Honkai Star Rail: Plot, Storyline, Lore & Gameplay

Honkai Star Rail is set to be released on April 26th, 2023, and it embarks on a fantastic journey with enticing lore for both returning players and new players to the Honkai series. The plotline and worldbuilding of Starrail might confuse players; therefore, getting a grip on the entire Honkai Star Rail Plot is crucial before starting to play the game! 

Introductory Plot

Let’s look at the introductory Honkai Star Rail Plot and what players might expect before we can delve deeper into the world-building aspect of the game. 

• The main storyline kicks off when both March 7, as well as Dan Heng are on a mission to give relics to Herta. As that is going on, some Voidrangers break into the Herta Space Station, and both March 7 and Dan can get support to murder them off. 

• The Astral Express, made by Akivili, is the Aeon of the Trailblazer. 
• Behind their backs, both Kafka and Silver Wolf, who are essentially Stellaron Hunters, broke into the Space Station and were able to steal a Stellaron after being given orders by Elio, who happens to be their leader. 
• Both of them create the Trailblazer, and Kafka is seen fitting the Stellaron into the Trailblazer’s body (Kafka is just *a chef’s kiss*). 

• March and Dan Heng find the Trailblazer collapsed, and Dan Heng attempts to wake the Trailblazer up. Both of them bring Trailblazer and go to Arlan before they get attacked by Tramplers as well as Voidrangers. 

• After a lot of chaos, the Astral Express members can get out safely before the story continues with the Trailblazer waking up at the Space Station, where Himeko (why Hoyoverse) introduces them to Herta. The plotline then continues further. 

Jarilo VI

One of the first things that players will do whenever they proceed further in the Honkai Star Rail Plot is after players end up learning about the Astral Express and what it entails, players will make their first stop toward Jarilo VI. 

• Jarilo used to be a hustling bustling area corrupted by a Stellaron a couple of centuries ago, and the Freeze was brought unto Jarilo, turning it from the once lush area into an eternal state of coldness and brutal ice. 
• Due to the inhabited areas, Jarilo VI’s inhabitants were forced to cluster into a smaller place of safety where they could actually survive, which is called Belobog. 

• The area of Belobog has been divided into two halves, one being the overworld, while the other is the Underworld. 
• The overworld area is controlled and run by the Architechs, who can be considered as it’s a governmental unit, while the Architechs then report to the Supreme Guardian. 
• The overworld, as well as the Underworld, used to work in unity to keep the area in order. Still, there came a time when the corrosion that the Fragmentum was causing continued to worsen, and it caused the Supreme Guardian to shut off the connection and all communication between the two halves. 
• While the overworld continues to work, the underworld lacks an overlooker. It is rather in the protection and defense of the Wildfire, which is an organization that was made in the underworld that mainly exists to keep everyone safe there and try to find a solution on how to get out. 

Xianzhou Luofu 

Our next stop takes us on a journey to Xianzhou Luofu in Honkai Star Rail Plot, which happens to be one of the six flagships of the Xianzhou Alliance. 

• The area is placed right smack in the middle of space, and it used to build ships to go deeper in search of a medicine that could replicate immortality. 
• After that, it became the center of trade and commerce within the different planets. 
• The best way to compare Xianzhou Luofu would be to look at it from Liyue Harbor’s perspective from Genshin, where people from all areas of life can be seen, where trade and commerce run deep, and where technology is the core front as well. 

World Building 

Moving on, the next thing that players would most likely want to read up on a bit is the overall worldbuilding, and this might also be fitting for lore enthusiasts. 

Aeons

Like in Honkai Impact 3rd, players were introduced to the concept of Herrschers and Archons in Genshin; there are Aeons in Starrail. Aeons are essentially a term taken from Gnosticism, and there are 14 Aeons in the game. 

• Aeons are essentially the “masters” or a supreme form of manifestation, concept, or idea. Aeons end up being beings that are essentially the representations or embodiments of a certain value or concept. 
• As explained by Himeko, they are known to be some of the most mysterious beings that there can be, and they have ascended from the existence of intelligent beings. 
• Upon ascending to their Aeonhood, they can gain supreme control over their certain Path and use their imaginary energy as they please, granted that they stick to the Primum Mobile.
• The Primum Mobile is the concept or manifestation that the Aeons are stuck with, and they can only use and control the power within and can’t stray from it. 

Paths 

While an Aeon is introduced, a new Path is created. While the actual concept of the path remains an utter secret, it leaves behind its philosophical concept or manifested idea for regular beings to comprehend and figure out. 

• The Aeons are given a particular path, and the path then only belongs to that respective Aeon and no other Aeon. 
• Paths are described to be the manifestations or philosophical manifestations of imaginary energy, and they are a philosophical concept, as has been showcased by Welt. 
• Paths are a part of the Imaginary element. Whenever certain conditions are met, the intelligent being can control the Path or the Imaginary, the intelligent beings being the Aeons.  
• There comes the point where a person whose Will (a core concept in Genshin) coincides with the Path ends up becoming a Pathstrider. 

• There might also come a time when mortal beings get blessed by an Aeon, and the mortal who has had their path blessed becomes an Emanator and can travel through spaces that are filled with imaginary energy, as explained by Himeko.

There are 14 paths, respective to the 14 Aeons, listed as follows. 

Factions 

Once an Aeon or a path has been understood, next comes its respective Factions In Honkai Star Rail Plot, which are followers of the Aeon who follow their respective path (think of it like a religion and their respective holy grounds). 

• A few factions end up running smoothly, filled with people who end up respecting the bounds of the Path that they coincide with, while others are a few other members who take everything too literally and fuel the path’s concepts to fulfill their own desires. 

Stellarons 

The Stellarons are essentially the root cause of all cancer in Honkai Star Rail Story. For Genshin players, its intentions can be directly related to that of the Abyss in Genshin. 

• Considering how the Fatui or the Abyss Order in Genshin Impact uses the power of the abyss to their advantage and for evil purposes, the same can be said for the Stellarons. 
• Welt ends up calling them the Seeds of Disaster, which essentially ties together pretty well since Nanook planted these Stellarons to bring forth destruction and agony in all the different worlds. 
• Stellarons are destructive energy that can bring corruption and disaster to any place they have been embedded into. 
• Another thing that players might find quite intriguing about the Stellarons is that they can talk to people using their minds or telepathy. 

Game Setting 

The world of Honkai Star Rail is set in a different universe than the Honkai Impact 3rd series and typically dives deeper into the mere concept of Space Travel. It is the fourth installment of the Honkai Series and explores space travel. 

• Himeko mentions the concept of the Cosmos Tree theory, proposed by Zandar, the Emanator of Erudition, and compares the entire galaxy to a giant imaginary tree ( like the Irminsul tree in Genshin).

One thing to note is that while the game is set in the Honkai Universe, players don’t need to know any lore from either Honkai Impact 3rd or Genshin to play the game or get to know the game’s lore. 

Combat And Gameplay 

Last but not least, let’s understand the overall combat mechanics and gameplay aspects for Honkai players. The game itself is essentially a 3D turn-based RPG. 

• Honkai Star Rail also thrives off of a three-skill combat system, where it grants players their basic attack, an elemental skill, or, as it’s known here, the AoE Attack, and then you’re ultimate. 

• Players can see whose turn it is, based on the turntable on the top left of your screen. 
• If the opponent has a faster mechanic than you, you will see the enemy being placed farther at the top of the turntable. 

The combat system has a total of 7 elements that range from Physical, Fire, Ice, Lightning, Wind, Quantum, and Imaginary. 

• Whenever players break the toughness or the white bar placed on top of the enemies, they can inflict the corresponding effect of the element. 
• Physical causes bleeding, fire causes a burn, ice causes a freeze, Electricity causes shock, wing causes shear, Quantum causes Entanglement, and Imaginary causes Imprisonment. 
• Opponents will have a certain weakness to elements, and you want to use a character that can take advantage of that; for example, using Seele, who is quantum, against an enemy who’s weak to quantum, will prove you advantageous. 

And there we have it! All that players need to know about the Honkai Star Rail Plot, and with that, we will wrap up our guide!