If you find yourself overwhelmed with mechanics but still want to play the game, check out this Honkai Impact 3rd Beginner Guide.
Even for the more seasoned gamers, there is a lot to take in when unpacking Honkai Impact 3rd, particularly if new to the series years after its original release.
Those trying it out on a whim, or finding it on Steam long after its PC debut, may feel totally overwhelmed. It also doesn’t matter if you’ve played other miHoYo games like Genshin Impact. You’ll likely find more to keep track of here.
The number of items and characters that regularly join your roster, in addition to the numerous materials and currencies that will need to be leveled, can easily make one’s head spin. That’s what this Honkai Impact 3rd Beginner Guide is here to solve.
Navigation and Progression in Honkai Impact
Every time the player logs in, they will be taken to the central hub and greeted with daily rewards and various events available in the game. Ensuring that the daily freebie materials are stocked up helps when it comes time to perform enhancements and upgrades to your Valkyrie.
Four primary buttons are available on the right side of the screen, including Attack, Valkyrja, Equipment, and Supply.
Attack
The Attack button navigates players to the story page in which they can view their current progress, acquire Challenge Rewards for the completed segments, and select the next Story Stage they wish to undertake.
Through the completion of Story Stages, players will be able to gain experience for their Captain Level and power up the Valkyrja who participated in the stage that was completed. Increasing Captain Level allows the player to progress through new story missions.
Valkyrja
The Valkyrja button navigates players to a screen in which they can view their current valkyrie ranks. Here, they are able to manage skills, stigmata, and weapons for each one upon leveling up. If experience alone is not progressing the levels fast enough, they can also be leveled manually.
By leveling up, Valkyrie unlocks more skills and can upgrade existing ones as well. Players will also need to help the characters stay up to date with the latest enhancements and weapons.
Equipment
The Equipment button navigates players to their inventory in which they can view their current weapons arsenal, material stoors, valkyrie fragment collections, and stigmata.
For example, under the Stigmata and Weapons tabs, players will easily be able to identify which are currently in use, view new sets, and ensure that their Valkyrie are equipped with the best support and gear. It’s often nice to take stock of all the earnings flashing by as they accumulate through rewards, missions, and achievements.
Supply
The Supply button navigates players to the supply tabs and in-game shop. This represents the game’s gacha feature, defined as a randomized chance to obtain new characters.
In addition to the regular Dorm Supply, there are also limited-time event-based draws that cycle from time to time. No matter the case, every Supply Draw provides players the chance to pull different materials and rewards.
Of course, to pull anything at all, players must spend crystals. Crystals represent the main premium currency of Honkai Impact 3rd, and single draws eat earnings up quickly. Yet, when you invest in an x10 rewards draw, players are guaranteed to pull either a specific rank or number of Valkyrie, stigmata, or weapons. It helps to save up.
Combat Mechanics in Honkai Impact
Type Advantages
The battle mechanics in Honkai Impact follow a rock/paper/scissors format, in which every Valkyrie is categorized by type. The three primary types include Mecha (Mech), Psychic (Psy), and Biologic (Bio). These interact in the following way:
- Biologic is particularly effective against Psychic
- Psychic is particularly effective against Mecha
- Mecha is particularly effective against Biologic
In addition to the primary three, there is also Imaginary (IMG) and Quantum (QUA). However, unlike the others, these are not susceptible or effective but have incredibly awesome maneuvers and powerful skills that allow them to stand apart.
Swaps and Gacha
With a team of three Valkyries, the player will enter Story Stages. They’ll have the ability to swap inactive members in according to their own strengths and weaknesses.
Using the gacha system to collect characters, players will have many Valkyries to pick from. After accruing a decent amount, it’ll be easy to pick and choose favorites.
Yet, it’s important to try all the characters out to get a feel for their unique combat styles and learn their various attacks and combos. In this way, they’ll be able to team up in a far more effective way and can be utilized better on the battlefield.
Teamwork
Teamwork is integral to the gameplay of Honkai Impact 3rd. The Valkyries have special maneuvers that allow for swap and strike tactics execution. Making attacks as effective as possible means proper timing for swaps and understanding what the substitution is going to strike with.
Evasion
Outside of understanding type efficiencies, the other critical aspect to master includes evasion. The in-game tutorial teaches this in a rather thorough manner, and that’s due to the fact that it’s essential from the beginning.
When a pink light bar flashes across the head of an enemy, that’s a signal to tap the evade button and dodge out of the way. Perfectly timed dodges will freeze time and allow an opportunity to inflict massive damage on enemies.
For every given set of new Story Stages the player completes, it’s crucial to collect the Challenge Rewards that replenish items necessary for enhancements and upgrades.
Valkyrja
Most of the time, Valkyrie will be pulled directly from Supply Draws. This is why it’s important to conserve crystals until it’s time to spend on x10 draws to guarantee the probability of pulling a new Valkyrie. Moreover, players will acquire new Valkyrie for the completion of random Story Stages or through achievement and leveling milestones.
Preparing For Battle
Despite the fact that Valkyrie level up with the traditional experience system, they’ll also need to manage enhancements and upgrades. This can all be categorized into weapons, stigmata, and skills.
| Weapons | The enhancement of weapons levels them up, but upgrading weapons boosts the star rating and allows for the development of new skills. |
| Stigmata | Although they come bundled in many forms, Stigmata represent stat boots that improve existing states when equipped in identical sets. Star rating also plays a role in overall effectiveness. The Stigmata with superior star ratings are often favored in comparison to matching sets. However, players will want to ensure that the boosts improve the skillset of the Valkyrie they are planning to equip. If it doesn’t provide the same kind of support, there’s next to no point in equipping them whatsoever. |
| Skills | As previously mentioned, Valkyrie unlock additional skills by leveling up. They represent passive skills that typically take effect after a certain action is performed. These will need to be activated and upgraded with gold. It’s not difficult to stay on top of, but always be on the lookout for new skills every time a Valkyrie gains a level. |
Conclusion – Honkai Impact 3rd Beginner Guide
Many of the investments needed to progress the stats demand premium currency and specific materials, all of which can be earned through naturally progressing through the game.
Still, players may consider getting some items once in a while from the in-game shop in the event that they want to power up their favorite Valkyrie.