Honkai: Star Rail’s combat system can seem daunting to new players at first, but it is fairly easy to get used to once the main mechanics are understood. Developer HoYoverse’s new title is quite different from the popular Genshin Impact, so players accustomed to the open-world action RPG will have to adapt to the new game’s core gameplay. Honkai: Star Rail has a turn-based combat system, which means players must choose what each character is to do on the field, and they will execute each action in order, based on their individual speed stats.
Players that have played any traditional JRPGs, for instance, will understand the combat system in Honkai: Star Rail quite quickly. Games like the early Final Fantasy titles follow the same structure. However, it is important to point out that there are a few other mechanics that come into play that still need to be understood before tackling the game. Developer Hoyoverse’s Honkai: Star Rail has a weakness system and a role system that are intrinsic to every single character, with the exception of the main hero, Trailblazer. Because of this, players need to carefully plan the team they are taking into each battle of this space adventure.
Character Variety Influences Team Comps In Honkai: Star Rail
At the moment, Honkai: Star Rail has 27 different characters, all of which drastically influence the game's combat system. Because of their different builds and how they operate on the field, team comps can vary considerably, and having the option to switch a few characters in and out of battle, depending on the opponent, is the most recommended. Nevertheless, obtaining them means participating in the game’s gacha system. Obtaining the desired playable character in Honkai: Star Rail can be tricky since it depends on having luck with pulls in the banners. While there is a pity system in action, players will have a limit of many pulls they get without spending money.
Honkai: Star Rail Characters Have Elemental Powers
Regardless of the characters obtained, each of them will have domain over an Elemental power in Honkai: Star Rail's combat system. Every enemy presented in the game will also have at least one Elemental Weakness, meaning players will want to take advantage of these weaknesses to break something known as a Toughness Bar. Once that has been broken, enemies will enter a weakened state called Weakness Break. In that state, they will receive more damage and will be susceptible to additional negative effects, depending on the Element. In this sense, Honkai: Star Rail is different from Genshin Impact, due to the fact that Elements do not provoke Elemental Reactions when combined. However, they are equally important in taking down enemies.
While a few of the Elements in Honkai: Star Rail’s combat system merely deal damage over time to opponents, a few others can affect how the enemies behave on the field. When dealing Quantum or Imaginary damage to an opponent in the Weakness Break state, their actions will be delayed, meaning characters owned by the player have a better chance at striking first. This is extremely advantageous in any turn-based game, and Honkai: Star Rail is not an exception. There are a total of seven different Elements available in the game, as learned from Honkai: Star Rail’s previous closed beta, meaning there are many different strategies and team comps to choose from.
Depending on the opponent, players will have to alter their main team comp to choose characters with Elements that are strong against them. Additionally, they may want to combine the foe’s weakness with an advantageous Weakness Break effect, so it is recommended to obtain as many characters with varied Elements as possible. Below are all seven Elements, along with their respective Weakness Break effect in Honkai: Star Rail’s combat system, as listed by Game Guide:
Honkai: Star Rail’s Elements & Weakness Break Effects
Elements |
Weakness Break Effects |
Physical |
Deals additional Physical damage and applies Bleeding effect, which deals Physical Damage-Over-Time (DoT). |
Ice |
The enemy is Frozen and unable to take action. Also deals Ice DoT. |
Fire |
Deals additional Fire damage and Burns the opponent, which deals Fire DoT. |
Lightning |
Deals additional Lightning damage. The Shock effect deals Lightning DoT. |
Wind |
Deals additional Wind damage. Applies the Wind Shear effect, which deals Wind Dot. |
Quantum |
The enemy receives the Entanglement effect, which delays their on-field actions and deals Quantum DoT |
Imaginary |
The enemy receives the Imprisonment effect, which delays their on-field actions and reduces their overall Speed stat. |
Paths Are Honkai: Star Rail’s Interpretation Of RPG Roles
Another pillar of Honkai: Star Rail’s combat system is the Path given to each character. These are HoYoverse’s interpretation of traditional RPG roles and resemble jobs such as tanks and healers in Final Fantasy. While the Trailblazers Path can vary in a team, much like their Element, all other characters have a preset Path and, consequently, a role they play in a team comp. The popular March 7 hero follows The Preservation Path, which means she is a specialist in defensive abilities and provides protection to the team. The character Blade, on the other hand, follows The Destruction Path, meaning he is a classic striker DPS.
The Paths given to each character are different and a team with varied Paths is likely the best for standard opponents. While weaker opponents may not require having a healer that follows The Abundance Path, a powerful boss may show that it is indispensable. Genshin Impact is not a turn-based game, but these roles are not completely unfamiliar. While the action RPG does not have an attributed Path to each character, the heroes of Teyvat operate better when designated said roles. This is also true in Honkai: Star Rail’s combat system, with the difference being that characters do have designated roles to follow. Below are all seven Paths and their specialties, listed by Honkai: Star Rail Fandom:
Honkai: Star Rail’s Paths Described
Paths |
Path Effects |
The Destruction |
Characters excel at attacking from the front. They are also the best when fighting solo. |
The Abundance |
Characters can heal allies. |
The Harmony |
Characters provide buffs to boost the team's power. |
The Preservation |
Characters have defensive abilities that can protect allies. |
The Erudition |
Characters are good at striking multiple targets with AoE attacks. |
The Nihility |
Characters can debuff opponents. |
The Hunt |
Characters are single-target Critical Hit dealers. |
These are the main characteristics of the combat system present in Honkai: Star Rail. The proper use of Elements and Paths attributed to every single character is the key to success in most battles that players will face in the game. Of course, they will be able to test all of it prior to the game’s release. Honkai: Star Rail’s final closed beta starts in February, and will allow players to explore hours of gameplay and test out different characters - so long as they obtain them through the gacha banner system.
Source: Honkai: Star Rail/YouTube, Game Guide, Honkai: Star Rail Fandom
