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Honkai Star Rail brings multiple new fighters for you to try out. While many concepts will remind you of Genshin Impact, and, indeed, a vague similarity to role-playing game (RPG) ideas, there are still a few tidbits that you’ll want to learn about. Here’s our guide to help explain how character paths or classes work in Honkai Star Rail.

Note: We’ll have a Honkai Star Rail guides and features hub once the game has officially released, so stay tuned.

How character paths or classes work in Honkai Star Rail

Gamers who’ve tried various RPGs (and even strategy or action-shooters) will be familiar with the class system, a concept where your fighters have distinct roles. This can also be seen in the Honkai Star Rail character paths, dedicated classes or functions for your team members. Apart from abilities, characters will also be limited to the type of Light Cone or weapon they can wield.

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There are currently seven character paths or classes in Honkai Star Rail:

• Destruction (DPS) – High damage and decent survivability; single-target and multi-target DPS.
• Hunt (DPS) – Focuses primarily on single-target DPS; great against elites or bosses.
• Erudition (DPS) – Focuses primarily on multi-target/AoE DPS; great for clearing several enemies.
• Harmony (support) – Provides utility buffs to your teammates (i.e., speed to make them act earlier in the turn order).
• Nihility (support) – Applies debuffs and status effects to opponents.
• Preservation (support) – Applies defensive buffs like shielding.
• Abundance (support) – Your squad’s healers.

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Character paths in Honkai Star Rail versus roles in Genshin Impact

Since there’s a specific Honkai Star Rail path for each character, there’s a possibility of someone being pigeonholed into that particular role. This is somewhat different from what you might be accustomed to if you’ve played Genshin Impact. Here’s a good example:

• Genshin Impact has characters that focus primarily on buffing defenses and absorbing damage by way of shields. However, they also tend to provide various effects. For instance, on top of generating shields, Zhongli can petrify and shred resistances. Meanwhile, Diona can do a bit of healing, Albedo acts as an off-field proc, and Beidou helps trigger Electro-based reactions.
• In Honkai Star Rail, the turn-based nature of combat and lack of elemental reactions mean that characters are relegated to their roles based on their kit. A Preservation character like March 7th has a skill that applies a shield on a teammate, allowing her to counter whenever that person is attacked. Likewise, she can freeze foes with her burst. Conversely, someone like Gepard has a chance of freezing hostiles with his skill, and his burst is the one that applies a shield to all party members.

Related guides: Elements/elemental weaknesses and turn-based combat system.

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Honkai Star Rail is available via its official website.