What is Honkai Star Rail?
Honkai: Star Rail is the latest free-to-play game from HoYoverse, the developers behind Genshin Impact and Honkai Impact 3rd. This title stands apart with its futuristic theme, where players travel between different planets aboard the Astral Express, a space train. It’s available on multiple platforms, including PC, mobile, and PS5.
Unlike its predecessors, Honkai: Star Rail introduces a turn-based combat system, a notable shift from HoYoverse’s previous action-oriented gameplay. To enhance the experience, features like auto-battle and the ability to fast-forward during combat have been added. The game shares similarities with Genshin Impact in terms of world exploration, where you visit various locations to battle enemies and gather resources, but it’s more streamlined. You can instantly travel to battle locations, queue up multiple fights at once, and even craft gear with specific stats.
What to do first in Honkai Star Rail
When starting out in Honkai Star Rail, the best approach is to focus on progressing through the main story, also known as the Trailblaze Mission. Keep playing until you reach the point called ‘Long Wait for the Blade’s Edge’ in the ‘In the Withering Wintry Night’ mission, as this unlocks Daily Training, the second major Trailblaze storyline, which takes place on the icy planet of Jarilo-VI.
Daily Training will be crucial, as it’s your primary way of earning Stellar Jade, the game’s main currency for acquiring Star Rail Passes. These passes are used to roll for new characters and Light Cones (weapons) through the gacha system. Additionally, completing Daily Training tasks rewards you with Trailblaze EXP, which you’ll need to level up and access new missions and events.
While advancing through the story, be sure to open treasure chests and engage with Warp Trotters you encounter along the way. Both of these activities grant Stellar Jade.
What to do daily in Honkai Star Rail
Here’s a list of activities you should aim to complete each day in Honkai Star Rail:
- Daily Training
- Assignments
- Spend Trailblaze Power
- Battle Pass challenges
- Log into HoYoLAB for free rewards
These activities reset at 4 am (server time) every day, except for HoYoLAB rewards and Trailblaze Power, which refreshes every six minutes. While it’s not mandatory to complete every task in a single day, it’s recommended to focus on most of them to maximize rewards. To save time, you may skip spending your Trailblaze Power, especially now that Reserved Trailblaze Power allows you to store unused power, albeit at a slower rate.
Honkai Star Rail’s regular update schedule
Since its launch in April 2023, Honkai Star Rail has followed a consistent update schedule, with a new update released every six weeks. These updates bring new content such as quests, reset the battle pass, and occasionally introduce new features like Reserved Trailblaze Power and even new wallpapers.
Every three weeks, the game updates its Banners, which feature different characters and Light Cones. These Banners increase your chances of obtaining specific 5-Star and 4-Star characters and weapons. If you don’t pull the desired character from a limited-time Banner, don’t worry—they will eventually return in future updates.
Limited-time events are introduced with each update, and they offer special rewards, including Stellar Jade and free characters. Make sure to complete all available content before the event ends and spend any event currency at the special shops.
How to get characters in Honkai Star Rail
As you progress through the main story and the Simulated Universe, you’ll unlock free characters like Dan Heng, March 7th, Herta, Asta, and Natasha. However, the primary method of acquiring new characters is through the game’s gacha system, using Star Rail Passes to Warp on Banners. While you can purchase Stellar Jade with real money to obtain these passes, there are plenty of opportunities to earn free Stellar Jade simply by playing.
To unlock the ability to use Banners and Warp for new characters, you need to complete the ‘A Moment of Peace’ section of the ‘Today Is Yesterday’s Tomorrow’ mission in the Herta Space Station. Occasionally, you may also receive a 4-Star character as part of limited-time events or by spending Undying Starlight currency in the in-game shop.
Banners may initially seem overwhelming, but here are a few key tips to navigate the system:
- Spend your regular Star Passes on the Beginner’s Banner first.
- Always convert your Stellar Jade to Special Star Passes for better chances at 5-Star pulls.
- Prepare for the possibility of the 50/50 loss, and save enough Stellar Jade to guarantee two 5-Star pulls.
The 50/50 refers to the 50% chance that you’ll get the featured 5-Star character on a limited-time Banner. After 90 Special Star Passes, you’ll be guaranteed a 5-Star pull. So, you’ll need a total of 180 Special Star Passes to prepare for a possible loss, but rest assured, you’re guaranteed to get the featured character on the second 5-Star pull.
How to level up characters in Honkai Star Rail
There are two methods to level up your characters, but one is significantly more efficient than the other. While you can level up characters by defeating enemies, the amount of EXP earned this way is minimal.
The best way to level up characters is by using Character EXP materials. These materials include Travel Encounters, Adventure Logs, and Traveler’s Guides. Here’s how much EXP each provides:
- Travel Encounters: 1,000 EXP
- Adventure Log: 5,000 EXP
- Traveler’s Guide: 20,000 EXP
These materials can be obtained from quests, events, and by farming certain areas like the Bud of Memories Golden Calyx. Keep an eye on events like the Garden of Plenty, as they double the drops for Golden and Crimson Calyx.
Once you’ve collected enough EXP materials, go to the character menu, select the character you want to level up, and use the materials to increase their level. Keep in mind that every 10 levels after Level 20 requires you to Ascend a character before you can level them further. Ascension materials are obtained by defeating enemies, completing Assignments, or through Stagnant Shadows.
The maximum level for characters in Honkai Star Rail is 80, but not all characters need to be maxed out to be effective. Only invest heavily in characters you plan to use regularly, as leveling everyone up can quickly drain resources.
To further improve your characters, you need to upgrade their Traces, which enhance their abilities. These upgrades require materials dropped by enemies, bosses, and Tracks of Destiny. However, you don’t need to fully upgrade every Trace. Focus on the character’s most important abilities to optimize your resources.
