Honkai Star Rail: 10 Best Beginner Tips

Honkai: Star Rail is a turn-based RPG that blends strategic combat, team-building, and deep exploration in a sci-fi universe. As a new player, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the various mechanics, character upgrades, and resource management needed to progress efficiently. Many beginners struggle with building a balanced team, managing stamina, and optimizing their characters, which can slow down progression and make battles more challenging.

This guide covers 9 essential beginner tips and tricks to help you level up faster, manage resources wisely, build a strong team, and navigate the game efficiently. Whether you’re just starting or looking to improve your strategy, these tips will give you an advantage in Honkai: Star Rail. Let’s dive in!

#9: Learn About Relics to Boost Your Characters

Relics in Honkai: Star Rail are essential gear pieces that enhance your characters’ stats and abilities, similar to artifacts in other HoYoverse games. Many beginners overlook relics or equip them randomly, missing out on significant power boosts. Understanding how to choose the right relics, upgrade them efficiently, and match them to your characters will improve your team’s overall performance.

Each character benefits from specific relic sets and stats. DPS units prioritize Crit Rate, Crit Damage, or Attack%, while tanks and supports benefit more from HP%, Defense%, or Energy Regeneration Rate. Instead of upgrading every relic you find, focus on high-rarity (4-star and 5-star) relics with the right main and sub-stats.

Additionally, relic sets provide powerful set bonuses when equipped in pairs or full sets. For example, the Musketeer of Wild Wheat set is great for general damage dealers, while the Knight of Purity Palace set enhances tank characters. Farming relics from Caverns of Corrosion and refining your collection as you progress ensures stronger character builds and smoother battles in Honkai: Star Rail.

#8: Join a Community or Follow Guides for Better Progress

Honkai: Star Rail is a deep and evolving game with frequent updates, new characters, and balance changes, making it essential to stay informed. Many beginners struggle with team-building, resource management, and combat strategies, but joining a community or following experienced players’ guides can help you progress much faster.

Communities on Discord, Reddit, and official HoYoverse forums provide character build recommendations, strategy discussions, and early insights on upcoming content. Experienced players often share best team compositions, optimal relic setups, and farming tips, saving you from trial-and-error mistakes. Additionally, many guides break down meta shifts, event strategies, and farming efficiency, helping you maximize your rewards and avoid wasting resources.

Staying engaged with the community ensures that you don’t fall behind on new mechanics, limited-time events, and optimal character upgrades, giving you a long-term advantage in Honkai: Star Rail.

#7: Manage Your Trailblaze Power Wisely for Maximum Progress

Trailblaze Power is Honkai: Star Rail’s stamina system, determining how often you can farm resources, upgrade materials, and relics. Many beginners waste Trailblaze Power on low-value activities, slowing down their progression and making it harder to upgrade characters efficiently. Understanding where and when to spend Trailblaze Power ensures that you get the most value from every use.

Early on, prioritize spending Trailblaze Power on Calix (EXP and Credit farming), Stagnant Shadows (Ascension Materials), and Caverns of Corrosion (Relics) instead of less rewarding activities. As you reach higher levels, focus on farming high-tier relics and trace upgrade materials to maximize your characters’ power. Avoid letting Trailblaze Power reach its cap, as any overflow means wasted stamina. Additionally, Fuel items can restore Trailblaze Power, but it’s best to save them for farming events or late-game upgrades when resources are more demanding.

By managing Trailblaze Power efficiently, you’ll level up faster, strengthen your team more effectively, and avoid resource shortages in Honkai: Star Rail.

#6: Complete Daily Missions and Simulated Universe for Consistent Rewards

Daily missions and the Simulated Universe in Honkai: Star Rail are two of the best ways to earn valuable rewards, level up faster, and farm essential materials. Many beginners overlook these activities, missing out on stellar jade, upgrade resources, and powerful buffs that make progression much easier.

Daily Training missions provide Trailblaze EXP, Stellar Jade, Credits, and upgrade materials, making them a must-do every day. Completing them only takes a few minutes but significantly boosts your progress over time. Meanwhile, the Simulated Universe is an essential game mode that offers unique roguelike challenges, giving you Planar Ornaments (high-tier relics), ability upgrades, and extra Stellar Jade. These rewards are crucial for strengthening your characters and preparing for harder content.

Prioritizing Daily Missions and Simulated Universe runs ensures that you maximize rewards, collect stronger relics, and maintain a steady progression pace in Honkai: Star Rail.

#5: Explore Thoroughly to Maximize Rewards and Progress

Exploration in Honkai: Star Rail is more than just moving through story missions—it’s a great way to earn extra Stellar Jade, unlock valuable upgrade materials, and discover hidden quests. Many beginners rush through the main story without fully exploring, missing out on chests, puzzles, and side quests that offer free resources and power-ups.

Make it a habit to check every corner of each map for Treasure Chests, Warp Trotters (hidden enemies that drop great loot), and breakable objects containing Credits or materials. Completing Adventure Missions and hidden side quests also provides additional Stellar Jade, EXP, and character upgrade items that will help you progress faster. The more you explore, the more resources you gather—saving you from unnecessary farming later.

By exploring thoroughly, you’ll ensure that you maximize free rewards, strengthen your team more efficiently, and unlock valuable content in Honkai: Star Rail.

#4: Upgrade Characters Gradually to Avoid Wasting Resources

In Honkai: Star Rail, upgrading characters is essential, but many beginners make the mistake of leveling up too many characters at once, leading to resource shortages. Instead of spreading materials too thin, focus on upgrading a core team of four characters first, ensuring they are strong enough to clear both story and endgame content efficiently.

Prioritize leveling up your main DPS, followed by supports and tanks that complement your team composition. Ascending characters at key levels unlocks new Traces (abilities) and Talent upgrades, which provide major power boosts. However, avoid over-investing in characters you don’t use, as farming EXP materials and ascension resources can be time-consuming.

Additionally, don’t rush Light Cone (weapon) and Relic upgrades until you have high-tier gear. Upgrading weak equipment early will waste valuable resources that could be better spent on 5-star Light Cones and stronger relic sets later. By upgrading your characters gradually and efficiently, you’ll stay resource-efficient, progress faster, and avoid unnecessary grinding in Honkai: Star Rail.

#3: Warp Wisely to Maximize Your Pulls

The Warp system in Honkai: Star Rail is the game’s gacha mechanic, allowing you to obtain new characters and Light Cones (weapons). Many beginners make the mistake of spending Stellar Jade impulsively, wasting valuable pulls on less efficient banners. Understanding how to manage your Warps wisely ensures you get the best characters and gear without regretting your choices.

Prioritize Limited Character Banners, as they feature powerful 5-star units that may not return for months. Avoid spending too many pulls on the Standard Banner, as you’ll naturally earn Standard Warps over time through gameplay. The Departure Warp is the best early option, offering a guaranteed 5-star character within 50 pulls at a discount, making it ideal for beginners.

Additionally, plan your Stellar Jade usage carefully. Save resources for upcoming meta-defining characters and don’t fall into the trap of spending everything on the first banner you see. By warping wisely and saving for top-tier units, you’ll build a stronger team, avoid wasting Stellar Jade, and progress more efficiently in Honkai: Star Rail.

#2: Build a Versatile Team for Better Combat Efficiency

In Honkai: Star Rail, having a well-balanced team is crucial for handling different enemy types, surviving tough battles, and maximizing damage output. Many beginners focus too much on high-damage characters, ignoring the importance of support, healing, and defensive units, which can make encounters much harder.

A strong team should include four key roles:
• Main DPS – Your primary damage dealer (e.g., Seele, Dan Heng, or Jing Yuan).
• Sub-DPS – A secondary attacker who provides additional damage and elemental coverage (e.g., Serval, Pela).
• Support/Buffer – A character that boosts damage, energy regeneration, or shields the team (e.g., Tingyun, Bronya).
• Healer/Tank – A unit that sustains your team through healing or shielding (e.g., Bailu, Natasha, Gepard).

Enemy encounters often feature elemental weaknesses, so having a mix of elements in your team allows you to break shields faster and deal more damage. Choosing the right combination of DPS, support, and sustain will ensure that you clear content smoothly, survive difficult fights, and optimize your team’s effectiveness in Honkai: Star Rail.

#1: Follow the Main Story to Unlock Essential Features

The main story in Honkai: Star Rail is the key to unlocking new characters, game mechanics, and key progression systems. Many beginners get sidetracked by exploration and side activities, but advancing through the story ensures access to important features, stronger enemies for better rewards, and increased Trailblaze Level progression.

Completing story quests unlocks new planets, upgrade materials, daily missions, and higher-level content like the Simulated Universe and Caverns of Corrosion, where you can farm high-tier relics. Additionally, the story provides Stellar Jade, Light Cones, and character EXP materials, making it one of the best ways to strengthen your team without excessive grinding.

While exploration and side missions offer valuable rewards, prioritizing the main story first will ensure that you progress efficiently, unlock all core gameplay mechanics, and gain access to the best farming locations in Honkai: Star Rail.

Conclusion

Getting started in Honkai: Star Rail can be overwhelming, but by following these 10 essential beginner tips, you’ll progress faster and avoid common mistakes. Prioritizing the main story, managing Trailblaze Power efficiently, and building a balanced team will ensure smooth gameplay and steady character progression. Warping wisely, upgrading characters gradually, and mastering relics will help you optimize your resources and strengthen your squad for tougher battles. Additionally, completing daily missions, exploring thoroughly, and engaging with the community will provide valuable rewards and insights to enhance your overall experience. By applying these strategies, you’ll be well-prepared to tackle challenges, build a powerful team, and enjoy everything Honkai: Star Rail has to offer!