Honkai: Star Rail version 2.1 drops 27 March with Acheron, Aventurine, and Gallagher plus 30 pulls worth of anniversary rewards!

Honkai: Star Rail is set to release its most exciting update yet, version 2.1 "Into the Yawning Chasm", on 27 March!

This upcoming update see the release of three new characters in Acheron, Aventurine, and Gallagher as well as two new areas in Penacony. Not only that, version 2.1 will be Honkai: Star Rail's first-year anniversary patch and as such will give players tons of rewards!

But before we break down everything coming in version 2.1, make sure to redeem the livestream codes for Stellar Jades, credits, and more!

Free Stellar Jade codes

• 3SRN6L3AADLK: 100x Stellar Jades and 50,000 Credits

• YTRN743TSUL7: 100x Stellar Jades and 5x Traveler's Guide

• 2S8N6M3ATV6T: 100x Stellar Jades and 4x Refined Aether

Acheron, Aventurine, and Gallagher join the festivities

As the Astral Express Crew's adventure in Penacony continues, we will be getting three new companions joining the game's roster of playable characters: the 5-stars Acheron and Aventurine as well as the 4-star Gallagher.

Acheron

Acheron is a mysterious woman who claimed to be a Galaxy Ranger when we first met her in Penacony, though by now we all know there is much more to her than meets the eye. As a playable character, Acheron wields the Lightning element, follows the Path of Nihility, and boasts the most unique kit in the game so far.

Unlike all other characters, Acheron has no energy gauge and instead relies on accruing stacks of Slashed Dream to charge up her powerful ultimate. Acheron will gain stacks of Slashed Dream when she uses her skill on enemies and when enemies receive debuffs.

Once Acheron has nine stacks of Slashed Dream, she can use her powerful ultimate to unleash a three-hit attack on a single target before a finisher that hits all enemies. She also receives some insane DMG buffs if she is alongside other Nihility characters in her party.

Not only is Acheron looking like one of the most powerful characters in Honkai: Star Rail, she also boasts hands-down the best animations in the entire game. If you want to get Acheron, we suggest preparing a debuff-focused Nihility team for her now.

Aventurine

Aventurine is the Interastral Peace Corporation's representative in Penacony and one of the Ten Stonehearts, known for his bold, risk-taking personality and penchant for gambles and chance-based games. He wields the Imaginary element and follows the Path of Preservation, being the game's first character designed to take on both sustain and sub-DPS roles.

Aventurine can create a powerful stacking shield to protect the entire party using his skill. And whenever he or his allies get attacked, he gains 1 point of Blind Bet. When he has 7 points of Blind Bet, Aventurine then launches a follow-up attack on a random enemy.

Meanwhile, Aventurine's ultimate lets him gain a random amount of Blind Bet points and attack a single enemy. At the same time, that enemy gains a debuff that increases the Crit DMG it receives from attacks.

If you're looking for someone who can both shield allies from harm and dish out some punishment of his own, then pulling for Aventurine will surely be a worthwhile gamble.

Gallagher

Gallagher is a security officer for the Bloodhound Family, charged with protecting foreign guests in Penacony, though his true passion lies in mixology. This is reflected by his kit, which lets him heal allies with a drink and lay a smackdown on any troublemakers.

Gallagher can heal allies using his skill and through his Talent, which inflicts a debuff on enemies that causes any allies that attack said enemy to receive healing. This is similar to Luocha's healing field, though Gallagher's is a bit trickier to maintain.

Gallagher's ultimate lets him flex his muscles and attack all enemies while also inflicting them with a debuff that increases the Weakness Break DMG they receive and heals allies attacking them. At the same time, it also enhances his next basic attack to deal more DMG and reduce the ATK of its target.

If you're looking for a healer that also packs a punch, then bring out your glasses and have Gallagher join your party!

Luocha and Jingliu get their reruns

The banners for Honkai: Star Rail version 2.1 will also see the long-awaited reruns for Luocha and Jingliu alongside the debuts of Acheron, Aventurine, and Gallagher.

The first half banners will feature Acheron and Luocha, with Gallagher among the rate-up 4-stars. Meanwhile, Aventurine and Jingliu will be in the second half.

Honkai: Star Rail celebrates first anniversary with 30 free pulls and triple Relic rewards

To celebrate Honkai: Star Rail's first anniversary on 26 April, version 2.1 will be giving away 30 pulls worth of Star Rail Special Passes and Stellar Jade to all players as well as special versions of the 'Planar Fissure' and 'Realm of the Strange' Relic-farming events that give triple rewards.

When version 2.1 goes live, the 'Festive Gifts' check-in event will give players a total of 20 Star Rail Special Passes over the course of seven days. On the day of the game's anniversary itself on 26 April, players will also receive 1,600 Stellar Jade (good for another 10-pull) through the in-game mail.

Not only that, the new 'Cosmodyssey' board game event will let players earn a variety of rewards — including Stellar Jade — by playing a dice-based board game similar to Monopoly and participating in mini-games.

While players can enjoy Cosmodyssey on their own to receive the rewards, it will also have a special co-op mechanic where the shared progress of all players will also unlock even more rewards for everyone!

Two new Penacony areas and Aventurine boss battle

With the Astral Express Crew's adventure in Penacony continuing in version 2.1 with "The Devil in Velvet" Trailblaze Mission, two new areas in the planet as well as a new boss battle against Aventurine can be unlocked.

The first of the two new areas in Penacony is the Clock Studios Theme Park, an amusement park based on the planet's trio of beloved cartoon characters in Clockie, Hamster Ball Knight, and Brother Hanu. Just like any theme park, players can enjoy a variety of minigames here to go with their usual hunt for treasure chests and puzzles.

The second new area is the Dewlight Pavilion, the headquarters of Penaconny's Oak Family and its leader Sunday. As the home of the planet's most influential figure, we can expect more mysteries and treasure to be hidden away in this mysterious new dreamscape.

And while players can have Aventurine join their party as a playable character, they must first face him in a boss battle as part of the climax of version 2.1's Trailblaze Mission.

In fitting with Aventurine's love for gambling and risk-taking, players will have to gamble against him during the battle itself through a special mechanic similar to Blackjack. Aventurine will summon a number of dice during the battle which players must hit in order to gain points. If the player ends up with less points than Aventurine, then they will get punished with a powerful attack. So, let's hope lady luck will be on our side when we face Aventurine in battle.

More events and new Simulated Universe World 9

Of course, version 2.1 also includes more events separate from the anniversary events for players to get more rewards. Not only that, a new world in the Simulated Universe will also be unlocked for players to farm up two new sets of Planar Ornament relics.

The main event for version 2.1 will be 'Vignettes in a Cup', where players will have to brew drinks for the denizens of Penacony's dreamscapes to earn rewards like Stellar Jade, Self-Modeling Resin, and even a free 4-star character selector.

The 4-star characters available for players from this event include all those released after version 1.0, including Gallagher, Misha, Xueyi, Hanya, Guinaifen, Luka, Lynx, and Yukong.

Players looking for more action can enjoy the 'Tides of War' event, where players can build up a powerful buff over the course of battle to help them defeat multiple stages featuring a variety of enemy mobs and bosses.

For those looking for something more casual, then the 'Clockie's Extras — Filming Experience' will let them play a racing minigame themed after Penacony's cartoon characters.

Meanwhile, the new World 9 of the Simulated Universe will let players farm for two new Planar Ornament relic sets: the 'Izumo Gensei and Takama Divine Realm' set and the 'Sigonia, the Unclaimed Desolation' set. Make sure you're prepared when you enter World 9, however, as its final boss will be the fearsome Memory Zone Meme: "Something Unto Death".

Aside from all the eye-catching new content we've just mentioned, version 2.1 will also include a variety of quality-of-life updates that will improve the gameplay experience.

These include the ability to claim Assignment rewards and re-dispatch with a single click, the relic inventory cap being increased to 2,000 relics, and a new quick-clear function for new Simulated Universe Worlds.

There will also be a new feature in Trailblaze Missions that allows players to advance the story from the point-of-view of both the Trailblazer and other characters featured in the story. When switching to another character's point-of-view, that character will be available to the player in gameplay as a trial character.

For more information on what's to come in Honkai: Star Rail version 2.1, check out the full version preview livestream here.

Honkai: Star Rail is currently in the second half of version 2.0, which features the debut of Sparkle as well as a rerun for Jing Yuan. If you're still on the fence on who you should pull for this banner, check out our guide here to help you decide.

Once version 2.1 drops on 27 March, then the wait begins for version 2.2 in May featuring two new 5-star characters in Robin and Boothill.

Yan Ku is a full-time dog parent, part-time (gacha) gamer, and part-time writer.

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