Honkai: Star Rail

Guides

Here’s a quick Honkai Star Rail primer if you’re looking to be the newest Trailblazer.

Thinking of starting your Honkai Star Rail journey? Give our HSR beginner’s guide and tips for new players a read to make your first few hours as a Trailblazer the best it can be!

Honkai: Star Rail

Honkai Star Rail Beginner’s Guide

First, the most important thing to note is that Honkai Star Rail is a gacha game. This means that many aspects of the game, including the characters and equipment, are primarily based on chance.

If you’re crossing over from a different HoYoverse title like Genshin Impact or Zenless Zone Zero, then check out ourcurrency and material guideto make your transition seamless.

A Beginner’s Guide to Honkai Star Rail cover image

News

Free 5-star character for Honkai Star Rail’s 2nd anniversary!

Here’s who is in the pool for the free 5-star to celebrate Honkai Star Rail’s 2nd anniversary.

XC Enriquez

This is the perfect time to start playing Honkai Star Rail, since the2nd anniversaryis arriving with a lot of rewards that will help you with starting your game.

Tips for new HSR players

Core HSR mechanics

Honkai Star Rail is a turn-based game. The areas are closed maps and have various collectibles and puzzles scattered around them.

Trailblaze Energy

Trailblaze Energy is the limiting factor to your gameplay. Farming nodes for any material, from in-game money (Credits) to Relics, costs Trailblaze Energy to challenge. Other content like Events, Trailblaze Missions, and Side Quests do not require Trailblaze Energy.

This recharges at a rate ofone per six minutesand is capped at 300. It takes 30 hours for the Energy to completely replenish. If time passes while it is maxed out, the Reserved Trailblaze Energy will begin filling up at a rate ofone per 18 minutes, for a max of 2400.

Free 5-star character for Honkai Star Rail’s 2nd anniversary! preview image

Characters and Party

A party consists of up to four characters.Characters in Honkai Star Railhave three defining properties: Rarity, Path, and Element.

Castorice in Honkai Star Rail (Screenshot by esports.gg)

The best team comps in Honkai Star Rail

What kind of Honkai Star Rail team are you looking for?

The Paths loosely dictate a character’s role within a party. For example, Abundance and Preservation characters help the team’s survivability through heals and shields, Harmony characters buff teammates, and Erudition characters are great AoE units.

Each character can be strengthened through various means: Ascension Levels, Eidolons, Light Cones, Relics, and Traces. A character’s Ascension Level is a linear growth - maxing out at level 80. This takes a considerable amount of resources.

A puzzle in Honkai Star Rail (Screenshot by esports.gg)

Characters are acquired through various means, but limited 5-star units can only be acquired on their respectivelimited-time banners.

Multiple copies of a character end up being Eidolon levels, up to six. A character begins at Eidolon 0 (E0) and gains substantial buffs to their kit as you level them up to E6.

Trailblaze Power (Screenshot by esports.gg)

Honkai Star Rail Tier List – The best characters to get

See who deserves your Stellar Jades the most with this Honkai Star Rail character tier list.

Light Cones

Light Cones are the primary equipment on characters. This is in place of a weapon in a traditional RPG.

Like characters, Light Cones also have a Path that they are attuned to. You are highly encouraged to match the Path of the Light Cone and the character they are equipped on. Otherwise, the special effect on the Light Cone will not proc.

A party in HSR (Screenshot by esports.gg)

The similarities don’t stop there, though. You can ascend and level up Light Cones, making the base numbers like ATK, HP, and DEF higher. To strengthen the special effect of a Light Cone, you need to Superimpose them, essentially combining two or more of the same Light Cone.

Again, Light Cones can be acquired through various means, and limited 5-star Light Cones can be acquired on their respective limited Honkai Star Rail banners. Each 5-star character has a “signature” Light Cone, meaning one that has the best synergy with them.

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Traces

Traces are another way to make your character stronger. By feeding them various materials, the individual levels of each of their skills can be raised. Also, each character has at least three Main Traces, which are additional effects that the character permanently gains.

Relics

Relics are divided into two parts: Cavern Relics and Planar Ornaments.

You can equip up to four Cavern Relics, gaining a bonus if two are from the same set and another bonus if all four share the set. Meanwhile, you can have two Planar Ornaments, and you gain the bonus at two Relics.

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Each Relic has a main stat and several substats. These are randomly selected from a pre-defined pool and can be farmed through various farming nodes throughout the game.

Stick around onesports.ggfor moreHonkai Star Railnews, guides, and updates.

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