The release of Honkai: Star Rail 2.2 is very important, as the game concludes its main story arc this year while also adding new characters, quests, and even enemies to face. Version 2.2 is the third and final patch to add main campaign missions related to the planet of Penacony. In fact, these conclude the story being told on the Planet of Festivities and have players gearing up for the release of the next major destination, likely at some point in 2025.
The additions of Robin and Boothill in Honkai: Star Rail 2.2 are also noteworthy, as the two very distinct characters bring more depth to the playable roster of characters. Of course, beyond the main story quests and new heroes, the patch also brought forth some new maps to explore as well as limited-time events that further develop Penacony and its activities – some of which answer old questions, while others have players aiding in reconstruction efforts due to some destruction caused in previous updates.
Possibly the biggest attraction in Version 2.2 is the compilation of story quests added with it. These final missions that conclude the Penacony arc are extremely enticing and help players better understand the secrets that enshroud the Planet of Festivities and everything that led up to the current events – including the participation of Nameless of the past in its very construction. While the quests may not be as exciting as the ones added with Version 2.1, the new ones in Honkai: Star Rail 2.2 bring an epic conclusion to the Penacony story arc.
The twists and turns of the narrative, how the Path of the Trailblaze connects to Penacony and the Seemaker, and even the big antagonist’s plans make this feel like a more well-thought story. The previous arcs, namely the ones on Jarilo-VI and the Xianzhou Luofu all had their perks and emotional development, but Penacony surpasses that with an antagonist that can hardly be considered a villain – they have their heart in the right place, even if their methods are unacceptable. This feels like a more complex story than a simple conflict between good and evil in Honkai: Star Rail.
That gray area in the narrative is exactly what gives Penacony an emotional maturity like nothing before it. This makes the game more in line with the larger Honkai franchise. The new maps added with Penacony are well-built and bring a lot more variety, especially when it comes to design. This is also true when it comes to the new enemy types added with Version 2.2, all of which help deepen the gameplay mechanics offered in the game. As magnanimous as the story in Penacony is with the new Honkai: Star Rail 2.2 quests, it is not flawless.
Throughout the main story missions, players will be tasked with multiple filler activities and dialogues that feel extended on purpose, so as to give more length to the story. This was not necessary. Even if the story were a little shorter, it is arguable it would have been better, as some parts of the narrative experience feel stretched out and, during some of these moments, tedious. They do not ruin the overall experience and can easily be forgotten, but they do leave a mark while playing through the story quests in Honkai: Star Rail.
The new playable characters added with Version 2.2, namely Robin and Boothill, are great units to wield in battle. Robin is a remarkable 5-star support unit that uses Physical DMG in battle. Her abilities are quite universal, making her fit into a variety of team comps, such as the traditional hypercarry parties. However, Robin is at her best when she is part of a follow-up attack team comp, as she has a perk that can significantly boost that type of damage.
Pulling for Robin in Honkai: Star Rail makes sense if players are in dire need of a stronger support unit or if they are building a particular follow-up attack team comp. If players already have solid supports like Ruan Mei or Sparkle, for instance, they could easily skip Robin – especially if they are not keen on using follow-up attack parties. Comparatively, Topaz & Numby may be a better choice to pull if players are starting to create their first follow-up attack team led by Dr. Ratio, who was given out for free earlier this year.
In Phase 2, Robin and her supporting capabilities drop off as Boothill takes the stage. The Galaxy Ranger is a powerful Physical DPS unit that focuses on dealing single-target damage to opponents. He can be a remarkable asset to parties in need of that specific type of damage, but Boothill does not stand out too much when compared to other main DPS characters available in the game. This is not to say he is not strong, as he can melt some bosses, but he does not stand out like Acheron in Honkai: Star Rail, for instance.
Phase 2 is still exceptional, however, as it is marked by Fu Xuan’s rerun. She is, alongside the recently released Aventurine, one of the strongest and most reliable damage mitigators in the game. The Xianzhou Luofu’s Master Diviner is a solid alternative to players who were unable to obtain Aventurine in Version 2.1, as she is indispensable for tougher endgame challenges.
Compared to the likes of Boothill, Fu Xuan is a great character, even if not a completely new one like the Galaxy Ranger. Aided immensely by the rerun selections, Honkai: Star Rail 2.2 banners are remarkable, even if the new characters are not unskippable.
The flagship event for Version 2.2, called Clockie: Dreamjoy Memoir is a great idea that was poorly executed to some extent. The concept of reconstructing the screen and helping promote movie culture in Penacony is superb, but its result in terms of gameplay is botched. The mode that has players editing films is quite tedious because the gameplay mechanic involved in it is boring. As much as the movies and the narrative approach to it are deep, it feels less like a fun game and more like a chore to do within Honkai: Star Rail.
The worst part is that players don’t even get to see the movies they edit, which is pretty disappointing. The extra stories in Clockie: Dreamjoy Memoir are also pretty bad since there’s not much to do other than to exhaust dialogues with NPCs. The commercial filming part of the event is the most memorable one, with activities in which players can actually engage, even if it is short and somewhat lackluster – these activities require more active participation than the rest, which makes them feel particularly exciting.
The prizes offered by the Clockie: Dreamjoy Memoir are remarkable, however. Self-Modeling Resin and Tracks of Destiny are always appreciated as these are crucial for character builds, but the most noteworthy is the free 4-star Light Cone called For Tomorrow’s Journey. This Harmony Light Cone is an extremely positive addition to the event’s rewards as this is the best F2P item for Robin and you can S5 it for free by completing the event in Honkai: Star Rail. As much as Clockie: Dreamjoy Memoir is tedious, it is worth doing for the rewards.
The Gift of Odyssey daily check-in event is also always a boon, with 10 free Special Star Rail Passes given out during the patch. Surely 10 pulls may not be enough to guarantee a 5-star character, but it does give players a fighting chance and is just enough to make them feel special, especially considering this occurs nearly every update. Honkai: Star Rail’s generosity is not unacknowledged, but having it occur consistently after the game’s first anniversary is somewhat surprising.
Overall, Version 2.2 is a fairly standard update with its pros and cons and is much below the quality delivered with the previous patch, Version 2.1. Even with its flaws, mostly in its flagship event, the new patch delivered unforgettable moments and strong characters, even if they did not prove themselves as indispensable as the reruns. The best accomplishment of the patch lies in the narrative, as the main campaign quests in Version 2.2 establish Penacony as the best story arc in Honkai: Star Rail so far.