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Much like every other Hoyoverse game, the main story of Honkai: Star Rail is relatively slow at the start when you defeat the Doomsday Beast in Herta Space Station. Although, your adventures become more and more interesting as you use the Astral Express to go to other planets.
To get to The Xianzhou Luofu, you'll first have to solve the Stellaron crisis in Jarilo-VI, where the Supreme Guardian herself has been corrupted by the Stellaron's effect. Once you manage to finish this Trailblaze experience successfully, you can head over to the third planet, which will reveal a lot of secrets.
Before Arriving At The Luofu
After finishing up everything on Jarilo-VI, you'll head back to the Astral Express and Pom-Pom will ask you to rest for a few days before the next expedition. As you start the next quest, the conductor will announce that they'll be leaving Jarilo-VI, and the scene will cut to a dark room where Yanqing sits beside General Jing Yuan and a few soldiers carry a prisoner to them.
Once they stop, Jing Yuan asks the prisoner if he remembers him, to which the prisoner replies that he does. He continues to say the following:
Of five people.. three must pay a price. You're not one of them, Jing Yuan.
The scene cuts out and the same dialogue is played in Dan Heng's dream on the express, except this time it says that he is one of them. As he wakes up, he finds March 7th and the Trailblazer knocking at his door. They decide to head to the meeting location without Dan Heng to learn what their next location is.
You can start the meeting after talking to Welt and Himeko, but things won't go as planned. After a little talk, and just before Pom-Pom reveals your next stop, you'll see a familiar figure appear on the Express. As Kafka introduces herself, you'll see sullen faces on every member of the crew.
Kafka mentions that she wants the Express to change their destination. Before she can mention the destination, Himeko will mention something that Herta said about the Stellaron Hunters: A group of 'wild lunatics' led by Elio to capture some dangerous objects. Even after Himeko rejects her offer, Kafka asks the crew if they've heard of the Luofu.
She mentions that it's only two warp jumps away from the Express and faced a Stellaron Burst 45 system hours ago. She also mentions that the Burst didn't have anything to do with her or her companion, Blade, the person you saw during the cutscene with the general. Eventually, voting happens, and the majority decides to head to the Luofu.
Given Dan Heng's past with the Luofu, a part of which you saw in his dreams, he'll decide to sit out on this expedition.
Instead, it'll be Welt, March 7th, and Trailblazer heading to this planet.
Reaching The Xianzhou Luofu
Once you arrive, Dan Heng will mention that the Luofu is a ship, but they're planets to the Xianzhou natives. Himeko will attempt to gain permission to land on the planet, but they'll realize that it's an automated message. After a few seconds, the port will open up and the Trailblazers will land on the planet.
Although, you won't see any natives when you arrive. As you progress, you'll see a few fainted soldiers who'll ask you to go up ahead. Keep going forward and defeat a few enemies before you see someone surrounded by the Mara-Struck soldiers. They'll ask for your help and you'll have to defeat these soldiers.
After the battle, you'll learn that her name is Tingyun, the Amicassador for the Luofu Sky-Faring Commission merchant guild. Once Welt mentions that they were guided into the Luofu by someone, she takes you to the Central Starskiff Haven to meet Madam Yukong. You'll have to move a few boxes and defeat a few enemies before you get there.
You'll get an undelivered letter from the final mini-boss you defeat, which will come into play much later in the story.
Yukong won't be so easy to talk to, as she'll simply decline your offer to help up front. As Welt tries to convince Yukong, March stops him and says that the Trailblazers should leave. Although, Yukong will stop you and ask how you know of the Stellaron Burst. She'll also mention that Silver Wolf hacked their system to make way for the Trailblazers to set foot on the planet.
Yukong will mention that the Trailblazers can't leave until the questions are answered, at which point Jing Yuan shows up and stops her. He mentions that they won't accept their help with the Stellaron, but also ask for a different favor. The general reveals that Blade's accomplice, Kafka, sent a transmission to the express and they know about it.
Telling the crew that he trusts them, Jing Yuan will further ask them to capture Kafka. You talk with Welt after accepting the request and conclude that Blade has also escaped from their grasp. Finally, you'll head out of the chambers to meet Tingyun but a cutscene with Yanqing, Jing Yuan, and Fu Xuan will trigger.
During the dialogue, you'll learn that using the Express crew was Fu Xuan's idea and that she's Jing Yuan's successor as the general.
There will also be hints that Jing Yuan might've let Blade escape on purpose.
Once the cutscene ends, you'll head to your hotel to rest for the night. The Trailblazers will attempt to message Dan Heng, but the messages won't get delivered. The scene then cuts to the Express where Himeko and Dan Heng rewatch the footage of when Kafka arrived, and he warns her of the danger posed by Blade.
Dan Heng will mention that his burden has caught up to him and will decide to head down to the Luofu himself. On his arrival, he'll meet a Cloud Knight called Sushang and a mysterious traveler, Luocha.
Hunting The Stellaron Hunter
You'll start the next day by talking to Tingyun, and she'll introduce you to Diting after talking for a bit. This is a bionic dog who takes the five senses of the Foxian race to the next level, perfect to hunt for individuals. After a quick test, you'll head over to the next area to start looking for Kafka using Diting.
There'll be a long segment of all the Trailblazers looking for Kafka alongside Tingyun, and eventually, you'll learn that she intentionally placed clues to try and lead you to herself. Once you find her, you'll go on a long chase until you catch up to her in an open arena for the final showdown.
Before the fight, Kafka will mention that Welt thinks too highly of the Stellaron Hunters, and they're merely Destiny's Slaves. During the fight, she'll not give up until Fu Xuan appears at the scene. There'll be a cool animation of her stopping time and deflecting all of Kafka's bullets before landing on the ground and revealing that she'll be taking the prisoner.
The Astral Express crew will revolt against her decision, and she'll eventually decide to take them along with her. She wants to take Kafka to the Divination Commission, but you'll make a stop in between. Tingyun will mention that she can't find an entrance to the area and you have to walk the rest of the way from Exalting Sanctum.
Fu Xuan will go ahead and mention that she's prepared for someone to escort the Trailblazers to the Commission, and they have to wait for them to arrive for a bit. You'll head to the area's Plaza and witness the conversion of normal soldiers into Mara-Struck. You'll also meet Bailu in the process.
At this point, a special quest will start with Dan Heng's message where the group will make their way to the Sky-Faring Commission.
You'll have to defeat a bunch of enemies before you can get there.
Moreover, a side quest will also trigger in the Exalting Sanctum area. This quest was part of the main quest when the game launched, but Hoyoverse plans to move it to an Adventure Mission as it's not as relevant to the story.
In this mission, you'll meet an NPC named Dan Shu and use the information given by her to infiltrate the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus hiding in the area. These Disciples are the followers of Abundance, and they're the reason people get converted to the Mara-Struck. The quest will end after you confront the leader of this group
Who Is Kafka?
The next day, you get a text that tells you about the escort waiting for you at the plaza. When you head over there, you'll meet Qingque who's playing a game. After talking to her, you'll learn that the game is called Celestial Jade. Once the game finishes, you'll be on your way and witness the Ambrosial Arbor.
You'll learn that the tree was once a prized treasure of the Xianzhou, and it was once big enough to touch the skies. You'll reach the Divination Commission after solving a couple of puzzles and find the Jade Abacus in front. This is the device used by Fu Xuan to simulate the future and make divinations.
As you reach the location, you'll find Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan talking about the Stellaron Hunters and the fluctuations of the Jade Abacus. Fu Xuan will ask you to fix three terminals and defeat the Stellaron spirits on your way. Return to the center after finishing the repair job and a cutscene of Fu Xuan reading Kafka's mind will trigger.
At the end of this cutscene, Fu Xuan will hurriedly run to the general before telling you that Kafka has nothing to do with the Stellaron Burst. You'll be left alone with Kafka, and you'll learn the following things after asking her a few questions:
- Elio already told her that you'll ask her something related to the objective of her trip to the Luofu. When that happens, she's supposed to tell you everything.
- The Stellaron crisis on Xianzhou has nothing to do with the hunters, but Elio still takes some blame since he foresaw all this already, but chose to remain silent.
- The Stellaron was brought to the Xianzhou by someone from the ship itself. This was related to internal unrest fueled by enemies outside the ship. This is why Fu Xuan hurried over to the general.
- Elio also foresaw Fu Xuan using the Matrix of Prescience to read Kafka's mind and kept some important information to himself so that the people of Xianzhou can't find it.
- You'll also learn that the Stellaron Hunters arrived at the Luofu solely to drive the Astral Express crew to the ship. This way, the Trailblazer can do something extraordinary for the alliance and gain the power of The Hunt.
- Finally, she'll reveal that the Trailblazer will have a face-off against Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction himself, and the main character will need all the help they can get for that moment.
Before the scene cuts out, Kafka will say that "even Aeons can be defeated". This will cut to Sushang and Luocha talking about Aeon deaths while Dan Heng watches. During the dialogue, you'll learn that Aeon Lan (The Hunt) destroyed Yaoshi (Abundance), which is the Alliance's most cherished memory.
Luocha will mention that he was asked to deliver a certain coffin to the Xianzhou, and then they'll talk about the ways different species handle funerals on the Xianzhou. When the talk comes to the Vidyadhara race, Dan Heng will step in and mention that the stories of them turning into an egg and then looking young again is true.
Once the trio is on their way again, you'll save a robot called Xueyi from some Mara-Struck enemies. Sushang will mention that she's one of the judges of the Ten-Lords Commission. After hearing that, Luocha will attempt to heal her with his Abundance abilities. Xueyi will look alive again, and you'll follow her somewhere after she mentions the Stellaron Hunters.
On the other side, you'll see a special tree, and the scene will cut back to the Trailblazer with Kafka.
Rise Of The Abundance
Back at the Divination Commission, Kafka will start by mentioning the three ways known to humankind to defeat an Aeon:
- If two paths with overlapping concepts collide with each other, which eventually happens, the bigger path engulfs the smaller one. As an example, she mentions how Ena the Order was destroyed by Xipe the Harmony.
- When there's a war between two Aeons, the stronger side annihilates the other. As an example, she mentioned Tayzzyronth the Propagation. She also mentioned that the Xianzhou Alliance travels the universe to defeat 'abominations' of the Abundance under the guidance of The Hunt (Lan).
- When you ask for the third way, Kafka will simply say "Hold on, any moment now.", which will then trigger a cutscene.
In the cutscene, you'll see the Ambrosial Arbor rise again, and Kafka will free herself from shackles. When the Trailblazer tries to stop her, Blade will step in the way and escape with her. Before they leave, Kafka mentions that they have 'two more places to visit'. The Express crew decides to head over to the general.
You'll see Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan talking again and they'll mention that the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus are responsible for bringing the Stellaron to the Luofu. You'll also learn that the Stellaron was planted inside the big tree, which caused it to suddenly grow. Jing Yuan mentions that he knew it for quite a while, but held back so that the traitors can all be caught at once.
Despite Fu's reluctance, the general appoints her as the leader of the Cloud Knights. He'll also allow the Trailblazers to finally join forces with the Luofu to seal the Stellaron. The next step for the Trailblazers is the Artisanship Commission.
The Abominations Of The Abundance
When you talk to Awei outside the Commission, you'll find out that his master is still inside trying to save his project. As you enter the Commission, you'll find the furnace engulfed in the tree's branches, the same sight you saw with Xueyi and Dan Heng. You'll also meet Master Gongshu here after you defeat some robots.
You'll reach the branch after solving a few puzzles where you'll see the Abundant Ebon Deer coming out of it. As you try to fight it, the Deer will constantly gain health from the tree and will be immortal. To solve this, you'll burn a few tree coils around the area before fighting the deer again and defeating it.
After defeating the deer, Welt will understand why the Ambrosial Arbor is considered a curse by the people of Xianzhou. Constantly being able to heal themselves and spreading their roots across the universe will eventually make it collapse. This is why the Xianzhou took Lan's help to defeat Yaoshi.
It was also mentioned that the Xianzhou ancestors who looked for Yaoshi's gifts were known as Elixir Seekers.
After this scene, you'll once again be switched to Dan Heng's perspective where they'll meet Master Gongshu before the Trailblazers met him. Throughout this part, you'll be escorting Xueyi to the Artisanship Commission's dock. Once she leaves, Dan Heng and Luocha will decide to accompany Sushang to the Alchemy Commission.
True Leader Of The Sanctus Medicus
There'll be another side quest at this point where Dan Shu will ask you for a favor after delivering the items you asked from her. In this part, you'll have to save a blind girl from a few bullies and witness Dan Shu's personality take a turn for the worse. She'll mention how things are bad for people without sight, especially those who can live for a long time.
In the end, you'll realize that Dan Shu is the true leader of the Sanctus Medicus, and she even gives you the elixir that turns you into a Mara-Struck.
Finding Out The Traitor
The Trailblazer, Tingyun, March, and Welt head to the Alchemy Commission to meet up with Fu Xuan, but you'll see a lot of bodies as soon as you enter. A ferocious battle occurred here and Welt also mentions that the Cloud Knights didn't win since there are no relief camps in the area. Tingyun tells you about the great battle that took place when Abundance came to the Luofu.
After walking for a bit, you'll find a Disciple of Sanctus Medicus dressed as a Cloud Knights Healer who's trying to convert a Cloud Knight. The knight will be too far gone, and you'll have to leave him there to meet up with Fu Xuan at the Cloud Knights' stronghold. One of the Cloud Knights will tell you that they were winning the battle until their own kind started slaughtering each other.
Fu Xuan enters the scene at this point and shows you a giant Elixir Crucible that was used by the Alchemy Commission to practice immortality using the Ambrosial Arbor. The smoke coming out of the Crucible is the reason for the Cloud Knights losing control and turning against each other in battle.
Sanctus Medicus infused the smoke in the Crucible with a special medicine that triggers the Mara. Fu Xuan will ask you to clear this smoke since she can't get close or ask another Cloud Knight to do it. The Disciples changed the smoke to target the Cloud Knights, so it won't affect the short-life Trailblazers.
If you talk to Fu Xuan again, she also mentions that the Mara affects a person's memory, specifically the negative ones.
Since the Xianzhou natives have long lives, they have far more negative memories, making them easily succumb to the Mara.
After you clear the smoke, you'll meet Dan Shu at the Crucible (canonically for the first time after the previous quests convert into Adventure Missions). She'll try to stop you but the Trailblazers will easily defeat her. After that, she'll ask for the help of the person who brought the Stellaron to the Luofu.
At this point, the camera pans to Tingyun as she walks to the Mara-Struck and gets rid of them with one touch. After that, she breaks her own neck and turns into a ball of fire, reintroducing herself as Lord Ravager Phantylia, one of the seven Ravagers who serve Nanook and bring Destruction to the world.
Thankfully, Welt mentions that Tingyun might still be alive, and the disfigured body might not be the real her because Phantylia wouldn't make the body disappear if it was. The group will then decide to follow Phantylia to the Scalegorge Waterscape and stop her from getting to the Ambrosial Arbor.
Who Is Dan Heng?
As soon as the Trailblazers enter the Starskiff, the scene switches back to Dan Heng, Luocha, and Sushang. They finally reach the same stronghold that the Trailblazers just passed through, and Dan Heng decides to follow their trail. While making his way, Dan Heng will witness multiple shadows talking about a chosen one who can control the water.
When he reaches Scalegorge Waterscape using the Starskiff, Blade and Kafka will be waiting for him. Blade will say that it's time for Dan Heng to pay the price, but Yanqing will stop them and protect Dan Heng. During a cutscene, you'll see a battle where Blade throws a sword that goes right through Dan Heng's chest.
A beautiful cutscene triggers where Dan Heng transforms into Inbibitor Lunae, and Yanqing decides to fight them both at the same time. Of course, he'll have no chance of winning against Blade and Inbibitor Lunae together. Jing Yuan makes an entrance once Yanqing is defeated and asks Kafka to take Blade away.
He calls Inbibitor an old friend, but Dan Heng says that "he's not him". There will be talks about Dan Feng, and how Jing Yuan needs him to prove that he's not the same sinner who was exiled from the Luofu. He'll ask for one final favor before he removes the exile order for Dan Feng.
Phantylia's Demise
After meeting up with his Astral Express friends, Dan Heng will take full power of the Inbibitor Lunae to arise an underwater city and reveal the Ambrosial Arbor roots. Jing Yuan will enter the city alongside the Trailblazers and Inbibitor Lunae to face Phantylia and save The Xianzhou Luofu from Destruction.
On your way, you'll have to remove three Vidyadhara Seals to form the bridge that leads you directly to the tree's roots. At the end, you'll face Phantylia's next form taken through the power of the Ambrosial Arbor.
Once you defeat the three phases of Phantylia, she'll capture Jing Yuan and try to convert him into the Antimatter Legion. At the right time, the general will ask Dan Heng to stab him and stop Phantylia's plans. This will allow you to defeat her and Jing Yuan will get rid of the ball of fire. Although, he'll mention that it's not that easy to defeat Nanook's Ravager.
Before leaving, Phantylia mentions that the Destruction of the Xianzhou is nigh, and Jing Yuan will reply that the gaze of The Hunt will fall upon the Legion. With this, the interlude is shown until there's another quest in a future update.