Honkai Star Rail gets its next major update, Crown of the Mundane and Divine, this December 27, 2023. It will have new game modes and a free 5-star character.
Honkai Star Rail Update 1.6 Arrives December 27
In little over a week, fans of Honkai Star Rail will get treated to the next major update, Patch 1.6. The update is being called “Crown of the Mundane and Divine” (Hoyoverse always has a way with words) and will be released right after Christmas, on December 27th.
What’s up with this new update? Will it be as meaty as before? Let’s find out!
Stranger than Fiction
Honkai Star Rail 1.6 will introduce a new game mode called “Pure Fiction” as part of the Forgotten Halls. Details are a bit scarce at the moment, but Hoyoverse does hint that this will be a wave-based combat scenario. It will pit the players and their group against waves of enemies, and earn points by dealing damage or defeating enemies within a certain turn limit. Presumably, the faster you go, the higher your score. Better players will also get better rewards.
To mix things up, players will be able to get buffs in between certain rounds allowing them to change their approach to combat, even if by only a little bit. Players will be evaluated after reaching the “Cycle Limit” and award stars based on performance.
It is also worth noting that Honkai Star Rail players should take the time to invest in this new game mode. One of the more notable rewards includes the 4-Star character, Lynx. Speaking of new characters…
A New Hand Touches the Beacon
Just like any other patch for Honkai Star Rail, its character banner period will be split up into two sets of about three weeks each. First of which is Ruan Mei, a new Ice-type character who walks the Harmony path, making her an excellent potential support character for every lineup. Ruan Mei is the first banner’s 5-star character.
She is an expert in Biology and a proud member of the Genius Society. Her basic skill allows her to buff her allies’ damage’ and Break Efficiency. Her ultimate buff everyone’s Resistance Penetration and also applies Mark on foes which essentially makes it so that targets don’t recover from Weakness Break as quickly, as well as delay their next action.
Joining Ruan Mei is the Destruction follower Xueyi, a 4-star Quantum character. Being on The Destruction path, Xueyi can efficiently deal AoE damage to enemies. Her basic attacks will let her gain stacks of Karma which will trigger a Follow-Up attack when a specific threshold is reached. Her ultimate will deal massive Quantum damage to a single target while also fully depleting their toughness.
The Doctor is In
During the Part 2 Banner of Honkai Star Rail Update 1.6, another 5-star character will be released. This time, he is named Dr. Ratio and he’s quite the doctor who specializes in pain treatment. That is, inflicting pain instead of making it better. Dr. Ratio is a Hunt character who uses the Imaginary element. He specializes in single-target damage while also debuffing enemies, making them susceptible to follow-up attacks.
Dr. Ratio won’t be joined by a new 4-star character during his banner. Instead, players will be able to pull Shushang, Natasha, and Hook alongside the good doctor. However, Dr. Ratio has given all trailblazers an offer that they cannot possibly refuse. As long as players log in between the release of versions 1.6 and 2.1 (whenever that will be), they will get a free copy of Dr. Ratio. Essentially, Hoyoverse is giving away a 5-star character for free as you log in within those dates!
Accompanying the new characters will be two fan favorites who mark their return to the Honkai Star Rail banners. Between December 27 and January 17th, 2024, players can take a gamble and get Blade, the dark and brooding antagonist of the Destruction path. Afterward, players will be able to test their luck at getting Kafka as she returns for the first time since her release.
Honkai Star Rail and the Rest of the Kitchen Sink
Of course, there’s more to be had in Honkai Star Rail’s version 1.6 update. For example, the Simulated Universe module run by Herta will receive a new feature under the “Gold and Gears” subheading. Ruan Mei lends her expertise in customizing runs with dice which each has their effects on a run.
New odd creatures have also found their way onto the space station, creating some new work for the Trailblazers and their friends. You can now collect and raise these new cute creatures and raise them like your own!
In other news, check out Baldur’s Gate 3 Devs Won’t Be Putting the CRPG On Xbox Game Pass, and Lords of the Fallen ‘Season of Revelry’ Adds Festive Content, New Quests & More.
