The Short Answer
Gilgamesh is a 5-star Lightning character on the Path of Destruction, given to every player for free starting July 24, 2026 as part of the Fate/stay night collab. He builds a resource called Interest off allies' actions and his own Ultimate, then spends it on extra turns and a scaling Skill before unleashing Enuma Elish, a 10-hit AoE bounce Ultimate. Because he costs nothing to obtain, he is worth building on every account, and he reaches his ceiling fastest when paired with Saber, but he still performs well in any team that acts often and Ultimates frequently. For the release context, see our HSR 4.4 release date breakdown.
How to Claim Him for Free
Log in any time between July 24, 2026 and the end of Version 4.6 to claim Gilgamesh automatically, no pulls required. If you already claimed Archer during the first Fate collab, Gilgamesh is handed to you outright. If you are new to the collab, you get to pick between Gilgamesh or Archer, and Gilgamesh is the stronger general pick for most rosters since he scales with team investment rather than needing to be built as a solo carry.
Kit Overview
- Talent (build first): generates Interest stacks from ally actions and his own Ultimate. This is the core of his kit and should be leveled to max before anything else.
- Skill, King's Treasure: his primary damage tool on extra turns. King's Acknowledgement adds roughly 30% DEF ignore, so every hit lands harder regardless of enemy toughness.
- Ultimate, Enuma Elish: a massive AoE with 10 random bounce hits. Damage scales directly with how much Interest your team banked before it fires, so the goal every rotation is to stack Interest, then detonate.
Best Light Cones
His signature cone is the strongest option if you pull it, built around extending Interest generation and boosting his extra-turn frequency. Outside the signature, look for Destruction light cones that boost ATK% and CRIT, or anything with a follow-up or extra-action mechanic, since those synergize directly with how often he acts.
Best Relic Sets
- Main relic set: a Lightning DMG or ATK%-focused 4-piece set that rewards frequent action economy over a single burst window.
- Planar Ornament: a SPD-oriented set to chain turns faster, since more turns mean more Interest and more extra Skill windows.
- Main stats: Body CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG, Feet SPD, Planar Sphere Lightning DMG, Link Rope ATK%.
- Substats priority: CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG > SPD > ATK%.
Best Teams
Premium: The Saber Core
If you own Saber from the first Fate collab banner, this is the team to build toward. After Saber lands 3 cumulative attacks, she and Gilgamesh trigger a Joint Follow-Up Attack together, dealing Lightning damage equal to 400% of Gilgamesh's ATK and Wind damage equal to 600% of Saber's ATK to every enemy. The follow-up also grants Gilgamesh 3 points of Interest and refunds Saber a flat chunk of Energy while advancing her turn by 50%. This loop roughly doubles what Gilgamesh can do compared to a non-Saber lineup, and Huohuo is considered his best-in-slot sustain in this comp for her Skill Point economy and buff kit.
Budget and Alternative Teams
Gilgamesh does not require Saber to function. Any team built around fast, repeated actions and frequent Ultimates works, since every ally action and every ally Ultimate contributes Interest. Pair him with:
- Any Hunt or Destruction DPS that acts quickly, alongside a Harmony unit that grants extra turns or action advance, plus a sustain.
- A high-Energy-cost Ultimate spammer, since those characters' Ultimates feed his Interest generation heavily.
Eidolon Priority
E0 already clears current endgame content comfortably, so most players should stop there rather than chase copies of a limited collab unit. If the banner turns out generous, E1 is the standout upgrade: it makes his DEF shred apply party-wide instead of just to his own hits, and lets him self-charge Energy every time Interest advances, both of which meaningfully shorten his ramp-up time.
Should You Pull Rin Tohsaka Too?
Rin Tohsaka, the premium Quantum Erudition unit in the same Phase 2 banner, is not required to make Gilgamesh work, but she raises his ceiling further if you have the resources. Treat her as a luxury pull layered on top of a free, already-strong unit rather than a prerequisite.
For where Gilgamesh lands against the rest of the roster, check the HSR tier list, and browse team-building fundamentals in our HSR best characters guide.
