While fans have wasted no time falling in love with the tall, handsome, and perpetually brooding Blade in Honkai: Star Rail, they haven’t actually been able to play him. This will be changing soon with Honkai: Star Rail patch 1.2. Before his banner launches and you start pulling for him, here is everything you should know about his release date, abilities, and what we know about his background.
When Does Blade Come to Honkai: Star Rail?
Patch 1.2 launches on July 19th and will bring with it new banners, the first phase of which includes Blade. The banner is called “A Lost Soul”.
Patch 1.2 will have two banner phases, with the second starting on August 8th, which is also when Blade’s banner will go away.
What Are Blade’s Abilities in Honkai: Star Rail?
Blade is a five-star Wind Destruction character, welding the Wind element with a skillset perfect for massive damage output. During the Honkai: Star Rail Version 1.2 "Even Immortality Ends" Special Program, HoYoverse gave a detailed look into Blade’s abilities. Blade’s unique style of play revolves around his ability to sacrifice his own HP to unleash powerful attacks.
As per HoYoverse, here are Blade’s abilities at level 9:
- Normal Attack: Shard Sword - (Single Target) Deals 130% of Blade’s ATK as Wind DMG to a target enemy.
- Normal Attack: Forest of Swords - (Multiple Target) Consumes HP equal to 42% of Blade's Max HP and deals Wind DMG equal to the sum of 52% of his ATK and 65% of his Max HP to a single enemy. In addition, deals Wind DMG equal to the sum of 26% of Blade's ATK and 65% of his Max HP to adjacent targets.
- Skill: Hellscape - Consumes HP equal to 30% of Blade’s Max HP to enter the Hellscape state. When Hellscape is active, his Skill cannot be used, his DMG dealt increases by 36.5%, and his Basic ATK Shard Sword is enhanced to Forest of Swords for 3 turns. If Blade’s current HP is insufficient, his HP will be reduced to 1 when he uses his Skill. This Skill does not regenerate Energy. Using this Skill does not end the current turn.
- Ultra: Death Sentence - Consumes 130 Energy. Sets Blade's current HP to 50% of his Max HP and deals Wind DMG equal to the sum of 38% of his ATK, 95% of his Max HP, and 95% of the total HP he had lost in the current battle. Also, deals Wind DMG equal to the sum of 19% of his ATK, 47.5% of his Max HP, and 47.5% of the total HP he had lost in the current battle to adjacent target(s). After his Ultimate is used, the HP he has lost in the current battle is reset and re-accumulated. This lost HP value is capped at 90% of his Max HP.
- Talent: Shuhu’s Gift - When Blade's HP is lowered, he gains 1 stack of Charge for 3 turn(s), stacking up to 5 times. The maximum stack he gains each time he receives an attack is 1. When maximum Charge stack is reached, immediately use a follow-up attack on all enemies, dealing Wind DMG equal to 41.25% of Blade's ATK plus 103.13% of his Max HP, while also restoring Blade's HP by 25% of his Max HP. All Charges are consumed after unleashing the follow-up attack.
- Technique: Karma Wind - Immediately attacks the enemy. After entering combat, consumes 20% of Blade’s Max HP while dealing Wind DMG equal to 40% of his Max HP to all enemies. If Blade’s current HP is insufficient, his HP will be reduced to 1 when using this Technique.
Should You Pull For Blade’s Lightcone?
Accompanying Blade’s banner will be the Light Cone banner “Brilliant Fixation”. This banner rewards the five-star Light Cone The Unreachable Side. As this is Blade’s Signature Light Cone you should be pulling for it while the banner is going if you plan on using Blade in your party.
The Unreachable Side Increases the wearer’s CRIT rate by 18% and increases their Max HP by 18%. When the wearer is attacked or consumes their own HP, their DMG increases by 24%, of which the effect is removed after the wearer uses an attack. This greatly increases the potential of Blade’s attacks and abilities, giving his damage output a substantial boost.
What Is Blade’s Backstory in Honkai: Star Rail?
Blade is a member of the Stellaron Hunters, the organization led by Elio and whose ranks include Silver Wolf and Kafka. He is steeped in mystery, with little of his background known to any, even the other Stellaron Hunters closest to him. The official description for Blade reveals that he is “a swordsman who abandoned his body to become a blade.” Which sounds pretty metal, but I’m sure there is a tragic backstory behind it.
In the official Character Introduction: Blade post from HoYoverse, Blade is characterized as a quiet individual who rarely chats with his fellow hunters. He is “the most mission-dedicated member on the team.” As to why he joined the Stellaron Hunters, we only know that Elio “promised him something”.
Blade appears to be an immortal being, as per the description of The Unreachable Side which reads, “the curse of immortality still raged on, and the grudge of past misgivings never died out.” Blade wasn’t always immortal, and considering he views it as a curse it may not have been his choice and he definitely holds a grudge. This grudge is likely against Dan Heng, whom we see Blade holds animosity towards in his character trailer “Death Approaches”. The two may have a long history, and Dan Heng could even be the reason Blade became immortal, which tracks with what Welt tells us about Dan Heng’s past and that he is “running from something.”
