HSR Gilgamesh Build: Best Light Cones, Relics, Teams & Materials

The King of Heroes is finally riding the Astral Express. Gilgamesh arrives in Version 4.4 as a 5-star Lightning unit on the Path of Destruction, handed to every player through the Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] login event. A premium collab carry for zero Stellar Jade, and he hits hard enough to earn a real spot on your team.

This guide covers his full kit, the best Light Cones and relics, the top team comps, Eidolon value, and a pre-farm checklist so you are ready when he drops on July 24. Saber owners get a bonus follow-up combo, but Gilgamesh holds his own in plenty of other lineups too.

Stocking up on Stellar Jade before the patch? Top up HSR through GamsGo and grab your Jade at up to 30% off, so you can secure Gilgamesh's signature gear without draining the wallet.

💡 Heads up: Everything below is pulled from Version 4.4 closed beta datamines (V1, sourced from Dimbreath, Gachabase, and nanoka.cc as of June 2026). Multipliers, numbers, and mechanics can absolutely change before launch. We will update this guide once Gilgamesh goes live.

Gilgamesh Character Overview

Gilgamesh runs on a resource called Interest and a borderline absurd 600 Energy Ultimate. He barely charges that bar through his own attacks. Instead, every time an ally fires an Ultimate, he siphons a huge chunk of that Energy for himself, banks Interest, and pays it all back as a colossal AoE bounce attack.

His second engine is Interest stacking. Allies acting on the field feed him Interest, and once he hits 10 stacks he takes an immediate bonus action outside the normal turn order. That makes him a genuine sub-DPS who chips away between teammate turns instead of just sitting in the backline waiting for his big button.

The catch is that Gilgamesh was clearly drafted alongside Saber. With her on the team he unlocks an exclusive Joint Follow-Up that hits like a truck, feeds her Energy and an action advance, and keeps his own gauges topped up. Pull him away from that pairing and he is still usable, just noticeably less special.

Curious where Lightning and Destruction units sit in the current meta? Our HSR character tier list tracks the latest rankings. Gilgamesh will be slotted in once he releases and the community finishes stress-testing him.

Gilgamesh Pros and Cons

✅ Pros	⚠️ Cons
Completely free. A 5-star Lightning Destruction unit handed out through the login event, no Jade required.	That 600 Energy Ultimate. Without teammates feeding him Energy, his nuke almost never comes online.
Unconditional party buffs. His ascension trace hands the whole team +30% ATK and +30% CRIT DMG, scaling even higher for high-Energy allies.	Heavily tied to Saber. The exclusive Joint Follow-Up, the Energy battery loop, and his peak damage all assume she is in the lineup.
Built-in DEF shred. His Skill applies a 30% DEF ignore, and Eidolon 1 shares it with the entire team.	Picky about teammates. Allies need high Energy ceilings, frequent actions, and frequent Ultimates. Slow, passive comps stall his loop.
AoE plus self-action. A 400% AoE that bounces 10 times, plus a 10-Interest auto action that keeps him relevant between turns.	He barely charges himself. His own attacks regen negligible Energy, so he leeches but does not feed allies back (outside Saber).
Slots into many Ultimate teams. As a free third member he upgrades a wide range of existing burst comps.	Competes with Tribbie. In non-Saber teams his amplification often loses out to dedicated buffers like Tribbie or Welt.

Gilgamesh Best Build (Quick Reference)

Short on time? Here is the cheat sheet. Each line is broken down in detail further down the page.

Light Cones | Relics | Teams | Pre-farm list

Build Slot	Recommendation
Best Light Cone	✦ I Am As You Behold (ATK + ERR stats, big Ult DMG, partywide CRIT DMG)
Alternative cones	On the Fall of an Aeon (★5, Herta's Store), A Secret Vow (★4)
Best relics	✦ New 4.4 Cavern set (leaked; ATK + Skill/Ult DMG))
Alternative relics	Scholar Lost in Erudition (4-pc), or a 2+2 ATK/CRIT mix as a stopgap
Best Planar Ornament	New 4.4 Planar set (leaked; up to ~32% DMG by max Ult cost)
Main stats	Body: CRIT DMG/Rate, Feet: ATK%, Sphere: Lightning DMG, Rope: Energy Regen
Substats	CRIT DMG / CRIT Rate > ATK% > Energy Regen > SPD
Best team	⭐ Gilgamesh / Saber / Sunday or Tribbie / Huohuo

💡 Note on the Rope: Energy Regen is unusually valuable on Gilgamesh because of the 600 Energy bar. If your team feeds him plenty through Ultimates, you can swap back to ATK% for raw damage. Test both once he is live.

Gilgamesh Trace Priority

Priority	Trace	Why
1st	Ultimate	Enuma Elish is his single biggest damage source. The 400% AoE plus ten bounces scale directly with this level. Max it first.
2nd	Skill	His main filler damage and the source of the DEF-ignore buff. Once Interest Piqued is active, he spams this on bonus actions.
3rd	Talent	Drives the Interest loop and the +40% Ult DMG buff. The buff value scales here, so it matters once the rest is set.
4th	Basic ATK	Only fires on his very first bonus action before Interest Piqued. Leave it at minimum and spend resources elsewhere.

Gilgamesh Kit Breakdown

Gilgamesh's whole identity sits on two systems: the Interest gauge and the monstrous 600 Energy Ultimate. Read the full table first, then the explanations underneath fill in how the loop actually plays out at the table.

← Swipe horizontally to view the full table →

Ability	Type	Effect (V1 beta)
Basic ATK	Single Target	Lightning DMG to one enemy (around 100% ATK). Mostly used as the very first auto action of a fight before Interest Piqued takes over.
Skill King's Acknowledgement	Blast	Before attacking, gains King's Acknowledgement: ignore 30% of the target's DEF for 3 turns. Then deals 200% ATK Lightning DMG to the main target and 100% ATK to adjacent enemies.
Ultimate Enuma Elish	AoE + Bounce (600 Energy)	Deals 400% ATK Lightning DMG to all enemies, then fires 10 bounces of 40% ATK each at random foes. Roughly an 800% total multiplier for an enormous 600 Energy cost.
Talent Amuse Me to the Fullest	Passive Engine	When an ally uses an Ultimate, Gilgamesh gains +40% Ult DMG for 3 turns. Each ally action grants 1 Interest. At 10 Interest he immediately takes a bonus action (not a turn). After the first such action he enters Interest Piqued and uses his Skill on every following bonus action.
Talent Amuse Me to the Fullest	Joint Follow-Up	After Saber lands 3 attacks, she and Gilgamesh launch a joint AoE Follow-Up: 400% of Gilgamesh's ATK plus 600% of Saber's ATK (Lightning + Wind). Gilgamesh gains 3 Interest; Saber regenerates 200 Energy and advances 50%.
Technique Enkidu	Overworld	Summons chains that create a field for 10 seconds, freezing enemy actions. Entering combat from this field deals 100% ATK AoE Lightning DMG and grants Gilgamesh 3 Interest.

💡 Pro tip: Treat Gilgamesh's Energy as a shared team resource. The higher your other units' Ultimate costs and the more often they cast, the faster his nuke comes online. Pairing him with low-cost, rarely-ulting characters is the fastest way to make him feel weak.

Ascension Traces (Bonus Abilities)

His minor traces total 8% Lightning DMG, 18% ATK, and 19% CRIT Rate. The three major bonus abilities are where the magic happens, and almost all of them exist to solve that 600 Energy problem.

Icon	Bonus Ability (Trace)	Effect
	Epic's Opening (A2)	Whenever any ally uses an Ultimate, Gilgamesh gains 3 Interest and regenerates Energy equal to 80% of the Energy that Ultimate consumed. The bigger the ally's Ult cost, the more he gets back.
	Hero's Hauteur (A4)	Can bank up to 120 overflow Energy so nothing is wasted past the cap. Additionally, each Interest stack grants +10% CRIT DMG, up to 12 stacks (a possible +120% CRIT DMG).
	Hegemon's Strife (A6)	The whole party gains +30% ATK and +30% CRIT DMG. Allies with a max Energy cost above 100 gain an extra bonus on top, scaling up to +100%.

Two things stand out here. First, Hero's Hauteur turns his own Interest gauge into a personal CRIT DMG buff, which is why stacking Interest fast matters for his own damage, not just his bonus actions.

Second, Hegemon's Strife is the trace that justifies running him in non-Saber teams at all. A flat 30% ATK and 30% CRIT DMG to everyone, scaling higher for high-Energy carries, is a genuinely strong team-wide buff from a free character.

All numbers above come from V1 beta datamines and may be tuned before release. We will verify everything on launch day.

Gilgamesh Best Light Cones

Signature Light Cone

⚠️ Note: Exact stacking values and the cone's final name are still beta-only. Treat the figures above as the upper-end target rather than confirmed release numbers.

Alternative Light Cones

Because Gilgamesh is a free unit, plenty of players will run him on a F2P-friendly cone. The picks below are general Destruction recommendations and may shift once damage calculators are populated.

Icon	Light Cone / Rarity	Why it works
	On the Fall of an Aeon (★5, Herta's Store)	The best free pick. Buyable with Herta Bonds in the Simulated Universe, it stacks ATK every time he attacks and adds DMG on Weakness Break, both of which his bonus-action Skills and bounce hits trigger naturally.
	A Secret Vow (★4, any warp banner)	The easiest 4-star to land since it drops from any banner. It grants a flat DMG boost that climbs against enemies whose HP percentage is equal to or above his, a clean fit for a bursty AoE carry.

Gilgamesh Best Relics

Recommended Relic Sets

Relic Set	Rating & Notes
New 4.4 Cavern set (leaked, name not confirmed (4-pc)	★★★★★ Best in slot (projected). Leaks point to a new Cavern set landing this patch that grants ATK on its 2-pc and boosts Skill and Ultimate damage on its 4-pc, the exact two attack types Gilgamesh leans on. Its final name and exact values are not confirmed yet, so treat this as provisional and lean on Scholar below until the set goes live.
Scholar Lost in Erudition (4-pc)	★★★★☆ Strong alternative. 2-pc CRIT Rate, 4-pc Skill and Ultimate damage with a CRIT Rate buff after casting either. A safe pick if you have a clean Scholar set already farmed and have not touched the new domain yet.
2-pc + 2-pc mix	★★★☆☆ Transitional. Pair an ATK 2-pc with a CRIT or DMG 2-pc while you farm a clean 4-pc with good substats. Fine for a free unit you are easing into rotation.

Recommended Planar Ornaments

Ornament Set	2-pc Effect	Rating
New 4.4 Planar set	Grants up to 32% DMG based on the wearer's max Ultimate cost. Needs 360 Energy to max it out.	★★★★★ Tailor-made for Gilgamesh. His 600 Energy cost blows past the 360 requirement instantly, so he always sits at the full bonus. The same set is excellent on Saber.
Duran, Dynasty of Running Wolves	Stacks DMG and CRIT DMG as allies land Follow-Up attacks.	★★★★☆ A solid fallback, especially in a Saber team where the Joint Follow-Up triggers regularly. Use it if you have not farmed the new Planar yet.

Main Stat & Substat Guide

Piece	Main Stat	Notes
Body	CRIT DMG / CRIT Rate	His Hero's Hauteur trace plus Hegemon's Strife pile on so much CRIT DMG that CRIT Rate Body is often the better balance. Check your sheet once he is live.
Feet	ATK%	ATK% is the default. SPD Boots are rarely needed since his bonus actions come from Interest, not raw speed.
Sphere	Lightning DMG	Locked in. Always take the elemental DMG bonus here.
Rope	Energy Regen / ATK%	Energy Regen helps tame the 600 cost. If your team already pumps him full through Ultimates, swap to ATK% for more damage.

Substat priority: CRIT DMG / CRIT Rate > ATK% > Energy Regen > SPD

Gilgamesh Best Teams

Gilgamesh has one obvious home and a handful of flexible alternatives. The non-negotiable rule: his teammates need high Energy ceilings and should be casting Ultimates often. The more Ultimates flying around, the more his nuke and his Interest loop come alive.

Team 1: Saber Premium (Recommended)

Position	Character	Role
Main DPS	Saber	Primary carry. Her frequent actions and 360-cost Ultimate feed Gilgamesh enormous Energy, and the Joint Follow-Up doubles as her biggest damage spike.
Sub-DPS / Amplifier	Gilgamesh	Buffs the team, shreds DEF, and unloads Enuma Elish whenever the Energy is there. He returns 130% ATK and 130% CRIT DMG, 200 Energy, and an action advance to Saber.
Harmony	Sunday / Tribbie	Sunday's percentage Energy gift is incredible on a 600 bar. Tribbie offers wide damage amplification and extra action density to keep the loop spinning.
Sustain	Huohuo	His best-in-slot healer. Her percentage-based Energy regen is exceptional with a 600 cost bar, on top of solid ATK buffs and healing.

This is the dream lineup. Saber and Gilgamesh slot into each other's kits almost too neatly: he gives her buffs, Energy, and advancement, while she charges his Interest and Energy with relentless actions and Ultimates.

Sunday or Tribbie keeps the engine fed, and Huohuo's percentage Energy regen is borderline made for that absurd 600 cost.

Sample rotation: Open with Gilgamesh's Technique to freeze enemies and bank Interest. Have your supports buff and feed Energy, let Saber rack up attacks to trigger the Joint Follow-Up, cast teammate Ultimates to dump Energy into Gilgamesh, then fire Enuma Elish once the bar fills.

Team 2: Non-Saber Ultimate Comp

Position	Character	Role
Main DPS	Evanescia	Her dual Ultimates (240 Energy each), strong innate Ult regen, and high action count tick every box Gilgamesh wants in a partner.
Sub-DPS / Amplifier	Gilgamesh	Hands the team a flat 30% ATK and 30% CRIT DMG, plus a DEF shred. His own damage rides on the Energy these Ultimate-heavy allies pour into him.
Amplifier	Sunday	Percentage Energy and action advance accelerate both carries and help close the gap on Gilgamesh's huge Energy bar.
Sustain	Huohuo / Lingsha	Either provides healing plus the Energy support this team craves. Pick based on whether you need extra Break or pure ATK uptime.

Without Saber, Gilgamesh shifts into a buffer-plus-occasional-nuke role. He gives his ATK and CRIT DMG to anyone, but his personal damage and the Joint Follow-Up are gone, so lean into supporting an Ultimate-hungry carry like Evanescia.

Just be aware he competes with Tribbie for that third slot, and dedicated buffers often edge him out on raw team output.

Team 3: Free-to-Play Friendly

Position	Character	Role
Main DPS	Gilgamesh	Doubles as the damage and the buff source here. With only free units around him, his Hegemon's Strife trace carries a lot of the team's offense.
Sub-DPS	Serval / Hook	Free-roster Lightning damage. They act often and benefit directly from Gilgamesh's party-wide ATK and CRIT DMG buffs.
Harmony	Tingyun / Asta	Tingyun adds Energy and ATK; Asta provides ATK and SPD. Both are 4-stars that keep the action and Energy flowing.
Sustain	Natasha / Gallagher	Budget healing. Gallagher's frequent actions add to Gilgamesh's Interest count as a small bonus.

The whole point of this comp is that every member is free or low-investment. It will not top the leaderboards, but it is a perfectly serviceable way to put a brand-new 5-star to work without spending a single pull.

Just know that his Energy will charge slowly here, so lean on his buffs and Skill Blast more than his Ultimate.

💡 Reminder: Saber is the single biggest power multiplier for Gilgamesh. If you own her, the premium comp roughly doubles what he can do compared to any non-Saber lineup. Build around that pairing whenever possible.

Gilgamesh Eidolons

Since Gilgamesh is free, his Eidolons come from the limited collaboration banner rather than a guaranteed handout, so most players will sit at E0. The good news is E0 already covers all his core mechanics. The DPS figures below are early estimates from a Saber team and are subject to change.

Eidolon	Eidolon Name	Effect	Priority & Value
E1	He Who Saw the Deep	The Skill's 30% DEF ignore becomes party-wide, Gilgamesh gains +25% ATK while King's Acknowledgement is active, and after he consumes Interest his next Skill regenerates 60 flat Energy.	The sweet spot. Party DEF shred plus self-charging Energy fixes his two biggest weaknesses at once. The best stopping point for value.
E2	Wisdom That Encompassed All	Gains 8 Interest at battle start and 6 more on Ultimate. Skill multiplier rises by 30% (main) and 20% (adjacent).	Strong DPS jump. Faster ramp-up and a meaningful Skill damage boost. Great if you are already invested.
E3	Journey That Spanned Far	Skill Lv. +2, Basic ATK Lv. +1.	A level passthrough. Not a stopping point by itself.
E4	King Who Bowed to None	Increases Gilgamesh's Energy Regen Rate by 20%.	Quality of life. Smooths out the Ultimate cadence but no direct damage spike.
E5	Sword That Parted God from Man	Ultimate Lv. +2, Talent Lv. +2.	Another level passthrough on the way to E6.
E6	Soul That Bore Friendship	Ultimate bounce DMG +20%, party-wide +20% all-type RES PEN, and after allies use Ultimates 5 times, Gilgamesh gets a free Ultimate.	Big finale. The RES PEN buffs the whole team and the free Ult sidesteps the Energy problem entirely. For dedicated fans.

Eidolon summary: E0 handles every endgame mode just fine, which is exactly what you want from a free unit. E1 is the standout, since it solves his Energy and DEF-shred limitations in one go. E2 adds real damage if you are chasing more.

E3 and E5 are pure level boosts, so there is no reason to deliberately stop there. E6 is the dream for Fate diehards but not a meta necessity.

Suggested route: stop at E0 for most players, or push to E1 if the banner is kind to you and you want the smoothest experience.

Gilgamesh Ascension and Trace Materials (Pre-Farm Guide)

As a Lightning Destruction unit, Gilgamesh pulls from the standard Destruction Calyx line for traces and a weekly boss for the rare upgrade material. The exact ascension boss drop is still being confirmed in beta, so we have flagged it below. Totals are approximate and based on V1 datamines.

Category	Material	Quantity	Source
Character Ascension	Thunder Strum	65	Stagnant Shadow (Lightning)
Common Drops (Character)	Extinguished Core	51	Common enemy drops
	Glimmering Core	71	Common enemy drops
	Squirming Core	73	Common enemy drops
Character Traces	Four Phases	18	Calyx (Erudition Path)
	Sixen, King-Rook Fork	69	Calyx (Erudition Path)
	Omnicolor, Fool's Own	139	Calyx (Erudition Path)
	Guardian's Lament	12	Echo of War (Weekly Boss)
	Tracks of Destiny	8	Simulated Universe / Shop
Signature LC (At Will)	Extinguished Core	20	Common enemy drops
	Glimmering Core	20	Common enemy drops
	Squirming Core	14	Common enemy drops
	Four Phases	4	Calyx (Erudition Path)
	Sixen, King-Rook Fork	12	Calyx (Erudition Path)
	Omnicolor, Fool's Own	15	Calyx (Erudition Path)
General	Credits	3,689,000	Total Character + LC

Pre-Farm Priority

Weekly boss material (start now): Destroyer's Final Road drops from the Echo of War boss. With only 3 attempts per week, gathering enough takes patience, so begin banking it immediately.
Destruction Calyx mats: Borisin Teeth, Lupitoxin Sawteeth, and Moon Rage Fang all come from the Bud of Destruction Calyx in Scalegorge Waterscape. The Moon Rage Fang requirement is high, so chip away with spare Trailblaze Power.
Tracks of Destiny: 8 total. These cannot be farmed on demand, so check your stock from Simulated Universe rewards and the monthly shop early.
Relics: Once the above is secured, start farming. If you already built other Lightning Destruction units, you may have usable pieces sitting around already.
Credits: Roughly 3.3 million. Rarely a hard bottleneck, but do not forget to grab free Credits and materials from the latest HSR redeem codes.

Should You Build Gilgamesh?

Because he is free, the real question is not "should I pull" but "is he worth investing materials, a Light Cone, and a team slot." Here is the quick verdict.

Build him if:

✅	You own Saber. The pairing is the whole reason he was designed, and together they form one of the strongest collab duos in the game.
✅	You run Ultimate-heavy teams and want a free third member who adds party ATK, CRIT DMG, and DEF shred.
✅	You enjoy a resource-management playstyle where smart Energy routing pays off in a massive AoE nuke.
✅	You are a Fate fan who simply wants the King of Heroes on the roster. He is free, so there is almost no downside to claiming and leveling him.

Hold off if:

❌	You skipped Saber and mostly run low-Energy, rarely-ulting comps. His nuke will barely fire and his loop stalls.
❌	Your resources are tight and you would rather pour materials into a premium carry you actually pulled. He is still worth claiming for free, just not prioritizing.
❌	You prefer self-sufficient carries that do not lean on specific teammates. Gilgamesh is the opposite of plug-and-play.

Final Thoughts

For a handout character, Gilgamesh is more than fair. He asks for a very specific kind of team and is at his absolute best chained to Saber, but even outside that pairing his unconditional party buffs and DEF shred make him a useful upgrade to plenty of Ultimate-centric comps, and you do not spend a single pull to get him.

Claim him, build him to taste, and if you have Saber, prepare to watch the King of Heroes rain golden lightning on everything in sight.

Start banking the Destruction Calyx mats and the weekly boss drop now. If you are planning to chase his Eidolons or signature cone on the collab banner, top up GamsGo for Stellar Jade at up to 30% off and give yourself room to grab everything in one go.

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Gilgamesh FAQ

When Does Gilgamesh Release in HSR?

Gilgamesh arrives in Version 4.4 on July 24, 2026, as the free unit of the second Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] collaboration wave, alongside the limited banner unit Rin Tohsaka.

Is Gilgamesh Really Free?

Yes. Like Archer in the first collab wave, Gilgamesh is given out through the collaboration login event. You do not need to spend any Stellar Jade to add him to your roster, though his Eidolons and signature Light Cone come from the limited banner.

Does Gilgamesh Need Saber?

Not strictly, but it is night and day. With Saber you unlock the exclusive Joint Follow-Up, a constant Energy battery, and his peak damage. Without her he becomes more of a team buffer with an occasional nuke. If you have Saber, always build around the pairing.

Why is His Ultimate So Expensive?

The 600 Energy cost is intentional. Gilgamesh is designed to siphon Energy from his teammates' Ultimates rather than charge it himself, via a trace that returns 80% of any ally's Ultimate energy spent Energy. The higher your team's Ult costs and casting frequency, the faster his nuke fires.

What Is the Best Eidolon Stopping Point for Gilgamesh?

E0 clears all current endgame content, so most players should stop there. If the collab banner is generous, E1 is the standout upgrade, since it makes his DEF shred party-wide and lets him self-charge Energy on every Interest advance.

Gilgamesh or Rin Tohsaka, Who Should I Prioritize?

They serve completely different purposes. Gilgamesh is free, while Rin is the paid limited unit, so the real choice is whether to spend Jade on Rin. If you want a self-sufficient AoE carry, Rin is the bigger investment; Gilgamesh is a free bonus you should claim regardless.

🔍 Related reads:

Gilgamesh Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] Collaboration ★★★★★
Detail	Info
Element	Lightning
Path	Destruction
Role	Sub-DPS / AoE nuke / team amplifier
Scaling stats	ATK, CRIT DMG, CRIT Rate, Energy Regen
How to get	Free via the collaboration login event
Best partner	Saber (Part 1 collab unit)
Release	July 24, 2026 (Ver. 4.4)

	Light Cone	I Am As You Behold (★5 Destruction, his signature)
	Base Stats	ATK +18%, Energy Regen +10%
	Passive	Increases Ultimate DMG based on the Energy he spends, up to +60%. Entering combat or using his Ultimate grants King's Entertainment for 3 turns, giving all allies +25% CRIT DMG.
	Why it's BiS	The Energy Regen chips at his 600 Energy wall, the Ult DMG lands on his biggest hit, and the team-wide CRIT DMG turns the weapon into a party buff on top of a personal one.