Top 5 reasons to play Honkai: Star Rail over Genshin Impact in 2023 (2023)

Honkai: Star Rail has taken the gaming world by storm. The latest game from HoYoverse has attracted numerous players, and it has naturally drawn a number of comparisons with HoYoverse's other hit game, Genshin Impact. Both of these games are based around the gacha system and have a ton of similarities when it comes to items and gameplay mechanics. Honkai: Star Rail has shown a lot of promise so far and is definitely making a name for itself.

Note: This article reflects the opinion of the writer.

Honkai: Star Rail has the potential to overtake Genshin Impact

Honkai: Star Rail has shown a lot of promise so far and is definitely making a name for itself. From a more rewarding banner system to better quality of life and navigation, this list aims to provide five reasons why you should consider playing Honkai: Star Rail over Genshin Impact in 2023.

1) Star Rail's energy system is better so far

Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact both have an energy system. In Genshin Impact, it is known as Original Resin. Players can store up to a maximum of 160 resin, and it takes eight minutes to recharge a single resin and around 21 hours and 20 minutes to recharge from zero resin to 160 resin.

Star Rail calls its energy meter Trailblaze Power. Players can have a maximum of 180 Trailblaze power, which is 20 more compared to Original Resin, and a single Trailblaze power takes six minutes to recharge (which is quicker compared to Genshin Impact).

Star Rail has a lot of features that save players a good amount of time, and the energy system is a prime example of the game's improvements over Genshin Impact.

2) Star Rail's tasks and quality of life are much smoother

Honkai: Star Rail has done a fantastic job so far when it comes to the incorporation of daily commissions along with the accessibility of the menu for systems such as exploration and changing items.

Genshin Impact players have requested a smoother experience when it comes to assigning characters for exploration and changing gadgets. The daily commissions are also much more fluid and easy in Star Rail compared to Genshin Impact.

The newer game also has a feature where you heal upon teleporting to a Space Anchor. Furthermore, the ley lines in the game remain stationary, eliminating the need for players to spend excessive time farming them for rewards.

3) Star Rail has a better banner system at the moment

Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact have a lot of similarities. Both games follow similar pity systems and are gacha games at their core.

A highlight in Star Rail's wish system is the ability to choose a 5-star character of your choice after you have made 300 wishes. This is a mechanic that is not present in Genshin Impact as of yet. Although 300 wishes is a huge amount, getting to choose a 5-star character and not leaving it to RNG is a huge boon for players as it allows them to build functional teams.

The Light Cone banner is also significantly better than the weapon banners in Genshin Impact. Players have a 75% chance to get the Light Cone featured in the banner, and if they fail, their next wish is guaranteed to be the Light Cone of the banner. In contrast, Genshin Impact relies on RNG to determine the character obtained, even when a 5-star character is guaranteed.

4) Star Rail takes up considerably less disk space

Since Honkai: Star Rail is a fairly recent game compared to Genshin Impact, the former is way less demanding than the latter.

Honkai: Star Rail will currently take up 15GB of your disk space on PC and 10GB on mobile. On the other hand, Genshin Impact takes up a whopping 72.5GB on PC and 20.5 GB on mobile.

If players want an experience somewhat similar to Genshin Impact while also having enough space for other apps, then Star Rail is the better option.

5) The combat in Star Rail is more complex and fun

Star Rail follows a turn-based combat system, while Genshin Impact, being an open-world game, leans towards hack-and-slash mechanics. While both games allow you to experiment with teams and match different elements and path resonances to create the best team possible, the strategy and thought required to engage in turn-based fights makes them much more intriguing.

Genshin's combat can oftentimes feel boring and repetitive. Star Rail's turn-based combat always keeps you on your toes and pushes you to think before making a decision.

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