Farming in Honkai: Star Rail vs Genshin Impact - Which Game Comes Out on Top?

Following the release of Honkai: Star Rail a few months ago, anticipation is building for the upcoming new content, which was recently announced during the Version 1.1 Special Program. As players have had ample time to form their own opinions on the game, some have expressed the view that it surpasses HoYoverse's ongoing sensation, Genshin Impact. While the two games have distinct gameplay styles, they share common features, such as the emphasis on farming.

Given that both Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact are free-to-play gacha games developed by the same company, it is not surprising that they bear some resemblance. Both games require players to farm various resources in order to upgrade their characters and weapons, with farming being a key focus of each. While Honkai: Star Rail seems to have borrowed from the formula of its predecessor, it has managed to refine the farming experience, making it more streamlined and less tedious.

Genshin Impact's Resin vs. Honkai: Star Rail's Trailblaze Power

Both Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail incorporate a stamina system to restrict the number of times players can obtain rewards from specific sources. Genshin Impact's Resin system is limited to a maximum of 160 Original Resin, which can be used to claim rewards from Ley Line Outcrops, Domains, and Normal and Weekly Bosses. To replenish Original Resin, players must either wait for it to regenerate (1 Original Resin per 8 minutes) or use Fragile Resin, Transient Resin, or Primogems to refill 60 Original Resin. Additionally, players can craft Condensed Resin by combining 40 Original Resin with crystal cores to claim more rewards in one Outcrop or Domain trial. In contrast, Honkai: Star Rail's Trailblaze Power system allows for a higher limit, capping up to 180 TP, which enables players to claim rewards from six different activities. To refill TP, players can either wait for regeneration (1 TP per 6 minutes) or use Fuel or Stellar Jades, but there is no equivalent to Condensed Resin with TP.

Genshin Impact's Ley Line Outcrops and Domains vs. Honkai: Star Rail's Calyxes and Other Activities

Both Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail require players to gather resources through various activities. However, Honkai: Star Rail offers six activities for obtaining materials to upgrade characters and weapons, leading to a higher Trailblaze Power cap compared to Genshin Impact.

In Genshin Impact, players can collect materials through Ley Line Outcrops, which come in two variants: Blossoms of Wealth for Mora and Blossoms of Revelation for character EXP materials. Both variants require 20 Resin or 1 Condense Resin to collect rewards. Additionally, there are three types of Challenge Domains that offer weapon ascension materials, artifacts, and character talent materials. These domains also require 20 Resin or 1 Condense Resin to farm rewards. Genshin Impact also offers Normal Bosses (40 Resin cost) and Trounce Domains (30 Resin) that provide unique materials for character or talent ascension, artifacts, and billets for crafting specific weapons.

In Honkai: Star Rail, players can obtain loot from the Golden Calyxes, which are equivalent to Ley Line Outcrops in other games. The best part is that they only cost 10 TP, which is cheaper than the original. There are three types of Golden Calyxes: Bud of Memories (character EXP material), Bud of Aether (light cone EXP material), and Bud of Treasures (Credits). For further rewards, players can try the Crimson Calyxes, which offer specific materials for upgrading characters' traces and ascending light cones, also at a cost of 10 TP.

To equip characters with powerful relics, players can explore the Cavern of Corrosion, which is similar to Genshin Impact's artifact system. However, obtaining relics here will cost players 40 TP, making it more expensive than Genshin Impact's artifact domains. For unique character ascension materials, players can try their luck at Stagnant Shadows, which is equivalent to Normal Bosses in Honkai: Star Rail. Finally, Echoes of War offers a weekly boss battle that drops advanced trace materials, relics, and even light cones, making it a better option than Genshin Impact's Normal Bosses that do not drop complete weapons.

Genshin Impact's Expeditions vs. Honkai: Star Rail's Assignments

While both Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail feature mini-features like Expeditions and Assignments, the latter stands out with its more diverse range of materials available for scavenging. Genshin Impact's Expeditions, which can only be assigned by talking to Katheryne in specific locations, offer limited materials such as Mora, ores, and ingredients for food. In contrast, Honkai: Star Rail's Assignments provide players with access to a wider range of valuable materials, including character/trace materials, character/light cone experience materials, synthesis materials, and credits. What's more, Assignments can be set up anytime and anywhere, thanks to the convenience of the in-game menu.

What to Change in Future Genshin Impact Updates

Honkai: Star Rail offers a more streamlined farming experience compared to Genshin Impact, with the ability to teleport to Golden Calyxes and replay trials for a total of 60 TP. Additionally, the game's autoplay feature allows for automatic farming of Calyxes and other activities, which is not possible in Genshin Impact. To compete with Honkai: Star Rail, Genshin Impact could consider adding character EXP materials and character/weapon ascension materials to Expeditions, increasing rewards for all activities, and raising the Resin cap to appeal to the majority of players. HoYoverse should show some love to its other game in future updates.

Honkai: Star Rail is available now on Mobile and PC. PS4 and PS5 version is in development.