HoYoverse recently shared some exciting news during their latest livestream: several popular characters from Honkai Star Rail will be getting a revamp in the upcoming 3.4 update. This announcement is a nod to the gaming community who’ve been asking for changes. In July 2025, if everything stays on track, players can expect refreshed versions of Kafka, Silver Wolf, Blade, and Jingliu. While the developers haven’t revealed specific changes yet, the anticipation among fans is palpable.
These characters, when first introduced in 2023, were top-tier in Honkai Star Rail. Kafka even had a resurgence in 2024 with the introduction of Acheron. Unfortunately, as time marched on, their once-impressive capabilities have dwindled. Players have noticed that Jingliu requires significant resources but still doesn’t pack the punch some of her peers do, while Kafka’s synergy with new characters has been lacking. Meanwhile, Mydei is often compared to a newer version of Blade, overshadowing the original.
The concept of “powercreep,” where older characters become less effective over time, isn’t unusual in games like Honkai Star Rail. However, HoYoverse’s track record typically shows a slower deterioration of their characters’ usefulness. For instance, some Genshin Impact characters from its early days remain powerful choices for even the toughest parts of the game. Similarly, in Zenless Zone Zero, players can successfully face formidable challenges with the very characters they started with. These games manage to evolve without sidelining their characters entirely.
For fans of characters like Bailu, Yanqing, Natasha, Hook, and Welt, the future appears less optimistic, as there’s no hint of similar updates for them. Nevertheless, players can look forward to a selection when version 3.2 arrives, with a choice between two free 5-star characters: Ruan Mei or Luocha. This opportunity provides a little something for everyone, even as some characters fall by the wayside.
