Honkai Star Rail

Honkai Star Rail version 2.1: Release date & downtime, preload, Anniversary event, banners, more

Ezequiel Leis
Honkai Star Rail version 2.1 official artworkHoYoverse

Honkai Star Rail players are eager to continue the Penacony storyline with the 2.1 update, so here’s everything you need to know about it, including its release date, confirmed banners, events, and more.

The Penacony storyline left Honkai Star Rail players asking for more after a cliffhanger and discovering that many characters are keeping loads of secrets. The 2.1 update of HoYoverse’s RPG will continue the story with more missions, characters, and enemies, so players are looking forward to knowing more about what’s coming.

What’s more, the first anniversary of Honkai Star Rail will arrive during the 2.1 update, meaning players also want to know if they’ll get special rewards to celebrate the milestone.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Honkai Star Rail version 2.1 update, including its release date, character banners, and more.

Honkai Star Rail 2.1 release date & downtime

The Honkai Star Rail version 2.1 update will arrive on March 27, 2024. That’s a day after the current banners, featuring Sparkle and Jing Yuan, will end.

Downtime is expected to begin at around 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET / 10 PM GMT on March 26, and usually lasts up to around five hours. Players with Trailblazer Level 4 or higher will get 300 Stellar Jade as reward for reaching HSR’s first anniversary.

How to preload version 2.1 of Honkai Star Rail

The Honkai Star Rail 2.1 update is available to preload ahead of launch on PC and mobile devices, and you need to follow these instructions to be ready when new content arrives:

PC

  1. Open the Honkai Star Rail launcher on your PC.
  2. Click the “Game Pre-Installation” button on the left side of the “Start Game” button.
  3. Click “Get Now” to start the download.
  4. You can still play the game while the content downloads.

Mobile (Android and iOS)

  1. Launch the game on your mobile device.
  2. Tap the “Resource Pre-Download” button in the bottom-right corner of the login screen.
  3. Wait until it finishes downloading to keep playing the game normally.

The download size is approximately 12GB, so it is recommended to be connected to a Wi-Fi network during the process. It’s important to note that mobile players will still need to update the app when the new version goes live.

Lastly, PlayStation 5 players just need to wait for the update to go live to get Honkai Star Rail’s latest version on March 27.

Honkai Star Rail 2.1 banners

Honkai Star Rail 2.1 will feature Acheron, Aventurine, and Gallagher in banners, alongside re-runs for Luocha and Jingliu‘s banners as well:

Phase One

  • Acheron – Five-star | Lightning | The Nihility
    • Gallagher – Four-star | Fire | The Abundance
    • Pela – Four-star | Ice | The Nihility
    • Dan Heng – Four-star | Wind | The Hunt
  • Luocha – Five-star | Imaginary | The Abundance

Phase Two

  • Aventurine – Five-star | Imaginary | The Preservation
    • Lynx – Four-star | Quantum | The Abundance
    • Luka – Four-star | Fire | The Nihility
    • Serval – Four-star | Lightning | The Erudition
  • Jingliu – Five-star | Ice | The Destruction

HoYoverse already introduced players to these characters a couple of months ago, and players already met them in-game as well.

Acheron character card in Honkai Star RailHoYoverse
Acheron is a highly anticipated character.

Honkai Star Rail 2.1 Light Cones

Alongside debuting five-star characters, Honkai Star Rail players will get new Light Cones. While HoYoverse only revealed their names, here are their effects, according to leaks:

Along the Passing Shore – Five-star | The Nihility

Increases the wearer’s CRIT DMG by up to 60%. When the wearer hits the enemy target, inflicts Empty Bubbles to the enemy for 1 turn. This effect can be triggered one time against each target for every attack the wearer launches. The wearer deals up to 40% more DMG to targets with Empty Bubbles, and DMG from the Ultimate additionally increases.

Inherently Unjust Destiny – Five-star | The Preservation

Increases the wearer’s DEF by up to 60%. When the wearer provides a shield to an ally, increases the wearer’s CRIT DMG by up to 64%, lasting for 2 turns. When the wearer uses a follow-up attack, increases DMG taken by the attacked enemy target by up to 12%, lasting for 2 turns.

Concert for Two – Four-star | The Preservation

Increases the wearer’s DEF by up to 32%. For each character with a Shield on the field, the DMG dealt by the wearer increases by up to 8%.

Honkai Star Rail 2.1 events

Honkai Star Rail will bring many new events with the 2.1 update, giving players the chance to experience new mechanics and get many exciting rewards. Aside from Gift of Odyssey, which gives players 10 Star Rail Special Passes, players can expect the Festive Gifts event to reward more Passes to celebrate the game’s first anniversary.

An event called Tides of War will let players face different enemies in battles full of modifiers and bonuses. The leaked screenshots show a pixelated aesthetic and a character many associate with Red, from the Pokemon franchise. This wouldn’t be the first time an Honkai Star Rail event has Pokemon references, so players are already excited.

Cosmodyssey will be another event to celebrate HSR’s first anniversary. Players will play in a board game to unlock many enticing rewards through different minigames thar celebrate HoYoverse’s title and characters. Additional Assignements will also be available with special rewards, so players will need to log in every day to enjoy everything Cosmodyssey has to offer.

The game originally came out on April 26, 2023, so there might be more surprises coming to players on the second phase of the 2.1 update. HoYoverse confirmed players will get 1,600 Stellar Jade in their in-game mailbox, for starters.

On the other hand, the Planar Fissure and Realm of the Strange events will be back with tripled rewards than ever to keep the anniversary celebrations going.

Honkai Star Rail 2.1 gameplay updates

Honkai Star Rail will add new Planar Ornaments, as well as Ascension and Traces level-up materials, with the version 2.1 update. Players will be able to use these new Relics and materials to build Acheron, Aventurine, and Gallagher until more and more Penacony characters arrive.

One of the events featured in the 2.1 update will also give players the chance to claim a four-star character for free. Leaks suggest players will have to pick between Gallagher, Misha, Xueyi, Hanya, Guinaifen, Luka, Lynx, or Yukong.

A new boss called Ten Stonehearts: Aventurine of Stratagems, will also arrive in the game with the next chapter in Penacony’s storyline. Additionally, completing the story will also allow players to try their luck in World 9 of the Simulated Universe.

Lastly, the devs are also bringing QoL changes, giving players the chance to claim all Assignments’ rewards with a brand-new “Claim all” button. On the other hand, the Light Cone enhancement and Material Synthesis menus will add new buttons to simplify the processes.

And there you have it! That’s everything you need to know about the Honkai Star Rail version 2.1 update so far. For more, you can check out some of our other HSR guides below:

All free Honkai Star Rail characters & how to get them | How to get Tears of Dreams in Honkai Star Rail | Honkai Star Rail codes | Honkai Star Rail 2024 player count | Honkai Star Rail character tier list | Honkai Star Rail pity system explained | Who is Elio in Honkai Star Rail?

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