With slick turn-based combat, RPG character systems, and an overworld to explore in a new sci-fi setting, Honkai: Star Rail really brings its A game. Its launch version has a ton of content to play through and a whole lot of rewards to be had. There’s a lot going on in Honkai: Star Rail, so I’ve created this guide to cover all the main content currently in the game, what it’s for, and what rewards you get from completing it.
Main Story Quest (Trailblaze Missions)
The main storyline quests in Honkai: Star Rail are called Trailblaze Missions, and you’ll want to complete these as often as you can. Not only do they offer a compelling story but they are key to unlocking a lot of content, progressing to new worlds, and increasing your Trailblaze level. You also get plenty of items, EXP, and the premium currency Stellar Jade to buy Rail Passes to unlock new characters and Light Cones.
Companion Missions
Companion Missions are special side missions involving specific characters. You learn more about them and spend time with them. Once you complete their missions, the characters periodically visit the Astral Express. Completing these missions rewards you with a healthy offering of EXP, items, and Stellar Jade, so I’d recommend doing all of these missions. Plus, they’re darn enjoyable for characters you like.
Adventure Missions
Adventure missions are generally smaller side missions. They’re often text-only, unlike the fully voiced Trailblaze or Companion missions. Some are enjoyable and others a bit of a chore, but most are still worth completing for their large Trailblaze EXP rewards. There may be points where your Trailblaze level is too low to continue the Trailblaze missions, so these missions help fill the gap and give the extra EXP you need to advance the story.
Boulder Town Super League Event
You can find this in your Travel Log, which is where most event content is located. It takes place in the Fight Club in Boulder Town on Jarilo-IV. You put together a team and take on various boxing weight classes in a series of battles with randomly picked opponents. You get random buffs that make you stronger as you complete fights, and the faster you win the battles, the more rewards you get at the end. These include items like character EXP books and Stellar Jade. Currently only the first round, Featherweight, is available.
Aptitude Showcase
The Aptitude Showcase is where you can try the characters featured on the current character event banner in the Warp section. You can see how they play in combat and get some items and Stellar Jade for your time. This is a brilliant way to see if new characters are worth spending your Rail Passes on or not.
Simulated Universe
This is one of the main pieces of content in the game. It currently features 6 Worlds in Herta’s Simulated Universe where you take on a series of battles and gain various boons and rewards as you progress. You can find out more about how the Simulated Universe works here. As you complete Simulated Universe runs you gain Stellar Jade for using Blessings and Curios that you haven’t used before. The rewards are quite substantial, with 30 Stellar Jade per new Curio and 80 Stellar Jade per 5-6 Blessings. There are currently 154 Blessing and 45 Curios to discover.
After beating an Elite or Boss in the Simulated Universe, you’ll need to spend 40 Trailblaze power (a resource that recharges over time and is spent on activities throughout the game) to claim the rewards, which include Trailblaze EXP and Relic sets that you can only obtain from the Simulated Universe.
There is also an ability tree that you level up with Ability Points earned from battles in the Simulated Universe. The Ability Tree allows you to obtain powerful buffs for your team to utilize while competing Simulated Universe content. It’s a great way to scale your team strength for the increasing challenges of the Worlds.
Each week, there are rewards you can earn from building up points by completing Worlds in the Simulated Universe, with more difficult Worlds awarding more points. Once you reach 7000 points, you’ll be able to obtain all of the rewards for the week, including tokens to spend on claiming Simulated Universe rewards in place of Trailblaze power, Stellar Jade, Rail Passes, and rare materials for leveling up things like Relics or Traces. There is also usually one or two Herta bonds that you can redeem in Herta’s store for 5-star rarity Light Cones, materials to upgrade those Light Cones, or standard Rail Passes.
Calyx Golden & Crimson
Calyx are set battles with difficulty tiers that unlock based on your Trailblaze level. Golden Calyx are where you can spend Trailblaze power to complete battles and earn EXP materials for both character leveling and Light Cone leveling, as well as Credits which are used in pretty much all leveling. Crimson Calyx are similar, except they’re specifically for earning Trace Materials that you’ll need to level up your character’s passive ability Trace Tree. You’ll be spending a lot of Trailblaze power running these to get the materials needed to max out each character.
Stagnant Shadows
Stagnant Shadows are tougher fights than Calyx and are where you obtain various Character Ascension Materials. These materials allow characters to ascend past the level caps when you have the required Trailblaze level to do so. You’ll only need to do these when a character reaches an ascension point.
Cavern of Corrosion
These tougher battles feature multiple enemy waves and are your main source of Relics (equipable items). Caverns of Corrosion provide the main Relic sets, which are each composed of four Relics. These have random stats, but can be game-changing if you roll the right stats as they can be a huge source of damage and survivability. You’ll spend a lot of time and Trailblaze power throughout Honkai: Star Rail trying to get amazing stats on the right Relic sets to make your characters incredibly strong. It’s an end game RNG gearing system similar to the one in Genshin Impact.
Echo of War
Echoes of War feature Boss battles that you’ve previously completed. There are currently two available, rewarding Trailblaze EXP and advanced Trace Materials to obtain major skill nodes. They also reward Relics, Light Cone Fragments that can be redeemed at the Messenger Store, and some excellent 4-star Light Cones. You can only complete these 3 times per week, and they reset each week.
Forgotten Hall
Forgotten Hall is a huge source of Stellar Jade and is some of the most difficult of all the content in Honkai: Star Rail. Each memory stage is made up of up to two battles and each battle needs to be completed in as few turns as possible and without having a character downed. If you can do this, you’ll be rewarded with an assortment of materials, credits, Light Cone fragments, and a hefty 200 Stellar Jade if you complete the Memory Stage with all requirements met.
Daily Training and Daily Mission
You’ll want to complete these quick missions each day for a steady source of Stellar Jade. All you need is 500 points, and each objective rewards 100 – 200 points. There is always a short daily mission you can complete for 200 points, which generally takes only a couple of minutes.
Operation Briefing
These are challenges that you can complete as you play through Honkai: Star Rail and are typically related to playing certain content or leveling up characters, Light Cones, and Relics. There are four or five challenges per page, with each rewarding Trailblaze EXP and a selection of materials. After completing those challenges, you can claim the page rewards which include Stellar Jade, Leveling Materials, Relics, and Rail Passes. You’ll progress through these challenges naturally as you progress through the game.
Nameless Honor
This is the Battle Pass system in Honkai: Star Rail. The free tier has some good rewards, including Leveling Materials, Fuel (which is consumed to restore Trailblaze Power), advanced Trace materials, and a special item for crafting a 5-star Relic from a set of your choice. This item lets you choose the main stat, which is huge. You also get a ton more of all of those items if you purchase the Battle Pass, plus a choice of a premium Battle Pass-only Light Cones and a bunch of Stellar Jade at the end. There are daily, weekly, and Battle Pass period quests that you can complete to level up the Nameless Honor, and I’d highly recommend you do so.
World Puzzles
Spread out across the worlds in Honkai: Star Rail are various puzzles, usually indicated by a puzzle icon. Each of these will generally offer a Treasure Chest, rewarding materials and Stellar Jade, so they are worth doing when you come across them as you travel around the overworld.
Treasure Chests
All over the various Worlds are treasure chests to find and collect. All of them contain a few materials, credits, and Stellar Jade, so they’re worth grabbing when you see them. The higher rarity chests that grant more Stellar Jade are often blocked by a stronger enemy that you’ll need to take down to claim the loot, but it’s well worth it.
Prime Gaming Rewards
Honkai: Star Rail has now joined the ranks of games offering free in-game rewards to Amazon Prime subscribers. The first bundle is now live and includes 60 Stellar Jade, 40,000 Credits, and 5 Refined Aether. If you’re a subscriber, make sure to claim this bundle and keep an eye out for future bundles.
HoYoverse Codes
There are currently two active codes that you can redeem right now here and they are as follows:
HSRVER10JYTGHC – 40 Stellar Jade, 10,000 Credits
STARRAILGIFT – 50 Stellar Jade, 2 Traveler’s Guide, 5 Bottled Soda, 10,000 Credits
That covers all the main content in Honkai: Star Rail version 1.05. Hopefully this guide will help you understand what everything does and what content is needed to get the strongest characters, the most Stellar Jade, and the Star Rail Passes to pull for those sweet 5-star characters! And if you’re looking for tips on how to tackle this content by upgrading your characters and making sure you have strong teams, check out our full range of guides to Honkai: Star Rail.
