Why Genshin Impact Must Embrace Honkai's Groundbreaking Element
Genshin Impact Could Benefit from Honkai: Star Rail's Support System, Enhancing Gameplay for All Players
Between HoYoverse's two prominent games at the moment, Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact, it can be argued that the former offers superior quality-of-life features compared to the latter. Despite their differences in gameplay, both Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact share certain similarities such as gacha features and farming mechanics. However, Honkai: Star Rail seems to address some of the flaws present in Genshin Impact. One particular mechanic in Honkai: Star Rail, known as the Support System, significantly enhances the player experience and is something that Genshin Impact should consider implementing in a future update.
In Honkai: Star Rail, which is a turn-based RPG with a four-character party in battles, the Support System allows players to replace their fourth member with another player's character. It is important to note that support characters are distinct from characters who follow supporting Paths like Abundance, Harmony, Nihility, and Preservation. Instead, support characters can be any character of the player's choosing. This feature proves to be immensely helpful in farming battles as it allows players to replace a weaker unit with a stronger character from another player. Genshin Impact would greatly benefit from adopting this feature as it would make battles and farming much easier and more enjoyable for players.
Breakdown of Honkai: Star Rail's Support System
The Support System in Honkai: Star Rail is designed to assist players in their farming activities. It allows players to borrow other players' characters in various game modes such as Calyxes, Stagnant Shadows, Caverns of Corrosion, and Echoes of War. This feature is incredibly convenient as each battle requires characters with specific elements to exploit the weaknesses of certain enemies.
The way the Support System operates is quite simple. Players just need to select the challenge they wish to undertake and they will be taken to the team selection menu. On the right side of the menu, there will be a "Support" button, which when clicked, will display a list of characters available for borrowing from either friends or random players. The level of support characters is determined by the borrowing players' Equilibrium Level and character level cap. For example, players at Equilibrium Level 2 will only be able to rent characters at level 50 or below. However, support characters from friends can exceed the level cap.
The Support System not only serves a practical purpose but also adds a delightful element to the gameplay, allowing players to experiment with characters they may not own. It goes beyond just providing access to 4-star characters; players can even borrow powerful 5-star characters like the recently unveiled Silver Wolf. By configuring a single support character through Trailblazer Profiles, players can offer their character for others to employ. As a bonus, when other players utilize someone's support character, the original player earns credits that can be collected.
Why Genshin Impact Needs a Support System As Well
Although Genshin Impact's gameplay differs from Honkai: Star Rail, there is a need for a similar Support System in some of Genshin Impact's activities to enhance the overall gameplay experience. Specifically, the game could benefit from a Support System in four different Domains: Domains of Forgery, Domains of Blessing, Domains of Mastery, and Trounce Domains. Each of these Domains features unique enemies or bosses in the case of Trounce Domains, and players are advised to form teams with specific elemental abilities to increase their chances of success.
A Support System in Genshin Impact could greatly benefit newer and lower-level players who struggle with farming in Domains. This system would allow players to rent powerful 5-star characters like Al-Haitham and Kaedehara Kazuha, providing them with much-needed assistance and making the task less burdensome. As the game prepares to introduce the new nation of Fontaine and its accompanying Domains, players at lower levels will require additional support. Moreover, this system would also grant players the opportunity to try out characters they have never owned before. Given that Fontaine will introduce new characters, the implementation of the Support System by that update would be highly advantageous.
Honkai: Star Rail is available now on Mobile and PC. PS4 and PS5 versions are in development.
