Honkai: Star Railwill unleash version 3.0 to players this coming January. With a rich new world, Amphoreus, and a roster of at least ten new characters, fans should be excited aboutHonkai: Star Rail’s future.
Despite the Astral Express supposedly stopping at planets along the Star Rail, Amphoreus is distinctly different from the previous stops the train has visited. While Amphoreus isn’t entirely different from other settings inHonkai: Star Rail, it does represent a return to form for the game.
Amphoreus, the Eternal Land
Amphoreus, also known as the Eternal Land, isHonkai: Star Rail’s latest planet. The new setting is inspired by Greek and Roman mythology and will introduce several new NPCs and playable characters.Honkai: Star Railhas not revealed much information about Amphoreus’ design, but leaks allege the planet will have atime-bending mechanic called Thermae, a kind of ancient Greek and Roman hot spring.
The Greek influence on Amphoreus is obvious in the limited imagery publicly released byHonkai: Star Rail.In the Golden Epic trailerreleased on November 22, Greek patterns, gold and blue accents, pillars, and a flowing river depicted with voice-over mentioning the River Styx, are on full display for viewers. Additionally, some of the new characters joiningHonkai: Star Railat Amphoreus have Greek influence in their design, like Aglaea, who wears a golden laurel.
The new Amphoreus characters don’t just reference Greek culture and mythology in their designs, but also in their names. For example, Hyacinecould be a reference to Hyacinth, a lover of Apollo who was murdered. While details like these characters’ kits have yet to be revealed, brief descriptions of the characters in the aforementioned trailer also leak them to Greek mythology. Tribbie, who is described as a three-faced messenger that travels between doors, could be a reference to the three-faced goddess Hecate, who is associated with crossroads.
Amphoreus is not the first setting to be inspired by mythology.Xianzhou Luofu’s charactersare influenced by Chinese mythology similar to the characters on Amphoreus. However, Amphoreus itself is different from its predecessors Xianzhou Luofu and Penacony in one important way.
Amphoreus vs Its Predecessors
Penacony, the setting prior to Amphoreus, is actually a massive space station that hosts the Reverie Hotel. The two small Alderson disks orbiting Penacony may make the station feel more organic, as they house landmasses and bodies of water. However, Penacony remains an artificial landscape.
Similarly, Xianzhou Luofu is one of the six flagships owned by the Hexafleet. This massive starship stands out as a jewelamong the Xianzhou Alliance’s fleet for its medical facilities and trading centers. Though Xianzhou Luofu was available at launch, this starship and Penacony are the latest settings with playable characters thatHonkai: Star Railgamers have been able to enjoy.
Organic vs Artificial
This makes Amphoreus feel like a return to form, as the setting is a physical planet, unlikethe artificial settings of Penaconyand Xianzhou Luofu. With Amphoreus enteringHonkai: Star Railin version 3.0, it will be interesting to see if other aspects of the game go back to basics in the update. Nevertheless, Amphoreus will be breaking this setting pattern by simply being an organic environment rather than a space station or starship.
One could argue that a planet has more flexibility in terms of design than a space station or starship.Honkai: Star Raildid subvert the typical tropes of a space station by havingPenacony house the Reverie Hotel and its complex Dreamscapes, but the interior Xianzhou Luofu does follow the stereotypes of a starship closely. Images of Amphoreus may be scarce, but it seems thatHonkai: Star Railis taking advantage of the natural environment of its latest setting.
Honkai: Star Rail
WHERE TO PLAY
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