With the recent launch of Luocha Banner, the latest gacha game from Hoyoverse, Honkai: Star Rail has been enjoying a comfortable journey in terms of both content and overall success. Thanks to a multitude of story missions, events, and bonuses for new players, reaching the 'endgame' stage of Trailblaze Level 40 to 45 doesn't take too much time. However, once players reach this point, what can they anticipate? Discover the essential information about the endgame that HSR players wish they had known before invested so much time in reaching it.
7 You'll Really Miss Those Story Missions
Initially, players rushed through the Story Missions of Honkai: Star Rail, disregarding the dialogue and spamming their clicks or taps until their fingers grew tired. At that time, HSR appeared to offer a plethora of content that rewarded players frequently.
New characters, locations, conflicts, and even grandiose boss battles were constantly introduced to the players. However, upon reaching the culmination of the current story content, most players realized that their hasty approach had been unnecessary. Firstly, HSR possesses an intricate story and world-building, which delves into Aeons, galactic politics, and more, making it easy to overlook significant details when rushing, especially those concerning the characters. Secondly, once the players exhaust the story, HSR shifts entirely from a JRPG with mobile game elements to a mobile game with JRPG elements.
6 Progression Slows Down Exponentially
Speaking of the slowing progression in HSR, let's delve into the endgame aspect. After assisting in the rescue of Xianzhou Luofu from the Ambrosial Arbor resurrected by a Stellaron, players will eventually exhaust the available story content (at least in Version 1.2's current story progress).
By this point, most players find themselves at Trailblaze levels 40 to 50, noticing a slower but manageable rate of leveling up. However, once they reach TL55, the true endgame commences, as the experience points required per level effectively double compared to previous requirements. And when TL60 is reached, the challenge becomes absurd, with each level demanding up to 10,000 experience points. This signifies that players should anticipate their Trailblaze Leveling to decelerate tremendously and prepare to divert their focus towards other game aspects. These may include conquering the Simulated Universe, completing all collections, and undertaking similar endeavors.
5 There Are Way More Collectibles Than You'd Think
Many players who quickly completed the current story content of Honkai: Star Rail made sure to thoroughly search each new area for various collectibles. These include Hidden Chests/Bountiful Chests, hidden Warp Trotters, daily check-in NPC puzzles, and Hexanexus Cube puzzles. Despite their efforts, it's highly likely that players are still missing certain things. Many of these puzzles, NPC quests, and collectibles are extremely well hidden, time-gated, or only appear after reaching a certain level of progress. Therefore, players who have reached the endgame should be prepared to thoroughly explore every map multiple times, fight certain bosses again for specific secret achievements, and complete numerous puzzles. This is especially true for those who are not using a guide.
4 Time To Bash Your Head Against The Memory Of Chaos 'Wall'
For the most part, the Forgotten Hall is considered the 'endgame' of Star Rail. However, there exists another level known as the Memory of Chaos, which becomes accessible after clearing the Forgotten Hall. Unlike the Forgotten Hall, the Memory of Chaos features challenging levels with a rotating modifier called the 'Memory Turbulence'. Both the modifier and the levels themselves change every few weeks.
The Memory of Chaos is undeniably difficult, even incredibly so. This aspect of the game favors players who have invested a significant amount of money, highlighting the divide between free-to-play (F2P) and pay-to-win (P2W) players. Ultimately, the key tip is to be prepared for countless retries in order to conquer these challenging Memories.
3 Welcome To The Relic-Grinding Simulator
Players of Genshin Impact are likely familiar with a crucial aspect of HSR's endgame - the relentless pursuit of Relic grinding. However, Star Rail is still lacking in terms of available Relic Sets compared to Genshin. Thus, players should hold off on farming Relics until they reach at least TL50, in order to increase their chances of obtaining a few 5-star Relics per attempt. Unlike Genshin, HSR requires characters to remain on the battlefield at all times, making it impossible for players to avoid damage completely, even with flawless gameplay. As a result, every incremental increase in stats becomes more crucial than ever before.
Therefore, players who are currently progressing through HSR at their own pace should continue to do so, as the endgame primarily revolves around what could feel like an endless cycle of Relic farming. The goal is to acquire Relics that possess the ideal combination of primary and secondary stats not only for a single character but for multiple characters as well. This process also involves acquiring Planar Ornaments from the Simulated Universe.
2 It Was Never A Race, So Why Did You Rush?
In the endgame of Honkai Star: Rail, players will come to realize that their urgency to complete all the content quickly was driven by a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out). This feeling of FOMO is illogical considering that HSR is primarily a single-player game, but a majority of players, ourselves included, succumbed to it nonetheless.
While players may fall behind in discussions on forums and be envious of their friends' progress, it is important to prioritize enjoyment over this constant fear of missing out. Simply put, there is not much content that will truly be missed at this point in the game, so players should focus on savoring the experience.
1 Endgame Means Less Maintenance, Not More
To prepare for the final stage of Honkai: Star Rail, players must ironically be ready to "not play the game." Once all main and side missions are completed, the progression of characters is limited to the Trailblaze Power and its refresh rate.
Without spending a significant amount of money to replenish the Trailblaze Power, players can only engage in limited activities each day. At this point, HSR transforms into a "low maintenance" game where players spend about an hour or two completing daily tasks, collecting Stellar Jades, and perhaps rolling on the new banner. This shift to a low-maintenance game is not necessarily a negative aspect, as many people enjoy games with minimal upkeep, particularly in the realm of mobile gaming. However, it is important to note that extensive gaming sessions lasting six hours or more are no longer feasible, except during the launch of new events or at the beginning of each week when weekly activities reset.
Honkai: Star Rail is available now for PC and mobile devices with a PS5 version releasing in Q4 2023.