After the long-awaited anticipation of Penacony since 2023 The Game Awards, Honkai: Star Rail has arrived since February 6, 2024, with the 2.0 Version with new quests, banners, events, and many other additions. Capping off the Astral Express’ journey since the Xianzhou Luofu arc, Penacony marks the third world the Nameless visit in their universe-spanning journey.
Thanks to the numerous anticipation and hype-inducing updates and trailers since last year, Star Rail fans are understandably delighted when the 2.0 Version goes online. Without further ado, let’s look at the wealth of new stories and content Star Rail brings on this update in this article.
Story summary
Upon resolving the Stellaron crisis in the Xianzhou Luofu arc, the Astral Express embarked on a journey to Penacony to attend the Charmony Festival, a former penal colony planet turned into a Las Vegas-inspired entertainment hub overseen by siblings Sunday and Robin.
Among all forms of Penacony’s entertainment, Dreamscape, a system of collective dreams that functions as the apex of the planet’s entertainment center, is widely praised for its security and entertainment value.
However, much like the previous story arcs, everything is more than what meets the eye in the luxurious entertainment centers in Penacony. It becomes apparent that an insidious plot is brewing in the real world and the confines of Dreamscape, where multiple factions like the Interastral Peace Corporation (IPC) and the Masked Fools are now after Penacony’s deepest secrets for their gains.
New character banners and reruns
Fans are spoilt for choice thanks to the arrival of banners of new characters like Black Swan and Sparkle and long-time characters like Imbibitor Lunae and Jing Yuan. In the 2.0 Version, the first phase’s banners are online from February 6 to February 29, while the second phase’s banners are active from February 29 to March 26.
The first phase presents Black Swan’s premier banner, a 5-Star Wind and Nihility character who affirmed her position as one of the game’s strongest DoT characters with good synergy with other DoT characters. Black Swan’s banner is available alongside her Light Cone’s banner, Reforged Remembrance, in the first phase of the 2.0 Version.
Imbibitor Lunae also makes a banner return in the current phase, which makes him one of the game’s strongest Imaginary-type characters. Imbibitor Lunae’s Light Cone, Bygone Reminiscence, is available for pulls alongside his rerun banner, making it an opportunity for players who haven’t collected him and his Light Cone.
Sparkle, an upcoming 5-star Quantum character and a notorious Masked Fool, will arrive in the second phase alongside her Light Cone’s banner, Brilliant Fixation. Somewhat similar to Bronya, Sparkle boosts a single unit’s CRIT DMG and Advances Forward their action, and her Ultimate recovers Skill Points and applies Cipher to all allies.
Jing Yuan will also have his rerun banner alongside Sparkle’s in the 2.0’s second phase with his Light Cone Bygone Reminiscence’s rerun banner. With his strong single-target and AoE damage, Jing Yuan makes himself one of the strongest DPS characters players must pull.
New events and mechanics in 2.0
The Planet of Festivities brings a wealth of content players can discover along the way, where new game mechanics like the Dreamscape Pass and Clockie’s Offering offer hefty progression rewards for everyone.
Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters and the Watchmaker, Master of Dream Machinations are available as the new Cavern Relics in 2.0. In terms of usage, the former is useful for DPS characters like Dr. Ratio and Welt, while the former works perfectly for Support characters like Ruan Mei, Asta, Tingyun, and many others.
To amp up the hype for Penacony, HoYoverse brings 20 Special Pass tickets from the Gift of Odyssey and the Gift of Stellarium events, which are useful if you want to pull Black Swan or Imbibitor Lunae. Furthermore, 2.0 also comes with various Penacony-focused events like Hanu’s Prisonbreak, Dreamchaser Bulletin, Penacony Food Fest, and Dreamjolt TV.
While the first phase of the 2.0 Version is already underway, waiting for the second phase can be agonizing after exploring all of Penacony’s new content. Star Rail players can play Big Bass Splash slots while waiting for the second phase to go online.