Honkai Star Rail version 2.0 update: Release date, banners, events, more

❘ Published: 2024-02-05T15:34:28

Honkai Star Rail version 2.0 update promo image

HoYoverse

Honkai Star Rail is ready for its next storyline in Penacony, so here’s everything we know about the version 2.0 update, including plot details, character banners, new gameplay mechanics, upcoming events, and much more.

Honkai Star Rail is still celebrating its many accolades by giving powerful Dr. Ratio away for free to all players, but devs have much more planned for the next big update. The second phase of the 1.6 update is almost over, and the next stage in Honkai Star Rail will bring a brand-new storyline. This means players will jump directly into the 2.0 version, which will add tons of content for fans to explore.

Here’s everything we know about the Honkai Star Rail version 2.0 update, including how to preload it, upcoming character banners, plot details, new features, and much more.

Honkai Star Rail 2.0 release date
How to preload version 2.0 of Honkai Star Rail
Honkai Star Rail 2.0 story details
Honkai Star Rail 2.0 banners
Honkai Star Rail 2.0 gameplay updates
Honkai Star Rail 2.0 Light Cones
Honkai Star Rail 2.0 events
Honkai Star Rail 2.0 trailer

Honkai Star Rail 2.0: If One Dreams at Midnight release date

HoYoverse finally confirmed the Honkai Star Rail version 2.0 update will arrive on February 6, 2024.

The second phase of the 1.6 update will end around that date, maintaining the three-week schedule for each HSR banner.

How to preload version 2.0 of Honkai Star Rail

Honkai Star Rail players can now preload the highly anticipated 2.0 update ahead of launch on PC and mobile devices, and all you need is to follow these instructions to be ready when new content arrives:

PC

Open the Honkai Star Rail launcher on your PC.
Click the “Game Pre-Installation” button on the left side of the “Start Game” button.
Click “Get Now” to start the download.
You can still play the game while the content downloads.

Mobile (Android and iOS)

Launch the game on your mobile device.
Tap the “Resource Pre-Download” button in the bottom-right corner of the login screen.
Wait until it finishes downloading to keep playing the game normally.

The download size is approximately 12GB, so it is recommended to be connected to a Wi-Fi network during the process. It’s important to note that mobile players will still need to update the app when the new version goes live. PlayStation 5 players, on the other hand, just need to wait for the update to go live to get Honkai Star Rail’s latest version on February 6.

Honkai Star Rail 2.0 story details

Honkai Star Rail will jump directly to the 2.0 version to launch a new storyline set in Penacony, the Planet of Festivities.

There, players will meet The Family, who are followers of Xipe, the Aeon of The Harmony. The Astral Express Crew will receive a formal invitation to take part in many festivities alongside other factions, like the Interastral Peace Corporation (IPC). This will bring many new characters to the game, including Black Swan, Sparkle, Misha, Firefly, and Aventurine.

As seen in the trailer above, other characters, like Acheron, will also join the story, although there aren’t many details regarding their involvement. In addition, leaks point to Firefly having an important secret that’ll be revealed through the story. Dataminers also revealed Firefly is the character with the most voice lines in the new storyline, second only to the main character.

Another official trailer you can check below is focused on the members of the Ever-Flame Mansion, part of the Annihilation Gang. Some of its members already made an appearance in Honkai Star Rail’s latest update, and they have also received an invitation to take part in Penacony’s festivities.

Its leader, Duke Inferno, “plans to use this opportunity to destroy the planet and earn Nanook’s gaze.” Nanook is the Aeon of Destruction, and the game’s plot also points to the Jepella Brotherhood, a group that is part of the Annihilation Gang, but it rivals the Ever-Flame Mansion.

Lead writer Shaoji revealed the Penacony storyline will start with update 2.0 and end with an epilogue in HSR version 2.3. What’s more, it seems like the story will start with a lighthearted tone and then shift to a more serious setting as the new Trailblazer mission progresses.

Black Swan will finally debut in Honkai Star Rail 2.0.

Honkai Star Rail 2.0 character banners

HoYoverse finally confirmed the upcoming banners of Honkai Star Rail version 2.0 featuring new and returning characters:

Phase One

Black Swan – Five-star | Wind | The Nihility
- Misha – Four-star | Ice | The Destruction
- Guinaifen – Four-star | Fire | The Nihility
- Tingyun– Four-star | Lightning | The Harmony
Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae – Five-star | Imaginary | The Destruction

Phase Two

Sparkle – Five-star | Quantum | The Harmony
- Sampo – Four-star | Wind | The Nihility
- Qingque – Four-star | Quantum | The Erudition
- Hanya – Four-star | Physical | The Harmony
Jing Yuan – Five-star | Lightning | The Erudition

These characters will be boosted for three weeks, as is usual with the banner rotation. Rumors suggest Luocha might get a banner re-run later on with version 2.1, so stay tuned.

On the other hand, players also expect Acheron, Gallagher, and Aventurine to headline update 2.1. While this wasn’t officially confirmed yet, HoYoverse already revealed the characters through social media. We’ll make sure to keep this section updated with the latest announcements.

Firefly will have a key role in the new storyline.

Honkai Star Rail 2.0 gameplay updates

Alongside a new storyline, Honkai Star Rail will also bring many new features with the 2.0 update, so here are some of the most important ones:

Relic system updates

With the version 2.0 update, players will get new features in the Relic system. These features will allow players to enhance Relics quickly with a new menu and discard them as soon as they get them as rewards. Additionally, HoYoverse will also add a new filter feature for Relics, as well as a recommendation menu that will show players the usage of the set to help them pick the one that works best with each character.

Calyx updates

With the arrival of a new planet and many new characters, Honkai Star Rail will also add many new Ascension and Traces level-up materials. Some of these will be obtainable from new Calyxes in the Xianzhou Luofu and Penacony. On the other hand, other materials that were only obtainable by defeating enemies will become available in new Calyxes.

Acheron is a highly-anticipated character.

Forgotten Hall & Pure Fiction updates

With the 2.0 update, the Forgotten Hall will get new Light Cones for players to buy through the Light Cone Manifest Store. This will give free-to-play fans the chance to get new powerful options for their characters if they missed them in their respective banners.

On the other hand, the Pure Fiction mode will also get new stages after the 2.0 update to add brand-new enemies, bonuses, and more.

New story tree

With the Penacony storyline being added, players will get a new way to revisit their adventure up until this point. Honkai Star Rail will add a new Fate’s Atlas in the form of a tree that will organize the different Trailblazer Missions according to the timeline and their locations.

Apart from these new features, Honkai Star Rail players can also expect many limited-time events with unique combat mechanics, as well as new mini-games and other mechanics related to the concept of dreams that will be a key element while exploring Penacony.

Honkai Star Rail 2.0 Light Cones

With the arrival of new five-star characters in Honkai Star Rail 2.0, these new Light Cones will be added to the game:

Reforged Remembrance (Black Swan) – Five-star | The Nihility
Earthly Escapade (Sparkle) – Five-star | The Harmony
Indelible Promise (Misha) – Four-star | The Destruction

Honkai Star Rail 2.0 events

Honkai Star Rail players will get new events to discover with the version 2.0 update, including a new edition of Gift of Odyssey to claim up to 10 Star Rail Special Passes. However, this time there’ll also be a Gift of Stellarium event that will reward players with 10 additional Star Rail Special Passes.

Here’s what other events Trailblazers can look forward to with HSR 2.0:

Penacony Food Fest

The land of dreams in Penacony is full of interesting characters. Many of them are related to food and drink brands, thanks to objects becoming sentient. Players who participate in this special event will get many brand-new consumables alongside Stellar Jade and Credits for their adventures.

Hanu’s Prison Break

Dr. Edward, a new character in Honkai Star Rail, will design a new Memory Bubble for Trailblazers to explore. The event will feature many new exploring mechanics and mini-games, and will reward players with essential items for leveling up.

Dreamjolt TV

The signal of Penacony TV Station has been hijacked and is showing weird programming, so it’ll be up to the Trailblazer to figure out what’s going on and solve the issue before it gets worse. This event will also reward players with very useful items.

Additionally, two returning events will boost drops on version 2.0 of Honkai Star Rail:

The Planar Fissure event will double Planar Ornamenet drops in the Simulated Universe.
The Garden of Plenty event will double the rewards for completing Golden and Crimson Calyxes. This will be particularly useful since new Relics will be introduced in the game.

Honkai Star Rail 2.0 trailer

HoYoverse released a new trailer titled “A Night of Ever-Flame: Scene 33” on January 19, 2024. It officially reveals the members of the Ever-Flame Mansion. Players got the first look at Akash, “The Tuner,” Dubra, “The Scribe,” Caterina, “The Shacklebound,” and Constance, “The Dahlia.” The whole trailer is narrated by Duke Inferno, also known as Ifrit, who reveals his evil plans for the Penacony festivities.

It’s yet unknown, however, if these will be playable characters or bosses players must defeat.

And that’s everything we know about the version 2.0 update of Honkai Star Rail. For more on HoYoverse’s RPG, check some of our other guides: