Publisher and developer miHoYo has announced Honkai: Star Rail update 3.0 is launching next month, bringing with it a big new expansion and more.
The new 3.0 update and expansion, titled “Paean of Era Nova”, is launching for all supported platforms on January 15th. The new release brings with it an entirely new area, new story bits, three new playable characters, and more.
Fans can expect the new expansion to start a new chapter in the game’s story, which will unfold in two parts and be released in eight versions from 3.0 to 3.7 – a massive arc in the game’s story.
Here’s a rundown on the new expansion, plus a trailer:
In this update, players will finally experience the long-awaited new world of Amphoreus, beginning a fresh chapter in the main story. The Trailblaze Mission in Amphoreus will be released in two parts across eight versions, from 3.0 to 3.7, making it the largest story arc in Honkai: Star Rail to date. This update brings not only new world storylines but also multiple maps and rich gameplay features waiting to be explored. Get ready to embark on the “Hero’s Journey” with new playable characters — Aglaea, The Herta, and the Trailblazer: Remembrance!
Leaving Penacony the Planet of Festivities behind, the Astral Express embarks toward Amphoreus under Black Swan’s guidance, seeking both to replenish Trailblaze Fuel and uncover the mysteries of this celestial body. From the outside, Amphoreus appears as a chaotic vortex, its existence impossible to detect or understand. Similarly, its inhabitants remain completely unaware of the outside universe. Unlike other worlds, they do not know of the concept of “Aeons,” instead worshiping deities known as “Titans.” According to legend, twelve Titans created Amphoreus: Three who wove fate, three who shaped the heavens and earth, three who molded life, and three who brought calamity. In Amphoreus, gods and miracles are tangible existences rather than mere myths. Yet this realm’s history is steeped in tragedy. In ancient times, the arrival of three Titans — “Strife,” “Death,” and “Trickery” — sparked a civil war among the gods. Soon after, a mysterious force known as the “black tide” swept across the world. None know its origins, but all life touched by it loses sanity, with even the mighty Titans proving vulnerable. Over millennia, between the black tide gradually consuming Amphoreus and the gods waging endless war, the world fell into eternal night. Now, in humanity’s final sanctuary — the Holy City of Okhema — only the protection of Kephale, the Worldbearing Titan, stands as the last barrier against the black tide.
The Astral Express, arriving as an unexpected force from beyond this world, is destined to change the course of Amphoreus’s fate. Upon entering Amphoreus, the Trailblazer and Dan Heng first descend into a region known as the “Abyss of Fate.” Legend says three Titans — Time, Passage, and Law — once wove here the threads of time, space, and rules that would govern Amphoreus, determining the fate of all creation. Now this land lies in eternal night, with only emptiness echoing through its grand architectural remains. As the story unfolds, the Trailblazer’s group will return to the Abyss of Fate, pierce through the mists, delve deep into the temple, and finally gain audience with Oronyx, the Titan of Time. Through this encounter, the Trailblazer embarks on the Path of Remembrance, gaining the ability to “draw strength from the past.”
Meanwhile, players will meet a new companion who, due to their mysterious origins and tendency to only make “Mem” sounds, is temporarily named “Mem.” Beyond their adorable appearance, Mem plays a crucial role in combat. The Trailblazer can summon Mem during battles, where it gradually charges Energy. Once fully charged, it provides Mem’s Support that allows a designated character to immediately takes action and deal additional True DMG, turning the tide of battle. Together with Mem, the Trailblazer will surely overcome the various challenges that await in Amphoreus.
Following the winding path beyond the Abyss, players will reach Okhema, the Holy City built into the mountainside. Bathed in the eternal dawn light of the Worldbearing Titan’s protection, this city will serve as a crucial base for the trailblazing expedition through Amphoreus. Among its most distinctive landmarks stands the Marmoreal Palace, a grand baths. More than just a place for bathing and relaxation, it functions as the city’s heart, a public gathering space fostering daily social connections among residents. In these times of eternal night and chaos, Okhema, sheltered under the Worldbearing Titan’s protection, remains humanity’s final sanctuary and beacon of hope. Local legend tells a romantic tale: Kephale shall one day open their eyes, leading humanity to triumph over the black tide and forge a new world. From beneath this holy city, a group of human heroes known as the Chrysos Heirs embarks on a quest for flame, shouldering the mission to reclaim the twelve Titan Coreflames and restore Amphoreus to glory. In future stories, the Trailblazer will join their journey, fighting alongside the Chrysos Heirs in this legendary expedition.
Meanwhile, Trailblazers will also have a chance to explore the unique city-state of Castrum Kremnos. It was named after the Blade of Fury that dangles high above the city, and it is also where the Strife Titan resides, thus making it the place where the seventh Coreflame slumbers. In the second half of the Trailblaze Mission, players will borrow the power of the Oronyx to return to the past and experience Castrum Kremnos during its golden age. There, they will discover one of the mechanisms the Trickery Titan Zagreus left behind: The Hand of Zagreus. This mechanism can be used to lift heavy obtains, pick up items, smash open pathways, and obliterate enemies easily in special circumstances. It serves as a major aid to exploration. During this time, the players will enter Castrum Kremnos alongside the Chrysos Heirs and travel through the ruin stronghold to face the fallen and maddened Strife Titan in battle to take back the Coreflame of Strife.
Version 3.0’s last map is the starting point for the entire world of Amphoreus: The Vortex of Genesis. This is the grand sanctuary for the 12 divine Titans, and it is also the prophesied place where the Miracle of Genesis occurred. Every time a Chrysos Heir overcomes a Titan and takes its Coreflame, they will return the Coreflame here. In the void, every constellation that is lit represents a journey walked by one’s predecessors. The long Flame-Chase Journey has already undergone centuries of tribulations, with much work done, and the remaining labors require the Trailblazer to work hand-in-hand with the Chrysos Heirs to accomplish.
Version 3.0 will also invite two new and powerful 5-star characters to join the player’s teams. The first is the esteemed#83 member of the Genius Society, an Emanator of Erudition: The Herta. Since Herta first debuted, she made a deep impression via her unique Herta puppets and idiosyncratic behaviors on the space station. It is said that her true self resides in a place on the Cosmos’ edge, and she rarely reveals herself to others. It is only today that she has finally shown herself. The Herta is an Ice-Type Erudition character that is skilled at AoE DMG. In battle, she can apply Interpretation on enemies, and ally characters attacks can also further apply Interpretation. With the increase of Interpretation stacks, The Herta’s abilities can increase powerful hits of DMG based on their high Interpretation stacks on specific targets and multiple enemies besides. Additionally, The Herta’s Ultimate can also Transfer the highest Interpretation stacks to Elite or stronger enemies, before dealing Ice DMG to all enemy targets.
The second character making her debut is Aglaea from Amphoreus. She bears the divine authority of “Romance,” and is one of the earliest Chrysos Heirs to embark on the Flame-Chase Journey. As Okhema’s dressmaster, Aglaea isn’t just a legendary hero of Amphoreus, but she is also a major figure in recruiting new Chrysos Heirs to embark on the world-saving journey after the Flame-Chase Journey was interrupted prior. As the first limited 5-star Remembrance character, Aglaea can summon her memosprite Garmentmaker in battle to fight alongside her. They demonstrate a duet dance aesthetic in combat. Additionally, through their cooperation, Aglaea and her Garmentmaker can synchronize attacks on enemies. This new joint attacking mechanism not only increases the Garmentmaker’s SPD, and also adds a new layer of rhythm and variability to combat, allowing an exquisite dance for two to unfold at a charming cadence.
In addition, in the first half of Version 3.0, there will also be a special Warp event. Limited 5-star characters Lingsha, Feixiao, and Jade will be making reruns. In the second half, the 5-star characters Boothill, Robin, and Silver Wolf will also be making a limited return. These characters will serve stronger reinforcements, walking side by side with Trailblazers to embark on a journey across Amphoreus. Aside from this, March 7th will gain a Preservation outfit. It can be claimed after unlocking the “Characters” function and logging in during the Version 3.0 period.
Honkai: Star Rail has been available since April 2023 for PC via its official website and the Epic Games Store, iOS (via the App Store) and Android via (Google Play), and PS5.
