Honkai Star Rail may skip forward to version 2.0 after 1.6 update

Honkai Star Rail is currently enjoying its 1.0 lineup of banners, with the latest being 1.3. However, that may change in the future, based on recent rumors. According to leakers, HoYoverse's latest action RPG will be skipping to update 2.0, which is a tad surprising since we still have some ground to cover. With 1.4, 1.5, and so on, players can expect at least over half a dozen more characters to become available.

But what can players really expect from this 2.0 update? And when is it expected to arrive? This article attempts to explain more.

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Will there be significant additions to the Honkai Star Rail 2.0 update?

Here's what players can expect (Image via X: @StarRailVerse2)

Thus far, this is unclear. As per the leak, the banners will stop at 1.6 and then jump straight to 2.0. Here are the characters that the 2.0 banner is suggested to include, with their Rarity, Path, and Element, respectively:

1. Sparkle: 5-star/The HarmonyQuantum
2. Black Swan: 5-star/The Nihility/Wind
3. Misha: 4-star/The Destruction/Ice

It does not look like there will be any major changes based on the addition of new limited-time banner characters. However, players should expect new story arcs and side mechanics, as we have seen thus far. Two 5-star characters would mean players will need to hoard up Jade so they can pull for these two characters.

As a character on the Path of Harmony, Sparkle should be a Support class character that employs Quantum attacks and buffs allies. Black Swan, meanwhile, is a Nihility character, focusing on debuffing foes. Perhaps a 5-star upgrade to the existing Sampo with the same Path and Element is expected?

Honkai Star Rail 1.4 will introduce Jingliu as a playable character (Image via HoYoverse)

The Destruction character Misha is also interesting due to possessing the same Path and Element as the next banner's 5-star Jingliu. But does the 2.0 update bear any significance? Players will need to wait until launch or at least 1.6 to find out. Thus far, the leaks for Honkai Star Rail have been accurately revealing upcoming characters.

But plans may change, which means these characters may be scrapped or delayed. As such, players should take this leak with a grain of salt. But even assuming it is true, with three more banners and various characters to go, we are hypothetically far away from the jump to 2.0. As such, it would be unreasonable to expect Honkai Star Rail 2.0 to rear its head before late 2024.

Honkai Star Rail is a free-to-play action RPG by HoYoverse. It is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Android, and iOS.