HoYoverse Announces Character Reworks for Kafka and Fan Favorites in Honkai Star Rail Version 3.4

HoYoverse recently revealed during their latest RPG livestream that a series of character reworks are on the horizon for Honkai Star Rail, aiming to breathe new life into some of the game’s previously powerful favorites. In the upcoming HSR 3.4 update, fans can expect reimagined versions of popular characters like Kafka, Silver Wolf, Blade, and Jingliu. This announcement comes in response to player feedback, though the specifics of these updates are still under wraps.

If everything stays on track, this update should launch in early July 2025.

When these four characters made their debut in Honkai Star Rail back in 2023, they were considered top-tier. Kafka had a resurgence in 2024 with the release of Acheron, yet over time, their performance in terms of damage output and team synergy has dwindled. Jingliu, for instance, demands significant investment but doesn’t quite match her peers in damage. Kafka’s synergy has also stagnated due to a lack of compatible, new damage-over-time characters, and Mydei, a recent addition, seems to be more of a Blade 2.0.

The issue of characters being outpaced, known in the gaming world as “powercreep,” is a common challenge for gacha games like Honkai Star Rail. Interestingly, HoYoverse’s games usually manage to sidestep this rapid loss of relevance. Genshin Impact, for example, still has early characters performing well on tier lists, easily helping players handle endgame content. Zenless Zone Zero presents another case where you can effectively take on bosses using the starting three characters. Both these games have evolved but managed to keep their roster relevant.

However, it doesn’t seem like HoYoverse plans to extend these restoration efforts beyond the stars mentioned earlier. Other characters like Bailu, Yanqing, Natasha, Hook, and Welt seem to remain sidelined for now, with no hint of change in the air.

In refreshing news for fans of classic units, version 3.2 will introduce the opportunity to pick one of two free 5-star characters: Ruan Mei or Luocha, bringing a touch of excitement for old-school enthusiasts.