The Simulated Universe activity may get a massive update in Honkai: Star Rail 2.3 if new leaks about the upcoming patch are proven to be true. The turn-based RPG is still in the early stages of Version 2.2. The current patch brought forth the final missions in the main storyline of Penacony – though there are bound to be more quests related to the Planet of Festivities in the future. Players can also experience playing with Robin and Boothill in Honkai: Star Rail 2.2, as these are the new characters added with the update.
Now, with the patch and most of its contents available, some attention is starting to drift toward the next update. Developer HoYoverse has already confirmed two new playable 5-star characters for the patch, Firefly and Jade. Their Paths and Elements have been revealed, with Firefly being a Fire Destruction unit and Jade being a Quantum Erudition character. However, even with the lack of official information, their kits have leaked, hinting at what will likely be a difficult choice in Honkai: Star Rail 2.3. In addition to the characters, there have now been leaks about the Simulated Universe.
According to new information obtained by the leaker known as Firefly Lover, which was then shared in a post tagged as “Reliable” on Reddit, there will be a new game mode available in the Simulated Universe with the arrival of Version 2.3. The leak mentions the introduction of something called the Divergent Universe, a Screwllum-built branch of Herta’s traditional Simulated Universe that contains its own set of Blessings, Curios, and Occurrences. From the description provided by the leak, the Divergent Universe may have its own cycles and point system, separate from the traditional Simulated Universe in Honkai: Star Rail.
As seen from the description of the alleged Divergent Universe, this may actually be a mode that runs parallel to the traditional Simulated Universe rather than a change to the activity. According to the leak, Divergent Universe has two types of stages, one called Ordinary Extrapolation and the other named Cyclical Extrapolation. Completion of these two types of stages will grant the player Synchronicity Points and increase the Synchronicity Level, which can result in rewards. The leak cites that, like the regular Simulated Universe, players can earn collection rewards from Divergent Universe in Honkai: Star Rail.
This is allegedly obtainable by registering Blessings, Equations, Occurrences, Curios, and Weighted Curios for the first time. Additionally, the Ordinary Extrapolation stage is rumored to have various difficulties, all of which grant rewards upon completion. The Cyclical Extrapolation, on the other hand, will be a weekly challenge, and the first completion every week grants bonus rewards. The leak also mentions that there are side objectives to complete called Stable Computing Array that can grant additional rewards for players. From the looks of it, the leaked Divergent Universe feels like an independent and fully structured endgame activity in Honkai: Star Rail.
In addition to the aforementioned details, the Divergent Universe is rumored to have a scaling difficulty setting called Threshold Protocols, which are unlocked after players clear the fifth-level difficulty in each Ordinary Extrapolation. Threshold Protocols are said to significantly increase the challenge in the activity and there are hints that there may be some sort of modifier applied to them, as the leak mentions challenging levels that are suited to their “circumstances” in the game. The leak also says that completing these for the first time will grant extra rewards in Honkai: Star Rail.
When it comes to the Cyclical Extrapolation, also referred to as the Weekly Extrapolation, this challenge is rumored to reset every Monday. The leak reveals that new content will be added every week and that, within the weekly game mode, players can challenge Ordinary Extrapolation challenges and even Threshold Protocols. This weekly update seems to line up with the weekly reward path in the regular Simulated Universe. This makes the rumored Divergent Universe feel like a parallel activity to the standard Simulated Universe, even if they share many gameplay similarities in Honkai: Star Rail and fall under the same branch.
Another noteworthy detail mentioned in the leak by Firefly Lover is that the Divergent Universe will have a function called Arithmetic Mapping, which should automatically increase character Levels, Light Cone levels, Traces, and Relics to match the highest possible level within the player’s current Equilibrium Level. This means that, even if players have not yet topped off their character’s build, they may play with them at their top performance, considering the stat limitations of the chosen Relic and Ornament pieces given to the character in Honkai: Star Rail.
Even if this rumored Divergent Universe mode seems to run somewhat parallel to the traditional Simulated Universe, the leak does say that completion of the Ordinary Extrapolation and Cyclical Extrapolation stages in it will grant players Simulated Universe Points, which would help them obtain the weekly rewards from Herta’s activity. Ultimately, this could even dispense players from having to challenge the same worlds every week only to obtain free items from the reward path.
While the initial leak does not provide insight into what types of rewards players can expect, an alternative piece of information obtained by GuraLeak and shared in another post tagged as “Reliable” on Reddit showcases some of the possible items. As seen in the Divergent Universe’s leaked event card, the rewards featured include Stellar Jade, Self-Modeling Resin, Tracks of Destiny, Star Rail Passes, what seems like a 5-star Light Cone, and Herta Bonds in Honkai: Star Rail. These rewards alone seem to match a lot of what is already obtainable from the regular Simulated Universe, such as Herta Bonds themselves.
Even if running parallel, there may truly be some convergence when it comes to the rewards, as it looks like Divergent Universe is a sub-category within the Simulated Universe and not an entirely new game mode. The new free 5-star Light Cone featured in the rewards is worth noting, as it could be a new addition to Herta’s Shop, where players can purchase items by using Herta Bonds.
Even with the detailed description, the leaks about Divergent Universe are still murky, but it does seem like this will be added as a permanent game mode moving forward, perhaps falling under the same Expansion Module category as Swarm Disaster or Gold & Gears. For now, however, leaks should be taken with caution until official confirmation, as there may still be a lot that is subject to change. Nevertheless, the rumors about Divergent Universe are quite positive, as players get yet another challenging endgame activity to maintain themselves occupied during down periods in Honkai: Star Rail.
Source: Reddit (1, 2)