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Honkai: Star Rail – What To Do After the Main Story?

So, you’ve reached the end of the current main story arc in Honkai: Star Rail. The universe feels a bit quieter without the pressing urgency of Trailblaze missions. You might be wondering, what now? The good news is that the adventure doesn’t stop there. Honkai: Star Rail is designed to keep you engaged long after the credits roll, offering a plethora of activities to keep your Trailblazer occupied.

End-Game Activities: A Galaxy of Possibilities

The immediate answer to “what to do after the story” is to dive into the numerous side activities, challenges, and progression systems that Honkai: Star Rail provides. Here’s a detailed look at what awaits you:

1. Exploration and Map Completion

Revisit Familiar Worlds: Don’t be fooled into thinking you’ve seen everything. The game encourages you to return to Herta Space Station, Jarilo-VI, and The Xianzhou Luofu, areas you visited during the story. Many hidden chests, puzzles, and lore fragments are scattered across these maps, often locked behind higher Trailblaze Levels or certain quest progressions.
Complete All Side Quests: While you might have focused on the main story, now is the time to tackle the multitude of side quests and companion missions that were likely overlooked. These not only provide valuable resources and character stories but also expand upon the game’s intricate world-building.
Solve Puzzles & Hidden Objectives: The maps are brimming with small puzzles and hidden objectives. Some require careful exploration, while others test your ingenuity. Completing these often rewards you with Stellar Jade, Character EXP Materials, and other valuable resources.

2. Character Progression & Team Building

Level Up & Ascend Characters: Maxing out your characters is crucial for taking on more challenging content. Gather Character EXP Materials and Ascension materials to push your team to their full potential. This involves farming specific areas for drops and taking on challenges to acquire these materials.
Upgrade Light Cones & Relics: Light Cones, essentially weapons, and Relics, the equippable gear, are critical for boosting your character’s stats. Farm for optimal relics in the Caverns of Corrosion, and level up your light cones with the necessary resources.
Experiment With Team Compositions: Now is the perfect time to experiment with different team builds and character synergies. Try to counter various enemy weaknesses, or focus on creating an unstoppable damage-dealing machine, using the characters you have acquired.
Unlock Character Traces: Further enhance character abilities by unlocking and upgrading their traces. This system allows you to tailor a character’s stats and abilities to your gameplay style.

3. Challenging Game Modes

Simulated Universe: This roguelike mode provides endless replayability. It offers a unique challenge with varying buffs and paths, testing your team-building and strategic capabilities. This is the primary source of powerful Planar Ornaments, essential for min-maxing your characters.
Forgotten Hall and Memory of Chaos: These are challenging, time-limited battles that require careful planning and strong teams. Successfully completing these stages gives you Stellar Jades, the game’s premium currency, and other unique rewards.
The Calyxes: Regular runs in the Calyxes will help you farm essential materials to level up your characters, light cones, and traces. These are simple combat encounters that can be a routine part of your daily gameplay loop.

4. Achievement Hunting

Seek Out Secret Achievements: As the article suggests, there are many hidden achievements scattered throughout the game. Some require completing specific tasks or re-fighting bosses under unique conditions. These achievements often provide a satisfying sense of completion and rewards for dedication.
Complete the Achievement List: Take the time to explore the entire achievement system and target those you haven’t yet acquired. This provides clear progression goals and rewards that drive engagement.

5. Lore and Story Completion

Complete Character Stories: Many characters have unique side stories accessible through character-specific missions and interactions. Delving into these can enrich your understanding of the game’s lore.
Read Data Logs & Analyze Item Descriptions: The game is packed with subtle lore details hidden within item descriptions, data logs, and environmental storytelling. Take the time to soak in these details for a deeper understanding of the world.

6. Preparing for Future Content

Accumulate Resources: Always be farming for necessary character ascension and light cone upgrade materials. Future content updates and new characters will require a well-stocked inventory to be able to enjoy them fully.
Save Stellar Jades: If you have a specific character you want to pull, start saving up your Stellar Jades as you never know when they might appear on a banner.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)