Is Honkai: STAR RAIL Worth Playing? A Genshin Player’s HSR Final Beta Impressions

[@SevyPlays]

Pre-Register for Honkai: Star Rail here! hoyo.link/96yDC8Cd To clarify, there IS lore that connects Star Rail & Honkai Impact 3rd, but it's not required to know in order to enjoy Star Rail's story and characters, which is what I meant by its story being standalone. Also, correction: March 7th does a follow up attack when any ally with a shield is hit, not just allies with her shield!

[@DMurdock]

Is anybody else having trouble opening these links? I've tried a few youtubers' pre-reg links and none of them work for me.

[@nobodyimportant4503]

Already pre-registered and I'm so excited to play it though I don't usually play turn based video games. The story, universe and characters have me interested.

[@rin022]

why do you guys not like turn based have you tried any

[@ninjadude183]

@@rin022 People have different tastes for combat. I prefer fast paced hack and slash over turn based.

[@UncleKameha49]

I love hoyo's aesthetic, but the gacha, by nature, is even more crucial in a turn based. Gonna be a lot of pain mixed with the pleasure in this one.

[@GuyWithAnAmazingHat]

Yea FBO and FFBE for example, these RPG gachas are where real meta exists because the gameplay is pure math, raw numbers, true optimal exists.

[@plasmazerocannon]

I wouldn't worry too much, being a single player game, getting or rolling all the good things won't be as much as crucial as it is in PvP enabled or focused games.

[@JeSt4m]

Just heads up.. the gacha in Starrail is the worst in industry literally the same as Genshin and Honkai at 0.3%... as comparison the "Worst" rate in industry before of that is FGO which is 1%. 1/100 vs 1/3000

[@JeSt4m]

​@@plasmazerocannon It's important because collecting heroes is one added enjoyment you can have in this kind of game. Also PvP will be there.. I guarantee it. Even FGO, the only Turn based hero collector game that can do without PvP for so long are planning to implement one soon. However whether the PvP will be central part of the game like GBF or just after thought is entirely different matters.

[@GuyWithAnAmazingHat]

@@JeSt4m Nah people have already figured out that Genshin has a soft pity system which averages out to an actual 1.6% pull rate. The way this works is that Genshin starts at 0.6% for pull 1 and increases exponentially to 100% at pull 90. This is why the soft pity is 76, because the pull rate exponentially spikes at that point and it becomes very rare for really unlucky people to pull past 80 pulls. This exponential rate increase averages out to 1.6% pull rate. And during the Diablo Immortal controversy, people started calculating the amount of cash needed to get a 5* for all sorts of games and Genshin ended up being mid tier, not atrocious and not very generous. Genshin is about 120+ USD it's right in the middle, with Arknights about 60+ USD at one end and Diablo immortal 100,000+ USD at the other, FGO is 200+ USD.

[@PrinceVinc]

My "issue" with Turn Based Gacha's is that most of them are "bigger number go brrr". So it starts to Power Creep much easier than other games. I wonder if they will manage to keep it as fair and casual as Genshin.

[@Rayhaku808]

It took me too long to find a comment like this

[@christiandelcarmen1278]

Eh, it kinda falls under the RPG Turn based genre to have big numbers go brr. Games like Epic 7, my personal preference, have ‘specialty changes’ which improves some of the 3 star characters that they can become as good if not better than some 4 or 5 stars. I suppose the question would be whether or not the mechanics of the future characters become absolutely stacked. For example Senya from E7: - she doesn’t crit, removing the chance to trigger on crit passives. - she has increased critical hit chance reduction, meaning people don’t have a guaranteed crit on her. - she deals reflect damage if she doesn’t get crit. - she gains a barrier if she gets hit by a non crit, making her even beefier. - she can make herself counter attacks. - she can inflict provoke, which forces those who have it to attack whoever inflicted it. - she can also have something equipped so that inflicts additional damage based on attack stat.

[@PrinceVinc]

@@christiandelcarmen1278 Yeah, but those RPG's are not Gacha based (Persona/SMT) there lies the inherent "issue" as soon as a Gacha element is added.

[@christiandelcarmen1278]

@@PrinceVinc eh... Not exactly. Again, big damage numbers are very much the goal in RPGs. The Gacha element just tells what you can use to get to those numbers. It only really becomes a predatory game if the systems around the Gacha Game (i.e. the RPG elements, pity system, progression system, etc) aren't optimized for it. A good sign that you have a good Gacha game is if you can use 3 star units to clear the main story.

[@potatoesblink3299]

If you've played other mobile turn based games like FGO and SAO unleash blading, it'll be more often than not be about strategy and tactics in Early to Mid game. Late game will sometimes involve "big numbers go brrrr" during grinding nodes because by that time, hardcore players will have composed an ultra optimized team. (Thing is, even action games like Genshin & honkai have this) However, devs often release increasingly challenging content as the story goes on and certain events come out that will challenge players to make the most out of Thier character's abilities. This was apparent in later FGO and UB content. And while certain meta teams and OP Units do exist that make things to easy, a lot of layer of strategy may still be there for less than hardcore players. I'm feeling good about Star Rail's Simulated Universe mode and see how it'll activate my Neurons as I struggle to make the most of everyone I have

[@SeraSeraYT]

As a Tactics and strategy RPG enjoyer, Starrail is looking like it's going to be a good gateway in getting into the genre. Despite Hoyo's shortcomings, it is insane how they can revolutionize the genres they are picking up and making it more appealing to the general, more casual playerbase.

[@QMS9224]

Yea super excited I trust hoyo to deliver. It’s my favorite genre and I’ve been looking for a go to game long term for years now, tried fgo, another eden, summoners war, raid, quit them all. This is exactly what I’m looking for and I’m so excited. Also everyone pre register bc we all get more rewards the more ppl sign up!

[@xanderkai6353]

well said!

[@OmeGames]

Exactly,this is what attracts players like me and you,you have a lot more to strategize,this is why I like turn based combat games more,and couldn't get into Genshin,but i'm so excited for HSR.

[@DefinitelyNotAFerret]

I Lowkey want it to build a husbando only team ❤

[@7WhiteSword]

hoyo doesn’t revolutionize anything for the turn based formula, its just the standard normal attack and skill which already exist in thousands of rpg before this… don’t give them too much credit

[@tastygooseberry2728]

As a beta-tester and turn-based games enjoyer, I already love this game. And I would like to add some more info about interactions/dialogue options/messaging system and artifacts QoL feature. Beware, it's a wall of text. 1. There's a relic selector system. It's like Artifact Strongbox but better, you can craft any relic or ornament you want and choose its main stat (substats are random BUT as a day 1 genshin player who still doesn't have Viridescent goblet with the EM main stat, I'll gladly take it). Note that you need Self-modelling resin for it. Right now the Self-modelling resin is from the free section of BP lvl 40, so you can't just build entire relic set with it. But it still helps. 2. Dialogue options are great and better than in Genshin. There are a few quests with different endings depending on the player’s choice. You can get very different reactions from the people talking with MC depending on what was chosen. You can be sassy, get achievement for it and experience some hilarious stuff. 3. No annoying Paimon-like creature who talks 24/7. MC talks for her-/himself and has more voiced lines than Lumine/Aether had in 2 years. 4. The second person narrative is used whenever we are interacting with something (for example, with trash cans). The narrator is referring to the MC as "you" and it helps with immersion and so much fun. 5. We can run from battles with no penalty. Just press start > escape to return to the world and change the team. 6. Messaging system lets other characters to send us messages (we have a cellphone) and we can chat with them. Some dialogue options are hilarious and it feels very natural overall, they use slang, etc.

[@plasmazerocannon]

As a fellow Beta player, it feels a bit quiet and lonely without a Paimon-esque, if only she was handled and written better instead of being a repeater and Tabibito's voicepiece. March 7th felt like lite Paimon that's just as annoying without the innocence and adorableness. They really should have made her a younger character so we can act like a mentor figure, like our relationship with Clara, there's so much better chemistry there. MC talks but only to themselves, sometimes, MC still rarely talks to other characters or in-game normally.

[@darknessknows1235]

@@plasmazerocannon March being younger then the MC would make no sense. Why should the MC be a mentor when they A, also have Amnesia, and B, was born like yesterday. They have nothing to teach March in those departments as much as just support her normally. Not to mention it's clear she's meant to be a Best friend figure among the Express as she's the friendliest.

[@plasmazerocannon]

@@darknessknows1235 I'd argue back, but I'll just say wait for the game and play it yourself. I'll just give you some info. MC is already acting as a mentor and decision maker to Clara and other characters, being an amnesiac doesn't matter in this case as MC retain their common sense and general knowledge. March 7th's improvement over Paimon is that she isn't glued to you, so you see her speak way less than Paimon, she's still just annoying and dumb like Paimon though.

[@darknessknows1235]

@@plasmazerocannon I have played the game, if anything you need to pay more attention without biases lmao. MC is far from being a "mentor" type to most of the characters. They're just helpers in the way main/player characters usually are. Not to mention the dynamic where March and the MC bond over being basically the same(except March is obviously more experienced than the MC) is much more enjoyable than the MC taking up a teaching role, which would actually make March like Paimon March is nothing like Paimon. If anything, it's the MC who is more like Paimon, because they like to regularly play comic relief. She's closer to being like Amber or other cheerful characters because she's a genki girl than Paimon who is very much a mascot friend.

[@plasmazerocannon]

@@darknessknows1235 MC definitely took up the mentor role with Clara and Hook. Oh yes, have an amnesiac took up the helper role, have them make the decision too like in the android quest, totally make sense. There's barely any bonding, if there's any at all, between the MC and March 7th because the MC is Tabibito 2.0 with some improvement, MC still barely talk in dialogues with people, there's hardly any dynamic except MC playing along with the genki girl. MC "interacting" with Clara and Hook is more entertaining because you taught them something, they take the time to think and grow, there's character development and progress, and there's something tying between MC and Clara/Hook. Obviously it's still a just dialogue choices, but miles better than the empty, boring responses when you're doing small talks with March 7th that adds nothing to the relationship or dynamics between MC and March 7th. March 7th is like a hybrid of Paimon and Amber, she has the genki girl personality while being as annoying as Paimon, by talking about useless and dumb stuff or repeating stuff we already know/heard most of the time. Paimon become a comic relief (that's not really funny most of the time) by being genuinely dumb while SR MC become a comic relief by acting like a dumbass, an unwitting clown and a stand up comedian are very different.

[@kasuha]

There's chance some of QoL improvements from the Star Rail might find their way back to Genshin too. The announcement that Dehya's going on standard banner that already has pyro claymore Diluc made me thinking if they plan to put Diluc as one of guaranteed drops on Novice banner. Seeing Star Rail has it makes it even more likely.

[@QMS9224]

The beginner banner is already a huge improvement, 40 pulls for a guaranteed standard 5 star to start your account. I shall be rerolljng like a degen

[@kinderbomb]

@@QMS9224 Rerolling can be pain in this game, since it takes around 30-40 minutes to reroll, and there is no guest account, so each time you reroll you need to make a new account. Which is sad since I really want certain 5 stars lol

[@sleepyme2]

Would love to believe that but considering that they did intentionally leave out so much QoL features that HI 3rd has... why would they add the ones of the newest game if they didnt even bother to use the features their older game has

[@QMS9224]

@@kinderbomb yea but 30 minutes isn’t that much for me I like to plan out and play games long term so if I plan to play every day for 2-3 years then a couple days of rerolling is worth. I just watch anime in the background. Also I already have a bunch of hoyoverse accounts from when I rerolled on genshin lol

[@edensnagisa]

@@QMS9224 hi, i'm a novice at gacha games, so what exactly do you mean by rerolling? you mean like starting your account over when you don't get the limited 5* you were aiming to get as your first? i didn't know this was a common thing

[@esserefveermold]

I love turn-based combat so I'm really hyped about this game

[@deductionsdiary105]

I absolutely love turn-based games, something about them gives me a nice vibe

[@mintygames945]

Yeah, thats why people also love pokemon games

[@thahayasin6326]

I wanted to play this game bcs of Clara and Svarog, i fell in love with their design since CBT 1 and still to this day. I really hope i can get them at beginner banner 😔

[@makyahmiles3076]

Wishing you all the luck ☺️

[@JeSt4m]

Yachae Basaka!! oh wait different series

[@ApfersPL]

I guess I'm gonna have to check this game out after all. I don't mind turn based combat. The fact that they made the interface so similar to Genshin will help for sure.

[@galaxier3543]

I love turn based combat so I will be playing! I enjoy making unique strategies 😎

[@jessevelilla739]

Thanks again Sevy. You hit all the points I was wondering about.

[@amymalone3995]

I'm not a gamer so when I started Genshin a year ago there was a HUGE learning curve there. I did try Star Rail and to be honest I noticed some of the similarities but since the terminology is so different a lot of it isn't making sense but to be fair I haven't put much time into it (I guess mainly since I don't get it LOL). I find farming in Genshin to be super easy, there are boss locations and you know where to go for the materials you need..... here not so much. Unless I'm missing a big thing with the map I don't know how to level up anything. I just follow the story and then try to level things up as I go, not necessarily knowing what they are. I'm sure for people who have been gaming a lot time, or the younger generations (I'm older) this may make some laugh but it's all new. I'm familiar with the turn based play from Pokemon Sword/Shield but that can be frustrating sometimes, but I do get the appeal to this game.

[@haaruYuuji]

My guess is that Star Rail is a good take on turn-based RPG, but will not entice Genshin players as much as Hoyo is predicting -- not only because of the structure of combat and gameplay, but also because the mobile gaming market is already oversaturated with the turn-based gacha genre. I like their attempt to give their own "Hoyoverse" spin on things (and it's definitely welcome), however Genshin has its massive popularity because there's no real competition there, they really hit big with the open-world exploration and action-RPG aspect. At least, their major focus with Star Rail is that their systems has a lot of similarities with Genshin Impact: they are already familiar to the target audience and that alone prevent the players to become overwhelmed with them (unlike current gacha games with similar gameplay).

[@Danarcis]

I think Star Rail will appeal to players like me, who have grown a bit tired of how time consuming Genshin can be. Players with less time and more disposable income on average. I've also been missing some strategic thinking in Genshin, it's mostly just remember your cycle and dodge.

[@summoned_skulll9480]

facts, coming from Genshin, I pre-registered excited to play but was let down with how little I enjoy turn based battles.

[@ryuichiro.sakuraba]

I loved my experience in the final beta. The story was enjoyable, and some side quests are well written to. Having wacky, serious, or not-my-problem dialogue options kinda plays into setting one's headcanon on how their main character behaves. Also, the MC feels really useful in scenarios, and he's a mainstay in my team even if none of the enemies have Physical weakness (loving the home run swings lol). All characters seem to fill a niche, and casting rarity aside, it's all about the puzzle of making certain comps work e.g. retaliating with counters, settings DoTs for days, rush and break, etc. It feels like a mix of Exos, FGO and the Hoyoverse all rolled into one. Aiming to play it once it comes out. Also, checking every single thing rewards the player with...incredible lines. XD

[@ytshinichi9944]

Im now on chapter 2 of story and i can say: my hype from announcement till now didnt dissappoint! and im playing only for 8 days and was able to do 45 pulls on the event banner. thats half a pity in only 8 days. pretty good in my opinion considering its without events^^ glad i didnt pull a 5* from there yet so i wont feel bad on data wipe xD the fights are also damn fun^^ cant wait for full launch!

[@Roma88572]

I love JRPGs and honestly this is going to be a lot of fun if you’re a fan of the genre. If not you may have a tough time until they make combat deeper.

[@calyxatlas]

I’ve been wanting a casual side game so I’m pretty excited. I love turn-based games and space themes too this is made for me lol.

[@demonic_banshee]

Ah, I'm such a slow gamer, that i rarely enter times where I don't have a goal in genshin. starrail looks sooooo interesting, but no matter how much I'd love to try it, I just know i don't have the time to manage both. Instead I plan on watching the quests on youtube. I really want to experience the story, especially since I think it might have connections to Genshins lore.

[@desolatorstorm142]

As someone who's still playing FGO, let me give a heads up to how turn-based gachas go. They'll either make this so easy that it can't be considered pay to win, or it will be extremely difficult requiring niche units leading it to be P2W for a diverse roster, or the game will have a built-in cheat.

[@Etherwinter]

I got into the final CBT and I gotta say I vastly prefer the way Star Rail handles its turn-based combat to the way Genshin handles its action-RPG combat. To me, Genshin is all about finding a team, ignoring like 30% of their kit (how many characters use their basic attacks?), then rotating them in an order to spam skills/bursts, hoping your numbers are high enough so that you'll kill the boss before they decide to go underground or something and waste your time. That's both annoying and boring to me. I don't really play Genshin for the combat, but for the characters, environments and exploration. I only engage with Spiral Abyss to get primogems. I like how Star Rail has me puzzling out what to do against different enemies with the same team as your strategy can change up between battles, even if you use the same characters. Spamming skills and bursts won't bring an easy win, no matter how high your stats are. I'm probably going to enjoy the characters and the way they work a lot more. I generally prefer their designs (Genshin's has a more "rounded" general look to their characters while I feel Star Rail is closer to Honkai Impact's, a more "angular" or "sharper" design. Can't really describe it better than that) The main character's abilities is are actually awesome this time around and VERY worth building and using. The MC actually feels like a 5* character, ult animations and all. I also really enjoy how even 4* characters have their own special ult animations. Dan Heng's, for example, is very impressive. You'd never guess he was a 4* if you just looked at that alone. On the topic of 4*, every one of them feels very useful. I had a hard time deciding who to build out of all the 4* I got. And a small correction, March doesn't just follow up attack for a person she's shielded, she follows up for anyone who has a shield, doesn't matter if she shields them or not. Star Rail has Simulated Universe which is something that Genshin should have. A small roguelike mode that allows you to get stronger the more you go through it. With a variety of actually effective buffs that allows you to do absolute nonsense like run a team built entirely around follow up attacks and win using them. I had a team of Himeko, Herta and March with Natasha in there for sustain, and that was one of the most fun runs I've had of SU. It even has its own skill tree with buffs for your characters when you enter SU. All in all, I think Star Rail won't hit Genshin's numbers, or rake in as much cash, but I definitely think it will carve out a VERY comfortable niche. I also think that in general it will be BETTER than Genshin in all the areas where Genshin kind of flounders. Characters feel more present in the world rather than just magically appearing for quests. Asta, for example, is always in the main control room of the space station. You can chat with Himeko and Welt on the Express. And characters will just message you from time to time, even if it doesn't lead to anything substantial. The main character also talks WAY more with voiced dialogue. No one speaks for you in this game, like how Paimon does. It still won't beat Genshin when it comes to environments and exploration, of course. I'm looking forward to continuing both games.

[@SevyPlays]

Thank you for the note on March 7th! And I really appreciate you sharing all your insights so far too 😄

[@TinyyTato]

Best comment I've seen so far!

[@gabsjr]

from 0-10 how hard you think the combat will be? I really like what I saw, but I can't stand easy turn based games

[@Etherwinter]

​@@gabsjr As someone who loves turn-based games, it wasn't TOO difficult. Most of the walls I encountered could be overcome by making my characters stronger by leveling them/light cones. I'd say story stuff is like 2-7, easy to maybe a little above average. Simulated Universe bosses can get a little tougher, like 6-8, and Forbidden Hall challenges at like 8+ especially if you're trying to complete all the goals. Like needing to kill two groups of elite enemies within like 8 turns.

[@gabsjr]

@@Etherwinter oh, so there's actually a challenge. Now I'm happy

[@Nieszpieg]

I wish we had more companions' interaction in Genshin (Voiced Traveler when 😭😭)

[@AnArtistInAVoid]

The main thing I am excited about regarding this thing is the sci fi setting. Finally I will have something to scratch both my fantasy and sci fi itches.

[@OwtDaftUK]

I don't really have the time for another gacha game that has daily tasks. I like to play other games too. I might binge play it when it's been out a year till the end game. and then leave it for another year and do the same again.

[@zacyu208]

Clara and March synergy is so good, I really can't wait to play this game

[@kreyonsiaki2738]

I hope Star Rail pans out like Genshin where you can play any character you want on the team for any content as long as you gear them well. (except of end game content i guess) Turn based gachas eventually devolve to power creep for each new release to incentivize pulling for newer characters eventually. I just want to play and build who I like, like how I do in genshin now.

[@mosbby4135]

Yeah, I hope they find enough design space for new characters to feel unique to old ones without powercreeping. Kinda like how Genshin does it.

[@gabsjr]

I hope not. That means the game will be easy and Turn based games can't be easy cause they became boring pretty fast

[@kuroh0241]

No power creep woudl be great, but "can play whatever you want" would be bad for the game. Turn base games need to force you into changing the strategy/characters you use or otherwise they get boring fast.

[@pyronado4320]

Have you tried playing Pokemon 🤔

[@zap7737]

luckily, just like genshin, there is no end game. so youre good lol

[@litmusprime2074]

Just wanted to confirm what I was suspecting, and fuck yea it does. I don't even have to check out anything else As a long time Hoyo follower who's played Genshin AND Honkai 3rd since launch, as well as a long time fan of JRPG's, this is a dream for me. A. Persona 5-esque gameplay This right here is one of the things that will make it easy for most newcomers and players to ease into the game. Familiarity makes things easier for people, especially for those who don't like trying new things. The world may be limited unlike Genshin, but it's similar to Persona where while you can't fully explore the world, there are still tons to see and look at. Another thing they adopted as well is being able to see and talk to the other characters anytime. Just like how you can just rock up to LeBlanc at talk to Sojiro, as Sevy mentioned in the video, do side quests for the characters and they can just rock up to the Astral Express like how Nat (Natasha) did (and it's also similar to confidant missions in P5 just saying ;)) And while this may not do much for overall gameplay, it does a whole lot to making the game's world feel way more lived in and immersive. Just imagine being able to encounter Bennett and Fischl doing stuff for the Adventurer's Guild out and about. It's amazing. I'd love to encounter Serval just nagging Gepard to take a break and come see her next performance jkasdgghjks B. Hoyoverse Alternate/Bubble Universe Now, this is something probably only Honkai 3rd fans know, well, at least those who have been playing for a while and can understand the nerd mode lore (save yourself, being a lore master for all Hoyostuff and BluAka will rot you). The world this game takes place in is a bubble universe in Honkai terms, in universal terms, it's an alternate universe, and it exists alongside Honkai 3rd, Genshin, and Honkai Gakuen 2 (we're still not sure if ZZZ will be a part of it) and it's all connected to Imaginary Tree, think like Yggdrasil or the World Tree or a multiversal Irminsul, and it connects everything together. This bubble universe specifically (obv the Honkai Star Rail one) is introduced late into the Honkai 3rd story, and like really late. They made an open world section that takes place years after the game's main story concludes. A Post Honkai Odyssey (or APHO for short) is a world that takes place years after the events of Honkai Impact 3rd, and with a time skip, this means that everyone's older now. The Honkai are no more, having been beaten by Humanity (main story is getting there now actually) but a new enemy arises. The Sky People, an alien race who has been the Honkai ravaging their world and have come to Earth to collect the Honkai Energy left and make that world their own (...iirc, god it's so hard to find stuff on this anymore). By the end of APHO Chapter 1 and in the Honkai Alien Space manga which are conneted, one of the main characters called "Welt Yang" who used to be the Herrscher of Reason discovers that the Sky People might be invading another Bubble Universe and fears that it might do the same there. He then decides to go there and defend it, and so he travels with the Void Archives (the main antagonist of APHO Chapter 1) through a portal that leads to that other Bubble Universe, the world of Honkai Star Rail. If you check Welt Yang's splash art in Star Rail, you can actually see the portal he walked through to get there, along with the Void Archives (the blondie) with him. You can also see other Honkai 3rd characters in the shattered glass near him, they are members of an organization called Anti-Entropy or AE which he used to be a member of as its Sovereign. So yes, he's literally gone from there now and is in here. It's the same person from Honkai 3rd. C. Mix of the best of Honkai 3rd and Genshin's Systems Now this is one thing I love. Hoyo used the experience they've gained and keep improving upon the next game that they make. They learned from the mistakes of both Honkai 3rd and Genshin and have put the best of each game's systems and fused them together here. The UI and Menus of Genshin, with the Light Cones (Weapons), Relics (Artifacts), Skills (Talents) and Eidolons (Constellations), as well as the character menus and maps and many more. For what they have adapted from Honkai, a lot of the shops and upgrades systems have been brought over, the refunding of leftover materials from everything, being able to buy actually good characters and weapons from materials that are able to be obtained by just playing the game (more than what you can get the the Starglitter and Stardust). One new thing that is very welcome is that when farming for Relics, you can decide to scrap the 5 stars that you don't need and turn them into a special material. These materials allows you to get/craft a specific 5 star piece of a relic set that you have been looking for, like boots or a chest piece. Additionally, if you decide to get the Battle Pass, it gives you a special material that allows you to choose the mainstat when crafting a 5 star relic of your choice. This significantly makes farming and stat optimization so much easier and less time consuming, allowing you to make your main damage dealer or supporter stronger with less RNG and time. There are more new systems introduced into this game which are a welcome change and pleasant surprise. D. Wonderful Character and World design I mean, what else is there to be said. It's Hoyo, they're design and art team is cracked. Characters, worlds, audio and music, visuals, immersion, it's all there. Honkai 2, Honkai 3rd, Genshin, this, and Zenless Zone Zero, they're all fantastic, and over time, they improve their craft which is amazing. Casting for CN and JP va's are also usually stellar, CN is unsurprising because it's their native language so there's that as well. So yeah! Quite evidently I'm very much looking forward to this, as well as their other future IPs and projects. I understand and acknowledge that Hoyo has their flaws as most Game Companies do, and I understand and acknowledge that everyone has different complaints about them as almost everyone does about almost everything. No one's perfect, but what's important is that we learn from our mistakes and improve upon our flaws... even if that's one game at a time with Honkai 3rd's terrible F2P competitive scene with every new character literally needing their signature weapon or just not working, or Genshin's lack of endgame content, though funnily enough each game solves eachother's problems smh. Hopefully Honkai Star has the best of both worlds in this way as well! Looking forward to it! Yes I just made a 7 paragraph essay that completely unrelated to school. And I still have a Media Literacy, Contemporary Arts and Entrepreneurship essay to do... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@allenvillota5585]

As a long time genshin player as well, I love how you did this video 🤗

[@suzumutsu]

I'm not sure how much I'll enjoy it being turn-based but I'll definitely give it a try and I'll see if I like it. The characters are looking really cool so far.

[@netwatch7261]

No jump, or climb is a major bummer. I don't mind small levels, but I like exploring and finding secrets even in smaller floors. That's the only qualm I have with this title though. I like turn based games.

[@rolo1178]

Finally started to play the beta a few days ago and without realising it, I was up until 6AM with no will to stop at all. Needless to say, I will play the hell out of it on release as well and I'm excited to see how they expand the world, story and its characters.

[@octomar1815]

I just like the atmosphere and interior/exterior designs of the world. Might try it out for design research and collect references.

[@Renaise]

Great video and very informative, thank you 😄

[@ashuramon073]

As a Persona and Genshin Impact fan Star Rail is such a gem can't wait to play it 🤩

[@allch_chcar]

I was thinking about trying out another game. But I'm not a fan of turn based games so I'll keep looking. Thanks for the explainer

[@itsmeliska1186]

Ah it's a shame that the combat is turn based. I much more prefer feeling like I'm doing the combat myself since it gives me much more satisfaction. However, I hope everyone who was waiting for this game will have a lot of fun 😉

[@buppsyliDDT]

I'm the same too, I much prefer to do the actions myself and the game looks really nice as well, but seeing it's f2p I'm going to give it a try and see if I'll like it and, if I don't it wouldn't have cost me a lot, especially in my situation, I have a lot of time on my hands

[@rin022]

it’s not a shame for those of us less abled who can’t button mash

[@itsmeliska1186]

@@rin022 haha it's good for you then, hope you enjoy it! ^^ I'm used to playing mmo rpgs with 20 skills per character so 2 skills per character in genshin is easy to me personally.

[@thechamp742]

I'm a sucker for turn based and pretty animations hopefully you can get into it!

[@ytshinichi9944]

​@@itsmeliska1186 even for people who dont play alot of turn based games, its a good starting point! the story is already superb and i didnt play like turn based since 10-15 years and its damm fun against tough bosses! this time not all bosses cant be one shot since tough bosses will have a second or third phase when their hp reach 0%

[@primordial_kage]

As an old Dragon City player I don't mind turn based combat 👍🏻

[@carter-hotpockets1957]

I don’t rlly enjoy turn based games, but from seeing character trailers and designs I’m excited! Also I’ve completed everything in genshin so I’m playing less and less recently I don’t rlly play any other games either so hopefully I enjoy this :)) hopefully I remember everyone’s names too 💀 I know every genshin characters names but in general I’m terrible at names haha And the fact that the interfaces and wishing system is similar to genshin makes me happy, I always worry I won’t understand mechanics and fall behind 😭 The one thing I probably won’t like is the ultimate animations, yes they are super pretty but some are a bit long, having to see those over and over might be annoying lol. Like some Honkai impact animations (meis dragon) however I won’t know for sure until I play~ Thank you for this video and run down! I’m even more excited now after getting the useful basic information ❤️

[@procreatineGO]

i tell u they gonna kill your favorite character in game just like they did to previous honkai,,,,

[@itscactyy]

I totally agree with the fact that the UI is similar to Genshin's for good reason. I'm trying to play through Honkai Impact 3rd because of the lore connections to these two games, but the UI and controls are so confusing to me so I might drop it. Star Rail looks awesome in terms of UI because it's something I'm more familiar with.

[@matt-zz3ms]

im so happy for honkai star rail, i love turn based games (like pokemon) and im just so excited for april 26th

[@matateu8761]

as soon as I saw the notification I clicked right away I have been waiting a video like this Your videos are Soo simple and helpful with this things Thank you for posting videos like this :D

[@josesolty]

Would be nice to see a collab with genshin like hoyo did with honkai and genshin.

[@jakeail1995]

The thing i love from hsr story and the way they do it is that you feel much involved in almost everything which make you more invest and immersed in it

[@jouiboui]

I'm hesitant to play because I much prefer the level of control over your characters in Genshin and turn-based feels more restrictive, but I'm willing to try it out. I definitely like the more sci-fi setting. Oddly enough I don't feel attached to any particular character designs yet, which is probably safer on my wallet. The only character I've seen that I absolutely want is Kafka. The way you describe the game makes it seem easier to play casually on the side, which I like. How would you say the overall tone of the game feels compared to Genshin? Would you say it's more mature?

[@Son_Milton]

I’m honestly not gonna play this one because strategic turn based combat is kinda boring to me. Though I’ll definitely look into the lore of course.

[@jyusatsu]

I played a few turn-based game in the past so HSR is welcome to me at the same time it is enticing with its cool graphics and characters. I still have content stuff in Genshin but I think I can manage to play both games. Already preregistered and looking forward to play it!

[@zaaieer]

my love for turn based combat starts and ends with final fantasy, and they dont even do that anymore

[@moisesgonzalez8504]

Same, I haven't find another game with the same turn based combat I could really enjoy. Star rail has me really excited. Fingers crossed.

[@xeacarons]

If u like old-school final fantasy (which was my intro to turned based jrpg genre too) i suggest trying out Octopath Traveller! I m planning on playing octopath Traveller 2 while waiting for star rail lol

[@ArisSmyz]

Try the octopath traveler 2 demo, I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised

[@andr0zzsenpai]

Bravely Default series is literally the FF turn based successor, it even has the same jobs and spell names, you should try them.

[@RyudoFanel]

Try the Legend of Heroes: Trails series to get back into jRPGs. The games have a great overarching story (over 11 games now), likeable and charming characters and the turn-based combat system is entertaining and engaging without getting too monotonous or grindy. Start with Trails in the Sky FC (first chapter) if you don't mind retro graphics and a slow start. Or Trails of Cold Steel if you prefer more modern 3D graphics. The series was my first jRPG after quite a few years and I fell in love with the genre again.

[@studiesinflux1304]

Thanks for a great breakdown of the game's systems! I think MiHoYo will need some spectacular perks or appeal to stand out because its core gameplay loop is common in mobile titles: specifically turn-based battles, burning stamina in auto-battle dailies, gacha, and sampling another player's character/attack skill card/etc to promote the gacha. Mobius Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy Brave Exvius are examples of games already using this type of formula. I doubt I'll play this because I find offline games of this type of game more user-friendly, i.e. one-time purchase, no daily chores and stamina system, but still a fun battle system.

[@herondale1527]

Definitely picking it up esp since I failed for the 3rd time to get into CBT but also because I'm definitely gonna be gunning for Daddy Welt

[@JiffyTheGreat]

I have played turn-based games before, with Final Fantasy Tactics as my most fave on Gameboy. Though the gameplay of this game more resembles Golden Sun, I am actually excited to try this. Been playing Genshin on it’s first year and since then, I enjoyed it and still played up to this day. With the upcoming release of Honkai Star Rail, I am looking forward to try this!

[@RaffoPhantom]

"There are a lot of characters to simp for" That's where you had me Sevy. Jokes aside, I am really looking forward to this game and all the quality of life changes coming from Genshin. I will say I don't know how much the map structure will affect my experience. I tried Honkai 3 for a bit but it had the same mission based progress structure as "traditional" Gacha games that I really didn't like and I fear Star Rail might have the same or a similar issue for me. But I will definitely give it a fair shot. I hope the amount of ressources you get, especially Primos, won't stagnate as hard as it does in Genshin. What I will definitely miss for sure is how Genshin borrowed from different IRL nations and cultures (for better and worse, the Twitter drama is sometimes really entertaining)

[@mulraf]

I like turn based games but from experience the random encounters / the grind tends to get a bit monotonous later on - i wonder how well they'll deal with that. And also honestly i have a bit lower expectations in terms of strategizing looking at the endgame of genshin. But we'll see once it's out. Oh and while it's understandable that it isn't as open-world it would be cool if it was or you could at least jump around a bit. Other than that i'm stoked and been waiting for a long time for this to come out :D To end it on a positive note: i love that you can lend characters. That will definitely be one aspect that can help in mixing up the monotony, just trying around with different characters a bit.

[@kuroh0241]

You just play te monotonous stuff on auto. Judging from the beta you will have to strategize in endgame, but in games like this building correct lineup is a big part of it, not just the combat. Even tho the current mechanics are already decent and give hope for the future.

[@rin022]

grinding domains in genshin is monotonous especially artifacts.

[@mulraf]

@@rin022 i mean. you are right. hm. i guess since you are restricted with how much you can farm in genshin and the rewards are somewhat good for the time you spend it doesn't feel as bad to me. I just remember the normal walking around in turn based rpgs where you just have random encounters that just annoy you at some point - dozens of them. and you don't get much for them. they are just like pebbles in the way. That's what i'm worried about more i guess. when you see a random hilichurl in your way in genshin you just either run past it or 1-hit it or something. In epic battle fantasy or pokemon or games like that a sequence starts playing and best case you can select a 'flee' option or something.

[@potatoesblink3299]

I'd honestly prefer being allowed to auto & x2 my dailies over genshin's more hands on approach to making you play everyday. It allows the game to accommodate a busy lifestyle while being readily available when I'm in the right mindset to play harder content and get immersed in the story. Honestly Genshin got very cumbersome to play when life got busy. It's honestly annoying to have to spend more than 10 min on dailies and material grinding (unless I had a well optimized team)

[@potatoesblink3299]

​@@mulraf random encounters won't be too much of an issue because the missions are more bite sized. HSR isn't exactly open world with random encounters.

[@davidlim89]

This is my first time I get Final Closed Beta Test access and I'm really enjoy it the whole game.. And I was very lucky get Seele in 20 pulls.. Seele is very OP and can extra turn attack..

[@videogames9972]

ill probably check it out. i wish you spent more time on the differences rather than the similarities

[@gaiasoul9030]

Signed up for the beta quite a while ago and really wish I got in, still excited for it

[@Simpkaze]

Basically it's like pokemon but you need to gacha to catch your pokemon

[@Schizniit]

I was kinda scared when I heard it was turn based combat. I probably won't be as immersed with Honkai as much as Genshin or Honkai 3rd for that reason, but it doesn't seem as bad as I thought it would be.

[@DurandalOfAegis]

ZZZ is more my cup of tea. Not big on Anime Sci-fi, I like more mature realistic sci-fi myself (but the Urban sci-fi/magic mix from ZZZ looks awesome to me). I have played so many turn-based RPGs already (from Super Nintendo to today) that I'm also not looking for a replacement in the genre. Can't wait for ZZZ though!

[@froggyringu]

I will be playing Starrail, I have been waiting for it almost since I started playing Genshin and heard about it.

[@TheArcSet]

Thanks for this.

[@myhotdog3965]

I cant believe that no one notice the acronym she use in 13:07 was cbt

[@Aarkwrite]

I haven’t played a turn based RPG in ages. Star Rail reminds me of FFX with the action order and connected maps. Looking forward to trying it out myself.

[@arber7240]

Looking forward to it!

[@Rysskylt]

It's gonna be tough to play if the time commitment is the same as Genshing or worse. Genshin already takes so much time, even just doing daily stuff. Not only that, but it's more financial investment which is sad

[@gabsjr]

genshin is a 15min daily game

[@JoeEver123]

The financial investment is why I wont play this game. Im already commit to genshin with welking and BP and the f2p is painfully thirsty in these type of game

[@impazeldalinkin]

I like that the gameplay can be a bit more relaxed and can help me to kill time between patches too

[@matiasbarth5121]

Excellent summary and analysis, thank you!

[@nyanpasu4060]

I want to see a Genshin Impact X Honkai Star Rail collab. Given Hoyoverse owns both IP’s the collab characters could be given reruns and constellations without any legal headaches. I could see the characters Herta, Hook and Qingque in Genshin and Kuki, Noelle and Thoma in Star Rail. Keeping the characters as 4-star rarity across both games would make them easy to acquire and get duplicates of while their collab status would mean they’d only ever show up once a year.

[@c6dainsleifwillbemine]

I love it and I'm excited to try it. A Stellaron Hunters main soon!

[@BeNNNdude]

I'm playing the current closed beta and while I'm having a great time, I can readily admit that there will be plenty of Genshin players that won't enjoy it. If you're a fan of turn based JRPG style games, I think you'll enjoy it! Some people say the combat system is too simplistic because characters only have a normal attack, skill, and ultimate. But it's actually a lot more in depth once you get into it because of each character's unique talent passive and things like planning the optimal time to break an enemy's shield (yes, you should time it instead of breaking shields ASAP whenever you can). At the end of the day, it's another free game. So give it a try and then stop playing if you don't like it.

[@immunityvi6968]

I was an exclusive Genshin player with the only other games I play being GTA (the reasons I played genshin in the first place was bc it was an anime ver of GTA), and when I got into Honkai Impact I got LOST enough to quit it. The UI was confusing. Star Rail being Genshin-like at the beginning would be good, then in future updates they may slowly update it into fresh designs which will be a great adjustment to someone like me.

[@glimmermoth9307]

As a console player it's only worth playing if I can find a budget tablet to play it on

[@lynn9265]

Oof yeah some tablets costs like 1200€, it's insane 😳. Luckily you can find refurbished Samsung Galaxy S6 lite tablets for roughly 200 to 300 euros where I'm at (depends on the amount of gb). Not sure if you find that an acceptable amount, but I can attest to it being a good tablet for everyday use and even a bit of gaming. I used to run genshin on it from launch until just a few patches ago when I switched to the s8 (ashamed to say I bought that one specifically for genshin😅). I would likely have still played genshin on my s6 lite to this day if I hadn't cheaped out when buying it and had gone for the 128 gb version rather than the 64 one. But with hsr being a lighter game to run than genshin I think the 64 would be good enough. Hope this helps!

[@glimmermoth9307]

@Lynn thanks I'll look into it. I was actually looking to really cheap out with a samsung A8 or a lenovo but I'll see if there are any decent prices for the S6 lite around my area. If it ran genshin ok for you then it should be fine for honkai, plus I realised you can connect a DS4 controller via Bluetooth which is really great aswell. Of course you know after I get one they'll put it out on console in a few months 🙄

[@lynn9265]

@@glimmermoth9307 I haven't used a Samsung a8 or Lenovo tablet before, but perhaps those are fine too! And maybe they'll release it on console too, but I wouldn't wait on it... I was very scared to buy a relatively expensive tablet entirely for Genshin because I worried that with my luck they'd bring it out for the Nintendo Switch not much later, but we still don't have that yet either😅 so good thing I went ahead with the tablet purchase.

[@glimmermoth9307]

@Lynn well I'll probably go for the s6 lite, found one on fb marketplace for £125 and I can go and see the condition so will go for that one for the price. I'll break even if they did bring it to console atleast I'd expect

[@lynn9265]

@@glimmermoth9307 nice! I hope the condition is good :) I've had mine for well over 2 years and although I've had to take genshin off it, it still runs all my school applications, Microsoft software, and clip studio paint apps wonderfully along with a few small games 😁 Another tip: if you don't mind it being a little more expensive than an off-brand cover and you don't plan on taking it out of the house often (it does nothing to actually protect the corners of the tablet or anything..) then the official Samsung galaxy tab s6 lite bookstyle cover is really nice for playing genshin. Most protective covers have to either be folded into a triangle which will hold the tablet up so long as you don't touch it, but are otherwise not very stable. Or they will have these indentations for you to fold the screen into which, when tapping the screen a lot to do all sorts of attacks and walk around the place can often not support the tablet enough to keep it from sliding around. The official bookstyle cover has a pretty strong magnetic effect in its indentations causing the tablet's screen to actually be sturdy while gaming! I'm usually all about off-brand accessories since they're usually just as good, but in this case I can recommend it even if it's at an admittedly dumb price point. Perhaps a big hardware store near you will let you try it out, mine did :)

[@joy-je9yg]

👁👄👁turn based and energy shared between all charcters?? ok so TGC genshin system x Genshin design and animation quality, slayyyy🧠

[@TinaSuarez09]

aaaaaahhhhh I'm so excited for this 💕 already at AR60 in genshin and looking for something similar and I think this is the perfect game 💕

[@BeatrixBeatrixEverywhere]

The wait is nearly over

[@llenivra2ty]

I think I'll try to play this game too, I'll probably learn this game's mechanics easily since it's very similar to Dislyte a Turn based Gacha game I play on my phone but I don't play it as often as Genshin because I really like Hoyoverse's Character designs more than Dislyte's. Their Characters look more high quality in terms of aesthetics in my opinion.

[@drpicklecopter]

I was expecting more from this game. Why would I play this over any of the hundreds of other turn based gacha games on the market. It's really flashy but I can just watch KZbin compilations of the animations and see everything it has to offer.

[@zap7737]

100%

[@Hman69]

Imagine near the end of genshin a train just flies through sky linking the games

[@Cyanoco]

I've been playing Genshin and Honkai because I like Hack 'n' Slash genre. But when it comes turn-based genre...not my taste. I remember Hoyoverse announce new game Star Rail. I'm so hyped about that until they also announced it's a turn-based game. My hype immediately collapse and I scratched my plan to play Star Rail

[@AlexanderXion]

As Final Fantasy players, this game soooo exciting

[@chalk._.]

I'm quite excited for Star Rail, I just hope I don't burn myself out of either it or genshin lol

[@tgmgrizzlyjazz1046]

I actually do want to try this because the characters seem appealing despite the turn based thing... But storage ehe...

[@Musicalchannle]

I never actually played a turn based game other than pokemon and ff for those two being my top 2 fav turn based games for years it's going to be kinda hard for the game to top it

[@schwarzwelt6803]

this space travels theme makes me feels like im playing rogue galaxy again, fantastic

[@colorlessguard]

my only real experience with turn-based rpgs is pokemon lol but i already love genshin and honkai 3rd so i’m very excited to pick up star rail when it releases!! would you consider making guides/other content for star rail once it releases Sevy? i would definitely watch but i understand if you wanna keep your channel focused on genshin 💖 also i’m hoping it’ll be relatively f2p friendly as the most i usually spend on gacha game is for its battle pass 🤞 i’m also hoping somewhere down the line after the game releases we get an Elysia expy in the game bc she’s my absolute fave character from honkai 3rd 🥰🥰

[@Wyglafff]

I just hope there is no PVP mode in this game (PVE modes with rankings is PVP)

[@ring01_]

coming from turn based gacha games to genshin recently i dont think i can go back. the grinding never really feels like grinding because the combat is always interesting and a little different, i don't want another game to just leave running on auto or actually sitting there grinding the turns. that and no speed stat or tuning to worry about in genshin makes this such an easy pass

[@Scribdoodle]

I love turn based combat, it is where I started with video games and always feels the best for me personally. Really looking forward to this game.

[@magicalswordsman5838]

Personally, I think it worth a shot. The only concerning issues (potentially at least) is data storage since the game also use 3d model for the characters and environment like genshin.

[@GuyWithAnAmazingHat]

Honkai and Genshin updates are currently staggered between 2/3 weeks, straight up they are slotting in Star Rail right after them so that players get a whole 3 update rotation back to back over 2/3 weeks and we have no Hoyoverse down time. It's a clever strat but also scary, when ZZZ joins in, any fulltime Hoyoverse fans will literally have no time for other games, or even Hoyoverse games themselves.

[@alexlevantis8551]

I would love to play this game! But I don't know if I'll be able to play because I don't have room on my phone for Genshin anymore and I feel like they won't put Star Rail on PS4. Other than that, this game looks pretty fun especially with the turn-basef combat! As a Persona and Genshin fan, this is very up my alley

[@JCipher2752]

Never played any turned based games yet but still gonna try it after using all my resins in genshin 😂🤣

[@Fourismyluckynumber]

One thing im curious about is how are the reruns gonna work? But thats not something we can learn from the beta i don't think

[@briannguyen6248]

I’m so excited to try this! The problem is that it comes out around finals so 😅

[@lunasea528]

The wind element dude (forgot his name) alone is enough for me to play this game

[@GentleSavage94]

As someone who plays Fate/Grand Order, Honkai and Genshin, this game feels like a mixed bag among both FGO and Genshin. I personally feel mixed about the endgame content because I do not care much about it (not saying I am against anybody who wants it) but also am relieved it doesn't have leaderboard based rewards like Memorial Arena/Superstring dimension in Honkai. I might observe how this game goes for now and decide whether I will play it or not.

[@mrfuzzyibrows]

always down for a good story. itd be nice to play something during genshin downtimes where its just quick dailies, farms, and burning resin. cant see myself spending much on a turn- based rpg but knows. ill dip my toe in it if and when it comes to ps5

[@asterxzr]

I just want it to come out now 😢😢😢

[@cannolicorgi8913]

Star Rail's exploration sounds like it's going to be similar to Code Vein or Fable II/III. I used to play simple turn based combat games all the time, and Genshin's TCG has gotten me into it again.

[@myouileaf7213]

honest opinion: as a die hard persona game enjoyer I have big expectation towards star rail but when I tried closed beta so many things are lacking I've also sent a feedback to hoyoverse hope they make it better after release~

[@zap7737]

i was gonna say, tamper those expectations lmao

[@myouileaf7213]

​@@zap7737 yeah, and idk about you guys.. If you want to keep playing,.. all I can say is good luck and have fun ! but me personally, If the game keep the state like closed beta I'm not gonna play it, even Higan Eruthyll is better IMHO but let's see tommorow when SR finally Release !

[@artaleasham4105]

I will definetly try out star rail. I made sure that my phone downloads it when its out. I will soon have a new phone too, and I saved quite some money to get a better one. Don't get me wrong though, I'm a pc gamer. But its nice to be able to play on your phone with a controller. Edit: I love the similarities to Genshin. But I already know that genshin stays my favorite between the 2