Summary
The 5-star characters inHonkai: Star Railrecently overtook their 4-star counterparts when it comes to volume. There are over 34 5-star units in HSR (including theTrailblazer’s three current forms) and just 22 4-star characters. This is a significant jump fromHSRversion 1.0, which only had 11 5-stars (including the Trailblazer’s two forms at the time) and 13 4-stars. MiHoYo is focusing its best designs and mechanics on limited 5-star units since they’re the most profitable and even F2P fans can get guaranteed pulls for them. However, the devs might also alienate the same F2P players if they put less effort into creating viable 4-star units, which puts the designers in quite a bind.
Gacha games likeHonkai: Star Railoften divide characters into different power tiers. For HSR, the apex characters are rated 5 stars, while the perceptibly weaker characters are given a 4-star label. Since 5-stars are the best in their class, players need to spend as much as 80 passes to get a guaranteed unit. Many meta 5-star characters also have limited banners, so players only have the chance to acquire them for a few weeks after their banner releases or reruns. Meanwhile, all 4-stars can be acquired through standard and limited warps anytime after release. Players only need to expend 10 passes for a guaranteed 4-star, making them easier to obtain.
The Growing Gap Between 5-Star and 4-Star Characters in Honkai: Star Rail Explained
Honkai: Star Railhas been releasing two limited 5-star units and one 4-star unit per version since 1.1. The gap grew even wider inHSRVersion 2.2and 2.3, which had no new 4-star characters. The gap between the unit tiers is not only growing in quantity but also in quality.
The Rising Power Level of Limited 5-Star Units in Honkai: Star Rail
It seems like every limited 5-star release inHonkai: Star Railis created to define or dominate the game’s ever-changing meta. This is especially apparent in the release of Firefly, whose break-focused kit synergizes perfectly with the newly mintedHarmony Trailblazer’s Superbreak buffs. Meanwhile, her enhanced skill can implant Fire weakness on opponents to ensure that she can shred their toughness bars and get them to their broken state.
Firefly has many features and synergies that set her up for success, a privilege that wasn’t afforded to older standard and limited 5-star units, except maybe the latest DPS releases Acheron andBoothill inHonkai: Star Rail. This further plays into the speculation of the community that newer characters are power-creeping past ones. If previous 5-stars are getting out-classed by the latest releases, then the 4-stars are starting to look even weaker in comparison.
Why Honkai: Star Rail’s 4-Star Units Can’t Keep Up With 5-Stars
Despite the domination of limited 5-stars in the meta, some 4-star support and sustain units have a place in most team compositions. Gallagher is a staple in the Firefly Superbreak team because of his massive toughness damage against fire-weak opponents. On the other hand, Pela is perfect for theAcheron hypercarry teambecause of her DEF shred, Nihility path, and her ability to consistently debuff characters with the Resolution Shines As Pearls of Sweat light cone. However, they’re only valuable because there aren’t any 5-stars that can provide the value they provide just yet. A future limited unit, Jiaoqiu, is a debuff-focused Nihility unit that could replace Pela in Acheron teams soon.
Xueyi can also substitute for Firefly because of her break-focused kit, but she needs complete eidolons and traces to keep up with the latter’s damage output. The same is true for most 4-stars. They need a lot of investment to get close to matching the value of their limited counterparts, which is fair because they’re easier to acquire. If MiHoYo can’t upgrade its 4-stars’ capabilities and designs in fear of outshining 5-stars, it should at least grow the roster across multiple paths and elements to give players more flexible and affordable options for their teams. The Preservation path definitely needs a good 4-star release right now.
Honkai: Star Rail
WHERE TO PLAY
Board the Astral Express and roam the universe in search of myths and legends. From global interactive entertainment brand HoYoverse comes a new space fantasy RPG. Harness the spirirt of the Trailblaze in a cel-shaded space fantasy adventure where you’ll embark on an unforgettable intergalactic odyssey. You and your fellow Astral Express passengers will hop from world to world, resolve conflicts, form friendships and uncover a wealth of mysteries. In this exciting new free-to-play game, you’ll journey through immense worlds of the unknown and bond with a series of memorable characters. Choose your companions and arrange the ultimate four-person combat team to help you take down a looming threat to the universe.
