Beginner Guide & Everything You Need to Know in Honkai: Star Rail

This is our Beginner's Guide to Honkai: Star Rail, a turn-based role-playing game developed and published by miHoYo. On this page, we will introduce the basics on how to play and what features does the game offer.

Honkai: Star Rail released internationally on April 26th, 2023, following the success of miHoYo's gacha game from 2020, Genshin Impact. Both games have some ties to the Honkai universe, featuring recurring characters, rich world-building, and similar plot themes. As such, Honkai: Star Rail's greatest strengths lie in its compelling stories and charming cast of characters.

If you are looking for a specific game feature, you can click on the category(s) below to learn more:

As you play through Honkai: Star Rail, you will be introduced to a large variety of playable characters, all hailing from different Factions, Worlds, histories, and significance to the plot.

During the Tutorial of Honkai: Star Rail, you will be asked to select the gender and name of a unique character, commonly referred to as the Trailblazer. This is your player character, who has their own backstory hidden behind many unanswered and long-winded questions.

As you progress through the game's Main Story, you will learn that the Trailblazer has almost infinite potentials to become whatever you want them to be. Of all the playable characters, the Trailblazer is also the first character who can take on various Paths, playing different role archetypes depending on which Path they currently follow.

Every playable character, including the Trailblazer, has their own Combat Type and Path.

Characters' Combat Types (or commonly referred to as Elements) are the antithesis to enemies' Weaknesses: you can exploit an enemy's weakness if the attacking character has a matching Combat Type. There are seven Combat Types available in the game so far:

• Quantum
• Physical
• Fire
• Ice
• Lightning
• Wind
• Imaginary

To learn more about the Combat Types and how their effects work, see our Guide below:

There are also Paths that characters follow, which determine the role archetype they play in combat. Each Path has unique offensive or supportive aspects that distinguish them from other Paths. As of Version 3.0, there are a total of eight Paths available that characters can fall under:

• Harmony: Applies buffs to allies to improve the team's combat capacities.
• Destruction: Deals outstanding amounts of damage and possesses great survivability. Suitable for various combat scenarios.
• The Hunt: Deals extraordinary amounts of single-target damage. The main damage dealer against Elite Enemies.
• Erudition: Deals remarkable amounts of multi-target damage. The main damage dealer against groups of enemies.
• Nihility: Applies debuffs to enemies to reduce their combat capacities.
• Preservation: Possesses powerful defensive abilities to protect allies in various ways.
• Abundance: Heals allies and restores health points (HP) to the team.
• Remembrance: Possesses the ability to summon a memosprite with special abilities to fight alongside the team in battle.

To learn more about the importance of each Path, see our guides below:

And finally, playable characters may undergo various changes within the story. This can cause them to undertake a new Path and Combat Type altogether, allowing them the same freedom the Trailblazer has: access to Multipaths. When a character has Multipaths, they can freely switch from their original role archetype.

A character can only have one Combat Type and one Path active at the same time.

While there are several characters you can get for free (such as through special Events or Game Modes), most characters in Honkai: Star Rail can only be obtained through the gacha system. This is also known as "rolling" on Warp Banners, using Stellar Jades as the primary currency to randomly obtain characters.

If you have not obtained the character after warping enough times, there is also a "pity system" that can provide a guarantee. However, this is often very costly, and for many free-to-play players, may require a long-term investment before obtaining a new character.

There are also Warp Banners for Light Cones as well, which is another important factor when upgrading your characters.

To learn more about Warping, or how to obtain free characters and Stellar Jades, check out our guides below:

As turn-based combat is the primary way to progress through the game, it is very important for characters to stay up-to-date with your story progression. This often means spending time and resources to ensure their Levels, Stats, Light Cones, Traces, and Relics are the best they can be. Occasionally, this can also include investing in a character's Eidolons, which generally provide supplemental gameplay changes to their combat kit.

Our General Character Upgrading Guide below outlines how you can upgrade your characters, and transform them from "Zero to Hero":

Light Cones are considered as "solidified phenomena sealed inside slices of pure light" which can upgrade a character's combat capabilities when equipped. You can think of them as snapshots of various scenes or histories within the memories of Honkai: Star Rail.

In addition, Light Cones have a distinct Path power. This can provide powerful effects to equipping characters who follow the same Path as the Light Cone.

The term "Signature Light Cone" often refers to a Character's personal Light Cone. This Light Cone's Path power is usually very significant to or enhances their corresponding Character's abilities. However, as these Light Cones are not Character-exclusive, players can also opt to equip them on other Characters who share the same Path as the Light Cone.

Building teams is a key component to combat in Honkai: Star Rail, as it allows various characters from different Paths to cooperate with each other and improve upon each other's strengths. More importantly, a strong team can clear various difficulties of content and obtain grand rewards.

To learn more on how to build effective teams, consider reading the guide below:

Honkai: Star Rail uses a turn-based action game system, where you take turns doing actions between each character and enemy on the field. There are various features that contribute to information during combat, such as the Action Order, Buffs and Debuffs, the Toughness Bar, Shield Effects, and more. These are all features that can help you conquer many combat-related challenges.

To learn about the many aspects of the combat system in Honkai: Star Rail, see our guides below:

On each world the Astral Express visits, players will not only get to experience the stories of Honkai: Star Rail, but there are also many hidden secrets, treasures, puzzles, and challenges to discover. In addition, as a reward for helping the various worlds out as a Trailblazer, you can also gain access to the World Shop feature; allowing you to purchase items and materials that may prove useful on your journey.

One useful exploration feature that can seem insignificant are Destructible Objects. In various game modes, including the overworld exploration, you may find some useful resources whenever you break them. For example, there are some objects that can replenish your HP or Technique Points.

As the Trailblazer's journey is a long and arduous one, it really helps to have access to Space Anchors at various locations in different worlds. These are teleportation devices giving you access to anywhere anytime, making exploration more efficient. They can also help heal any injuries your team may have.

Challenges do not only come in the form of common enemies you may encounter; they can also be Elite Enemies hiding valuable treasure chests, strange yet resourceful Calyxes, rewarding Caverns of Corrosion and Stagnant Shadows, and Echoes of War that remind you of intensive battles long past.

Every world also features various mini-games for players to enjoy. Though they may seem like a simple and fun pasttime, completing various mini-game challenges can also be rewarding in many ways.

Missions in Honkai: Star Rail are distinguished between four general categories:

• Trailblaze Missions
• Trailblaze Continuances
• Companion Missions
• Adventure Missions

First, Trailblaze Missions are missions that directly affect or relate to the Main Story. They must be completed for the player to progress in the Main Story. These missions also unlock new gameplay features or worlds and locations for exploration.

Secondly, Trailblaze Continuances are missions based off the Main Story's characters and/or plotlines. They will often feature playable characters who did not have any screentime in the Main Story, but may appear later on. These quests will often provide additional places for exploration. In addition, they are sometimes required as pre-requisite missions for Events.

You do not need to complete Trailblaze Continuance missions in order to progress in the Main Story of the game.

Next, Companion Missions are missions that provide additional lore and histories about the featured Character(s). These missions are not required for progressing in the Main Story, but they will certainly supplement your understanding of the characters you interact with.

Last, but not least, Adventure Missions are missions provided by NPCs available in various parts of each World. They can provide additional insights into complex plotlines in the Main Story, or just another way to enjoy the World's many cultures and environments. Travel Log Event quests are also categorized as Adventure Missions.

As the universe is always expanding in Honkai: Star Rail, it can be difficult to keep up with the information you have learnt across several Worlds. The Fate's Atlas feature allows you to re-visit your past story experiences, which are summarized and sorted based on when the events took place.

Through the Finality's Vision feature, players can experience new story and gameplay content in advance, temporarily skipping any pre-requisite requirements. However, using this feature may impact the player's experience with the game's story, so only the required features will be made available.

Every version update, Honkai: Star Rail features Events that provide new gameplay and stories, in addition to the Main Story updates from Trailblaze Missions. Located in the Travel Log feature, Events often offer limited-time rewards upon completing the Event Missions.

This Travel Log feature allows players to experience Events from previous version updates. The Conventional Memoir continues the player's experience of relevant game modes and stories at their own pace.

If players have previously made progress in the Event before the limited-time period expired, that progress will be saved when the Event gets moved to the Conventional Memoir feature. However, for the Events that are not a part of the Conventional Memoir, their progress will be lost forever after the period ends.

The Trailblaze Level is an experience value determining the age of your account. The higher your Trailblaze Level, the more you have played the game. Leveling up your account is useful, as you can receive valuable rewards from Pom-Pom, the train conductor on the Astral Express. In addition, you are also required to meet specific Trailblaze Levels occasionally in order to unlock certain game features.

As your Trailblaze Level increases, you will eventually have to complete unique Trailblaze Missions known as the "Trials of Equilibrium." Completing these missions will unlock the level cap of your Trailblaze Level, as well as the reward cap when participating in certain gameplay features.

However, whenever your Equilibrium Level increases, so does the difficulty of enemies and battles you will encounter. Though the additional rewards are worth it, this does make upgrading your characters and gathering resources more important.

To learn more about the Trailblaze Level rewards and how to complete the various Trials of Equilibrium, see our guide below:

Every day, the game will feature a replenishable resource known as Trailblaze Power. This resource can passively recover on its own over time, and is often exchanged for various resources needed to upgrade your account. For example, obtaining new Relics, Planary Ornaments, and Upgrade Materials all require Trailblaze Power.

Any excess Trailblaze Power goes into the Reserved Trailblaze Power resource at a portion of what you passively get. As well, players can also convert their Trailblaze Power into Immersifiers, a currency that can be exchanged for Simulated Universe rewards.

To learn more about how to use Trailblaze Power effectively each day, consider checking out the guides below:

One of the predominant reward features in Honkai: Star Rail is the Nameless Honor system. This is a "battlepass" feature that rewards players whenever they complete certain tasks or new gameplay additions in a timely manner.

In addition, players can also expand upon the Nameless Honor's standard rewards by purchasing either the Nameless Glory or Nameless Medal. These expansions can provide additional and exclusive rewards, such as limited-time Avatars, exclusive Light Cones, or Light Cone Memory Shards used to exchange at the Store.

To learn more, see our guide below:

The Store feature in Honkai: Star Rail allows players to use specific currencies to exchange for valuable rewards. These rewards include not only Star Rail Special Passes, rare Light Cones and Characters, but also various resources useful for upgrading or expanding on your account's capabilities.

Several aspects of the Store also involve exchanging real-life currency for the Express Supply Pass or the in-game currency Oneiric Shards. Where the Express Supply Pass provides a daily reward upon logging in, Oneiric Shards can be used to purchase any goods found in the Contract Shop.

In addition to the above, Oneiric Shards can also be exchanged for Stellar Jades, which are the primary currency for Warp Banners.

Various Game Modes in Honkai: Star Rail expand upon the basic gameplay and stories present in the Main Story. These Game Modes often challenge players through difficult and unique gameplay features, rewarding players if they can surpass expectations.

In Honkai: Star Rail, there are five primary Game Modes. To learn more about them, refer to the guides below:

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