Does Honkai: Star Rail have co-op?

By Jesse Lennox April 27, 2023

Coming from the same team that brought us Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail shares a lot in common with that mega-hit. The most noticeable is the art style and gacha mechanics, but what about the ability to play co-op? After you’ve added friends to your friends list, will this game let you actually jump in to help your friends out and explore the world together? Let’s see how you can, and can’t, help your friends out in Honkai: Star Rail.

Contents

Is there co-op in Honkai: Star Rail?
How to use a friend’s Support Characters

Is there co-op in Honkai: Star Rail?

A team of characters in a city. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The sad reality is, unlike Genshin, there’s no direct co-op mechanic in Honkai: Star Rail to allow you and any number of friends to join up together. That begs the question, though, as to what the point of having a friends list even is. Well, while you can’t directly help, or be helped, by a friend, there is a way you can assist one another.

How to use a friend’s Support Characters

Any person you add to your friend list will be selectable to summon in one of their Support Characters to join your party. There are a few restrictions to this system, though. For one, that Support Character will only stick with you for a set period of time, and they can only be used in Calyxes and Caverns of Corrosion. Additionally, any Support Character you take will have their level scaled to your level, meaning you can’t borrow an overpowered unit to carry you through any encounters.

A friend first needs to set a character as their Support Character, which can be done in the Support Character menu in their profile. You should set one yourself as well because you will earn free Credits for any player that uses your Support Character. When you enter a Calyx or Cavern of Corrosion, simply hit the Challenge button to open up the character screen and hit Support to browse and add a support character to your team.

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