Honkai: Star Railfeatures a unique turn-based combat system that designates each character with a “Path” and “Type”. A character’s Path designates what party role they fill, and their Type describes what damage type they do. HoYoverse’s other popular game,Genshin Impactutilizes a similar system. However,Genshin Impactfaces one main limitation: the inability to add any more damage types in the future. If it wants to provide players with more variety in the future,Honkai: Star Railcould eventually add all new damage types.
This limitation exists for a number of reasons. For starters,Honkai: Star RailandGenshin Impactare completely different games.Genshin Impact’s open-world format and element-based physical system results in hardware demands thatHonkai: Star Raildoes not. Furthermore, the damage types inGenshin Impactare dictated by the game’s lore, another limitation thatHonkai: Star Railcan easily avoid.
Honkai: Star Rail Is Free From Genshin Impact’s Limitations
The Hardware Limitations of Genshin Impact
Honkai: StarRailis an RPG with a focus on its technical combat system. Damage types are differentiated by how they create “Weakness Break”, one of the game’s main combat mechanics. This elegant simplicity allowsHonkai: Star Railto run as easily on mobile devices as it would on a PC.
On the other hand,GenshinImpactis an open-world game with expansive exploration and a physics system inspired by games likeBreath of the Wild.Genshin Impactalready includes numerous interactions for each elemental combination. To add even a single element more might stretch the game’s engine, making the game less accessible for mobile players. This has already been proven by thecomplicated history of Dendro inGenshin Impact. It would be exciting to see how HoYoverse might avoid similar pitfalls if it tried adding new damage types again withHonkai: Star Rail.
Genshin Impact’s Archons vs Honkai: Star Rail’s Aeons
InGenshin Impact, the seven elements are strongly tied to deities called Archons. The Archons are extremely important to thelore ofGenshin Impact, with many of them even becoming playable characters.
Honkai: Star Rail’s version of Archons are “Aeons”. Aeons are linked to Paths, not elemental damage types. Though there are currently seven main Aeons correlating to the seven playable Paths, it is understood that many more exist and have existed throughout the lore.
Archon Lore Limits Genshin Impact’s Options
Though the Archons are some ofGenshin Impact’s most popular characters, the lore behind them meansGenshin Impactis extremely unlikely to receive any new damage types. The Archon War is a major lore event in the world of Teyvat, which resulted in the hierarchy now known as “The Seven”.The world of Teyvat has seven regions, and one Archon rules over each of them. Though individual members of The Seven may change, the number of members will always remain consistent.
This concept of The Seven is a blessing and a curse. Despite being a live-service gacha game,Genshin Impactcannot continue forever. The lands the Archons preside over create a defined order of future updates, and new content for players to explore. This creates a strong roadmap to the end of the game’s story, but leaves no way for any new Archons to appear without dropping a significant bombshell to the lore. With no new Archons, there can’t be any new elements.
Honkai: Star Rail Could Add New Damage Types in Future Updates
Honkai: Star Railsimply does not have this lore limitation. The number of Aeons is not limited, like the number of Archons is, and Aeons are not tied to damage types to begin with. Instead,Honkai: Star Railmostly inspires its damage types from its status as a sci-fi adventure.
This does beg the question of what a future additional damage type could look like. OfHonkai: Star Rail’s existing damage types, four of them are elemental in nature. The exceptions are Physical, Quantum, and Imaginary, which each enhance the sci-fi feel of combat. Because of this variety,HoYoverse continues to push boundaries withHonkai: Star Rail’s gameplay and animations.
HoYoverse could add a new damage type toHonkai: Star Railif it wants to continue this trend of innovation. The new type could be one of the elements not yet represented, or something more in line with the game’s non-elemental types. Whichever way it chooses, the prospect of new damage types infuture updates ofHonkai: Star Railis exciting nonetheless.
