Lingsha is the newest character available to pull on Honkai: Star Rail, and as one that serves the Abundance role, she has significant competition. With this in mind, is Lingshi still worth your Steller Jades, or should you pass her up for a future character???

Is Lingsha worth pulling in Honkai: Star Rail?

Lingsha is in an interesting place. She's a Break/Follow-up-centric Fire Abundance character that focuses on offense to do her healing. Thanks to her plethora of buffs for both Break and Follow-up archetypes, she fits like a glove in those teams. Moreover, she is universally strong on every possible team in Honkai: Star Rail thanks to her constant cleansing and emergency healing, and if you factor in Eidolons (specif??ically her E1), I'd argue she is the strongest Abundance character outright.

While this sounds like a no-brainer pull, I can't say I agree for one big reason: her competition. What do I mean by this? We've had many Abundance and Preservation units that redefined the meta since the game's release, and those characters remain among the best in meta even now. These characters all work to sustain your team so they aren't killed the moment something strong comes along. Lingsha also fits in well here, being able to keep your team alive in the direst situations, but if you already have one of these meta supports, I'd argue that Lingsha is pretty unnecessary.

Unlike DPS units, sustain-base supports have a much longer lifespan in the meta of most gacha games, and that remains true for Honkai: Star Rail as well. So, the issue or concern isn't whether or not Lingsha will be a good addition to your account roster. She absolutely will be. It's 'Do you actually need her to replace one of your meta-already supports?'. If ??the answer to this question is 'no,?' then there's not really a point in pulling her unless you just like her aesthetics or playstyle.

Sustain characters like Aventurine and HuoHuo are meta because they have unique niches that work extraordinarily well on specific teams despite ?being universally useful if you just need healing support. Lingsha would sit right in the same boat, side-by-side, with these characters, as her niche is the unique power she brings to Break and Follow-up teams. However, to use her in, say, a Follow-up team, she'd have to replace Aventurine, who is widely considered the best Follow-up support thanks to his Skill Point positive playstyle, passive sustain, and great damage. At this impasse, is it worth pulling a new character who will perform similarly to Aventurine in the same team? For me, I don't think so.

That all said, I'd say Lingsha is a fantastic pull if you don't already have at least two meta sustainers (Aventurine, HuoHuo, Fu Xuan, Ga?llagher, Luocha). Otherwise, I recommend skipping Lingsha for future pastures.

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When it comes to raw power, Acheron is often compared to Firefly, and now Feixiao, as they rank among the top-tier characters in Honkai: Star Rail. With Feixiao being the newest addition to the roster, and both characters requiring a significant investment of currency (??whether real or in-game), the question arises: Who truly stands out between her and Achero?n?

Is Feixiao stronger than Acheron in Honkai: Star Rail?

If you're looking for a quick and dirty answer, she is not stronger than Acheron overall. However, there are nuances you should know about so you understand exactly why that is. The first I want to note is that Feixiao is largely superior to Acheron in pure single-target scenarios. This means that in any endgame mode that places Feixiao and Acheron against a single target, Feixiao will dish out more damage and allow you to kill the enemy faster. This makes sense with the roles of each character. Feixiao is a Hunt charac??ter while Acheron is Nihility. Hunt characters should be superior in a single target, as that is where their niche in a team lies.

However, Acheron is no slouch in single-target DPS. In fact, in most cases, you won't need the type of damage output that Feixiao is capable of, because Acheron can dish out more than enough to end fights just as fast. For added measure, the moment more than one target is on the screen, Acheron completely outdoes Feixiao in terms of raw damage output. Acheron can consistently attack every enemy on the field with no sacrifices necessary. While Feixiao does have some light cleave, in this type of encounter Acheron is just better on all fronts. Feixiao is more restrictive than Acheron because she is almost entirely single-target-focused.

To counter this, Feixiao's team composition is less limiting than Acheron's because she has more options to run with. Thanks to Feixiao's flexible kit, she only needs to play with strong follow-up attackers to gain the most out of running her. Acheron, however, requires two Nihility units on her team for her to be at maximum effectiveness, which is a point for Feixiao. However, once Acheron does have those two units, she can face anything in the game without any problems, something Feixiao can never say due to her lack of AoE (Area of Ef?fect).

So, all in all, Acheron is the strongest of the two characters because she is more versatile, adaptable, and consistent. She is extremely strong in all scenarios when her tea??m composition is sound. While Acheron does deal less single-target damage, this hardly matters when she still deals massive single-target damage, while also doing that damage to all enemies on the fi??eld. Hopefully, this makes sense and helps you decide which one to pull for.

The post Honkai: Star Rail – Feixiao vs Acheron, Who is better? appeared first on Destructoid.

If you're planning to pull Feixiao in Honkai: Star Rail, you need to understan?d the best way to build her up to get the most impact. For all your build crafting needs, here's a nifty guide on Feixiao, to help you get your feet on the ground.

Strongest Feixiao Build in Honkai: Star Rail

Feixiao is a Wind Hunt character that fo??cuses on delivering easy-to-access follow-up attacks to dish out extremely potent single-target damage. Unlike most follow-up attackers, Feixiao's are super easy to activate—only requiring a teammate to attack an enemy target, and that's it. This means that Feixiao attacks very often without any sort of follow-up restrictions, making her highly versatile. Feixiao's versatility translates into her being able to be inserted into practically any team composition and find some level of success.

Feixiao does not require too much high-level planning to get rolling because most of her kit is straightforward and her team restrictions are low. However, one of her unique aspects you need to be aware of is how her Ultimate ability works. Like Acheron, Feixiao's Ultimate does not work off an energy threshold. Instead, she requires stacks of her Talent, Thunderhunt, to build up to a minimum of six. This is done simply by having her teammates attack enemies. Every two launched attacks count toward this counter, which is impor??tant to consider later for team composition.

At six stacks, Feixiao can activate her Ultimate at will to dish out some solid damage that ignores Elemental Weakness while active. Her Talent caps out at twelve, however, which greatly impr?oves her Ultimate's damage if you wait to use it. Still, being able to activate it early provides you with a new tactical option, which can make ??or break an encounter. Beyond this, she is a tried and true Main DPS that wants ATK% and CRIT stats to dish out her damage.

Best Relics for Feixiao

A substantial portion of Feixiao's damage comes from her launching her unconditional follow-up attacks often, so you want to use Relics that focus on improving them. With this in mind, her best Relic set is The Wind-Soaring Valorous, as it provides Feixiao with a nice boost to ATK% and CRIT Rate. Most i??mportant though is the 36% damage increase to her Ultimate, something she sh??ould be using often.

A strong alternative set you can use is The Ashblazing Grand Duke as it greatly boosts the power of her follow-up attacks, the other?? thing she should be doing quite often.

For Feixiao's Sphere and Rope set, you want to use Duran, Dynasty of Running Wolves, as it directly synergizes with her core gameplay loop of having her allies use fo?llow-up attacks to build stacks for her Talent. The set gives a stacking dmg boost (5%??) to Feixiao's follow-ups every time a teammate launches a follow-up attack, up to five times. At five stacks, Feixiao additionally gains 25% CRIT DMG. Quite strong.

Best Team Comp for Feixiao

While Feixiao doesn't require any specific characters to function well, as a follow-up attacker, she gains considerable power from teams that focus on empowering them at all times. With this in mind, Topaz and Robin are her best teammates. March 7th (Hunt) is also a strong ??alternative supporter for Feix??iao.

Topaz is the premium follow-up attack buffer and she is especially potent with Feixiao thanks to her ability?? to buff follow??-up attacks against single targets. Topaz synergizes with Feixiao incredibly well due to this, along with her high attack frequency, giving Feixiao a constant source of stacks for her Ultimate.

Robin is a standout follow-up attack buffer, designed specifically to enhance the performance of characters who rely on frequent attacks. Her Ultimate thrives on the team's ability to unleash multiple attacks within its ?active window, significantly boosting overall damage. When paired with characters like Topaz and Feixiao, who constantly trigger each other's follow-up attacks, Robin's Ultimate can deliver devastating blows repeatedly, maximizing the team's offensive potential.

March 7th (Hunt) is a strong alternative to Topaz for pairing with Feixiao, offering a significant speed boost a??nd extra attacks that help Feixiao build stacks more quickly. Similar to Topaz, both characters can trigger each other's foll??ow-up attacks, leading to multiple strikes per turn. Furthermore, when Feixiao becomes March 7th's Shifu, she gains access to Wind and Imaginary elements, allowing her to cover a rarer set of weaknesses and enhance the team's versatility.

Should you get Feixiao's Lightcone in Honkai: Star Rail?

Feixiao's Lightcone, I Venture Forth to Hunt, is undoubtedly her best option, and you should consider pulling for it if you're planning on getting her. It gives her an absurd amount of additional CRIT Rate while allowing her to ignore a considerable amount of her target's defense if she landed follow-up attacks against them. It is a large damag?e increase for her that you should consider if you're pulling Feixiao.

However, if you're not interested in her Lightcone, she does have one other notable option with Baptism of Pure Thought--Dr. Ratio's signature Lightcone. It gives Feixiao a general damage buff and allows her follow-up attacks to ignore the defense of her enemies (smaller than her signature) every time she uses her Ultimate. This lasts for two turns, but since Feixiao will be triggering her Ultimate and follow-up attacks pretty much all the time, this buff is permanent, making the Lightcone a very strong alternative.

Best Eidolons for Feixiao in Honkai: Star Rail

Like most limited five-star characters, Feixiao is a strong character right out of the gate at E0. She really does not need Eidolons to crush all of the content the game has to offer. However, if you're still interested in getting some of her Eidolons, here's an? overview of each one for your information.

• Skyward I Quell (E1) - Every time Feixiao launches Boltsunder Blitz or Waraxe Skyward, the damage of her Ultimate is boosted by 10% of the damage. This stacks up to five times. As you may suspect, this is an incredibly powerful Eidolon with a highly unique scaling factor not seen in most others at E1. Worth it if you're investing in Feixiao.
• Moonward I Wish (E2) - With this Eidolon, Feixiao will gain stacks of her follow-up counter significantly faster if her allies also attack with follow-up attacks. Most of Feixiao's damage comes from her Ultimate, so this Eidolon allows her to reach her maximum potential much more quickly than normal. Good Eidolon. Makes her flow much better.
• Starward I Bode (E3) - Provides a hefty boost to her Ultimate damage, which is always nice but not worth investing in unless you're going beyond.
• Stomward I Hear (E4) - Doubles Feixiao's Toughness damage when she is utilizing a follow-up attack. Also, provides her with a large bonus to her Speed, which is always strong on Hunt characters. This Eidolon is quite powerful, but not on the same level as her E1 or E2.
• Heavenward I Leap (E5) - Boosts the potency of Feixiao's Skill and Talent. While the Skill boost is not important, the damage boost to her Talent affects her follow-up attacks, which leads to a nice increase in her overall damage. Still, not worth getting unless you planning to go to her E6.
• Homeward I Near (E6) - This Eidolon is monstrous. Firstly, it turns Feixiao's follow-up DMG into Ultimate DMG, which means her follow-ups now gain full benefits from Ultimate DMG buffs of all types. On top of this, she gains 20% All-type Resistance Penetration, which means she will always deal more damage to all enemy types, at all times. If this wasn't enough, Feixiao's follow-up attacks additionally gain a staggering DMG multiplier increase of 140%, which is stupidly high. Absurd.

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The ferocious Feixiao has finally made her way into full release in Honkai: Star Rail version 2.5. With it, it's time to ask the question that always pops into the mind? of thos??e considering pulling a new character: Is she worth it?

Is Feixiao worth pulling in Honkai: Star Rail?

Feixiao is an extraordinarily powerful character with a lot of easy-to-access damage in her kit. In terms of raw strength, she offers a ton of value to any account, but the amount depends on who else you already own. This is because Feixiao is a follow-up character, and as with most follow-up characters in HSR, they th??rive depending on who they have on their team. With Topaz and Robin being her best teammates by far, thanks to their potent buffs to follow-up attacks, having them on your account ??makes Feixiao an interesting consideration.

Furthermore, Feixiao being a Hunt character means she deals top-tier single-target damage, but a big plus is that her AoE potential isn't all that weak despite her typing. Her follow-up mechanic is rather unique for a follow-up character because, unlike most, her follow-up doe??s not require any special condition to build or activate. An ally hitting an enemy is enough to increase her counter, meaning she is highly versatile and can fit on most teams without much trouble.

That said, despite Feixiao’s solid value, she isn’t a must-pull for a few key reasons. Her biggest drawback is the stiff competition she faces from Firefly and Achero??n. While Feixiao can dish out just as much damage as these two, you don't need to pull for her if you already have one or both. ??Firefly and Acheron are in the same power tier as Feixiao, and her slight edge in single-target damage isn’t enough to justify spending Stellar Jades for such a minor upgrade. This is especially true in AoE-heavy content like Pure Fiction, where Feixiao struggles to compete in any meaningful metric and is far less effective than the aforementioned.

So, should you pull for Feixiao? Is she worth your time and investment? The answer depends on your roster. If you alrea?dy have her ideal teammates, like Topaz and Robin, or if you're missing Firefly and Acheron, she could be a great addition. But, if you're only after her for meta reasons, weigh these factors before committing. Ultimately, if you love her design, go for it! Your enjoyment should b??e the top priority. Just make sure you're certain before pulling the lever.

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With the release of Honkai: Star Rail version 2.4, March 7th's transition into her new path gives players a brand new Hunt character to mess around with. It's an extra?ordinarily unique kit for the path, and perhaps worth checking out even if she's not your usual cup of tea.

If you're eager to ??build Ma?rch 7th in Honkai's 2.4 update, here's everything you need to know to put together the best build for March 7th's Hunt path.

Strongest March 7th Hunt Build in Honkai: Star Rail

March 7th's Hunt path has many typical characteristics of your typical Hunt character, but, thanks to her kit, she can also play similarly to a Harmony character, though admittedly not quite as strong. The strange mesh lands her squarely in the Main DPS Support role, thanks to how her Basic Attack, Skill, Talent, and Ultimate function. Compared to five-star limited characters, March 7th is a little complex, so I need to tal??k more about her kit in detail for clarity.

The core of March 7th's Hunt gameplay revolves around using her skill, Master, It's Tea Time! This turns one of the members of her team into her 'Shifu' and rewards them with a decent speed buff. More importantly, depending on the typing of the character ??March makes her Shifu, she gains one of two potential extra effects:

• If Shifu is Erudition, Destruction, or The Hunt - March deals additional damage that matches the character's element.
• If Shifu is Harmony, Nihility, Preservation, or Abundance - March deals 100% more Toughness Reduction.

On top of these effects, when March 7th makes a target her Shifu, she gains their Element on top of her own, making March 7th a universal unit. If the Shifu is Topaz, March 7th becomes Imaginary and Fire simultaneously.

When her Shifu launches an attack, March gains one charge out of seven. At seven charges (her Talent), she immediately takes action regardless of turn order and can launch an Enhanced Basic Attack. March 7th damage budget is entirely in this Enhanced Basic Attack, and it also rewards her Shifu with 60% CRIT DMG, after it is activated.

March 7th Hunt gains all of her Eidolons for free just by playing her event. Her second Eidolon has a considerable effect on her gameplay, allowing her to launch a Follow-up attack after her Shifu launches an attack. This Follow-up does not deal much damage, but it does provide her with an additional charge for her talent. This is extremely important to be ?aware of when talking about team composition with March 7th. More on that later.

Finally, March 7th's Ultimate deals moderate damage to one target, but greatly improves the effectiveness of her next Enhanced Basic Attac??k?. Generally, you want to ensure she uses her Ultimate before every Enhanced Basic Attack.

Best Relics for March 7th Hunt

March 7th focuses on Basic Attacks for damage, so she only has a few select options in terms of Relics. Her best-in-slot (BiS) is an old favorite, the Musketeer of Wild Wheat set. This set provides additional ATK%, SPD, and, most impor??tantly, Basic ATK damage �?the best stats for March 7th in all situations.

If you don't have that set ready to go, March 7th cares a lot about ATK% in general due to the nature of her kit, so any two sets that provide ATK% for their two-piece bonus are worth considering. You can also use two-piece Wasterlander of Banditry Desert for the additional Imaginary damage bonus.

For her Sphere and Rope set, I highly recommend you run with Rutilant Arena, as it provides March with additional CRIT RATE and a large 20% damage boost to her Basic Attacks as long as she is above 70% CRIT RATE. If you can't get a 70% CRIT RATE, then the universal Inert Salsotto set is always a competitive choice.

Best Team Comp March 7th Hunt

March 7th's Hunt kit is extremely versatile, and it allows her to be run with practically any team comp and be somewhat successful. However, thanks to her second Eidolon, March 7th gets a considerable amount of leverage out of supporting a DPS that can attack very often. With that in mind, the best targets for her Shifu are Topaz, Clara, Yunli, Robin, and Aventurine, all thanks to the frequency of their attacks. Any combination of these characters will make up the Follow-up team comp, her best team.

Topaz is likely March 7th's best teammate because of how her Follow-up attack interacts with Numby. Every time Topaz OR Numby attacks, March 7th gains a Talent charge. March also gains a charge every time she launches a Follow-up attack following Topaz's attack. All of this results in many Enhanced Basic Attacks for March, and a massive 60% CRIT DMG buff for Topaz and Numby.

Clara is also an extremely potent teammate for March thanks to the infinite number of attacks Clara can make, limited ??only by the number of attacks the enemy can land on her. Every single time Clara uses her Follow-up, March gains a charge.

Yunli is in the same boat as Clara for March, providing the same rewards and limitatio?ns on attacks.

Robin is a universal support, but buffs Follow-up attack comps more than others thanks to their attack?? frequencies. With Robin's Ultimate active, all of March 7th's attacks become threatening to the enemy, allowing her (and everyone else on her team) to dish out considerably more damage than normal.?? Also, 100% Advance Forward is a godsent for March.

Aventurine is highly versatile and can be included in any team composition, thanks to his powerful shielding, which significantly benefits March 7th. In teams that don't focus on Follow-up attacks, Aventurine becomes the optimal target for March?'s Shifu. Since Aventurine frequently uses Basic and Follow-up attacks, March continues to benefit from her Talent's Follow-up effect, while Aventurin?e gains a charge from her Follow-up attack. This synergy pairs March and Aventurine in virtually any team without sacrificing their effectiveness

Best Lightcone for March 7th Hunt in Honkai: Star Rail

March 7th has a few strong options in terms of Lightcone choice. Her best Lightcone is In the Night,? which is Seele's signature. It provides her with a massive boost to CRIT Rate, and further provides DMG scaling for her Basic Attacks via SPD (Speed).

Another solid option for March 7th is Worrisome, Blissful, which is Topaz's signature cone. It provides March with an equally large boost to ??CRIT Rate, while also considerably boosting the? DMG of her Follow-up attack. Most importantly, when March uses her Follow-up with this Lightcone equip, she will apply the Tame debuff on targets hit, allowing her allies to deal more CRIT DMG to targets afflicted.

The post Best March 7th Hunt build in Honkai: Star Rail appeared first on Destructoid.

With Honkai: Star Rail version? 2.4, the master of swordplay, Yunli, joins the roster of playable characters as a limited five-star. If you're thinking of pulling her from her banner, or you're jus?t looking for a little insight, here's everything you need to know about building her.

Strongest Yunli Build in Honkai: Star Rail

Yunli is a Physical Destruction character whose central focus revolves around using powerful Follow-up attacks through counters to destroy her foes. From a gameplay perspective, Yunli plays incredibly similarly to Clara. She plays so close to her that anywhere you could slot a Clara on a team, you can, instead, replace with Yunli. Effectively, she is a more powerful version of Clara, with a majority of her weaknesses omitted.

Like Clara, Yunli wants enemies to hit constantly to trigger her Follow-up attacks. However, her unique mechanic is her parry-based Ultimate. Most of her damage comes from this Ultimate and it requires you to 'time' attacks which essentially boils down to ensuring you only invoke her Ultimate when an en??emy is going to attack next in the turn order. The final important aspect you should know about Yunli's Ult is that it is an AoE taunt?, which means she is fantastic at protecting her allies while dishing out incredible damage.

In conclusion, Yunli is a really simple character to pick up and play and she offers a lot despite asking so little of you. Once again, if you've played Clara at all, t?hen you're almost entirely aware of how to play Yunli as well.

Best Relics for Yunli

Seeing as nearly all of Yunli's damage comes from her Follow-up attacks, she only has two actual Relic options you should consider. Her best-in-slot (BiS) set is The Wind-Soaring Valorous set as it provides her with additional ATK%, boosted Follow-up damage, and increased Ultimate damage. It is a simple set compared to many others in Honkai: Star Rail, but that doesn't make it any less potent.

Her secondary option is The Ashblazing Grand Duke set, which focuses much more on boosting Follow-up damage. What's unique about this set for Yunli is that the 4-piece requires a Follow-up to hit multiple times in a single instan??ce to get the maximum benefit from it, which her Ultimate counters can consistently deliver. While this is not the best set for Yunli, it is still an extremely competitive option, especially if you have great sub-stats.

As for Yunli's Sphere and Rope set, she also has two solid options. Her BiS is easily Duran, Dynasty of Running Wolves, as it provides her with larg?e bonuses to Follow-up attacks. Just make sure you're running her with another Follow-up attacker (like Topaz or Aventurine), to gain the ??full benefit from it.

Her secondary recommended set is the ever-competitive Inert Salsotto. This set provides a solid boost to Ultimate and Follow-up? attack damage while providing a healthy dose of additional CRIT RATE o?n top.

Best Team Comp Yunli

As mentioned earlier, Yunli can be slotted anywhere you could or would have used a Clara. Knowing t??his, there are two team compositions I can re?commend to you.

The first is Robin, Topaz, and Aventurine. These three characters make up the primer Follow-up team comp currently in Honkai: Star Rail. In this comp, Yunli would be replacing Dr. Ratio, which is a positive in my book thanks to Ratio's extreme focus on single-target DPS. She is extremely effective no matter ?how many enemies are ?on screen, and she still does comparable (if not greater in most cases) damage.

Robin on this comp gives?? Yunli ?and the rest of her team a large, unconditional DMG buff while also providing a constant supply of full-team Advance Fowards through her Ultimate. She is by far Yunli's best teammate.

Topaz buffs the potency of all of Yunli's Follow-up?? attacks, including her Ultimate. Topaz, being a Hunt character, also brings considerable single-target damage to the comp, helping Yunli mop up enemies with ease.

Aventurine helps keep Yunli alive through his incredible shields while also dishing out?? solid amounts of damage thanks to the frequency of his Follow-up attacks on this comp.

The second team focuses on buffing Yunli as the Hypercarry on the team, ensuring she has everything she needs at all times. This comp involves using Tingyan, Huohuo, and Robin.

Tingyan provides Yunli with a powerful DMG b?uff and helps her generate energy to keep her Ultimates ??flowing.

Huohuo also provides Yunli with more damage through her buff, while also generating energy. Addition??ally, seeing as she Abundance, she is exceptional at keeping Yunli alive and well-cleased.

Robin provides the largest DMG buff between the three, while also providing a consistent full-team Advance Forward through her Ultimate. This means that both Tingyan and Huohuo generate more energy for Yunli.

Should you get Yunli's Lightcone in Honkai: Star Rail?

If you're planning to pull Yunli, get her Lightcone. Dance at Sunset does a lot of the standard stuff you'd expect a signature Lightcone to do, but its core benefit is the massively increased Taunt Value it gives Yunli. While it is equipped, she is considerably more likely to be attacked by enemies in normal gameplay, meaning she lands more counteratta??cks and genera??tes more energy. More energy means more Ultimate counters, which means more overall damage.

While you can get by using something else, Dance at Sunset's Taunt Value boost is much too valuable for ?Yunli for me to recommend any others. Oh, and it's also really strong on Clara because Yunli and Clara play almost the same. Go figure.

Best Eidolons for Yunli in Honkai: Star Rail

Yunli is an extremely strong character at E0 and hardly needs Eidolons to function??. Her Lightcone is more important than any of her Eidolons, but if you're still planning to pull for some, E??2 is a good stopping point. Here are all of her Eidolons for your reference.

• Weathered Blade Does Not Sully (E1) �?Provides a large DMG boost to Yunli's Ultimate counter while also allowing it to strike three additional times on a single cast. Very strong, very good.
• First Luster Breaks Dawn (E2) - Yunli's counters will ignore 20% of a target's defense at all times. Very simple, but also strong. Best stopping point
• Mastlength Twirls Mountweight (E3) - Yunli's Ultimate counters will do more damage due to the extra ranks it gets. Solid Eidolon through rather basic.
• Artisans Ironsong (E4) - After using a counter, Yunli gains 50% Effect Resistance. Honestly, this one is pretty worthless as your support should be taking of this anyway. A proper team comp will never see this Eidolon be useful. Bad.
• Blade of Old Outlasts All (E5) - Boosts Talent level which means stronger counters. Good, but not worth investing in unless you're going to E6.
• Walk in Blade, Talk in Zither (E6) - This Eidolon effectively removes the 'Parry' mechanic from Yunli's gameplay while also boosting the damage of all of her counters considerably. That said, as far as E6's go, think one is a bit lackluster compared to others.

The post Honkai: Star Rail Best Yunli Build appeared first on Destructoid.

The contract-loving IPC agent, Jade, has finally made the transition from NPC to a playable character in Honkai: Star Rail. If you already?? own or are considering pulling for her, here's the best build you use to make her shine.

Strongest Jade Build in Honaki: Star Rail

Jade is an Erudition Quantum character that focuses heavily on dishing out large amounts of AoE (Area of Effect) damage through her Basic and Follow-up attacks. You read that correctly: Jade is the first character in Honkai: Star Rail to feature a non-enhanced Basic attack with an AoE component. This signifies the focal point of AoE damage in her playstyle. Jade needs this AoE Basic and her unique skill, Acquistion Surety, t?o help her meet the requirements to launch her Follow-up attack, the most import??ant aspect of her kit.

Acquisition Surety is a buffing skill that applies the target with a solid SPD (Speed) buff and a secondary buff called Debt Collector. When the designated Debt Collector attacks, Jade gains a stack toward her Follow-up attack based on the number of targets hit. Jade needs eight total stacks to launch her Follow-up, Ideally, the Debt Collector should be a character who can constantly hit several targets at once so Jade can build up stacks quickly. Jade can apply Debt Collector to herself in the worst-case scenario, but this is not ideal. Finally, Jade's Ultimate, Vow of the Deep, damages all enemies on the field and enhance??s the next two Follow-ups she uses.

Jade's sing??le target damage is poor which is her greatest weakness, and no amou??nt of gear investment will fix this issue. However, an Eidolon does significantly improve performance, but I'll get that shortly.

Best Relics for Jade

Jade is a relatively straightforward character, especially when compared to several of the more recently released ones. Jade is an AoE Follow-up attacker, first and foremost, so it is ideal to gear her toward her specific niche. For Relics, I highly recommend using The Ashblazing Grand Duke 4-piece set. Both compon??ents of the set empower her Follow-up atta?cks nicely.

For her Planetary Set, Duran, Dynasty of Running Wolves is her ideal so long as you are using another Follow-up attacker with her to gain the actual effect. This set is useless if she is not running with another Follow-up character. In this scenario, Inert Salsotto is always a sol??id fallback that is always active no matter the situation or team composition. Speaking of which...

Best Team Comp for Jade

Jade needs to play with characters that deal AoE damage, or attack often so she quickly gains her Follow-up stacks. Her best team compositions focus heavily on these two factors making her best teammates Blade, Robin, and Aventurine. Additionally, characters like Clara, Herta, and Himeko provide signifi?cant advantages to her ?in the right game mode.

Blade has?? a?? unique synergy with Jade because the Debt Collector loses a small amount of HP every time they attack. This is, naturally, a large benefit for Blade, which is why Blade is her best pairing by far. Since Blade also has an AoE Follow-up attack himself, Blade rewards Jade with several stacks every time he uses it.

Robin is a natural benefit to practically every team in Honkai: Star Rail, and that does not change for Jade. Robin's 1??00% Turn Forward Ultimate helps Jade get more stack??s, regardless of who is the Debt Collector. Her teamwide buffs also benefit Jade in every regard.

Aventurine is often a ?very strong target for Jade's Debt Collector because of how frequently he is able to make use of his own Follow-up attack, which is also a mass AoE. Every time it's used, Jade gains stacks, while Jade remains protected due to his incredible shielding.

Clara is a great target for Debt Collector because she can use her Follow-up attack every time she ??is attacked, which rewards Jade with stacks. When Clara's Ultimate is active, she will give Jade even more sta?cks per attack.

Hertha/Himeko are both incredibly strong characters for Jade if you're playing Pure Fiction because of how often?? they can attack every single enemy on the screen—the perfect recipe for Debt Collector.

Should you get Jade's Lightcone in Honkai: Star Rail?

While I won't say that Jade requires her Lightcone, I do highly recommend grabbing it if you can. Her Lightcone, Yet Hope is Priceless, provides a slew of va??luable stats that greatly improve her performance, including CRIT Rate, Follow-up Attack damage, and Defense Shred. With it, she becomes far easier to build, which may be worth it alone?.

If you don't want to grab her Lightcone, then Himeko's signature Night on the Milky Way can be a functional alterna??tive, ??though not nearly as good.

Best Eidolons for Jade in Honkai: Star Rail

While Jade is functional without any of her Eidolons, they make her significantly more powerful in all regards including effectively eliminating her single target weakness. If you're planning to nab a few, then know that her E1, E4, and E6 are all significant boosts to her performance. A strong stopping point is E1, however, due to it being the Eidol??on that fixes her core limitations.

• Altruism? Nevertheless Tradable (E1) - Jade's Follow-up damage is greatly improved, and she always receives a minimum of three stacks toward her Follow-up counter, regardless of the number of targets hit. This means that Jade no longer suffers against single-target encounters which is monstrous for the design of her standard kit. She also will just do more damage with this Eidolon. Very, very strong.
• Morality? Herein Authenticated (E2) - When Jade has 15 stacks of Pawned Asset, her CRIT Rate is boosted by 18%. Pawned Asset is an extra buff Jade gets automatically by playing normally. The CRIT Rate buff is pretty nice, but a proper build won't have issues with CRIT anyway.
• Honestly? Soon Mortgaged (E3) - A buff to her Skill and Talent, which means a buff to her Follow-up attack. This is a good Eidolon on the way to reaching E4.
• Sincerity? Put Option Only (E4) - Jade ignores 12% of any enemies she hits after using her Ultimate. This lasts for three turns following the Ultimate. While this may seem meager on paper, remember that Follow-up attacks can happen in between turns. With enough stacks being fed, this Eidolon will make Jade do significantly more damage overall.
• Hope? Hitherto Forfeited (E5) - Boosts to Jade's Ultimate and Basic attacks. Nice, but far from required. A stepping stone.
• Equity? Pending Sponsorship (E6) - Jade gains 20% Quantum Resistance Penetration and always has the Debt Collector status. This Eidolon massively improves the frequency of Jade's Follow-up attacks because, with it, she can increase her stacks while still having Debt Collector on another teammate. Her overall damage will skyrocket with this.

The post Honkai: Star Rail – Best Jade build appeared first on Destructoid.

As of Honkai: Star Rail version 2.3, Firefly and Acheron are widely considered to be the best DPS carry characters in the e??ntire game. However, there must always be a 'strongest' character, and between these two, one has to wonder which?? sits at the mountaintop.

Is Firefly stronger than Acheron in Honkai: Star Rail?

The answer to this very divisive question is actually rather nuanced. Several factors and variables will determine which is the strongest for you. In a vacuum, with both characters sitting at E0, I'd say that Firefly is stronger t??han Acheron. Allow me to explain my reasoning.

Firefly at E0 has a lot going for her despite her E1 and E2 further boosting her to heavenly heights. She is capable of ridiculous amounts of damage and is very easy to build due to not caring about CRIT-based stats. One key aspect that makes Firefly so powerful is her extreme focus on Break Damage. With such a focal point, Firefly makes use of the best Harmony character in Honkai: Star Rail, Ruan Mei.

However, this is also a key detriment because Firefly must always Break her enemies to be useful in a fight. While few and far between currently, there are scenarios where an enemy(s) can become immune to Breaks. There's a very real chance these situations can become more common, and if they appear in any? of the endgame modes, Firefly will be in a lot of trouble.

At E0, Acheron requires two Nihility teammates to perform at her best. Not only that, but Acheron also wants constant DEF Shred debuffs up on her targets at all times. This makes Nihility characters such Pela and Black Swan her ideal teammates. Her 'two Nihility' requirement limits her team composition a lot, but she still has more options than Firefly does. Acheron requires a lot more investment to get going, and it's often weaker than a mid-level invested Firefly due to her focus being on Break. In most cases, an E0 Acheron will deal less damage than an E0 Firefly if she can Break.

When you start throwing Eidolons into the mix, this is where Acheron improves considerably more in contrast to Firefly, especially ?in the latter half of the spectrum. Both F?irefly and Acheron have extremely powerful E2s that are game-changers, but I'd say that Firefly is still stronger due to her E2 granting her free extra turns. Acheron's E2 just lessens the Nihility requirement by one, which is a big deal. However, it cannot compete at all with more freebie turns.

At E4, Acheron begins to close the gap due to the increased Ultimate damage she gets. Since her Ultimate is completely reliant on debuff application, is a majority of her damage, and can, therefore, be used very often in normal battle scenarios, we can sort of treat it like her getting extra turns. It still isn't the same, but it's worth considering. Firefly's E4 is nearly useless and does not affect how potent she is. What still puts Firefly ahead of Acheron is her ability to apply Weakness Vulnerability to any foes she is facing. Firefly is always optimal and universal against any enemy for this reason, wher?eas Acheron is not.

Once Acheron and Firefly reach E6, however, Acheron is the clear winner. Firefly's E6 greatly boosts her ability to Break enemies, which is fantastic. However, Acheron E6 is among the strongest in all of Honkai: Star Rail. Her E6 makes her a universal DPS like Firefly, allowing her to become optimal against any enemy without having to apply any sort of weakness. Going further beyond, Acheron's E6 also dramatically boosts the damage of her entire kit by turning it all into Ultimate Damage. This means all of her traces and gear that buff her Ultimate, now buff her entire kit. Firefly does not compete anymore at this point.

In summary, Firefly wins against Acheron until they both reach E6. For the average player, Firefly will do more work, but both characters are still insanely strong and sit at the top of all the others regardless of their Eidolons. You need two teams to conquer Honkai: Star Rail's e?ndgame, so having them both is no??thing short of a boon for your account.

The post Is Firefly stronge??r than Acheron in Honkai: Star Rail? appeared first on Destructoid.

With Honkai: Star Rail's version 2.3 release comes the much anticipated Firefly as the newest character. Firefly's extreme popularity means you're probably going ??to get her as well, so here's how you can build her up to be as strong as possible.

Strongest Firefly Build in Honkai: Star Rail

Firefly is a Fire Destruction character whose main role in a party is to deal massive amounts of damage. As a Destruction character, s??he excels in Blast-heavy scenarios (fights with three or fewer enemies), but she is very capable of dealing with everything the game has to offer... with a big catch. More on that later.

Firefly is a Hypercarry, meaning she is best served by her team rather than having others try to DPS alongside her. This is because she is entirely focused on dealing Break Damage, and?? this aspect is both a massive p?ro and con at the same time in practically all aspects of her gameplay.

This is no exaggeration, as Firefly deals almost no damage when an enemy isn't broken. All of her initial contributions to a team before a break comes from her immense amount of Toughness damage. When a Break does occur??, Firefly's damage switches on, and her Hypercarry role comes into effect.

To ensure Firefly is able to perform her role soundly, she applies Fire Weakness to her foes using her Technique and by activating her Ultimate, which also places her in the Complete Combustion state. This state is where FIrefly will dish out the majority of her damage, but it has a large energy cost to be concerned about. Fortunately, Firefly's Skill in her normal state provides her with a massive influx of energy every time it is used, meaning that she can use her Ultimate and enter the Complete Combustion state every two turns, on average. Firefly can also perform Super Breaks, which ar?e Breaks with significant da??mage behind them based on the Break Effect stat.

Despite Firefly being a hypercarry character, she does not use CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG in any regard. These stats are almost entirely useless on her and there is not a practical benefit to stacking either one like you would any other carry. Instead, Firefly wants ATK%, SPD, and Break Effect as her main stats.

• ATK% - Firefly has a trace that turns ATK% into Break Effect, making it a valuable stat for her.
• SPD - Firefly wants to be as fast as possible as Hypercarry so that she can get additional turns within combat cycles
• Break Effect - Her main stat, Firefly wants as much of this stat as she can get, as it scales up her damage via Breaks and Super Breaks.

Focus on these stats effectively means that Firefly is much easier to build than most characters. Now, let's talk abou??t gearing her up for combat.

Best Relics for Firefly

As far as Relic sets go, Firefly really only has one 'best' option and that is the new Iron Cavalry Against the Scourge set introduced in the 2.3 update. This set gives her a significant amount of Break Effect, her main stat, but also provides a very healthy amount of Defense Shread for her Breaks and Super Breaks. You can farm this set from the Cavern of Corrosion: Path of Cavalier.

For Firefly's Planet set, I highly recommend you run the new Forge of the Kalpagni Lantern set as it provides her with additional SPD and gives her an obscene amount of additional Break Effect when attacking enemies with Fire Weakness. Since she can apply Fire Weakness to her foes herself, this is a no-brainer. You can farm this set from the new Divergent Universe added with version 2.3.

Much like Boothill, Firefly craves Break Effect, so try to get as much of as possible on her gear. This includes using Break Effect rope over anything else. Also hunt for SPD and ATK% as well, as both stats provide si??gnificant enough improvement to Firefly to be worth the investment.

Best Team Comp for Firefly

Remember that catch I mentioned earlier? Well, it's time to talk about it here. Firefly, on her own, is a very weak Hypercarry despite everything I talked about above. She relies, heavily, on teammates that can prop her up to be at her best, and is literally non-functional unless she is run with very specific teammates. Those teammates are Harmony Trailblazer, Ruan Mei, and Gallagher.

Harmony Trailblazer is a requirement for Firefly to be viable, as they provide her with an utterly massive boost to her Super Break damage. This is not an exaggeration: Firefly deals over 50% less damage without H??armony Trailblazer on her team. If you're planning to run Firefly, you must use this character. It is non-negotiable.

Ruan Mei is also a requirement for Firefly to be functional, for semi-obvious reasons. Ruan Mei's ability to dramatically boost Toughness Damage means that Firefly can pretty much Break enemies twice as fast. On top of that, Ruan Mei forces broken enemies to stay broken longer, meaning Firefly can dish out more damage. Finally, Ruan Mei's universal DMG buff also applies to Firefly. Like with Harmony Trailblazer, you should not run Firefly without Ruan Mei.

Gallagher is Firefly's ideal support in that he helps her Break her targets and provides sustain to the team. Unlike the above-mentioned characters, Gallagher can be substituted for HuoHuo, but he is by far the b?est option to have on her team.

Firefly's overdependence on her team is a large detriment as it means she cannot be placed into any other team and be even remotely effe?ctive. Trying to run Firefly without Harmony Trailblazer, Ruan Mei, and Gallagher is an exercise in futility and a recipe for disastrous results from her.

Should you pull Firefly's Lightcone in Honkai: Star Rail?

Despite Firefly's team composition woes, she does not require her Lightcone to be functional. While her Lightcone, Whereabouts Should Dreams Rest, is her best option, On the Fall of an Aeon is an extr??emely strong alternative that provides Firefly with a large boost in ATK%. ATK% is largely converted into Break Effect for Firefly, which is why it works so well with her. The difference between the two cones is relatively small, so I don't recommend pulling Firefly's signature if you have Aeon available for her to use.

Best Eidolons for Firefly in Honkai: Star Rail

While Firefly is a viable character right out of the box at E0, her E1 and E2 are absurdly strong Eidolons that, if you're planning to get copies for her, are worth going for if you can. E2 is the best stopping point, but here are all of Firefly's Eidolons sum??marized for your reference.

• In Reddened Chrysalis, I Once Rest (E1) - Firefly's Skill, while in the Complete Combustion state, ignores 15% of her target's DEF and the Skill no longer consumes Skill Points. The DEF ignore is strong, but the real value of this Eidolon is the removal of the Skill Point cost. This makes her entire team more functional to play as Firefly becomes far more Skill Point-friendly.
• From Shattered Sky, I Free Fall (E2) - When using Firefly's Basic attack or Skill while in the Complete Combustion state to defeat or Break an enemy, Firefly gains an additional turn, which can only be triggered once per turn. This Eidolon is insane, and I'd argue it is more potent than her E6. Firefly will almost always Break her targets, meaning she will almost always get an additional turn, every turn. Insane.
• Amidst Silenced Stars, I Deep Sleep (E3) - Provides a boost to Firefly's Skill and Basic Attack damage. It's fine. Nothing special.
• Upon Lighted Fyrefly, I Soon Gaze (E4) - Provides Firefly 50% Effect Resistance while she is in her Complete Combustion state. This is her worst Eidolon as it provides nothing to boost her damage.
• From Undreamt Night, I Thence Shine (E5) - Boosts the damage of her Skill and Talent. Strong overall, but a stepping stone to her final Eidolon.
• In Finalized Morrow, I Full Bloom (E6) - Effectively, this provides Firefly a Ruan Mei level increase to her Break Efficiency alongside an additional 20% Fire Resistance Penetration. This allows Firefly to drop Ruan Mei for another teammate though I wouldn't recommend doing so as Ruan Mei's 50% stacks with this. While this is undoubtedly a strong Eidolon, I don't think it is worthy of being an E6.

The post Honkai: Star Rail Best Firefly Build appeared first on Destructoid.

Honkai: Star Rail version 2.3 sees the arrival of the fan-favorite, Firefly, and another IPC debt collector, Jade. Both characters certainly have a lot of appeal to consider pulling for, but if you ca?n ??only grab one, which should you?

Should you pull for Firefly or Jade in Honkai: Star Rail 2.3?

The decision between pulling for Firefly and Jade won't be a difficult one for most people. Firefly has been a part of the Penacony storyline since 2.0, meaning players have had a lot more time to get to know her and witness her actions in the story. Jade, on the other hand, has only been seen in a flashback and mentioned/heard everywhere else, but she hasn't actually done anything noteworthy as of yet. That will likely change for 2.3, but regardless, she hasn't had a chance to resonate with the playerbase. So, from a story standpoint, Firefly is the better pull. H?owever, if you're asking this question from a meta-perspective, here's some fat to chew ?on.

Firefly

Firefly is a Fire Destruction character with a hard focus on dealing Break Damage consistently. On a team, she primarily serves as the hypercarry and will struggle to function outside this role. The reason is because of her hyper-focus on Break Damage and how that affects her potential team comps. You see, Firefly does not deal any meaningful damage if the target is not broken or cannot be broken. She is entirely reliant on breaking her enemies, and this is a massive negative for her gameplay despite her being extremely good at it. The negative aspect here means she really only has one team comp she can use: Ruan Mei, Harmony MC, and Gallagher.

Firefly without the above-mentioned comp is extraordinarily weak, again, because of her focus on Break Damage. All three characters help Firefly perform, and omitting even one of them means your Firefly will be considerably weaker. Ruan Mei, especially, is an utterly massive boost to Firefly's performance that cannot be ignored. I'd go as far as to say that if you don't have Ruan Mei, you should not pull Firefly. You're better off using a different character if you can't?? pull Ruan Mei. Fortunately, her banner will be rerun in 2.3. Unfortunately, you'll have to pull two five-star characters to make Firefly's comp viable.

If you already have Ruan Mei and the rest of the mentioned team comp, Firefly is an absolute powerhouse that will let you destroy everything in the game. Ruan Mei provides Firefly with a significant boost to Break Damage. Harmony MC grants Firefly the ability to perform Super Breaks, which will scale extremely well with her. Gallagher supports FIrefly with his healing and also helps her break her targets with his own contributions. This team comp is one of the strongest ones in Honkai: Star Rail... if you can get all the pieces together.

Jade

Jade is a Quantum Erudition character with a significant focus on dishing out large amounts of AOE (Area of Effect) damage. She is a Follow-up attack character, and her kit functions entirely with that aspect in mind. Jade is mainly a sub-DPS that applies an SPD and ATK buff called Debt Collector on the target ??of her Skill, at the cost of their health every time they perform an attack. When Jade or the target of her Debt Collector attacks a target, she gains charges equal to the number of targets hit, up to a maximum of eight. When Jade has eight charges, her Follow-up attack activates, dealing significant damage Quantum damage to all enemies on the field. Jade's Ultimate deals AOE damage and empowers her Follow-up attacks.

With the most important aspects of her kit in mind, Jade greatest weakness is her focus on AOE damage, or rather, the need to hit as many targets as possible every turn. In fights with large amounts of enemies, Jade flourishes and soundly sweeps her foes. However, in low enemy count encounters, her damage suffers greatly. This aspect alone is enough not to pull for Jade, as most of the difficult encounters in Honkai: Star Rail are three targets or less. In a single-target fight, Jade does not perform well due to her lower-than-average multipliers and her inability to gain more tha??n two stacks per cycle (?one for herself and one from the Debt Collector target).

However, if you need a character to help you clear Pure Fiction, Jade is a top-tier character and you may want to consider pulling her. Since Pure Fiction is an end-game mode that is difficult to clear without AOE, getting a character like Jade and building her up will naturally help you a lot in that aspect. With Pure Fiction, Memory of Chaos, and the new Apocalyptic Shadow cycling as endgame modes starting in version 2.3, it is a good idea to? consider Jade for Pure Fiction every time it comes up.

Utimately, I consider both Firefly and Jade to be niche pulls in the grand scheme of the universe that is Honkai: Star Rail. Both characters are extremely powerful in their roles, but only under the correct circumstances, which is why I don't consider either one a must-pull. If I had to pick one, the safest character to pull is Firefly as long as you already have Ruan M??ei. While I am a huge fan of Follow-up team comps, Jade's contributions to ??the already immensely powerful Topaz, Dr. Ratio. Robin, and Aventurine team serve no meaningful purpose beyond replacing Dr. Ratio in AOE-heavy encounters. I also believe her true role has yet to be uncovered, much like Topaz's role wasn't until future characters were released to improve her performance.

The post Firefly vs ??Jade: Best character to pull in Honkai Star Rail 2.3 appeared first on Destructoid.

Honkai: Star Rail's certified intergalactic cowboy, Boothill, has finally made his debut, and he comes with a unique kit ??strikingly different from standard DPS.

If you're looking to build up the Galaxy Ranger, here's everything you need to know about Boothill, including some of the best Relic sets and team compositions for Honkai : Star Rail's new DPS.

Strongest Boothill Build in Honkai: Star Rail

Boothill is a Physical Hunt character whose main role is to dish out as much damage as he possibly can. He is the very definition of a 'Hypercarry' and investment into him turns him into one of the strongest single-target DPS characters in the game. However, what makes him stand out from his carry brethren is his focus on Break Damage, to dish out the pain.

Boothill is Honkai: Star Rail's first duelist character, which functions like a Taunt when he uses his Skill on a target. This Standoff state forces the target to only attack him, and he gains several bonuses against said target. When an enemy dies to him or has their Break Bar depleted during a Standoff, Boothill gains access to an Empowered Basic attack called Pocket Trickshot that deals increased Break damage, and bonus damage to broken targets. To close out his kit, his Ultimate and Technique apply Physical Weakness on the select target meaning Boothill is a universal carry and can face any enemy in the game without issue.

Despite Boothill being a Hunt carry type of character, he uniquely does not care much for CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG. He is almost entirely focused on Break Effect and relies on Physical Breaks for most of his DPS. Thanks to his Trace, Ghost Load, he gains CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG just by stacking up his Break Effect, meaning he's significantly easier to build than every other carry in the game. How much Break Effect does Boothill need? Well, as much as you can get. Even though his Ghost Load trace ??does cap out, Break Ef??fect generally does not. With that understanding, let's talk about how to build up this gunslinger's gear.

Best Relics for Boothill

Boothill wants as much Break Effect as he can get, so his best Relic set is the Thief of Shooting Meteor. Both of its effects provide a significant increase to his Break Effect, making it the self-explanatory choice. You can farm out this set by running Cavern of Corrsion: Path of Jabbing Punch.

For his Sphere and Robe set, I highly recommend you run Talia: Kingdom of Banditry, as it provides yet another significant boost to his Break Effect stat, provided you can reach the required 145 SPD to activate its secondary effects. You'll need to farm the Simulated Universe to obtain this set, specifically World 4.

Remember that Boothill needs all the Break Effect you can give him, so aim for substats with Break Effect as well. CRIT and CRIT DMG are not terrible on him, but far from ideal. ATK% is a moderately good choice of stat to get for him as well. Finally, as with any Hypercarry in Honkai: Star Rail, you want t?o make? sure you stack a ton of Speed so that he gets multiple turns per turn cycle.

Best Team Comp Boothill

Boothill thrives off additi??onal turns and characters that buff Breaks since he should be treated as the sole carry on his team. His greatest weakness is his focus on single target, which means you want to give him as many turns to act as possible to make up for this. With that in mind, his most favored teammates are characters that, naturally, support these two requirements of his. Ruan Mei, Bronya, and Gallagher are his best allies.

Ruan Mei is the ideal Break Harmony support for Boothill, as she helps him shred enemy Break Bars faster, and provides him increase?d up-time on enemies that are already broken. She also deals significant damage of her own, if built well, to enemies that are broken, which pairs exceptionally well with Boothill's insane damage output. Finally, Ruan Mei flat out provides a massive damage buff through her Skill that remains helpful for Boothill as it does for any other carry.

Bronya is Boothills ideal secondary Harmony support as she provides him with additional turns with no necessa??ry investment. Bronya also provides a DMG Buff when she utilizes her Skill on Boothill, which helps a bit? with his damage.

Gallagher is his ideal Abundance support of choice because he contributes a significant amount of Break damage to assist Boothill in shattering Break bars. He also has a d??ebuff that amplifies the ??Break damage an enemy is dealt, further favoring Boothill.

You can also run Harmony Trailblazer, in place of Bronya for the Super Break effect that is unique to them. However, you wi?ll be missing out on extra turns from Bronya, which I don't think is worth the loss.

Should you get Boothill's Lightcone in Honkai: Star Rail?

If you are planning on pulling Boothill, then I do recommend you pull his Lightcone, Sailing Towards a Second Life, as well. The difference between his signature Lightcone an?d the second-best option is honestly massive, and I cannot imagine making good use of Boothill without it. It provides Boothill with the colossal damage output he needs to do his job as a Hypercarry, and if you don't get it, you're better off focusing on other characters for the role. It is what it is.

Best Eidolons for Boothill in Honkai: Star Rail

Boothill is a complete character at E0 as long as you have his Lightcone. However, if you're interested in pulling som??e of his Eidolons to make him stronger, here's an overview of them for your reference. E2 is the best stopping point if you're planning on pulling.

• Dust Trail's Lone Star (E1) �?When a battle starts, Boothill gains one stack of Pocket Trickshot. When he deals damage to an enemy, he ignores 16% of the enemy's Defense. This is a rather strong E1, as it gives him a significant boost to his upfront Break and normal damage at the start of a fight. The faster Boothill can Break, the stronger he will be. Good Eidolon.
• Milestonemonger (E2) - When in Standoff and gaining Pocket Trickshot, Boothill restores one Skill Point and increases his Break Effect by 30%. This effect lasts for two turns in total. This Eidolon is a massive increase to his overall performance (Break and Damage), as he gains an entire Relic's worth of Break Damage. Oh, and here's a free Skill Point back for that Skill you used. Insane. A good stopping point for Eidolons.
• Marble Orchard's Guard (E3) - Damage boost to Ultimate and Basic Attack. Boothill's Ultimate hits like a tank shell and increased scaling on it is not a bad thing. Not required, however.
• Cold Cuts Chef (E4) - Enemies caught in a Standoff with Boothill receive 12% increased damage. Boothill offsets 12% of damage taken from enemies in his Standoff. This is a decent strong Eidolon as it allows Boothill to amplify the damage a target takes from all sources. However, since Boothill favors being the lone carry on his team, it isn't all that useful for team support. He, however, still gains the benefit, making it a solid E4.
• Stump Speech (E5) - Damage boost to Skill and Talent. Considering that Boothill's Skill and Talent is where a majority of his damage (outside of Break) comes from, this is a very strong Eidolon to have for him.
• Crowbar Hotel's Racoon (E6) - Basically, this makes the Break Damage caused by Boothill's Talent deal an astronomical amount of additional damage beyond the standard effect. Literally broken.

The post Best builds for Boothill in Honkai: Star Rail appeared first on Destructoid.

Many mobile games offer hundreds and even thousands of hours of game time without requiring players to spend a dime on it, unless they want to. The 10 best free mobile games players can play right now in 2024 on Android and iOS devices offer content, quality, and worlds worth experiencing wi??thout the necessity to pay to enjoy them.

With a focus on games across various genres and styles, these are the 10 best free mobile ga?mes worth your attention in 2024.

Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact shows the true potential of mobile gaming in 2024 with its continuous updates that improve and expand upon the massive world of Teyvat. There is always a new character to collect, region to explore, and events to partake in. And the best part is most of this is totally free to pursue. The gameplay feels a step above most mobile games, with each playable character having unique powers and th??e gorgeous cel-shaded, anime-style world.

Pokémon Go

Many years after its unmatched released, Pokémon Go is still going strong with new seasons and frequent releases of new Pokémon to collect. The formula remains the same of walking around the rea??????????????????????????l world to find, catch, and evolve Pokémon. However, raids, various limited-time events, new shiny Pokémon, and more mean this is the best time to check out this game.

Among Us

There is still nothing quite like the mobile game phenomenon that is Among Us. The eternal battle between the crew mates and completing their tasks versus the shadowy imposters is a simple but timeless formula?. Whether it is investigating to figure out who the killers are or trying y?our best to cover your bloody tracks, this is one of the best mobile multiplayer experiences available today.

Marvel Snap

Marvel Snap blends together two of the most compelling?? ideas for a mobile game: Marvel superheroes and card-battling. Each match only lasts a few minutes with some of the fastest pacing in the genre, which ensures there is the right mix of challenge and excitement. It is just accessible enough, too, to welcome anyone even if?? you've never played a card game like this before.

Honkai: Star Rail

The other main free mobile game from HoYoVerse is certainly worth a look, even if you aren’t into Genshin Impact. While the style and characters feel quite similar, Honkai: Star Rail trades whimsical fantasy for widespread galactic exploration. In addition, the strategic turn-base?d RPG combat mi??ght be more appealing to those looking for a mobile game with depth but not nearly as demanding.

Roblox

No mobile game in 2024 carries the level of freedom and content as Roblox. Think of any genre or gameplay experience and Roblox likely has it with surprising quality at the same time. Classic games like Murder Mystery 2 let players sus out and defeat the murderer alongside games like Natural Disaster Survival tasks players with staying alive amidst tsunamis and wildfires. There are also newer Roblox experiences these days, such as the incredible Ancient Egypt Roleplay wher?e players st??art as a peasant and work their way up to pharaoh.

Brawl Stars

Brawl Stars is the latest creation from the makers of Clash of Clans. While it carries the lovable, colorful art style of the studio’s other games, this particul?ar mobile title has a compelling blend of a top-down shooter with the gameplay hook of a MOBA. There are seven different game modes to ?choose from, including Team Deathmatch-like experiences, objective-based modes, and more.

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile

The beauty of Warzone Mobile is how it sacrifices almost nothing to bring a pure Call of Duty battl??e royale experience to Android and iOS. Out of all of the various first-person shooters on mobile, this is the one that feels the closest to console and PC FPS gamepl?ay. Besides its connection to the other games in the franchise with shared progression, it also includes the return of the beloved Verdansk battle royale map.

Wuthering Waves

The newest contender in the open-world mobile action RPG genre may look like Genshin Impact and carry the same gacha-style mechanics, but Wuthering Waves sets itself apart in terms of its gameplay. The combat centers around Echoes, which players collect from enemies around the world to unlock unique ??skills and temporary transformations??. While it had a rough launch, its movement and combat remain exceptional.

Old School RuneScape

Yes, an entire MMORPG exists on mobile for players to check out for free on Android and iOS. This is the exact same RuneScape fans may remember from their childho??od but revamped to work with a mobile control scheme. Moving your character around the world and engaging in the slow-paced but methodical combat feels great. Plus, it offers some?? of the best gameplay variety from its quests to PvP to just sitting around hacking at the same trees all day.

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Many talented Honkai Star Rail English voice actors portray the characters you know and love. The male protagonist Caelus is voiced by Caleb Yen, who has lent their talents to Genshin Impact, Eiyiden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Even more wait in t??he wings of this gacha-fu??eled RPG.

All of the Honkai Star Rail English Voice Actors So Far

Honkai Star Rail's cast of characters continues to grow as developer MiHoYo keeps adding content to the gacha title. We'll try our best to keep this list of English cast members updated as the months and years pass by. As of the time of writing, here are all of the Honkai Star Rail voice actors so far, according to Behind The Voice Actors:

• Caelus - Caleb Yen
• Stelle - Rachel Chau
• March 7th - Skyler Davenport
• Dan Heng - Nicholas Leung
• Himeko - Cia Court
• Welt - Corey Landis
• Arlan - Dani Chambers
• Asta and Hook - Felicia Angelle
• Herta - Patty Mattson
• Silver Wolf - Melissa Fahn
• Kafka - Cheryl Texiera
• Bronya - Madeline Reiter
• Pela - Xanthe Huynh
• Gepard - Bryson Baugus
• Serval - Natalie Van Sistine
• Seele - Molly Zhang
• Natasha - Elizabeth Maxwell
• Sampo - Roger Rose
• Clara - Emily Sun
• Svarog - DC Douglas
• Bailu - Su Ling Chan
• Qingque - Bryn Apprill
• Jing Yuan - Alejandro Saab
• Sushang - Anjali Kunapaneni
• Tingyun - Laci Morgan
• Yanqing - Amber May
• Blade - Daman Mills
• Luocha - Craig Lee Thomas
• Yukong - Dawn M. Bennett
• Fu Xuan - Sarah Wiedenheft
• Luka - Howard Wang
• Topaz - Sam Slade
• Lynx - Risa Mei
• Jingliu - Amanda Lee
• Guinaifen - Morgan Lauré Garrett
• Huohuo - Courtney Lin
• Huohuo's Tail and Argenti - Adam Gold
• Dr. Ratio - Jordan Haro
• Hanya - Suzie Yeung
• Ruan Mei - Emi Lo
• Xueyi - Jenny Yokobori
• Black Swan - Arryn Zech
• Misha - Cat Protano
• Sparkle - Lizzie Freeman
• Gallagher - Erik Braa
• Acheron - Allegra Clark
• Aventurine - Camden Sutkowski
• Boothill - Andrew Russell
• Robin - Alice Himora
• Phantylia - Tara Langella
• Firefly - Analesa Fisher
• Sam - Adin Rudd
• Pom-Pom - Miki Nagasawa
• Cocolia Rand - Heather Gonzalez

What are some of these voice actors known for?

One of the most predominant characters in the cast is the mysteriously named March 7th. Her voice actor Skyler Davenport voiced Dissidia Final Fantasy NT's Rinoa, Scarlett from Unicorn Overlord, and Natsuki in FLCL Shoegaze.

Another major hero in the lineup, Dan Heng, is voiced by Nicholas Leung. He's been Jason in the Stuck TV series and Michael Lee in The Prince of Tennis anime.

Lastly, one Persona 5 voice actor Xanthe Huynh (who played Haru) lends her talents to Pela in Honkai Star Rail. She's Umerus in Unicorn Overlord, Haruka in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and Marianne in the Fire Emblem series.

The post All Honkai Star Rail English Voice Actors appeared first on Destructoid.

If you're a fan of Honkai: Star Rail's idol party member Robin and wish you could listen to her "Hope is the Thing With Feathers" single whenever you want, guess what? You can. You just need to find a record for it, which is locked behind one of Honkai: Star Rail's hidden quests.

For anyone who doesn't want to waste time searching too long for this quest, here's a simple walkthrough on how to unlock the Hope is the Thing With Feathers record in Honkai: Star Rail.

How to unlock Hope is the Thing With Feathers in Honkai: Star Rail

First things first, to obtain the Hope is the Thing With Feathers record, you will need access to Golden Hour, one of the areas in Penacony's Dreamscape. This area becomes available by progressing the Trailblaze mission The Sound and the Fury, specifically by clearing its second part, titled The? Youths Who Chase Dreams.

In Golden Hour, there are a pair of NPCs named Vexed Pepeshi Guest and the Lonely Intellitron Guest. One of them is a blonde-haired woman, and t?he other's a small child, and they can be found at the foot of a staircase in the northeastern part of the second floor. We've marked the general area on the map above, but the staircase is also near a Clockie statue, so keep an eye out for that. Listen in on the pair's conversation about not being able to buy Robin's new album?, and a scalper will show up offering to sell it.

A dialogue prompt will soon pop up, ??and you'll have one of two choices. You can either agree ??to the scalper's offer and pay for the album, or you can rat them out to a nearby Bloodhound Family Member (they should be right behind you).

We recommend the latter simply because you should never pay scalpers for anything. Either way, you'll receive not only the Hope is the Thing With Feathers record but a Sway to My Beat ??in Cosmos record, too. You can listen to both records to your heart's content in the Astral Express by using the Phonograph.

The post Hope is the Thing With Feathers Location in Honkai: Sta??r Rail appeared first on Destructoid.

In February 2024, Honkai: Star Rail's 2.0 update added new areas to the Planet of Festivites, Penacony. One of t??hose areas, the Dreamscape, is home to a friendly robot NPC called the Dream Ticker Supervisor, who is in need?? of repairing.

You can fix him up with Eerie Building Blocks, but where exactly can you find them? Fortunately, the answer is very simple, so here's a quick rundown of how you can get Eerie Building Blocks in Honkai: Star Rail.

How to get Eerie Building Blocks in Honkai: Star Rail

You are awarded Eerie Building Blocks whenever you complete one of Honkai: Star Rail's Dream Ticker puzzles. Initially, th????ere were only 15 of them, but the game has since received even more, and all of them can be found in Penacony's Dreamscape areas: Golden Hour, Dream's Edge, A Child's Dream, The Reverie (Dreamscape), Dewlight Pavilion, and Clock Studios Theme Park.

Finding them is the easy part since all the Dream Ticker puzzles are marked on your map with a jigsaw puzzle icon. Head to each location, and you'll find a clock-shaped robot. These are the Dream Tickers in question. Speak with them, and you'll be given a short grid-based puzzle where you guide a Clockie to the goal by connecting pathways. You receive one Eerie Building Block for every puzzle you solve. Just know you only need 15 of these Eerie Building Blocks, ??so don't feel compelled to complete every puzzle unless you really want to?.

How to use Eerie Building Blocks in Honkai: Star Rail

As we said, you need these Eerie Building Blocks for repairing the Dream Ticker Supervisor, who can be found in The Reverie (Dreamscape) on the first floor. Just tele??port to the Monitoring Room and head to the room directly north. Fixing the Dream Ticker Supervisor doesn't involve any more puzzles. Simply speak to it to give it the Eerie Building Blocks and, once it's received 15 of them, you'll be handsomely rew??arded with a Precious Treasure.

So far, this is the only use for the Eerie Building Blocks, which means you'll have plenty left over if you decide to complete every Dream Ticker Puzzle. Presumably, Honkai: Star Rail will receive new content in a future update for you to spend the bl??ocks on (possibly another broken Dream Ticker Supervisor) but, for now, the remaini?ng Eerie Building Blocks simply take up inventory space.

The post How to get and use Eerie? Building Block in Honkai: Star Rail appeared first on Destructoid.

After much anticipation and excitement, the beloved superstar Robin has finally debuted in Honkai: Star Rail. Crafting the optimal build for her is a straigh?tforward task, thanks to her unique k?it.

Strongest Robin Build in Honkai: Star Rail

Robin is a Physical Harmony character whose main role on any given team is to buff the DMG% of her allies through her Skill. Uniquely to Robin, and he?r primary counterpart Ruan Mei, she can buff her whole team instead of just one ally, which is uncommon for Harmony Supports.

What sets Robin apart from the rest of the Harmony roster is her Ultimate, which provides a staggeringly powerful team-wide Advance Forward when activated. This allows teams with Robin on them ?to perform some truly creative strategy n?ot available anywhere else in the game.

Robin's Ultimate has a second significant mechanic attached to it after activation. While her Ultimate is active, when any teammates launch an attack, Robin provides a secondary instance of Physical Damage to one of the struck targets. This mechanic has no attack limit mea?ning Robin plays best with chara??cters that can attack very often.

Best Relics for Robin

Despite being a Harmony character, an archetype notorious for needing various groups of stats to perform well, Robin really only needs ATK% and nothing else. You read that correctly. Ro??bin doesn't need, HP%, DEF, or any oth??er stat other than ATK%, as everything she does scales off it.

While Robin doesn't need Speed, due to her SPD stat being fixe?d during her Ultimate, getting her to 120 SPD is ideal as it allows her to use sets that require that amount. As you can see, though, Robin is straightforward to build. With this in mind, the best Relics for Robin will be any combination that provides ATK%.

You can use a 2-piece Prisoner in Deep Confinement and 2-piece Musketeer of Wild Wheat as both Relic set bonuses provide unconditional ATK%. Additionally, if you'd prefer your Robin to be more supportive of your team, you can run a 4-piece Messenger Traversing Hackspace for the?? teamwide speed boost, t?hough you will be losing out on damage for both your team and Robin.

For Robin's Sphere and Rope set, use the Space Sealing Station set with an Energy Regeneration rope. You want to make sure your rope has Energy Regeneration as its core stat because her Ultimate is one of the most expensive Ultimate costs in the game. Also, make sure your Robin has 120 SPD so? she gets th??e additional ATK% buff that comes from the secondary portion of the set bonus.

Best Team Comp Robin

Like Ruan Mei, Robin can fit on any team comp in need of Harmony Support due to the potent buff she provides with her Skill. However, Robin's best Team Comp is a Follow-up one for a fe?w reasons.

Thanks to her Talent, Impromptu Flourish, Robin provides an additional 25% CRIT DMG (Critical Damage) to Follow-up attacks. Pretty straightforward. The other reason is due to her steep Ultimate energy cost. Thanks to her other important Talent, Tonal Resonance, Robin gets a small amount of Energy back every time an ally launches an attack, making freq??uent attackers more useful to Robin. With that said, Topaz and Numby, Dr. Ratio, and Aventurine a??re Robin's best teammates.

Topaz and Numby attacks more often than any other character in Honkai: Star Rail, making her the ideal teammate?? for Robin. Robin buffs up Follow-up attacks, making them completely compatible with each other.

Dr. Ratio often attacks in conjunction with Topaz and Numby, making him a frequent attacker as well. Every attack he launches restores Energy to Robin, allowing her to maintain her Ultimate longer??. Finally, Robin's specific buffs toward Follow-up attacks make him an ideal teammate for her.

Aventurine's Follow-up mechanic is tied to the number of Follow-up attacks his teammates launch, as well as, how often they are hit while his shield ??is active. Aventurine attacks almost as often as Topaz and Numby thanks to this, so, naturally, Robin gains all the same benefits from him as well.

Should you get Robin's Lightcone in Honkai: Star Rail?

Without a doubt, Robin's Lightcone, Flowing Nightglow is the ideal Lightcone for her playstyle. Not only does it greatly boost her own damage, but also provides additional buffs to the rest of her teammates. However, what's really impo?rtant about this L??ightcone is the Energy Regeneration it provides Robin. The point of using Robin is to make sure her Ultimate is up and active as much as possible. Without the extra generation of this Lightcone, Robin will struggle to maintain uptime on teams that do not have Follow-up attacks on them.

That said, Robin does have a strong alternative Lightcone. But the Battle Isn't Over is Robin's second-best Lightcone? because it also has Energy Regeneration on it. At Superimposition 2, it is nearly equal to Robin's signature Lightcone in terms of Energy Regen. If you don't have But the Battle Isn't Over, I recommend you pull Flowing Nightglow to make full use of your Robin.

Best Eidolons for Robin in Honkai: Star Rail

At E0, Robin is a powerhouse of a character, and her Eidolons do not greatly impact the functionality of her character. As with all characters though, her Eidolons do make her stronger. If you're interested in grabbing her Eidolons, the best stopping point would be E1. For your reference, here are her six Eidolons.

• Land of Smiles (E1) - While her Ultimate is active, all her allies get All-Type RES PEN increased by 24%. This is strong for all teams, but stronger for teams fighting off-element enemies. Strong Eidolon.
• Afternoon Tea for Two (E2) - While her Ultimate is active, all allies gain 16% SPD, and Robin regenerates an extra point of Energy per attack, equally three Energy total. Decent, but hardly required
• Inverted Tuning (E3) - Skill and Ultimate Level increases by two. Stronger buffs, more damage. Not required.
• Raindrop Key (E4) - When her Ultimate is activated, she dispels all debuffs from your team and provides a 50% Effect Resistance buff. Extremely lackluster Eidolon as dispels should be covered by your sustainer anyway.
• Lonestar's Lamet (E5) - Basic ATK and Talent Level increase by two. Basic ATK is useless on Robin and the Talent buff is nice, but not noticeable enough to matter.
• Moonless Midnight (E6) - Her first eight additional attacks during each use her Ultimate, get 450% CRIT DMG. This Eidolon is stupidly strong and is worth it if you can get it. Robin will easily out-damage all of your DPS with this Eidolon.

The post Honkai: Star Rail Best Robin Build appeared first on Destructoid.

Duration of a Song is an achievement you can earn in Honkai: Star Rail if you pull Robin fr??om the gacha. She is a requirement, but what if I told you there's a way to get this achievement without having her directly?

How to earn the Duration of a Song achievement with no Robin in Honkai: Star Rail

For ??clarity's sake, Duration of a Song is the achievement you get as a reward for watching Robin sing during her Ultimate in battle. Specifically, you need to watch her in the Checking Mode to earn credit for this achievement, which is why you need her to get it. However, there is a limited-time method you can use to snag this achie??vement if you're an achievement hunter, or just want more Stellar Jades for your Robin pulls.

If you're new to Honkai: Star Rail, every time a new character is released into the game, you have access to their Character Trial, and with Robin this is no exception. To access her Trial, open up the Warp menu and click on Character Trial down at the bottom.

This will take you to her specific trial in Penacony. Progress through the trial as normal until you get into a battle with the enemies present there. This shouldn't take long to do because the trial is very short. Once you're in combat, build up Robin's energy by using her skill once, then attacking with the other present characters until Robin has her Ultimate available. As soon as it is, activate it, then enter the Checking Mode by selecting the magnifying glass plus paper icon on your screen.

Now,?? navigate over to Robin in the Checking Mode screen. If her Ultimate is still active, she should be groovi?ng to the sound of her own voice here.

Watch her dance in the Checking Mode screen for a few seconds, and the Duration of a Song achievement will be yours. Be warned: This entire process can only be one while Robin is one of the Rate-up characters active. Once her character banner comes to an end, you'll have to wait for her rerun to use this process to? earn the achievement.

The post How to get the Duratio??n of a Song achievement without Robin in Honkai: Star Rail appeared first on Destructoid.

Robin and Boothill are the newest premium characters coming to Honkai Star Rail in Version 2.2. Both characters look rather appetizing, so if you're having?? trouble deciding which to pull, here is everything you need to know about their value to your account.

Should you pull Robin or Boothill in Honkai Star Rail 2.2?

In Honkai Star Rail 2.2, the decision between pulling for Robin or Boothill should be carefully considered. Both Robin and Boothill provide substantial benefits to your acc?ount, but the value of each requires an evaluation of t??he progressive status of your account.

If you're looking for a short-and-sweet answer, you should roll for Robin if you don't have Ruan Mei or need a Harmony support for a Follow-up attack team. You should roll for Boothill if you need another strong DPS or have Ruan Mei.

Robin

Robin is a Physical Harmony character whose main role is to buff up the damage?? of her team. She functions similarly to Ruan Mei, providing significant damage buffs to her entire team without any additional requirements (Ultimate energy, target limitations). Hence why, if you don??'t have Ruan Mei already, you should unquestionably be pulling for Robin.

Where Robin differs from Ruan Mei is her ability to 100% Advanced Forward (move up to ?the top of the turn list) her entire team via her Ultimate. This is already incredibly powerful, but what makes it more considerable is that her Ultimate is the cause, meaning it can be used even on your enemi?es' turn. The downside is that Robin's Ultimate is energy-expensive, but this can be mitigated if she is used on a Follow-up team composition.

While Robin's Ultimate is active, any time a teammate launches an attack, she will deal a separate, secondar?y instance of damage. This adds ??a significant amount of overall damage to your team, but more importantly, every time this happens, she will gain Energy. Both these effects are why a Follow-up team comp should be her home, as Follow-up attackers such as Topaz, Clara, and Aventurine attack the most often. Still, Robin is completely useable on any team needing a Harmony support thanks to her stellar buffs.

Boothill

Boothill, on the other hand, is a Physical Hunt character whose main role is to dish out as much single-target damage as possible. Uniquely, he does this by making good use of Physical Break Damage; one of the strongest types of Break Damage in Honkai: Star Rail. Thanks to his focus on Break Damage, Ruan Mei is one of his strongest supports, so if you already have her, th?en the value of pulling Boothill goes up.

If an enemy doesn't have Physical as a weakness, Boothill can guarantee implant Physical Weakness onto any target he pleases through his Ultimate. This makes Boothill a valuable universal Carry, as he can always be i??????????????????????????n advantage against any enemy he faces.

The downside ?to pulling for Boothill is if your account is advanced enough, then chances are you don't really need another DPS Carry character. Additionally, Boothill is entirely single-target, meaning he suffers more than typical Hunt characters in large-scale fights due to his reliance on his Ultimate or Technique for Physical Weakness implementa?tion.

The post Robin vs ??Boothill: Best character to pull ?in Honkai Star Rail 2.2 appeared first on Destructoid.

With Honkai: Star Rail version 2.2 on the horizon, players can look? forward to a diverse array of new characters joining the fray, along with exciting new story chapters, challenging gameplay modes, and a host of quality-of-life improvements to enhance the overall gaming experience. Here's everything you need to know about it.

Everything coming in Honkai: Star Rail 2.2

Beginning with the most important detail, Honkai: Star Rail version 2.2's officially released date has been announced. Starting on May 8, 2024, players can expect to finally continue the dreamscape story of Penacony, which left off on a devastating cliffhanger at the end of 2.1. The new Trailblaze Mission is called The Fool Always Rings Twice.

New Maps in Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.2

First, players will be visiting a unique map called the Dreamflux Reef.  It is a strange loca?tion?? unlike anything else seen in Penacony so far. I suspect that this zone will hold many unique secrets, including one likely to shed some light on the ultimate fate of Robin teased in the previous update.

Another new zone introduced by the official 2.2 Livestream was Penacony Grand Theater, a more traditional Penacony-looking map, but undoubtedly filled with all sorts of dreamscape strangeness as well. From the moment players set foot into Penacony, the Penacony Grand Theater has been visible in the distance. Many characters in the story have also made mention of the theater on multiple occasions, so expect it to have signific??ant importance in the 2.2 storyline as well.

The final new zone players will be exploring in 2.2 is the SoulGlad Scorchsand Audition Venue, qui??te a mouthful of a name. A special talent show is said to be taking a??uditions here, but what implications this will have on the story is a curious unknown.

New Banners in Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.2

As with all Honkai: Star Rail updates??, the banners are split int??o two phases, with phase one beginning on the release of the 2.2 updates. For clarity, I'll break down both phases separately.

2.2 Phase One Characters - Robin and Topaz

The first phase of Version 2.2 begins with the release of the beloved Robin character banner, Just Intonation. Robin is a five-star Physical Harmony character shown to have strong supporting skills through the power of her singing voice, which makes sense considering her role in the story of Penacony so far. She has access to a powerful full-team Advance Forward, which will undoubtedly come in useful to certain team compositions. Robin's release also comes with the release of her signature Lightcone, Flowing Nightglow.

Phase One also comes with the rerun of IPC's Topaz and Numby, a character specializing in performing and buffing up follow-up attacks. Topaz and Numby are a five-star Fire Hunt duo, meaning they deal significant single-target damage. Their rerun means the return of their signature Lightcone, Worrisome, Blissful.

The four-star characters included in 2.2 Phase One are March 7th, Hanya, and Xueyi.

Phase One will be active from May 7, 2024 to May 29, 2024.

2.2 Phase Two Characters - Boothill and Fu Xuan

The first character coming in Phase Two of Version 2.2 is the gunslinging desperado Boothill, with the official name of his character banner being Dusty Rail's Lone Star. Boothill is a five-star Physical Hunt character with the ability to deal significant amounts of damage to a single target and Break damage through his kit. He also, uniquely for a Hunt DPS character, has access to a taunt and can inflict Physical Weakness onto enemies. With his release also comes his signature Lightcone, Sailing Towards a Second Life.

Phase Two comes with the return of the Xianzhou Luofu's Fu Xuan, a top-tier support that specializes in reducing team-wide damage. Fu Xuan is a five-star Quantum Preservation character, which means she exists in a team to keep it alive through means not related to healing. Her return means the return of her Lightcone, She Already Shut Her Eyes.

The four-star characters included in 2.2 Phase Two are Pela, Luka, and Hook.

Phase Two will be active from May 29, 2024, to June 18, 2024.

New Events in Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.2

With every release of a new Honkai: Star Rail update, always expect a slew of new events to land with it, and Version 2.2 i?s ??????????????????????????no expectation. We have four new events coming in 2.2, released throughout the patch's lifespan.

• Clockie: Dreamjoy Memoir
• The Legend of the Galactic Baseballer
• All About Boothill...
• Gift of Odyssey

Naturally, each of these events comes with its unique type of gameplay experience, except for Gift of Odyssey, since that one is all about getting free banner wishes (who ?doesn't love that?).

New Weekly Boss in Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.2

With the release of Version 2.2, players can expect to face off against the terrifying Harmonious Choir - The Great Septimus, the newest Weekly Boss. This boss drops the Trace Material, Lost Echo of the Shared Wish, which you can expect at least one of the new characters in this update to make?? use of. You will very likely need to complete the new storyline to gain access to t?his boss but expect to fight a story version of it before doing so.

The post Honaki: Star Rail 2.2 release date, new charact??ers, banners, and more appeared first on Destructoid.

When it comes to keeping your Honkai: Star Rail team alive, Aventurine is o??ne of, if not the, best limited five-star support characters in the game. If you're considering rolling for him, or you're just looking for a little insight, here's everything you need to know about Mr. Aventurine.

Strongest Aventurine Build in Honaki: Star Rail

Aventurine is a Preservation Imaginary character that acts as a damage repellant to any team he is on via his constant application of meaty shields. While protection through shielding is his primary role, uniquely, Aventurine's kit also allows him to be a very solid sub-DPS (via his follow-up attack and Ultimate) without sacrificing support effectiveness. Despite a big chunk of his shielding being reliant on his follow-??up attack, he can fit into any team composition much like Fu Xuan can, due to his largely self-rel??iant kit.

Aventurine applies an application of his shield to your entire team every time he uses Skill or his follow-up attack. His Technique also applies a large shield to your whole team at the start of a fight. Regardless of the application method, his sh??ields last several tur??ns, meaning he is a skill-point-positive character (he doesn't need to use a skill point every turn).

Best Relics for Aventurine

Aventurine is a Preservation unit that scales solely off of Defense (DEF) and is a shielder, meaning his best Relic set is without a doubt Knight of Purity Palace. You can farm this relic set?? from Cavern of Corrosion: Path of Holy Hym??n.

The two-piece provides a very hefty 15% increase in DEF while the four-piece makes his shields 20% stronger than normal. Thanks to the Aventurine-unique Talent Trace, Leverage, Aventurine converts a significant portion of his DEF stat into CRIT RATE (Critical Strike Rate), up to a maximum of 48%. This is very strong, as it almost entirely allows you to ignore CRIT RATE on gear drops for him. This also greatly benefits his sub-DPS role, again, without affecting his supporting power. To reach the 48% ceiling for Leverage, you need roughly 4000 DEF on Aventurine.

For Aventurine's Sphere and Robe set, Inert Salsotto is likely is best option, as he nearly gains the entire benefit of this set for free thanks to Leverage. Inert Salsotto provides a solid ??1% DMG (Damage) boost to follow-up and Ultimate attacks if the wearer has at least 50% CRIT RATE. Leverage gives Aventurine 48%, so you just need to get 2% from a subset on any of your relics. You can farm Insert Salsotto from Simulated Universe: World 6.

Best Team Comp for Aventurine

Due to Aventurine's kit, he is able to fit into any team comp that needs a sustain support. However, his absolute best-performing team comp is actually a follow-up comp due to the functionality of another one of his Talent Traces, Bingo!

For Aventurine to launch a follow-up attack, he relies on a stack mechanic called Blind Bet. Blind Bet stacks up to seven times, and in order for him to gain stacks, allies under the effect of his shield must suffer attacks. He gains one stack of Blind Bet every time this happens and gains an ad??ditional stack when he is attacked directly. When Blind Bet reaches seven stacks, Aventurine will launch his follow-attack, dealing AOE (Area of Effect) damage while shielding your entire team.

This is how Blind Bet functions normally, but with follow-up attackers, Aventurine gets one stack every time a teammate under the effect of his shield launches a follow-up attack. As such, Topaz and Numby, Dr. ??Ratio, and Ruan Mei are Aventurine's b?est teammates.

Topaz and Numby provide a si??gnificant damage boost to any follow-up attack that hits their debuff target. Naturally, this affects Aventurine as well. Additionally, Topaz herself only has follow-up attacks, meaning she will provide him with a Blind Bet stack every turn. Numby separate attacks will also give a stack of Blind Bet.

Dr. Ratio launches follow-up attacks at a co??nstant rate,?? which provides Aventurine with Blind Bet stacks.

Ruan Mei provides a massive tea?m-wide damage boost, something other Harmony characters cannot c??onsistently do. Aventurine benefits from this via his Ultimate and follow-up attack.

Should you get Aventurine's Lightcone in Honkai: Star Rail?

Aventurine is not a character that requires his Lightcone: Inherently Unjust Destiny, to function at his core. While it is his best option, there are plenty of strong alternatives that will allow him to perform his role (sustaining via shielding)?? to perfection. I highly recommend you use Trend of the Universal Market instead of his Lightcone so you can save your Stellar Jades for something more impactful.

That said, the one nuanced case where you should pull for his Lightco?ne is if you want him to deal significant damage. Without it, his damage is fairly mediocre, but remember that t??he job of a sustain is not to deal damage anyway. Trust me, it's not worth it.

Best Eidolons for Aventurine in Honkai: Star Rail

Aventurine does not need any of his Eidolons to perform his job of sustaining your team at any level of content. That isn't to say he doesn't get better with Eidolons, but know that he is a complete character the moment you obtain him. Even so, if you're gung-ho about gettin??g Eidolons for Aventurine, then I recommend grabbing u?p his E2. For your reference, here are all of his Eidolons.

• Prisoner's Dilemma (E1) - Allies shielded by Aventurine get an additional 20% CRIT DMG (Critical Damage). Additionally, his Ultimate now also provides an application of his shield to your team.
• Bounded Rationality (E2) - When Aventurine uses his Basic ATK (Basic Attack) on an enemy, all of their resistances are reduced by 12% for three turns. This is a larger damage boost than it sounds.
• Droprate Maxing (E3) - Provides a damage buff to Aventurines Ultimate and Basic ATK.
• Unexpected Hanging Paradox (E4) - Aventurine's follow-up attack gives him a 40% DEF buff. Additionally, his follow-up attack will hit 10 times instead of seven.
• Ambiguity Aversion (E5) - Boosts the potency of Aventurine's shields.
• Stag Hunt Game (E6) - Every ally that is shielded by Aventurine gives him a 50% damage boost, up to a maximum of 150%. Yes, this is as insane as it sounds.

The post Honkai: Star Rail Best Aventurine Build appeared first on Destructoid.

Topaz and Numby is one of Honkai: Star Rail's unique characters due to how they function and how they work together to support the teams they belong on. If you're looking to build them up to c??lear the hardest content the game has to offer, here's ?a great guide to get you going.

Strongest Topaz and Numby Build in Honaki: Star Rail

Topaz and Numby are a Fire Hunt pairing that focuses on dealing large amounts of damage while supporting Follow-up characters in their various endeavors. This is done primarily through their debuff Proof of Debt, which increases the damage the marked target suffers from Follow-up attacks by 50%. This debuff is applied by using Topaz and Numby's skill Difficulty Paying? on a target. As you might suspect, this is a massive boost to any characters that make use of F??ollow-up attacks, maki?ng Topaz and Numby a staple character in these comps.

Outside the debuff, Topaz and Numby deal considerable damage (though not as high as some other?? carry characters) on their own, making them a valuable addition to any team so long as she can provide her support simultaneously. That said, Topaz and Numby make a fantastic addition to any account looking to capitalize on Follow-up attacks.

Best Relics for Topaz and Numby

Topaz and Numby are unique even among Follow-up characters because all of their attacks are considered Follow-up attacks through the gracious assistance of their Overdraft trace. This means that they can make use of the follow-up-centric relic set, The Ashblazing Grand Duke. This set can be farmed from the Path of Darkness, Cavern of Corrosion.

Both the two-piece and the four-piece of this boost the power of Follow-up attacks, thus making it the absolute best relic set you can equip on Topaz and Numby. Incidentally, Topaz and Numby are also the best characters to make use of the four-piece bonus, because it provides a stacking damage boost every time a singular Follow-up attack deals damage. When Numby launches its follow-up attack, it hits the target several times, allowing for the attack to stack this buff to max after a single activation.

Alternatively, you can also make use of any two set bonuses that provide an increase to ATK%, as ATK is always a good stat to have in excess for a Hunt character. Still, I highly recommend farming out the Ashblazing Grand Duke set as soon as possible.

Best Team Comp for Topaz and Numby

The best team comp for Topaz and Numby capitalizes on making use of Proof of Debt while simultaneously allowing Numby to attack more often. Numby moves up the turn order when a Follow-up attack is launched and hits the target affected by Proof of Debt. This includes allie??s as well. As such, Dr. Ratio, Ruan Mei, and Fu Xuan are Topaz and Numby's best team comp. With the introduction of Aventurine, you can replace Fu Xuan to enable even more follow-up attacks to oc?cur.

Dr. Ratio's Follow-up attacks are extremely potent when paired with the damage boost provided by Proof of Debt. Since these Follow-up attacks are hitting the target affected by Proof of Debt, Numby gets to attack more often. Dr. Ratio's ultimate allows him to perform Follow-up attacks when the target he uses it on gets hit by any other attack. This unique synergy between the two often allows fo?r extreme damage outside of the standard ??turn order, as both Topaz and Numby often proc(activate) their respective Follow-up attacks off each other.

Ruan Mei provides a massive damage boost to yo?ur entire team, someth??ing other Harmony characters cannot do, effectively boosting the potency of both Topaz and Numby equally.

Fu Xuan is the most replaceable, as her entire purpose is to provide protection to your whole team. Even so, this team comp, when properly built, will allow you to crush most of Honkai: Star Rail's difficult content.

Should you get Topaz and Numby's Lightcone in Honkai: Star Rail?

This is often the question you may ask when a new character is about to be released in Honkai: Star Rail. In the case of Topaz and Numby, I do recommend getting their Lightcone: Worrisome, Blissful if you can. It gives Topaz and Numby a significant damage boost due to its effects, but more importantly, it allows them to further support their team via the Tame ??debuff.

When the wearer of this Lightcone attacks with a Follow-up attack, they will apply Tame to the target. Tame stacks up twice, and each stack gives the entire team 12% CRIT DMG when they attack the affected target. With the team comp, I mentioned above, this is a large boost in damage as well. However, due? to its universal application, this Lightscone allows Topaz and Numby to support teams outside their ideal comps moderately. You only need one copy of Worrisome, Blissful for it to function, but additional copies increase the CRIT ??DMG gained from each stack of Tame.

Best Eidolons for Topaz and Numby in Honkai: Star Rail

In terms of Eidolons for Topaz and Numby, all of them outside of the three and five provide significant value to them as a character. If you're a low-spender looking to get the most bang for your buck, Eidolon One (E1): Future Market is the best place to stop. Here are all of their Eidolons so you can ??understand exactly what they do.

• Future Market (E1) - Enemies affected by Proof of Debt will also receive the Debtor debuff, making them take 25% more CRIT DMG from Follow-up attacks. Stacks up twice.
• Bona Fide Acquisition (E2) - When Numby attacks, Topaz herself gains 5 Energy. This allows for more up-time on her Ultimate: Turn a Profit!
• Seize the Big and Free the Small (E3) - Provides a damage boost to Skill and Basic Attacks
• Agile Operation (E4) - When Numby attacks, Topaz is Advanced Forward in the turn order by 20%. This means that Topaz will get to attack more often, meaning more Follow-up attacks. Important.
• Inflationary Demand (E5) - Boosts the potency of their Ultimate ability.
• Incentive Mechanism (E6) - When the Ultimate is activated, Numby gains an additional enhanced attack (up from two) and the enhanced attack gets 10% Fire Resistance Penetration (Fire RES PEN).

Topaz and Numby's E1, E2, E4, and E6 are all high-impact Eido?leons that dramatically improve the power of their kit. While they may read as simplistic, the synergy between these additional effects and the base kit makes these Eidolons more potent than you'd expect.

The post Honkai: Star Rail Best Topaz and Numby Build appeared first on Destructoid.

Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.1 is set to release on March 27, bringing brand-new stories, characters, and events to Trailblazers worldwide alongside the game’s first anniversary. Here’s everything new coming to Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.1: Into the Yawning Chasm.

Honkai: Star Rail 2.1 new characters and banners

Three new characters will debut in Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.1: Acheron, Aventurine, and Gallagher.

Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.1’s banners will be split into two phases as usual. The first phase will consis?t of the 5-star characters Acheron and Luocha with the 4-stars Gallagher, Pela, and Dan Heng. Acheron and Luocha’s signature Light Cones will also be available in a separate banner.

The second phase’s banne?rs will feature the 5-stars Aventu??rine and Jingliu with the 4-stars Lynx, Luka, and Serval. Aventurine and Jingliu’s signature 5-star Light Cones will have their own banner.

Acheron is a 5-star Lightning Nihility character who gains charges of Slashed Dream whenever she uses her Skill or an enemy receives a debuff. When enough charges of Slashed Dream are accumulated, she can use her Ultimate ??to deal massive damage to enemies.

Aventurine is a 5-star Imaginary Preservation character who shields allies, ??deals follow-up damage, and increases tea??mmates�?CRIT DMG against enemies.

Gallagher is a 4-star Fire Abundance character who allows teammates to heal themselves when they attack an en??emy.

Honkai: Star Rail 2.1 events

The events coming to Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.1 are:

• Cosmodyssey - Celebrate Star Rail’s first anniversary with a board game.
• Vignettes in a Cup - Become a bartender for a day.
• Tides of War - Fight through waves of enemies in a combat-focused event.

Each event rewards players with Stellar Jades and other materials. Vignettes in a Cup in particular allows players to choose? a 4-star character from a limited pool to join their team.

Honkai: Star Rail’s first anniversary celebration

Honkai: Star Rail’s first anniversary will be on April 26, midway through the Version 2.1 patch. Cosmodyssey is the dedicated anniversary event, in which Trailblazers navigate a board game working together with other players towar??d collective goals.

Trailblazers will receive a total of 20 Star Rail Special Passes as login bonuses over a seven day period. On April 26, the day of Star Rail’s anniversary, all players will also receive 1,600 Stellar Jades via in-game mail. F??irst-time top-up bo?nuses in the in-game store will also be refreshed at the beginning of the patch. 

It looks like there’s a lot to look forward to in the new version of Honkai: Star Rail. Congratulations to HoYoverse for a successful first year, and I?’m excited to see where the Astral Express will take us in the future.

The post Honkai: Sta??r Rail 2.1 release date, banners, events, and more appeared first on Destructoid.

The Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2023 happened on March 17 and while awards were spread over a wide number of games, one game stole the show entirely, taking home five of the 17 awards �?Final Fantasy XVI. 

The Famitsu Degeki Game Awards are voted for by readers and run by Famitsu and Game Dengeki. While the new Final Fantasy didn't get as much hardware at other shows like The Game Awards, it's clearly garnered s?ome ?love in Japan. It took home awards for Best Graphics, Best Music, Best Voice Actor and Character for Clive, and Best RPG.

Meanwhile, Final Fantasy XIV took home the Best Online Game category, while The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom took the top prize of GOTY.

If you want to know who won what, or who just missed out, we’ve got ??all the details.

Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2023 winners and nominations

Game of the Year

Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Armored Core VI  Fires of Rubicon

Street Fighter 6

Resident Evil 4

Final Fantasy XVI

Scenario

PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo

Final Fantasy XVI

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Graphics

Final Fantasy XVI

Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Music

Final Fantasy XVI

Octopath Traveler II

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Voice Acting

Yuya Uchida (Clive Rosfield/Final Fantasy XVI)

Yasuyuki Kase (V.IV Rusty/Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon) 

Takaya Kuroda (Kazuma Kiryu/Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name)

Character

Clive Rosfield (Final Fantasy XVI)

Zelda (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom)

Iori Miyamoto (Fate/Samurai Remnant)

RPG

Final Fantasy XVI

Octopath Traveler II

Super Mario RPG

Action

Armored Core VI Fire of Rubicon

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Street Fighter 6

Action Adventure

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Resident Evil 4

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man who Erased His Name

Indie

Sea of Stars

World of Fear

Exit 8

Esports

Street Figher 6

Apex Legends

VALORANT

Most Anticipated

Metaphor: ReFantazio

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes

MVC (Best Game Developer)

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Naoki Yoshida

Street Fighter 6

Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon

Game App

Honkai: Star Rail

Pokémon Sleep

Atelier Resleriana: Forgotten Alchemy and the Polar Night Liberator

Online Game

Final Fantasy XIV

Genshin Impact

Street Fighter 6

Rookie -

PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo

Master Detective Archives: Rain Code

WILD HEARTS

Famitsu Dengeki Special Award

Hi-fi Rush & Baldur’s Gate 3

The post Final Fantasy XV?I nabs five awards at Famitsu Dengeki Gam??e Awards appeared first on Destructoid.

Honkai: Star Rail is making the jump from Version 1.6 to Version 2.0 with a new playable area to explore. As someone who played Star Rail at launch but dropped it soon after, I wanted to see if it was worth revisiting. Luckily, I was granted access to a preview of Honkai: Star Rail’s newest update, so I hopped onto the Ast??ral Expres??s to check out the new area: Penacony, the Planet of Festivities.

A bit of background about me: I’m a Genshin girl. I started playing Genshin Impact on release day in 2020, and I’ve been smitten with Teyvat ever since. So when HoYoverse’s newest game, Honkai: Star Rail, debuted in April of last year, I eagerly waited at the login screen, rushing in just as the servers went online.&?nbsp;

After completing the Trailblaze Missions available at launch, however, I was left twiddling my thumbs. Sure, there were events and repeatable combat activities, but without a massive open world to draw me in, Honkai: Star Rail lost me after a few weeks. That was Version 1.0, though. Now, in the advent of Version 2.0, Star Rail deserves another look. Penacony’s dreamscapes are enchanting, and the witty writing is a reminder of just how entertaining Star Rail can be.  

Upon arriving in Penacony, I sat through a few cutscenes and then entered a shared dreamscape called Golden Hour �?which truly feels like navigating through a dream. You can walk on walls and ceilings.?? Objects float in the air, often upside down. I attempted to eat an ice cream cone, only for it to start pleading for its life. Being the kind soul I am, I spared it, and it gave me a hamburger in return.

It’s even possible to enter another dream within this dream, Inception-style. The dream-within-a-dream I experienced was about trash cans, and at one point, I even transformed into a trash can myself. While I didn’t need Star Rail to tell me I was garbage, I couldn’t help but?? laugh m?y lid off.

This is what I love about Honkai: Star Rail: its writing. The dialogue contains plenty of fourth-wall-breaking jokes, yet they never feel excessive. There are running gags that weave their way into missions and environmental details, like the Trailblazer’s inexplicable fondness for trash cans. The wit and humor in the Trailblazer’s lines make me wish Genshin Impact’s Traveler got the same treatment. Honkai: Star Rail’s 2.0 update takes the charming absurdity that was already present in the game?? and turns it up to ele?ven. In the dreamscapes of Penacony, anything can happen!

Of course, no new update would be complete without new characters. Honkai: Star Rail 2.0 introduces newcomers Black Swan, Sparkle, and Misha. While I’m no Star Rail theorycrafter, I can at least attest to how fantastic these new characters look. Black Swan floats in the air with?? a menacing grace, surrounded by a halo of tarot cards. Misha leans into his role as a hotel busboy, dealing damage by crashing his luggage cart into enemies. 

The flashy, theatrical performances from the Star Rail roster is another one of those HoYo signatures, adding some extra flair that’s distinct from Genshin’s. Star Rail employs turn-based combat compared to Genshin’s real-time combat, allowing Star Rail to ??showcase more elaborate Ultimate animations without disrupting the flow of combat. These animat?ions are truly works of art and a delight to behold, even at 2x speed.

Is Penacony enough to bring a Genshin Impact loyalist back to Honkai: Star Rail? As a Genshin diehard, I say yes. Even if you don’t commit to Star Rail long-term, it’s definitely still worth giving it another shot. Compared to its state at release last year, the game has seen significant content additions. While there are still missions and events that encourage daily logins, I find Star Rail demands less of your time than Genshin does. At the very least, you can progress through the main story missions and auto-ba?ttle your way through the combat sections.

If you worry that you’ve missed a lot of past events, there’s good news! Honkai: Star Rail allows you?? to replay flagship events from past Versions, and these never expire. You’re free to play through them at your convenience whenever you wish, though you still don’t get the limited-time rewards from when the events were live.

While I may always prefer Genshin Impact due to its stunning open world and plethora of activities, I’m warming up to Honkai: Star Rail as well. I probably won’t play both games every day, but I’ll definitely check in on Star Rail from time to time. Both games are free to play, with no paywall for story content, so it costs nothing to experience new missions and events before logging off until the next update. Whether you’ve been logging into Honkai: Star Rail every day since launch or you’re a returning player, Penacony has something for everyone. Versi??on 2.0 is out n??ow, so happy dreaming, everyone!

The post Honkai: Star Rail’s Penacony is a playable fever dream appeared first on Destructoid.

The long-awaited Version 2.0 update of Honkai: Star Rail is just around the corner! An announcement on YouTube delivers details regarding banners and new cont??ent coming to the game. If you missed it, or don’t have time to sit through an hour-long pre??sentation, here’s a summary for you!

Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.0: If One Dreams at Midnight will be live on February 6 and last for seven weeks.

2.0 livestream Stellar Jade codes

TT9S28LK4QHP
EA8BKR4JL93T
LTQA2Q5249KF

Redeem these codes either in-game or on the official site. Each code grants 100 Stellar Jades as well as a few other materials. They expire about a day afte??r the stream, so redeem them now!

New characters

Three new characters will be joining the Star Rail roster:

Black Swan is a 5-star Wind Nihility character spec??ializing in damage over time using tarot cards.

Sparkle is a 5-star Quantum Harmon?y character. She can restore Skill Points for your team while also buffing their damage.

Misha? is a 4-star Ice Destruction character. He ??is a hotel employee who deals AoE damage to enemies using guests�?luggage.

Version 2.0 banners

The first half of 2.0 ??will consist of the 5-stars Black Swan and Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae with the 4-star Misha. The Light Cones Reforged Remembrance (Black Swan’s signature) and Brighter than the Sun (DHIL’s signature)

The second half will feature the 5-stars Sparkle and Jing Yuan. Their respective signature Light Cones, Earthly Escapade, and Before Dawn will also be available. Going by the seven-week update schedule, these banners should go live on early March.

New content

Version 2.0 has Trailblazers heading to a new world: Penacony. Penacony is a luxury hotel with a unique connection to dreams, enabling visitors to explore certain shared Dreamscapes while asleep. A new Trailblaze mission will accompany the new region, continuing the main story of Honkai: Star Rail.

New events include H??anu’s Prison Break, from which they can claim?? a 4-star character of their choice as a reward. Other events include Dreamchaser Bulletin, Dreamjolt TV, and Penacony Food Fest. There will also be two login events that grant a total of 20 pulls.

There will also be two new Relic sets an??d new Ascension materials for the new ch??aracters. New Light Cones will also be available in the Manifest store. 

We can also expect various quality-of-life upgrades, including a visual representation of past stories, more support character options in your profile, and a more streamlined ?Relic upgrade system.

We also got a tease of some real-life Star Rail events on the hori??zon, including carnivals and concerts.

It looks like there’s a lot to look forward to in Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.0. I’ll see you all in Penacony!

The post Honkai: Star Rail ??announces next banners and Ver??sion 2.0 date appeared first on Destructoid.

Check any HoYoverse social media thread, and I guarantee you’ll find a microcosm of netizens communicating in the infinite languages of online slang, memes, and pop culture references. Those conversations are often some painful mixture of absurdly awkward, endearing, or aggressive, and the writing in Honkai: Star Rail’s latest event perfectly captures that spirit.

The flagship event for Honkai: Star Rail Version 1.5, A Foxian Tale of the Haunted, follows ??a streamer named Guinaifen, who investigates ghost sighting claims. You and a few other characters work together to put these rumors to rest and grow Guinaifen’s social media presence. It's a lesson in ghost-hunting and clout-chasing, basically.

Star Rail knows something about posting

The event has you join a paranormal activity forum where people post about various supernatural events around the Luofu. These forum posts become leads to investigate, starting a short quest for each one. When finishing an investigation, you make a forum post of you??r own to share your findings and put the public at ease.

Every post on the forum garners comments from various?? netizens. The comments range from thoughtful discussion to, well, this.

There’s even someone barking. What’s extra fun is that Honkai: Star Rail has a race of fox-people called Foxians. Maybe the barking is real? Is it possible that Foxians in Honkai: Star Rail actually do bark at each other to expres??s thirst?

Of course, there are also people using the posts to get attention for themselves. There’s one guy begging Guinaifen to reply to their DMs. Even Guinaifen’s brother uses her posts to try to get more followers himself. Or maybe he’s not even her brother, just someone fishing ??for follower??s.

There’s also a nod to the rise of generative AI to churn out? low-effort content, with one commenter accusing us of using a simila?r tool to create our posts.

We even have haters and white knights. Someone makes a post criti?cizing our content, and people come to our defense in the comments. The top comment has been removed by a moderator, and another has been censored for profanity. Yikes.

The rest of the event's pretty great too

Aside from the painfully accurate internet “discourse,�?I actually like the event as a whole. I haven’t played Honkai: Star Rail in earnest for some time, and this is the event that got me to download it again. There’s a new event story with unique dungeon puzzles, the featured characters have some fun dialogue, and the cutscenes are great. The combat portions of the event have unique mechanics that are actually fun to play around. You get a light cone as part of the event rewards, and unlike Genshin Impact, it appears you’ll be able to partake in the even?t storyline even after the event concludes.

I’m impressed at how much effort was put into creating an immersive event complete with internet s??pam. At the same time, I’m faced with how utterly wild and incoherent the i?nternet can be, and I’m not sure if I like it.

The post Honkai: Star Rail gets painfull??y online with its perfect Internet speak appeared first on Destructoid.

HoYoverse revealed its trailer for Version 1.4 of Honkai: Star Rail, titled “Jolted Awake from a Winter Dream.�?Here’s a summary of all the new features coming to Tr??ailblazers on Octob??er 11!

New characters

Three new characters are debuting in the next Version: Jingliu, Guinaifen, and Topaz. Seele also returns with her first rerun banner.

Jingliu will be in the first half, while Topaz and Seele will be in the second. They will be accompanied by their respective Light Cones: I Shall Be My Own Sword (Jingliu);? W??orrisome, Blissful (Topaz); and In the Night (Seele).

Jingliu is General Jing Yuan’s previous master. She disappeared after losing a confrontation with her apprentice, but she has returned to the Luofu for an unknown reason. Jingliu is a 5-star Ice Destruction character who deals AoE damage with her sword and ma??ra-cursed powers. She is voiced by AmaLee in English, who you may know as the VTuber Monarch.

Guinaifen is a 4-star Fire Nihility character. She’s a street performer with a distinct traditional Chinese flair. Her attack animations feature adorable little Chinese lions that run in and detonate firecrackers. As a Nihility character, her kit will? likely center around debuffing enemies.

Topaz (and her Warp Trotter Numby) work for the IPC. It appears Numby’s ability to sniff out wealth comes in useful when settling debts and other disputes?? with the IPC. Topaz is a 5-star Fire Hunt character who likely deals high single-target damage.

New areas

Two new areas have been revealed on Jarilo-VI: the Old Weapons Testing Ground and Pillars of Creation. You’ll be able to access and explore these areas as the main story continues?. It looks like Topaz will be integral to the story ??in some way, but we’ll have to play the story ourselves to see just how they tie in.

Events

Version 1.4’s flagship event is Aetherium Wars, a combat event where you team up with companions in order to win a tournament. You’ll need to collect and train Aether Spirits to help you attain victory. This event is accompanied by Planar Infinity, in which the Simulated Universe un??dergoes a few unexpected ?changes as a result of Herta’s testing.

Outside of the game, it looks like there are a few upcoming collaborations with various fast food outlets around the worl??d. There’s nothing in the America tab yet, but the fact that it exists hints that there might be something coming to the United States?? soon.

PS5 launch

With Version 1.4, Honkai: Star Rail is finally launching on the PlayStation 5! Both cross-play and cross-save will be supported, so you’ll be able to befriend Trailblazers? on different platforms and transition to other devices if you need to.&??nbsp;

Honkai: Star Rail’s Version 1.4 update comes to all available platforms October 11. 

The post Honkai Star Rail Version 1.4 ?livestream details Jingliu banner, new areas appeared first on Destructoid.

At the Sony State of Play, we got to see titles both old and new. While Honkai: Star Rail has already ?made its debut earlier this year, we got confirmation today that PlayStation owners can experience MiHoYo's latest universe on October 11.

The trailer itself didn't show too much, but considering the game's out in the wild, it probably didn't need to. According to MiHoYo's FAQ for the Technical Test of the PlayStation version of the game, accounts will transfer between devices. So for those looking to play Star Rail both at home via your PlayStation 5 and on the go on your? phone, things look pretty?? good.

Honkai: Star Rail is currently available for free with microtransac??tions on PC, iOS, and Android.

The post Honkai: Star Rail finally comes to PlayStation on Octobe??r 11 appeared first on Destructoid.

When I saw that Honkai: Star Rail was having a special collaboration event with? Sunright Tea Studio, I was intrigued. Most HoYoverse collabs in the past have been exclusive to locations in Asia, so it’s a rare occasion for one of these to happen in the United States. On top of that, there ??happened to be a Sunright about 15 minutes away from me, so I decided to check it out.

The event officially began on July 19, and my brother happened to be in the area, so we paid a visit that evening. I wasn’t expecting too?? much of a crowd since, well, how many passionate anime gacha game lovers could there be in my little city?

Turns out, quite a?? few. The place was bright? and bustling. A sports car wrapped in anime girl vinyl sat proudly outside. The store itself was full of boba enjoyers posing with cardboard stands and posters of Kafka and Blade, the two new characters in Honkai: Star Rail??. Two baristas worked frantically behind the counter as a trail of paper tickets spewed forth from a printer.

After waiting in line to order, we made it to the kiosk. There are two themed drinks as part of the co??llab event: Kafka’s Blushing Blueberry Splendor and Blade’s Karmic Chocolate Matcha. They’re quite expensive at $6.75 before taxes �?”Star Rail robbery,�?my brother called it. I ordered one of each, for review purposes o??f course. It took almost an hour from arriving at the store to receiving our drinks.

[caption id="attachment_397645" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image via Destructoid[/caption]

Buy tea, get goodies

The primary reason Star Rail fa?ns might want to attend this event is because of the additional items you get with each drink. Buying two or more of the collaboration drinks gets you:

• Two cards with an im??age of Kafka or B?lade that come with codes for in-game items
• Tw??o square cardstock coasters with ch?ibi images of Kafka or Blade
• Two themed cardboard drink holders
• A few stickers featuring chibis of various Star Rail characters (amount can vary)

The Blushing B??lueberry Splendor is a blueberry smoothie with some cheese foam and jasmine tea jelly. It’s quite sweet (I recommend 50% sugar) with a strong blueberry flavor. The jasmine tea jelly has a satisfying consistency, but I wasn’t sure if I liked having it in a drink. It was very thick and chunky, being a smoothie with bits of blueberries and jelly. Drinking the whole thing felt like I had eaten a full m??eal. Still, I thought it was tasty and worth trying.

The Karmic Chocolate Matcha is basically fancy chocolate milk ?with some matcha in it. I’m not typically a fan of matcha, but the slight bitterness of the chocola??te and matcha together was quite nice. It was creamy, smooth, and sweet, but not too sweet. I preferred the chocolate matcha over Kafka’s blueberry smoothie.

Many of my friends are avid Honkai: Star Rail fans but didn’t have a Sunrigh??t Tea Studio location near them, so I ended up making multiple trips to grab some goodies for them. The crowds have thankfully decreased, so you probably won’t have to wait as long as I did on the first day. The collaboration event lasts until August 31, so there’s still some time for Trailblazers to try these drinks and get some souvenirs!

The post I tried Honkai: Star Rail bubble tea at Sunrig??ht Tea Studio appeared first on Destructoid.

The Trailblazer sure is getting a lot of love from fans

Honkai: Star Rail has been out for just about a week now, and already, fans have started to create things around it. Art and memes have already been flooding social channels. And in a turn that surprised me a bit, the Trailblazer—the main character chosen by the player—is getting quite a bit of a?ttent?ion.

In Honkai: Star Rail, you assemble a party of adventurers and explorers to travel across the stars, dealing with the ever-present Stellaron threat. As you travel between worlds, you meet an ever-expanding cast of characters, though it remains centered on the Astral Express crew and your chosen Trailblazer. Though referred to by a chosen name or their pseudonym, fans often refer to the male version as Caelus and female as Stel??le.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLyOaD38tpA

I've played a handful of gacha games in the past. Usually, the main character is an off-screen person, sometimes even intended to be the player themselves. In games like Fire Emblem Heroes, for example, the player character was a mostly unseen conduit, until later u?pdates introduced them as a p??hysical in-game character.

HoYoVerse's Genshin Impact is a little different. There, you make a choice about which version of the Traveler—the main character—you want to play, once again divided between male and female options. This character becomes the protagonist of your story, the lens through which you view all events. Your avatar, basically, but also an individual character, like Shepard in Mass Effect. Honkai: Star Rail does something similar with Caelus and Stelle.

That distinction is important because it lets the Traveler and Trailblazer ?take ??on a life of their own. And the latter has some life to them.

Making a Trailblazer

Because these characters are allowed to exist as role-playing characters that interact with others, rather than as a window for the player to peer through, they get to have a little more life. And though I only played a little bit of Genshin Impact (I completed the prologue in Mondstadt), I wasn't drawn into the world by my Traveler. I occasionally got to make ?choices, but I didn't have any degree of attachment, or feel the world responding to my actions.

It's a bit different with Honkai: Star Rail's main character. The Trailblazer is, to put it bluntly, an absolute mess. Depending on your choices, they can be an absolute trash goblin sea??rching for goods in dumpsters. They can be lethargic and apathetic, even expressing sarcasm towards certain characters like Sampo. Or you can flirt with characters like Natasha. There's a chaotic energy to the Trailblazer that resonates with me.

It clearly resonates with others too, as the fan art has steadily rolled out for them. A personal favorite of mine makes a gag about the Trailblazer's potential penchant for dumpster?? diving:

//twitter.com/jellowtea/status?/1652230956412211203

In fact, there's a lot of art of the Trailblazer going dumpster diving. That's not their only personality trait, though. In fact, the dialogue choices and wide range?? of Trailblazer responses have also elicited some fan tributes.

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And of course, you have plenty of fan art of Stelle and Caelus. Though the former is pretty popular, don't rule out my boy Caelus either. He is not the brightest, but he does shine.

A trail through the stars

Through the texting, dialogue, side quests and interactions, even aside from the main?? story, the ??Trailblazer has a lot of life to them. And you might be wondering why, in a gacha game, that would matter. The goal of gacha is to build a collection, right?

Well, for Honkai: Star Rail, I think the Trailblazer forms a?? crucial anchor for the whole crew. While there are plenty of st??ory characters that journey with you, and can even later be recruited through missions to occassionally hang out aboard the Astral Express, the Trailblazer is omnipresent. They are the one guaranteed character to always be around.

//twitter.com/majunjuu/status/1652400802563235843

I draw comparisons back to Shepard because both are an interesting mix of player vehicle and role-playing choice. The T??railblazer offers a surprising number of options for adding a personal touch, whether that's choosing a funny or unserious response to a dire situation, or just encouraging certain characters and discouraging others. They respond, and other characters even react in kind.

It adds a personal attachment that, for me at least, makes Honkai: Star Rail compelling even when the drama a??nd thrills aren't at their peak. And it's also made for some great early jokes and posts. It's nice to see the protagonist shine?? just as much as the 5-stars, at least in personality.

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