Is Helion a melee combatant?

Playing Helion means standing next to whatever you are fighting, because none of his damage comes from range. He is a close-range physical DPS built around burst damage and aggressive combos, and he rewards staying in the fight rather than stepping back.

His kit feeds itself through basic attacks. His passive, Solar Grace, grants the Solar Halo buff on every fourth basic attack, which empowers his next active skill. His ultimate transformation then amplifies the damage of his other abilities. In practice you chain basics into an empowered skill and save the ultimate for when you want everything else to hit harder.

He also breaks enemy defence gauges while he attacks, though his official in-game role is DPS rather than BREAK. Outside combat, his Hustle ability raises sprint and movement speed at the cost of stamina.

Helion vs Lunara: what melee changes

Lunara is the ranged alternative. She attacks from a distance and has self-recovery that supports longer fights, which is why she is the starter recommended for players new to action RPGs or who prefer safer positioning. Helion is the pick if you favour aggressive, combo-heavy melee combat.

Being melee costs Helion nothing in raw numbers. Both starters are Light element DPS Aniimo with identical base stats (ATK 116, 514 total) and the same 30% final-damage bonus when attacking without an elemental advantage. The difference is play style and appearance, not strength.

You choose one and cannot own both for a significant portion of the game. Every starter option can be obtained later through Prismana Flow, so picking Helion does not lock Lunara away for good.

Not settled: The Sun starter has gone by several names, including Elion, Caelion and Halcyon. Elion is also a melee attacker, so any of those names points to the same close-range creature.