In an exciting update for Honkai Star Rail fans, HoYoverse has announced plans to give some beloved characters a much-needed makeover in the upcoming HSR 3.4 update. Revealed during the latest livestream of the RPG, the reworks will breathe new life into fan-favorites Kafka, Silver Wolf, Blade, and Jingliu. This change comes in response to player feedback requesting that these once-dominant characters regain their former glory. However, HoYoverse is keeping the details of these changes under wraps for now.
If everything stays on track, players can expect the HSR 3.4 update to drop in early July 2025.
When these four characters made their debut back in 2023, they quickly rose to the top tier within the Honkai Star Rail universe. Kafka even enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in 2024 with the introduction of Acheron. However, as it often happens in these types of games, their effectiveness has diminished over time. Jingliu demands a lot of investment yet still falls short in damage output compared to her peers. Kafka’s synergy has hit a roadblock, as no new damage-over-time characters have been added for months. Meanwhile, the newcomer Mydei seems like little more than a Blade clone.
This phenomenon, known to many as “powercreep,” is a familiar tale in gacha games like Honkai Star Rail. Interestingly, other HoYoverse games have managed to avoid this issue to some extent. Take Genshin Impact, for example. Some of its early standout characters continue to hold their ground on various tier lists and are still capable of handling endgame challenges. Zenless Zone Zero is another title where players can tackle formidable foes with the original trio of free characters. Both games have evolved, but they haven’t sidelined their original line-ups.
Unfortunately, it appears that not all Honkai Star Rail characters will get the same treatment. Characters like Bailu, Yanqing, Natasha, Hook, and Welt seem to have fallen by the wayside, with no indication of changes coming their way anytime soon.
On a brighter note, as part of version 3.2, you’ll be able to snag one of two free 5-star characters: Ruan Mei or Luocha. So, keep an eye out for that opportunity!