Honkai: Star Rail 2.0 is here. It’s a major milestone for the game to see its first expansive update of the year while somehow accomplishing this task before the game has reached its first anniversary.Honkai: Star Railremains ambitious and fun as we enter the new year, especially now that a new update has dropped. In version 2.0, players will enter Penacony, where the line between dreams and reality becomes heavily blurred, bringing new content for everyone to enjoy. So, let’s dig into exactly what you may expect from Star Rail’s 2.0 update, as it’s a big one you’ll want to see for yourself.
Honkai: Star Rail offered two live streams to hype up its upcoming content, so we know that HoYoverse is committed to bringing a banger of an expansion, revitalizing the magic behind HoYoverse’sprized turn-based gacha game. The 2.0 update will take place over a full seven-week period (for reference, most patches have been six, except forversion 1.4, which only lasted five weeks) already underway; we have lots to discuss on what’s coming, how to prepare, and the cool features you can expect to be added in.
What’s coming to Honkai: Star Rail 2.0 over the next seven weeks?
Besides the debut of three new characters, Black Swan, Sparkle, and Misha, and their respective Light Cones, we have a huge update on our hands. Not only will we see a new Trailblaze quest (story) continuance, but we will also venture to a completely different planet, Penacony, the land of dreams. Expect to encounter a fresh new cast of characters hosted by Sunday, a representative of The Family (faithful followers of Xipe, the Aeon of Harmony).
As Honkai: Star Rail 2.0 rolls out, it will introduce a new boss, a new companion quest (featuring Sparkle and Black Swan), new enemies (like giant trash cans), and some perception-based puzzles to keep things interesting. New limited events include Dreamchaser Bulletin, Hanu’s Prison Break, and Dreamjolt TV, while everyone should expect 20 free pulls to commemorate the start of a new version.
What to expect from the new characters Black Swan, Sparkle, and Misha
Going to a new area also means getting more resources to obtain new characters. Honkai: Star Rail 2.0 will drop Black Swan (5-star Wind, Nihility), Sparkle (5-star Quantum, Harmony) and Misha (4-star Ice, Destruction). Misha will be listed in Black Swan’s rate-up banner during phase I.
You will want to grab Black Swan if you’re a devoted DOT player, especially if you own Kafka. Sparkle is also a fantastic buffer for mono-Quantum teams and hypercarries that chew through SP like no one’s business. Then, the 4-star option, Misha, focuses on dealing damage and crowd control. He might not be Jingliu in terms of outputting raw damage, but if you’re one of the unfortunate souls who’ve missed out on her banner (version 1.4), he’s more than a formidable stand-in for ice weakness matchups.
What’s changed in version 2.0
Penacony introduces a new story arc containing new maps (more labyrinth-like) filled with unique puzzles. But also, the patch brings attention to existing in-game systems.
The Forgotten Hall Shop has been updated, so you can purchase new 4-star Light Cones for every Path. In-game optimizations include marking discard on relics during Cavern of Corrosion runs (to salvage into relic remains or relic EXP materials) and seeing sub-stat rolls labeled numerically on relics.
The game will introduce Fate’s Atlas, a concept map showing important events you’ve experienced in the Trailblazer quest. It’s a nifty way to stay on top of all the events that have happened thus far.
New dream-like adventures await in Penacony
HoYoverse has spent up advertising for Penacony: several trailers, Penacony lore teasers (both cartoon and live-action), and even hired Jake Miller to co-produce a music video,White Night. So far, version 2.0 has delivered on the hype, so there’s no better time to get back into the groove of playing. We also have some new codes that players can redeem during the start of the patch to unlock some useful items and currency.
Redeemable codes:
And if you’ve beenplaying Honkai: Star Rail since the beginning, you will already know what version 2.0 will bring to the table. But if you’re a new player looking to jump into the game with yourfavorite Android gaming phone, you can install the game by clicking on the Play Store widget below.
