Honkai: Star Rail’s starting characters are all very different from one another, and they play out in various manners on the field. Choosing who to level up and ascend first may be a bit confusing seeing players have about four or five choices at the start of the game. Honkai: Star Rail is developer HoYoverse’s new turn-based RPG, and while the gacha title does take on a lot of similarities with the studio’s other popular game, Genshin Impact, it is significantly different, with the main exceptions being its gacha system and its anime-style graphics.
One of the main differences in the new game is that characters have clearly set up roles, defined through the Path system. While Genshin Impact characters do have roles that better suit them in a party, they are much more flexible, sometimes to their own detriment. Because of their predetermined roles, it is much easier to know who among Honkai: Star Rail’s starter characters should be leveled up and ascended first.
Trailblazer (Physical) Should Be Leveled Up First In Honkai: Star Rail
Despite being the game’s protagonist, Trailblazer (Physical) is actually the best first character to level up in Honkai Star Rail. Unlike Genshin Impact’s Anemo Traveler, for instance, Star Rail’s main character is not only usable but also very good. Unless players unlock the 5-star Destruction character Clara during their first pulls in the gacha system, Trailblazer should stay with them a significant amount of time and play an important part during their first hours of gameplay. Eventually, players will be able to unlock a different Path and Element for the protagonist. Nevertheless, Trailblazer (Physical) is the best starting Honkai: Star Rail character to level up and ascend first.
Why You Should Level Up Trailblazer (Physical) In Honkai: Star Rail
There is a limited amount of Physical Element characters in the game, and among those, Trailblazer is one of the best. Not only that, they are one of the default characters that every player gets. Upgrading them is also significantly easy, as the needed resources are available from the starting areas and don't require too much campaign progression to obtain. On top of that, their Eidolons are obtainable for free, without having to rely on luck with the gacha system – which is not the case for March 7th, Dan Heng, and Asta. This is what makes them the best starting character to level up in Honkai: Star Rail.
When unlocked, Trailblazer (Fire) is significantly better than the Physical version, but they assume a completely different role in the party. While players progress through their initial zones, they should prioritize leveling and ascending Trailblazer (Physical) in Honkai: Star Rail. At a certain point, there will also be a significantly difficult encounter that will see the protagonist fighting alone, so having them leveled up as much as possible is a great idea. With the proper Trailblazer (Destruction) build in Honkai: Star Rail, the character should stay in the team for a long time. Of course, players should not forget the other characters altogether.
When possible, they should level up and ascend their Dan Heng, March 7th, and any other characters they enjoy using, perhaps obtained through banner pulls. Trailblazer (Physical) is the priority, but the rest of the team needs to be augmented along the way as well, otherwise, they will end up leaving the protagonist alone during harder fights. Honkai: Star Rail has many characters to obtain and level up, so it ultimately comes down to the player’s preference, but the protagonist is the way to go during the first few hours.
Source: Honkai: Star Rail/YouTube