Summary
- Factions in RPGs can bring a sense of belonging and camaraderie to players seeking community in the game world, while also adding interesting lore.
- The Ten Stonehearts in Honkai: Star Rail excel on the lore front, as they are elite specialists with unique cornerstones and important roles within the IPC.
- Plenty is known about Lady Bonajade, Topaz, and Aventurine, with limited info on the other Stonehearts available.
Factions in video games and other forms of media are communities or groups that follow a specific ideal, interest, or cause. This concept has different applications for both story and gameplay. Joining a faction can give the player a sense of belonging and camaraderie in RPGs. These groups can come in different forms, like guilds, governments, and in the case of Honkai: Star Rail, corporations like the Interastral Peace Croporation (IPC), which has an infamous squad of liquidation specialists known as the Ten Stonehearts.
The IPC has been woven into the story of HSR since the beginning. They have a large bounty on Kafka and the rest of the Stellaron Hunters. It’s also implied that they’re the in-game group that subsidizes the Interastral Peace Guide, which is the Honkai: Star Rail’ s daily task list for rewards.
Honkai: Star Rail's New Astral Express TV Makes the Need to Increase Customization All the More Clear
Honkai: Star Rail has possibly opened the door for a new feature after adding a functional TV in the Astral Express' passenger cabin.
The Ten Stonehearts and Their Role in Honkai: Star Rail
The Ten Stonehearts are an elite group of Asset Liquidation Specialists that deal with closing bad debts caused by Stellarons and creating long-term investments that stretch across hundreds of Amber Eras. Its leader, an Emanator of the Preservation path known as “Diamond,” assigns a cornerstone to each Stoneheart, which bestows them their name and great power.
Lady Bonajade
Jade is the highest-ranking member (P46) of the Ten Stonehearts that players have encountered so far. Her cornerstone is known as “Jade of Credit,” which implies that she specializes in lending money and providing lines of credit to individuals and businesses. Jade in Honkai: Star Rail is renowned for using her talent to read people to close deals in favor of the IPC and collect owed money from even the most destitute of clients.
Topaz
Topaz' biggest asset, apart from her cornerstone known as “Topaz of Debt Retrieval,” is her Warp Trotter Numby. This creature has a knack for sniffing out riches and even performing various security tasks. Her duties usually involve chasing down debts and closing down liabilities that negatively expose the IPC. She’s more compassionate compared to her colleagues, as she fought to overturn the IPC’s decision to acquire Jarilo-VI at the expense of getting a demotion.
Aventurine
Aventurine uses his Cornerstone, the Aventurine of stratagems, and his intellect to prepare for his schemes. He showcased this during the events of Penacony when he risked his life and his cornerstone to expose the truth behind the dreamscape and Acheron's true identity. Aventurine is a survivor of a brutal massacre of the Avigins in Sigonia-IV, making him possibly the last of his kind. Jade took him in at a young age, seeing his knack for making calculated gambles, and primed him to be one of the most effective agents of the IPC.
The Rest of the Stonehearts
The other Stonehearts made their first appearance in a short clip called Stonheart’s Oath Ring: Both Ends of the Scale, which gave players some insight into who they are.
- Obsidian: She is a P46-rank Stonehart with a seemingly sadistic streak. She has deep red hair topped by a black crown.
- Opal: He is a P46 member who appears to be a younger man. Aventurine speaks highly of him, and he voted in favor of keeping the latter in the Ten Stonehearts after the events of the Penacony arc.
- Pearl: Not much is known about Pearl except for the fact that she asked the Genius Society for advice on how to handle a trade war. She is shown to have blonde hair accented by a blue headpiece and wearing a blue blazer and waistcoat.
- Sapphire: His story is also ambiguous except for the fact that he voted against keeping Aventurine in the group. His illustration in the trailer features a griffin.
- Agate: Agate is seen in the trailer in a red outfit and a thin mustache. His role and background is yet to be known.
- Sugilite: Sugilite is shown to have white hair and a purple and white suit accented with gold. He voted to remove Aventurine from the group when the latter shattered his cornerstone during the events of Penacony.
- Amber: Her appearance wasn’t given much exposure during the trailer, but she is shown to be wearing a brown and gold suit.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 90%
- Released
- April 26, 2023
- ESRB
- Teen / Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Simulated Gambling, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
WHERE TO PLAY
They call them, "Aeons" in this galaxy. They construct reality, erase stars, and leave their marks on countless worlds. Together with your companions you'll travel across the galaxy on the Astral Express, following the path once traveled by the Aeons. From here, you will explore new civilizations, meet new comrades, and begin new adventures among countless fantastical worlds. All the answers you seek will be uncovered among the stars.
Well what're you waiting for? Are you ready to begin this trailblazing journey?
Honkai: Star Rail is a new HoYoverse space fantasy RPG. Hop aboard the Astral Express and experience the galaxy's infinite wonders filled with adventure and thrills.
Players will meet new companions across various worlds and maybe even run into some familiar faces. Overcome the struggles together caused by Stellaron and unravel the hidden truths behind it! May this journey lead us starward!
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC, Android, iOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Turn-Based RPG
