RELATED: Genshin Impact Developer Announces Sci-Fi RPG Honkai: Star Rail

Honkai: Star Rail is a turn-based RPG, featuring HoYoverse’s usual array of well-written characters and stunning environments. It seems to be set in a new world separate from that featured in Honkai Impact 3rd, providing a brand-new environment for players to explore. This article will go over everything fans know so far about HoYoverse’s newest project.

Updated June 5, 2022, by Nahda Nabiilah: Honkai: Star Rail continues getting developed as HoYoverse runs the second Closed Beta Test for the game. Of course, fans can now expect more polished gameplay and a complete system. For example, a new feature, Eidolon is introduced. Those who played Genshin Impact will know it as the Constellation, where a character gains new effects if players gain copies of them. Now that more is known about Honkai: Star Rail, this article has been updated to include more things players need to know about the upcoming HoYoverse game.

8 It’s Currently In Second Closed Beta Test

Fans who are interested in testing the game before its release can pre-register for Honkai: Star Rail’s second Closed Beta Test. The developer also has another program, the Galaxy Explorer program. Unlike CBT which is short-termed and can be shared around, the Galaxy Explorer program is long-term, and those who are selected have to sign an NDA.

There’s currently no certainty on when the game is going to be officially released, but from the CBT 2 progress, most people can agree that Honkai: Star Rail has a solid base ready.

7 Expect Some Familiarities, But In Different Terms

Players who played Genshin Impact will easily adjust to the items in-game. They have a similar use, but different names. For example, the premium currency, Stellar Jade, is known as Primogems in Genshin Impact. Meanwhile, Adventure Log is equivalent to Adventurer’s Experience, and Credit is equivalent to Mora.

Honkai: Star Rail players also have to ascend and level up their character and equipment. The weapons (known as Light Cones) will have a superimpose feature. In Genshin, this is known as refinement, where they sacrifice a similar weapon to upgrade existing ones. As for artifacts, they’ll be known as relics in this game.

6 Seven Elements And Seven Paths

In Honkai: Star Rail, the characters aren’t categorized based on their weapons. Instead, each of them has different Paths and Elements, there are seven Paths and Elements available. As of CBT 2, the Paths are:

The Destruction (Balanced DPS) The Hunt (Single-target DPS) The Erudition (AoE DPS) The Harmony (Buffer) The Nihility (Debuffer) The Preservation (Defender/Shielder) The Abundance (Healer)

Meanwhile, the available Elements are:

Physical Fire Ice Lightning Wind Quantum Imaginary

5 Auto-Battle Is A Common Practice

In a turn-based game, auto-battle is a common practice, so fans can also expect this in Honkai: Star Rail. This feature will become available at one point in the game, and as of CBT 2, players can activate it by pressing the button on the top-right of the screen, next to the pause button.

Because the game is set to be a turn-based RPG, people shouldn’t expect flexible gameplay as they can do in Genshin Impact. However, the game does have some degree of exploration and open-world feels into it.

4 Familiar Characters, But A New Story

Honkai: Star Rail features a few familiar faces from Honkai Impact 3rd. However, it appears that, while their names and appearance are familiar, many of their backstories are completely different. This is most noticeable with Himeko, who appears in the world of Honkai: Star Rail as an adventurous scientist who found the Astral Express (the train used to travel across the stars in the game). It became stranded in her homeworld, repairing it after many years and then setting out on her journey across the stars.

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Other characters returning from Honkai include Bronya, Seele, and Welt. Notably (and intriguingly), unlike the other three, Welt is stated to be the same character that fans already know from Honkai Impact 3rd, having journeyed to this new universe through the Space Portal, as seen in the Honkai Impact 3rd Manga volume 9, Alien Space. The game also features a number of entirely new characters. These include Danheng, a Traveler with a Mysterious past who bears some resemblance to Genshin Impact’s Zhongli; March 7th, an excitable girl with a camera and no memory of her past; and Gepard, a noble captain of the Silvermane Guards from the city of Belobog.

3 Large Explorable Dungeons

Honkai: Star Rail appears to have a big focus on dungeon exploration. The trailer shows off a variety of locales to explore, and hints at a number of different dungeon mechanics. Characters can be seen using a large gear-shaped platform to move to higher ground, suggesting that a certain amount of platforming will be necessary to traverse the game’s many dungeons. One shot in the trailer heavily implies that stealth mechanics may be utilized in certain areas in order to avoid guards and progress undetected.

Enemies can be seen in the world when exploring dungeons, and turn-based battles will begin when the player makes contact with these foes. Using an attack to preemptively strike foes in the world allows the player to gain the upper hand in the ensuing fight. It appears that one of the first areas players will explore is the City of Belobog, a city that serves as the last bastion against an ever-blowing blizzard. Players will have to wait and see exactly what sorts of foes and challenges await them there.

2 Dynamic Turn-Based Combat

Honkai: Star Rail, in a vast departure from HoYoverse’s previous games, features a turn-based combat system. A team of up to four characters face off against the enemy, taking turns to attack and use skills. Combat is initiated by running into an enemy in the open world, and players can perform an attack in the open world that, assuming it hits, causes all the enemies in the ensuing battle to take damage at the start.

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Characters also have a special attack they can use in the open world to trigger special bonuses going into the fight, like buffing the party or debuffing enemies. Each character is associated with one of seven different elements. Different enemies are resistant to certain elements and vulnerable to others. Each character has a basic attack, a skill, and an ultimate skill. They also each have a Talent and a Passive Skill. Different characters’ abilities have different properties that can be beneficial in combat, like applying buffs, debuffing foes, or striking multiple targets. Notably, while attacks and skills use up a character’s turn, ultimate skills do not. It is also worth noting that skills cost energy to use, and energy can only be regained by using the basic attack for that character, or by taking damage.

1 Players Can Use Materials To Improve Characters’ Skills

Much like a number of other mobile games, Honkai Star Rail allows players to enhance aspects of their characters by using materials obtained by defeating enemies, finding them in the world, or as rewards from quests. Each character’s individual Attack, Skill, and Ultimate Skill can be upgraded in this way.

Players looking to get the most out of their characters will likely need to spend time gathering the materials to fully upgrade each of their skills. It appears that a multi-floor dungeon challenge similar to Genshin Impact’s “Spiral Abyss” will be one such way of gathering materials.

Honkai: Star Rail is coming soon for PC and IOS.

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