HoYoverse recently made an announcement during their latest Honkai Star Rail livestream that has every fan buzzing with anticipation. The upcoming HSR 3.4 update will breathe new life into some fan-favorite characters who have lost their edge over time. Characters like Kafka, Silver Wolf, Blade, and Jingliu are set to receive exciting reworks thanks to the persistent feedback from the player community. While the specific adjustments remain under wraps, it’s clear the developers are listening closely to their fans.
If everything stays on track, we can expect HSR 3.4 to roll out in early July 2025. The timing couldn’t be better, as these four characters were once considered top-tier when they first made their debut throughout 2023. Even Kafka managed to regain some popularity in 2024 with the introduction of Acheron. Unfortunately, as the game evolved, their effectiveness took a nosedive. Jingliu, for instance, demands a lot of resources but doesn’t quite pack the same punch as her peers. Similarly, Kafka has struggled due to the absence of new damage-over-time companions, and the recently added Mydei seems too similar to Blade, offering no fresh mechanics to the mix.
This phenomenon, known as “powercreep,” is fairly common in gacha games like Honkai Star Rail. Nonetheless, HoYoverse usually paces it better in their games. Take Genshin Impact, for example—characters from its early days still dominate tier lists and handle late-game content exceptionally well. Zenless Zone Zero also nails this by making it possible to face formidable foes with the very first trio of characters you acquire. Both games have managed to evolve without rendering their characters obsolete.
As for other characters such as Bailu, Yanqing, Natasha, Hook, and Welt, there appears to be no immediate plan for a revival, leaving them somewhat overshadowed for now.
On a brighter note, players will soon have the opportunity to snag one of two free 5-star characters when version 3.2 launches. The choice between Ruan Mei and Luocha is surely going to spark quite the debate about who will bring more value to teams once they’re available.
