As Honkai: Star Rail continues to introduce characters that use the Remembrance Path, the overlap it has with other Paths may prove to have a silver lining. HSR has been on a roller coaster for the past few updates. While the updates are still up to par and introduce fun characters, the game has also made numerous mistakes. Arguably, the biggest one is the rising power creep across new characters and game modes that may lead to an early death.
Luckily, it looks like some of the feedback surrounding these issues is being addressed. 3.2 will be the big anniversary of HSR, and with it comes plenty of free rewards and changes. One of these includes a change to the pity system, where some older limited characters will be added to a group that can be chosen as the seven options for losing a 50/50. While this doesn’t affect most of the power creep worries, it is at least a step in the right direction for progress.
Remembrance Is Blurring The Path Lines
Strong Hybrid Characters Join The Roster
So far, Remembrance has been shown to be a Path that allows characters to perform like other Paths, just with the use of a summon. Aglaea and her best builds play like a hybrid Erudition/Hunt unit that is flexible in most game modes. Meanwhile, Castorice, one of the most anticipated character releases in HSR history, plays similarly to a Destruction unit.
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The next Remembrance unit after Castorice will be the newly introduced Hyacine. While most of the details about her come from leaks and are subject to change, she is a Wind Remembrance unit that plays like a healer from the Abundance Path. It will be interesting to see if she plays similarly to Lingsha or if she is more of a standalone unit who can chip in utility while also healing.
Overall, these three have shown that Remembrance does not feel as unique as it may originally have been stated to be. In a game like this, it’s understandable that there are only so many routes to take regarding play styles. Also, the current roster of new characters has shown that their kits are unique and set them apart even if they do seem similar to those from other paths.
Why Remembrance Could Hurt Other Paths
Two Is Better Than One
The biggest worry is whether the approach to Remembrance characters could make the other Paths feel weaker. This is less about power creep and more about how the kits distinguish themselves. For example, if HSR made a Remembrance character that worked as a break DPS, could they be significantly better than Rappa and Firefly, who are still some of the best DPS options in Star Rail, simply because they have a summon that gives them more chances?
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In this regard, HoYoverse needs to make sure that this Path doesn’t overlap to these extreme levels. So far, this has been accomplished with relative success. Aglaea doesn’t feel too similar to any specific character, and while Castorice’s health drain mechanic feels like a combo of Blade and Jingliu, those are two characters that have long been outside the typical “meta”. Hyacine would be the one area of potential concern, but that will have to wait for her full release.
Another thing to consider is how many Remembrance characters join the roster. There is a chance this is a path that will be limited to characters from Amphoreus. Thus, once the story leaves the planet, these types of characters will become rare and saved for whenever the planet makes a reappearance. This strategy could work, but it may feel a bit limiting for what is now a core pillar of HSR‘s Path system.
How Remembrance Could Inspire More Overlap
Blurring The Lines With Balance
Path overlap is something few characters have, and the silver lining of the Remembrance Path shows how this can work. Acheron is one character that serves as a prime example of this concept. Though she is a Nihilty character, she plays and does the majority of her damage as an Erudition unit. Her high scaling certainly helps, but the benefit of how her dual-Path kit comes together is true beauty.
Remembrance can prove to be a good idea if it is handled well.
Even Topaz and Lingsha could now be seen as overlapping characters, as they were the first to use summons. This opens the door for more characters to have little bits of other Paths as part of their kit, as long as they aren’t overpowered in doing so. This type of feature would also not impact the lore, as HSR already has a handful of characters who use a different Path in gameplay than in lore.
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Overall, Remembrance can prove to be a good idea if it is handled well. The characters released so far have been well-balanced regarding overlap and should provide some basis to have faith in the concept. In general, Path overlap may prove to be a good thing to avoid new characters growing stale and being slight upgrades from previous ones. If HoYoverse plays it correctly, Honkai: Star Rail‘s Remembrance Path overlap may prove to have a silver lining.
