Honkai: Stellar Rail is the latest live service offering from Genshin Impact and Honkai Impact 3rd developer, HoYoverse, but it’s not quite the same as the two games.
We suspect Honkai: Star Rail’s release date is coming soon, so you can prepare for its launch by reading the short explainers below while you wait.
For more details on Star Rail’s systems, features, day-to-day activities, and how it works, you can check out our Honkai: Star Rail preview from our final closed beta read moment.
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What is the Honkai Star Rail?
Honkai: Star Rail is the latest live service game from Genshin Impact and Honkai Impact 3rd developer, HoYoverse, which will be available on PC and mobile devices when it launches. It has a futuristic setting that takes you to different planets on a handy space train, the Astral Express, which takes you across the universe.
It has full cross-save support, which means you can recover your save and start playing the same save file on mobile or PC at any time. There have been no details on when Star Rail will come to consoles in the future.
As for the gameplay, it’s totally different from anything HoYoverse has done before, because Star Rail has a turn-based combat system – but with some modern enhancements, such as auto-battle and the ability to fast-forward during combat.
The rest of the gameplay is more like Genshin Impact than Honkai Impact 3rd, involving traveling to specific locations to battle enemies for gear and resources. However, this has also been improved, allowing you to auto-fight during fights, transporting you directly to the battle location, and allowing you to queue in multiple battles to spend most of your daily currency at once. .
Although the main and side quest system is almost identical to Genshin Impact, there is a big difference with exploration…
Is Honkai Star Rail an open world?
No, Honkai: Star Rail is not an open world game. Instead, there are small areas you can explore, but these aren’t connected like they are on Genshin Impact’s huge regional map.
It’s probably because you’re exploring multiple planets in Star Rail, not just one area, like Teyvat in Genshin Impact.
Instead of exploring a large map for treasure chests, puzzles, and other items, you’ll encounter them in the smaller areas of each planet. This allows for a faster gaming session, allowing you to instantly move almost anywhere and quickly explore it.
Is Honkai Star Rail a gacha game?
YesHonkai: Star Rail has a gacha feature, but just like in Genshin Impact, it’s an optional in-game item that you can save free money to spend if you want.
In fact, the gacha system looks almost identical to that of Genshin Impact. As of the final closed beta, Star Rail has the same pull rates for 4-star and 5-star characters and weapons, and has both event banners and a standard banner set that doesn’t change this. what you can get out of it.
The only differences seem to be that you can actually save up to buy 5-star weapons by participating in optional activities like Simulated Universe (a sort of rogue-like game mode), and the names are different.
Stellar Jade is the currency you must use on a banner, and the process is called “Warping”, reflecting the sci-fi setting.
Is Honkai Star Rail a sequel related to Honkai Impact 3rd?
Yes, it’s the fourth in the Honkai series, so Honkai: Star Rail is technically a sequel to Honkai Impact 3rd, but it’s set in an alternate universe featuring (mostly) alternate versions of previous Honkai characters.
So, although it is connected to Honkai Impact 3rd, it doesn’t seem necessary to have played it to understand the history and lore of Star Rail. However, there are nods to previous characters and events for those who have played Honkai games before.
We also only played until the start of the Xianzhou Luofa area in the final closed beta, so there may be larger story elements that tie the two games together in the future.
Honkai Star Rail’s Returning Characters Explained
While most of the characters in Honkai: Star Rail are either new or alternate versions of previous Honkai characters, it seems that Welt is the same version found in Honkai Impact 3rd. Talking with Himeko on the Astral Express does more than hint at her past in the final closed beta.
Welt is the only character we’ve encountered so far who is the exact version found in a previous Honkai game.
Here is a list of all alternative versions of a Return of the Honkai character in Honkai: Star Rail:
- Bronya
- Himeko
- Kafka
- Soul
- silver wolf
- Sushi
- Natasha
- Welt (same character seen in Honkai Impact 3rd)
- Yanqing
If you’ve decided to play Honkai: Star Rail when it releases, be sure to pre-register to get some helpful rewards available when it launches.
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