Honkai: Star Rail version 2.0 adds Penacony realm, Black Swan, Sparkle, and Misha on February 6
Hoyoverse has announced that Honkai: Star Rail version 2.0 "If One Dreams At Midnight" will launch on February 6, adding the Penacony realm, Black Swan, Sparkle, and Misha.
The version 2.0 trailer, details, and screenshots can be found below, via Hoyoverse.
Global interactive entertainment brand HoYoverse announced today that Honkai: Star Rail's Version 2.0, titled If One Dreams At Midnight, will arrive on February 6, and the much-anticipated new realm— Penacony — will finally unveil its mysterious veil. Meanwhile, beyond the introduction of new maps, storylines, and companions, Version 2.0 also marks the initiation of Penacony's main Trailblaze Missions. These missions will span from versions 2.0 to 2.2, and culminate with epilogues in version 2.3. Moreover, the game has also carried out a series of system optimizations in response to help Trailblazers have a more convenient gaming experience.
After pioneering various worlds such as the Herta Space Station, Jarilo-VI, and Xianzhou Luofu, the Crew has received an invitation in the name of The Family to visit Penacony as honored guests for a grand event called the Charmony Festival. The core of Penacony is a gigantic interstellar hotel named The Reverie, attracting countless interstellar celebrities seeking a lavish luxurious retreat. Centuries ago, Penacony was once a frontier prison utilized by the IPC for detaining criminals. However, over the years, and through various incidents, the control of this planet shifted to The Family. Presently, Penacony has undergone a remarkable transformation, evolving into a renowned cosmic vacation spot.
Once entering the hotel, Trailblazers will utilize Dreampool, a unique sleep device to visit the Dreamscapes. The Golden Hour which players are about to step into isn't merely the first dream in the series; it stands out as one of the liveliest and most popular among the 12 Dreamscapes. In this realm, celebration and pleasure take center stage in this city: joyous dances and songs never cease, and the festivities never end. While navigating this region, Trailblazers will come across the Dream's Eye—a wondrous device that utilizes visual illusions to seamlessly connect previously disjointed paths with significant height differences in an incredible way. Moreover, in the subsequent stories, Trailblazers will unlock the ability to Dreamwalk, allowing them to enjoy a unique experience of defying gravity and walking on walls and ceilings.
For the playable characters, the highly anticipated mysterious lady, Black Swan, will make a dazzling debut in the story of Penacony. As a 5-star character, she is not only an outstanding oracle, but also a Memokeeper in the Garden of Recollection, exuding an air of nobility, mystery, and elegance. As the first Memokeeper to formally appear in the game, Black Swan has a strong desire to explore the memories of others. The memories of others, through Black Swan's patient listening and organization, transform into cards in her hands. When Black Swan uses Basic ATKs or Skills to attack enemies in combat, there is a certain probability of applying a special stackable DoT effect called Arcana to the enemies. Under the Arcana state, Black Swan triggers additional effects based on the number of Arcana stacks the target is under. Moreover, as the stacks accumulate, the DoT inflicted on the enemy will correspondingly increase.
At The Family's feast, another remarkable 5-star character, Sparkle, is also set to join the Trailblazers' team. Sparkle, the enigmatic Masked Fool, is dedicated to the pursuit of Elation through any means necessary. As a dangerous master of drama, she excels at changing identities and indulges in playing various roles. With a thousand masks at her disposal, she can embody countless personas. For Sparkle, wealth, status, and power are nothing more than fleeting illusions, and only Elation can ignite her desire to act. In battles, Sparkle's presence will provide an additional increase to the team's maximum Skill Point. Moreover, her unique Skill not only boosts the CRIT DMG of a designated teammate but also Advance Forwards that teammate's Action, providing more strategic options in battle. After Sparkle unleashes her Ultimate, she can restore multiple Skill Points for the team in one go. The addition of Sparkle to the team not only broke the limitation of the team's Skill Point, it also allows the team to deal more damage.
Moreover, a local Penaconian, Misha, is also making his debut. As a 4-star character, Misha works as the doorman at The Reverie. Dreaming of becoming a cosmic adventurer like his grandfather, Misha is passionate about learning about various interstellar experiences the hotel guests share. He eagerly anticipates the day he can embark on a journey to explore the stars. In combat, the more Skill Points the team uses in battle, the more DMG Misha's Ultimate will inflict. Additionally, when Misha uses his Ultimate, there is a chance to Freeze the target, making him a reliable companion worth entrusting. It is also worth mentioning that in Version 2.0, two old friends from the Xianzhou will reunite with the Trailblazer: The limited 5-star characters Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae and Jing Yuan will respectively appear in the first and second phase of Version 2.0's event warp.
At the same time, a series of system optimizations are introduced to make the gaming experience more convenient for Trailblazers. Firstly, a new feature called Fate's Atlas is launched to document the events and plot lines that occur in each world in chronological order, helping Trailblazers better organize the narrative context of each world. In addition, the enhancement process for Relics is thoroughly optimized. Trailblazers can now conveniently insert materials while upgrading and easily elevate each Relic to the specified level. This new version also introduces Relic set recommendations tailored for different characters, allowing Trailblazers to efficiently filter and switch Relic sets with a single click based on their needs. Finally, the marking, discarding, and salvaging of Relics are optimized to make it easier for Trailblazers to find materials efficiently, and to improve the players' gaming experience.
