In an exciting turn of events, HoYoverse has announced that they’re set to revamp some of the once-powerful characters in Honkai Star Rail come the 3.4 update. During the recent RPG livestream, they revealed that fan favorites like Kafka, Silver Wolf, Blade, and Jingliu are on the list to receive much-needed reworks. While details on what exactly these changes will entail were sparse, players are eagerly anticipating how these updates will breathe new life into these beloved characters.
If everything goes according to plan, players can expect the 3.4 update to drop in early July 2025. When these four characters made their initial entrance throughout 2023, they were among the top performers in the game. Kafka, for instance, saw a resurgence in 2024 with the introduction of Acheron. However, time hasn’t been kind to their damage potential and team synergy, with powerlevels waning in the following months. Jingliu, for instance, needs significant resources but still lags behind her peers in output; Kafka’s synergies have been stagnant without fresh damage-over-time options; and Mydei is essentially just a reimagining of Blade.
This phenomenon, often referred to in gacha gaming as “powercreep,” isn’t exactly unprecedented. Still, it’s a bit surprising for HoYoverse, considering that their other games, like Genshin Impact, maintain a high relevance for their older characters years after release. Players can confidently rely on some of the early top-tier characters to tackle high-level challenges. Similar examples are found in Zenless Zone Zero, where players can defeat formidable foes with the original trio of characters provided at the game’s start. These games have evolved while successfully ensuring that characters don’t fall by the wayside.
However, it appears this kind of attention may be selective. Characters like Bailu, Yanqing, Natasha, Hook, and Welt still sit on the bench with no hint of upcoming updates to make them competitive again.
On a more upbeat note, players will soon have the opportunity to choose one of two free five-star characters—Ruan Mei or Luocha—once version 3.2 goes live. This will surely add a dynamic element to team strategies and allow for some fresh gameplay experiences!
