How to Complete All Pathfinder Story Quests on the Hertha Space Station: Character Creation, Light Cone Selection, Squad Upgrade and Management, and More
Immediately after going from the main menu and selecting the desired server, you will be taken to your first Mastering mission. In fact, this is a full-scale tutorial that will teach you the basics of the gameplay and introduce you to the sci-fi world of the game.
Chaos of the Deep
This chapter begins with a chaotic opening scene in which you are introduced to Kafka. No, this is not the main character, but a character that you will control at the beginning of the game and learn gameplay features. Immediately after the end of the introductory cut-scene, the first battle will begin. You will learn about the basic attack and special skill most commonly used during turn-based combat.
After the victory, move through the Hertha space station. Most of the game locations, though branched, although they seem like labyrinths, are quite simple in terms of movement: by opening the map, you can easily figure out which direction to move in a given situation.
Use the control panel near the door and leave the room. Cross the bridge and get ready for another lesson: you’ll learn how to attack your enemies first and take advantage of it. You will be told about energy and how it is generated during an attack – a full charge of energy allows you to use the character’s ult.
Immediately after the fight, you will meet the Silver Wolf – the girl who has been talking to Kafka since the very introduction. Kafka and Silver Wolf are looking for something called Stellaron (a very important object for the whole history of Honkai Star Rail).
Silver Wolf
The Silver Wolf will join the squad: in the ordinary world, when exploring locations, you can switch to any member of the squad, although you will always conduct a dialogue on behalf of the main character. In the room there is a common one, in which you will find star jade – a premium currency for obtaining characters.
Normal chest and destructible objects
There are also several barrels and crates that you can smash to get credits – the main currency in the game, which is needed to level up characters, items, and so on – and other secondary materials. When you’re done with searching the room, move to the yellow marker and take part in the next battle. Carefully study the information about the order of actions and the system of the move.
Continue down the corridor and smash the green container to restore health. In the next fight, you will learn about skill points. This is a shared resource for the entire team. With their help, you can activate special skills. Skill points are restored during basic attacks.
Character selection
Check out the two landmarks in the next room and talk to the Silver Wolf to move on. She breaks into the room and finds a way out of the “Herta” illusion. After a short scene, you will be able to choose your Pathfinder. This is purely a visual choice, but you will no longer be able to change the character’s gender.
Awards :
- 600 Pathfinder XP
- 80 Star Jade
- 5000 credits
Ground zero of the storm
At the beginning of the chapter, you will meet Dan Heng and March 7, who will share information about the current state of affairs. They are members of the crew of the Starlight Express, and it’s up to you to help the heroes clean up the Hertha space station. These are your first two characters, who will also appear in many of the game’s cut-scenes (despite the fact that they may not be in the squad).
Spatial Anchor
You will soon have access to the character menu screen. A floating blue crystal in the room, called a dimensional anchor, fully heals your party and serves as a fast travel point. Use Dimensional Anchors whenever you need to regenerate health.
Move in the direction of the marker to find out what is happening at the station. You can switch to March 7 in the overworld to attack enemies first with her or your hero. If the enemies are vulnerable to frost damage, then March 7 will freeze them at the start of the fight when they attack.
In general, the whole game is built on the choice of suitable heroes to attack characters with vulnerabilities to specific elemental elements. Such attacks gradually reduce the hero’s stamina bar, and if it is completely depleted (a white bar above the health bar), the enemy will receive a temporary stun. In the game, this moment is called Vulnerability. In this case, the enemy will lose his turn, will receive more damage and will return to the battle later.
Right now the space station is closed to you, so keep walking towards the marker. Search a regular chest on your way to the next mock battle. You will learn how enemies can become attached to certain party members. Use the March 7 skill to apply a special skill “Protection” to the selected ally. In addition, her ultimate is an AoE attack that freezes enemies (with a corresponding weakness), which comes in handy in difficult situations.
Squad setup menu
After you get to the elevator, Dan Heng will join the group to help with the search for Arlan. You will have access to the squad menu, where you can change characters. The following tutorial will teach you how to level up characters with various experience items. Deal with enemies in the next battle by choosing the right elements to attack (for example, Dan Heng needs to attack opponents who have a “green element” of wind above their heads). Use March 7 to create shields.
Footprints
After you meet Arlan, use the console in his room to open the elevator. After that, the “Traces” menu is unlocked – it’s something like a skill tree for each character, consisting of various nodes and giving, for the most part, permanent buffs. As heroes level up, Mastering and Balance, be sure to unlock new nodes. However, don’t expect it to be very fast.
Climb to the second floor to use the elevator, along the way, search the usual chest, standing near the anchor. There is another chest in the side room. On your way to the elevator, you will learn about Light Cones – very important items that offer various upgrades for the heroes’ stats. Each character can only have one active Light Cone, and they must be chosen according to their path (Harmony, Preservation, Destruction, and so on).
light cone
Before leaving the room, follow in the opposite direction and search the regular chest. Open another one on the way to the elevator and then get ready for a mini-boss fight. This elite opponent is weak to Dan Heng’s wind skills, so direct all of his attacks towards the enemy and use March 7 to protect allies. The trailblazer can use skills that all three opponents are weak to. Use a Pathfinder AoE skill on an elite enemy in the center to deal damage to all three enemies and cause them to bleed. You can prevent an elite enemy from using a charged attack (selection bow shot) by depleting the stamina meter and inflicting Vulnerable. After the fight, meet Himeko, who will only temporarily join the squad.
mini boss
Awards :
- 600 pioneer experience
- 80 Star Jade
- 5000 credits
A moment of peace
Move to the next marker to meet Asta. After a short conversation, you will finally unlock the “Jumping” feature, which allows you to get new characters and light cones.
Star Jumps is a special, limited-edition banner that guarantees a five-star character after 50 jumps, while other banners guarantee the same after 90 jumps. After 300 jumps on a standard banner, you will be able to choose one of the three five-star characters listed on it. When you make your first jumps, talk to Arlan to find out how you can help him.
Menu with banners
It will give you three light cones and you can level them up to power up your characters. Speak to the researchers at the front and back of the Main Control Zone to offer help. When helping Hinkel, the correct answer is up, right, down. For Abraham, choose a life and death answer to comfort him.
These two dialogues will open the Travel Journal, where you can find events and special offers for obtaining items and characters. Return to Asta in the center of the room for a cutscene where another monster, the Doomsday Beast, will appear.
Awards :
- 600 Pathfinder XP
- 2000 credits
Non-fading shadows
Break the purple container next to the dimensional anchor to replenish tech points, then start the next battle to learn about Himeko’s abilities. In the next room, activate the marked control panel at the bottom of the ramp to access the floating platform in the center of the room. Open the regular chest located next to the panel before leaving this location. There is another chest on the opposite side of the Repulsive Bridges.
repulsive bridges
If you’re feeling confident, you can take on the dangerous enemy guarding the chest near the next Dimensional Anchor. This is the same mini-boss from the first chapter that you fought earlier, but this time it will be level 11. Be sure to upgrade your characters before starting the fight and aim to break the Vulnerability with the help of Pathfinder and Dan Heng. Don’t worry about losing – you will respawn at the nearest anchor. If you can win, get access to the Luxury Chest.
Elite guarding Luxurious Chest
Return in the opposite direction and enter the office. Open a regular chest and continue walking towards the marker. Buy possible upgrades before you get past the dimensional anchor – a boss fight awaits you ahead. The Doomsday Beast is level 7, and each of its body parts is vulnerable to a specific element. Use March 7 to attack the right arm, Dan Heng’s left arm, Pathfinder the Antimatter engine. Himeko’s AoE attack will allow you to attack all three parts of the body at the same time.
doomsday beast
The Antimatter Engine empowers both arms and restores their durability, so try to destroy it first. Once all three body parts are destroyed, aim for the head of the Doomsday Beast. He has two health bars, so you will have to repeat the steps again.
After the battle, you will see what makes the Pathfinder so special. You will also receive the first Eidolon for the Destruction class/path. Eidolons are essentially the buffs you get when you draw duplicate characters. Constellation analogy from Genshin Impact. Return to the central area to find Himeko and Gert. The latter will be interested in you, so after the conversation, go to her office.
Gert will explain her interest in god-like beings called Aeons and invite her to the Virtual Universe, which will activate the first Adventure Mission (essentially a side mission).
Awards :
- 1200 Pathfinder XP
- 80 Star Jade
- 3 Adventure Logs
- 30,000 credits
Journey continues
Enter the Herta Virtual Universe machine to start the quest. Your only goal is to complete the simulation once.
Virtual Universe: Primary Test
The first visit to the universe is another tutorial. You will be given a specific command that cannot be changed, and you will move along the linear corridors, killing enemies. During the first battle, the game will provide access to the speed-up and auto-battle features to save time.
Choice of blessing
Inside the Virtual Universe, after each successful battle, you will receive buffs called Blessings. Keep moving and interact with the fictional Aeons to see a text component from a retro RPG.
At the end of the path, the same mini-boss is waiting for you as before, so there will be no problems. After you defeat him, you will leave the Virtual Universe and receive well-deserved rewards.
Awards :
- 500 Pathfinder XP
- 50 Star Jade
- New Gert character
- x Adventure Log
- x Condensed Ether
- 1 data bank
- 10,000 credits
After you leave the Virtual Universe, you will unlock several side missions, including side missions in the Virtual Universe itself, daily quests, and other character-focused side quests.
Exit Gert’s office to continue the main story and unlock fast travel between dimensional anchors. Teleport to the Supply Zone and talk to Himeko about how to get to the Star Express. You will see a cut-scene, meet the driver of the Pom-Pom express train. The Dimensional Guide will also be unlocked, giving additional rewards for completing main tasks during the game.
Pom Pom
Now you can explore the Star Express train car, talk to Dan Heng and March 7 in their rooms. March 7 will not be there, but you can check her room and then return to Pom Pom to get some rewards. Pom Pom gives out rewards for each level of Mastery, so be sure to return to her!
You will also unlock the Friends menu to access the online component of the game. When you are done with everything, sit on the sofa to go to another planet.
Awards :
- 200 Pathfinder XP
- 4 Travel encounters
- 10,000 credits
This will end the most difficult tutorial section of the game, and in the next task on the planet Yarilo-VI you will get much more freedom.
