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Honkai: Star Rail is HoYoverse’s newest game. Released on PC and mobile, with PlayStation support coming later in the year, Honkai: Star Rail is a turn-based RPG set in space. As a member of the Astral Express, you trailblazer a path through the stars. Oh, and you might contain the power to destroy entire planets—no big deal.
Most gamers became familiar with HoYoverse through Genshin Impact. Boasting a similar art style and tone, Star Rail attracted a lot of Genshin Impact players. So if you’re familiar with Genshin and are a bit lost with Star Rail, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Aside from the turn-based mechanics, Star Rail shares almost all of its mechanics with Genshin.
Characters & Equipment
| Honkai: Star Rail Name | Genshin Impact Name |
| Types | Elements |
| Paths | Regions / Weapon Type |
| Light Cone | Weapon |
| Traces | Talents |
| Relics | Artifacts |
| Eidolons | Constellations |
Types
Honkai: Star Rail combines the concepts of Visions and nationalities from Genshin Impact in the form of a character’s Combat Type and their Path. Since Star Rail’s combat functions as a turn-based RPG and not a real-time combat one, Combat Types and Paths affect what enemies a character can weakness break and how that character functions in your overall team.
For example, Lisa has an Electro Vision, which makes her element Electro, with her Archon being the Raiden Shogun. However, just because her Vision comes from the Raiden Shogun doesn’t affect Lisa’s best team position as a Sub-DPS. The Raiden Shogun herself can function well in any time position, while Cyno works best as a Main DPS.
Paths
In Star Rail, a character’s Path typically dictates their team position and what Light Cones they can use. Both Natasha and Bailu follow the Abundance, and both are Healers. However, Natasha’s Combat Type is Physical, while Bailu’s is Lightning.
The adjustment to the weapon system is new, but think of it like the different weapons in Genshin. Sword characters can only use swords, while claymore characters can only use claymores. The Paths work similarly: only those on the Path of Destruction can use Destruction Light Cones.
Traces
The most significant difference here lies in the Traces and Relics. Traces expand on the Talents in Genshin and function as a mini skill tree for each character. The base Talent mechanics are in Traces: certain Traces affect the character’s attacks (Basic, Skill, and Ultimate) and you can unlock other talents as you level up the character. However, you can unlock different portions of the trace to increase the character’s base stats. These will also give you an indication of how the character is meant to be used (Main DPS, Sub DPS, Healer, etc.).
Relics
Relics act just like Artifacts, but they are split into two categories: Cavern Relics and Planar Ornaments. Cavern Relics have four pieces to them while Planar Ornaments have two, bringing your total Relic count to six per character.
The Cavern Relic sets are the most similar to the Genshin Artifacts. Equipping two Relics of the same set will grant one buff and equipping four grants a second buff. You can mix and match between different two-piece sets or use all four of the same set.
Planar Ornaments only consist of two pieces and can only be obtained from Herta’s Simulated Universe. Planar Ornaments will provide your Type boosts, such as Imaginary Damage or Fire Damage. Set bonuses from Planar Ornaments are separate from those provided by Cavern Relics.
Basically, Cavern Relics are Artifacts, but you can get a third buff from equipping Planar Ornaments of the same type.
Gacha Mechanics & Items
| Honkai: Star Rail Name | Genshin Impact Name |
| Stellar Warp | Wanderlust Invocation |
| Character Event Warp | Character Event Wish |
| Star Rail Pass | Acquaint Fate |
| Star Rail Special Pass | Intertwined Fate |
| Stellar Jade | Primogems |
| Undying Starlight | Masterless Starglitter |
| Undying Embers | Masterless Stardust |
| Oneiric Shard | Genesis Crystal |
Star Rail’s Regular Warp comes with a nice extra – after your first 300 Warps on the Stellar Warp banner, you are guaranteed a 5-Star Character. This only applies to characters on the Stellar Warp banner, but the game allows you to pick who you want. You can choose Himeko, Welt, Bronya, Gepard, Clara, Yanqing, or Bailu. Genshin doesn’t have this feature. If it did, you’d pick from Jean, Diluc, Mona, Qiqi, Keqing, Tighnari, and Dehya.
Overall, most materials and items in Star Rail have a one-to-one counterpart with those in Genshin. Each character and weapon has specific ascension materials that correspond to their Type and Path, respectively.
More Honkai: Star Rail Guides:
How to Redeem Codes in Honkai: Star Rail | How the Honkai: Star Rail Pity System Works | Everything You Need to Know About Honkai: Star Rail
