Hands on with Honkai: Star Rail v3.0

As we know, HoYoverse teased Honkai: Star Rail’s v3.0 update roughly two weeks ago. We released an article going over the details of that update, and shortly after were given an incredible opportunity. Courtesy of HoYoverse, I was offered the ability to play Version 3.0 10 days early, including the newest story quest, explore Amphoreous, and the ability to test out the new 5-Star Ice Erudition character, “The Herta” and her associated teams/builds.

Before I go further, I’d like to extend a very grateful thank you to HoYoverse for this opportunity. Of course, I got to play an early preview, so my content and experiences may differ from the retail release version.

After installing the preview build and logging in, I was greeted with the quest to enter Amphoreous. After speaking to Himeko and the rest of the Astral Express crew, we set off to the new planet and upon arriving, my only reaction was just “wow”. The Greek mythos inspiration is everywhere, and it’s genuinely gorgeous. From the darker, ruined cities to the bright and sunny cities, it just oozes with personality and intrigue. Every gamer knows what a special experience it is to enter a new city or area or whatnot and be left with such a sense of awe and whimsy, and HoYo really nailed that feeling with the release of Amphoreous. I won’t discuss story details because it’s really one you wanna get hands on with yourself, but the new characters are all amazing

Immediately I had to run around and explore this new planet and look for all the nooks and crevices I could get into, eager to see what kinds of puzzles and whatnot I could find. The neatest thing they’ve added that really adds an extra fun layer to puzzles is this time rewind mechanic. You’ll be rewinding the positions of objects and doing other steps to sorta Rube Goldberg your way to unlocking chests or secret little rooms with bonuses inside.

Of course, exploration and story aren’t the only excellent additions to Version 3.0. With a new planet comes a whole new slew of enemies and bosses to battle, and even some new combat mechanics. You’ll notice a lot of stone statues that will break out of their statue-esque poses to engage you. Once you enter combat, they’ll have this “War Armor” stat. For those that have already gone through Penacony and its encounters, you’ll remember the robot dinosaur enemies that have their own unique stack system that requires you to hit it so many times to do a bit extra damage and interrupt its attack. If you use more AoE focused characters, you’ll rack up damage extremely quick and clear encounters like they’re mild annoyances in your way. When you think about it, it’s almost a power fantasy.

The Greek theming really works in Star Rail, and having it be such a drastic difference from what we’re accustomed to in Star Rail up to this point is stellar. It really does feel like a planet cut off from the rest of the cosmos, like Aglaea mentions early on in your arrival to Amphoreous. As you play you’ll absolutely recognize names of mythological figures, or even references to figures that may not share the same name. Hearing about Janus and Zagreus and other deity figures was awesome, especially with a good batch of Greek-themed games having released in the last half decade or so. Going from a very “roaring 20s” New York City themed area like Penacony to what Amphoreus presents is such a stark change, but it’s a change that works very well.

Going through Version 3.0 has been nothing but a charming, engaging experience, and I’m excited to experience it again on live servers now that it’s released. The last story arc and planet had an incredible cast of characters and a very fun yet dark and foreboding narrative, so it’s awesome to see that the developers and writers and art teams have really managed to outdo themselves. Obviously we’re only in the initial stages of the overarching plot here in Amphoreous, but I’ve got full faith that HoYoverse will keep delivering an exhilarating story and fantastic characters as we progress further. I for one am interested in all the characters to spend my Stellar Jade on, but hey to each their own.

Honkai: Star Rail’s 3.0 update released on January 15th, 2025, and is available on PS5, Android devices, iOS devices, and PC. If you’re a returning player, this is definitely a patch you won’t wanna miss. What about new players, then?

Well, as we’re in the start of a brand new arc with a whole new cast of characters to add to your roster, there’s really never been a better time to get into the wonderful world of Star Rail and the Astral Express! May every Trailblazer enjoy their journey into this mystical, cut off world of Amphoreous.