Aniimo Starters: Helion or Lunara? Best Choice Compared

Helion or Lunara is the first big decision in Aniimo, and it's permanent — the starter you don't pick is currently unobtainable anywhere in the game. The good news: this is a playstyle choice, not a power choice. Both starters are Light-element DPS with matching base stats, so the "right" answer depends entirely on how you like to fight.

The Stats Are a Tie — Here's the Actual Difference

Both starters share Light element, the DPS role and (per Game8) a 504 total stat budget. Their passives even mirror each other: both gain +20% final damage on non-advantage attacks. The difference is range and rhythm. Helion dives in at roughly 3 meters with burst windows; Lunara casts from around 12 meters, weaving normal attacks between spells. IGN's comparison frames it simply: Helion for melee burst, Lunara for keeping your distance.

Helion: The Melee Burst Lion

Helion's kit rewards aggressive play. Every four normal attacks grant a Solar Halo that empowers his next skill — Light Bombardment gains +30% from the Ring of the Golden Sun and another +30% plus healing from Solar Halo, with a 75% chance to keep the Halo for the next cast. Holy Roar stacks +6% light damage three times, Holy Storm vacuum-pulls groups, and his ultimate (Helios' Judgment) transforms him into Soleon mid-battle for +15% damage. In practice Helion plays like a combo character: setup, window, burst, repeat.

Lunara: The Ranged Moon Fox

Lunara fights safer and scales smart. Her Lumin Bolts apply Fox Mark, cutting the target's Light resistance by 5% per stack; Moon Impact slams grouped enemies for bonus damage on marked targets; and her Silver Moon Mark passive converts every fourth normal attack into +100% damage with a 0.5% HP heal — sustain built into your rotation. Her ultimate, Selene's Judgment, becomes Fennelun with a battle-long +15% damage buff. Game8's reader vote reflects the comfort factor: 197 votes for Lunara to Helion's 128.

What the Guides Recommend — and Where They Agree

IGN, Game8, GameSpot and PlayerAuctions converge on the same advice: Lunara for most players, especially newcomers, because ranged play and self-healing are more forgiving. GameSpot adds that both are story-critical talking companions, so you're not losing narrative either way. The pro-Helion case comes from endgame players who already dodge well and want melee's higher burst ceiling — Shacknews notes the two share type and role, so preference is genuinely allowed.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early on, Lunara's range trivializes overworld fights: kite, mark, weave. Helion players eat more hits until they learn enemy patterns, but Alpha hunts favor his Break pressure once mastered. In endgame tier lists both sit at S — Game8 ranks both starters S overall and S as DPS, and launch tier lists (Lex, Naztalgic) keep both in the top band. Nothing about the game's hardest content demands one over the other; team composition matters more than starter choice by then.

Decision Framework in Three Questions

Ask yourself: ① Do you dodge well and enjoy melee action games? Lean Helion. ② Do you prefer safety, ranged kiting, or are you new to action RPGs? Lean Lunara. ③ Does one design speak to you? That's a valid tiebreaker — GameSpot's closing advice is literally "pick the cuter one." Just decide before the tutorial ends, because there's no second starter anywhere in the current version of Aniimo.