Honkai: Star Rail is HoYoverse’s newest addition to the Honkai universe after their hit hack-and-slash game Honkai Impact 3rd. Like any new game, going in blind and experiencing Honkai: Star Rail for the first time can be quite a refreshing and immersive experience for most players. To maximise your experience, however, knowing a few key things about the game beforehand can help you make the most of your time and avoid any potential frustration or confusion. If you’re the kind of player who likes to be prepared and have a better understanding of what you’re getting into, then here are some key things to keep in mind before you start playing Honkai: Star Rail.
What’s It All About?
Honkai: Star Rail is a thrilling space adventure that takes place in a futuristic world within the HoYoverse multiverse. The game features a gacha system where players can collect different characters, each with their own abilities and strengths. Players can also upgrade their starship and equipment to improve their chances of success in battles. Unlike the typical hack-and-slash mechanics of Honkai Impact 3rd, however, Honkai: Star Rail is a turn-based strategy game that requires players to carefully plan their moves and use their characters’ abilities strategically to defeat their enemies. Combine these mechanics with the typical RPG and gacha elements you’ll find in Genshin Impact, and you’ve got a game that offers a unique and exciting experience for players.
Gameplay Overview
The gameplay revolves around building a team of four characters and using their unique abilities to battle against enemies in turn-based combat. Each character has their own unique look and playstyle, but they are distinguished by their rarity, element, and their class. Players can also equip their characters with different weapons and gear to further enhance their abilities. For every enemy encounter, players must strategically choose which characters to use and which abilities to activate to gain an advantage over their opponents.
Combat Basics
Since Honkai: Star Rail is a turn-based game, combat is much more strategic and requires careful planning. You can’t just attack and dish out damage until the enemy’s health is down to zero. You need to wait for your turn to perform an action. In every turn or action phase, you have a choice to make: attack your opponent or help your teammate. The latter involves using skills to heal or buff your characters, while the former is limited by your team’s action gauge. To understand what the action gauge is, let’s break down the three different types of attacks you can perform:
- Normal Attack: Every normal attack you perform grants a charge to your team’s action gauge.
- Skill: These are typically stronger than your normal attack, but they require one charge from your action gauge to execute.
- Ultimate: Ultimate attacks require energy to use. Energy isn’t shared between your team and can only be obtained by performing either a normal attack or a skill from that particular character. Once your energy meter is filled, you can then perform an ultimate attack at any given time, even if it’s not your turn.
Stats and Damage
Each character has its own set of stats that affect its performance in battle. Understanding these stats and how they interact with each other is crucial for maximising your team’s damage output. These stats include:
- HP – Determines how much damage a character can take before being knocked out.
- ATK – Determines the strength of a character’s physical attacks.
- DEF – Determines how much damage a character takes from physical attacks.
- CRIT Rate – Determines the chance of a character landing a critical hit, dealing extra damage.
- CRIT Damage – Determines how much extra damage a character deals when they land a critical hit.
- Speed – Determines how quickly a character can act in battle, affecting their turn order.
Final Thoughts
These are some of the most basic systems you should know about Honkai: Star Rail to start playing the game effectively. Remember to always keep upgrading your characters and weapons, as well as experimenting with different team compositions to find the best strategy for each battle. With practice and dedication, you’ll be able to conquer any challenge that comes your way in Honkai: Star Rail. Good luck!
