A new Honkai: Star Trail A leak has emerged, suggesting what could be a new form for a classic character, and giving hope for future updates on other characters. At the moment, HoYoverse's turn-based RPG is in the middle of version 2.7 and preparing for the release of version 3.0an update that will kick off the game's third year of content and introduce players to Amphoreus, an all-new destination. With it, the Astral Express crew will be involved with a new story arc, just like the Ampforeus characters in Honkai: Star Trailwhich will help guide the narrative.
The new destination will inevitably add new gameplay mechanics and content – one of which is the introduction of Remembrance as a new playable Path, for example. In version 3.0, players will have access to her through the Remembrance Trailblazer and, if they wish and are lucky, Aglaea, the first playable character from Amphoraus. New content will be gradually introduced over the next year in the form of new characters, maps and eventsbut there may also be a new form for a classic character this year, much like Dan Heng: Imbibitor Lunae in Honkai: Star Trail.
Dan Heng may get another new form in Honkai: Star Rail
This would be an alternative to Dan Heng and 4-star Imbibitor Lunae
According to information provided by Seele Leaks, Dan Heng will receive a new special form or skin in the version 3.X patches, which means it should arrive this year – the information was posted by the leaker known as HXG Diluc, who then reposted saying that the leaker called DK2 confirmed is a new version of the character instead of a skin. The leak was shared in a post flagged as “Questionable” about Reddit. If the Honkai: Star Trail The 3.X leak is true, Dan Heng will have his third form, stacking with his 4-star version and Imbibitor Lunae.
Based on the leak, it appears that the supposed version of Dan Heng will be an entirely new playable unit, much like Imbibitor Lunae is for Dan Heng, rather than a tradable path for March 7th (Hunt), for example. If this is the case, there is a chance that the new Dan Heng form will be a premium unit obtained from banners and not automatically unlocked by progressing through a specific story arc like its colleague Astral Express. So far, no other details about this alternative form for Dan Heng in Honkai: Star Trail were revealed.
Dan Heng's Leaked New Form Sparks Hope for Older Honkai: Star Rail Characters
New forms can keep characters relevant
Even though the information is questionable and there should be more concrete leaks surrounding it or official confirmation by HoYoverse, the prospect of Dan Heng getting another form is promising in some ways. This is because it shows that the developer is still looking at older characters, many of which have been improved by recent releases, and finding ways to make them relevanteven if it means ignoring previous kits and releasing entirely new units using visual design elements from older ones. New paths for Honkai: Star Trail characters can help keep them relevant.
This is seen year after year with the Trailblazer, which gradually unlocks new Paths. Although their initial Destruction and Preservation forms are barely usable nowadays compared to other DPS units, the Harmony Trailblazer has proven to be a necessary unit in team compositions over the past year with the introduction of the Super Break DMG mechanic. Now, with the arrival of Version 3.0, they should have renewed relevance once again as the Remembrance Trailblazer in Honkai: Star Trail will be the first character of the new playable Path made available to all players who go through the campaign in Amphoraus.
The March 7 release of the Hunt form earlier this year also brought back a character who was essentially retired and gave her more screen time, as her play kit works well with various types of team compositions.like those led by Feixiao. Even the release of Imbibitor Lunae last year made the character relevant again. Dan Heng's 4-star version was severely dominated by other releases such as Blade. The release of Imbibitor Lunae helped keep Dan Heng relevant as a character deeply intertwined with Honkai: Star Trailhistory, even if within a different toolkit.
Other powerful characters in Honkai: Star Rail may follow Dan Heng's leak trend
HoYoverse may not be able to rework older characters
The leak about Dan Heng's potential new form could set a precedent for several other older characters to follow, particularly those who have been gripped by power and lost their relevance over the past year. Older characters who were initially strong like Blade, Jingliu, Kafka, and Jing Yuan, for example, would benefit greatly from new forms. – this would bring your personas back into the game metastructure and see them more frequently in competitive team compositions, while also offering new abilities in Honkai: Star Trail. This is the most reasonable solution to give renewed relevance to these characters.
Aside from a few tweaks and minor adjustments, reworking characters in a gacha game like this is nearly impossible. This is due to the way characters are acquired – which usually requires a lot of banner pulling, often involving real money. If a character was changed after its release, players could feel dissatisfied with some aspects of the rework and would have the right to complain and potentially even sue HoYoverse for false advertising. in Honkai: Star Trailas the character (seen as a product) they invested in is working differently than it was originally promised.
As such, the immediate solution to keeping certain characters appearing in story and team compositions simultaneously is to offer them alternative play kits that match the meta and make them usable while their current and past forms are no longer viable for most of the content. The idea that Dan Heng is getting another form should come as no surprise, as even Imbibitor Lunae has been overwhelmed by power now – and he was released as one of the strongest DPS at the time. Hopefully more Honkai: Star Trail the characters will be brought back in new forms in the future.
Source: Reddit