With over 60 playable characters and counting,Honkai: Star Railbrings a lot to the table in terms of team variety. The unique combination of elements and Paths allow for diverse compositions that fulfill different combat needs. What’s also great is that manyHonkai: Star Railplayers get creative with their teams using existing characters in their rosters.
The usual teams inHonkai: Star Railfeature a DPS, sub-DPS, buffer, and either a healer or shielder. Units can be mixed and matched depending on the opponents, but there’s always at least one of each archetype in every team. Now, with theaddition of the Path of Remembrance,Honkai: Star Rail’s meta might shift in a big way to accommodate units under this category. However, some players have pointed out that one support Path might take the backseat in the current update and beyond.
Honkai: Star Rail’s Path of Preservation is an Underappreciated Support Archetype
Honkai: Star Rail’s Path of Preservationconsists of characters that provide shields for allies. This includes March 7th, Gepard, Fu Xuan, Aventurine, and Fire Trailblazer, who can all help sustain their allies' HP during battle. At their strongest, they can keep allies alive even if there’s no healer in the team.
If one looks at the current Preservation roster, it can be seen that the Path hasn’t gotten an update sinceAventurine came out inHonkai: Star RailVersion 2.1almost a year ago. There’s onerumored Fire-type Preservation character allegedly coming in Version 3.4, but even if that information is reliable, the Path might still have some catching up to do. This is especially true due to the fact that the other support Paths, Abundance and Harmony, have been getting regular 4-star and 5-star additions.
Some fans have even pointed out that Remembrance, which is the newest Path, might already overtake Preservation this year. So far, there are three confirmed Remembrance characters: Ice Trailblazer, Aglaea, and Castorice.Honkai: Star Railleaks have also reported on upcoming Remembrance characters, including March 7th’s rumored 5-star form and Cyrene, and the number could be around eight by the end of the year.
The number of Preservation characters could be an indication of the needs ofHonkai: Star Rail’s current meta. When the game still had the Super Break meta during the Penacony arc, a lot of the characters that launched, both DPS Paths and mostly Harmony supports, were heavily focused on increasing Break Effect DMG. Aventurine is also a mainstay in many Super Break teams because he provides sturdy shields and powerful follow-up attacks, especially for units like Firefly who reduces her HP every time she attacks. It’s good thatHonkai: Star Railwas able to successfully create a versatile 5-star Preservation unit that can fit any team composition, but the Path of Preservation has also been left stagnant for almost a year.
Given how the early Amphoreus meta favors Erudition and Remembrance characters, like The Herta and Aglaea, it would make sense if the next few updates launched support characters that buff their abilities. It’s possible that Preservation, and even Abundance, characters might take a backseat during this arc, especially ifHonkai: Star Railplayers still find the current roster sufficient for their teams. Of course, fans shouldn’t feel discouraged by the pace of some Paths' releases because the game is likely to prioritize those connected to the Aeons overseeing the current world. With Amphoreus said to have three Paths fettered to it, including Remembrance and Erudition, it’s no surprise that characters following those Paths are getting the spotlight. Perhaps the Path of Preservation will also get its moment in the sun in a future update.
Honkai: Star Rail
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