HoYoverse announced the Honkai Star Rail 1.6 banners in the RPG’s latest livestream along with plenty about what to expect in the next update – and there’s quite a bit. The next major story update is still over the horizon, but while we wait, HoYoverse is cooking up an animal nurture event – using the term “animal” loosely – and a new Echo of War boss fight, among other things. The battle system gets even more complex with the introduction of two characters who ignore enemy toughness, and two old favorites return for another round of banners.
Honkai Star Rail 1.6 goes live on Dec. 27, 2023, and lasts for the usual six weeks.
Honkai Star Rail 1.6 banners - Phase 1
The first round of Honkai Star Rail 1.6 banners features Ruan Mei and a Blade rerun. Ruan Mei is a 5-star Ice character who follows the Harmony path. Her big thing is increasing break efficiency and giving the party all-type resistance penetration, while preventing enemies’ break recovery for one turn. It’s a pretty nifty setup and something we’ve not seen the likes of so far in Star Rail.
Blade is a 5-star Wind character on the Destruction path. He reduces his HP to deal heavy wind damage, and his ultimate scales on HP, attack, and the amount of HP he’s lost over the course of a battle.
The 4-star characters on both banners are:
- Xueyi (Quantum, Destruction)
- March 7th (Ice, Preservation)
- Tingyun (Electric, Harmony)
Xueyi’s ultimate ignores enemy resistance types and depletes their toughness, so she’s a pretty good match for Ruan Mei.
Honkai Star Rail 1.6 banners - Phase 2
The second round of banners introduces Dr Ratio and brings Kafka back for her first rerun. HoYoverse is giving out Dr Ratio for free, so if you’re not interested in unlocking his Eidolons, you’ll get him without spending a single Jade anyway.
Dr Ratio is an Imaginary character on the Hunt path. He deals heavy damage with his skill and debuffs foes, and his talent triggers follow-up attacks on debuffed enemies. He’s pretty self-sustaining that way, though he’ll also pair well with the likes of Pela, Sampo, Guinaifen, Luka, and Kafka.
Kafka excels at applying the Shock effect and triggering additional applications of damage-over-time effects, which means she works perfectly with the same characters.
Also appearing on both banners are:
- Sushang (Physical, Hunt)
- Natasha (Physical, Abundance)
- Hook (Fire, Destruction)
Honkai Star Rail 1.6 events
While the Astral Express won’t set off for Penacony until version 2.0, there’s still an important matter to handle on Herta’s Space Station. Ruan Mei accidentally cloned a miniature Swarm disaster in the station’s Secluded Zone, and it’s up to you to deal with it.
Nous and the Erudition Path are coming to the Simulated Universe, with a new die that features more slots for additional effects and more chances to collect Trailblazer Secrets.
Finally is the Critter Pick event, and yes, that’s the official name. You’re tasked with collecting and nurturing several new lifeforms onboard the station, and you’ll get the usual range of rewards for your trouble. The critters in question are a motley sort, ranging from sweet-looking lil’ guys to sentient sacks that look like they’ll mug you once your back is turned.
1.6 also introduces several quality-of-life features to make Star Rail a smoother experience, including ways to earn more Stellar Jade and more chances to earn Self-Modeling Resin, which is handy given how the expanded battle pass lets you earn materials for that Resin.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
