzle layered on top.
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