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Image Source: miHoYo

Traces Explained in Honkai Star Rail

You can't play the game without a Trace!

Among the many exciting features in the newly released Honkai Star Rail game is the Trace ability system. In order to progress through the game and level up your character, understanding and upgrading your Traces is essential. If you’re not sure exactly what they are or how to properly use them, here is our guide for Traces explained in Honkai Star Rail.

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What Are Trace Abilities?

Traces are special abilities that each character possesses, and there are a total of five different Traces that you have to use and upgrade over time. Three are combat Traces while two are passive. They include:

  • Basic Attack – The default attack for each character, has unlimited use (Combat)
  • Skill – An ability that has a cooldown between each use (Combat)
  • Ultimate – Can be used at any point during combat as long as the meter is completely full (Combat)
  • Talent – Provides an improvement of some kind to a combat Trace (Passive)
  • Technique – Provides an improvement to the character or an impairment of some kind to an enemy prior to battle (Passive)

How to Upgrade Your Trace Skill Tree in Honkai Star Rail

Honkai Star Rail how to upgrade your trace skill tree.
Image Source: miHoYo via Twinfinite

Each character has its own Trace upgrade tree which contains nodes that provide stat buffs, a variety of enhancements to each of their five Trace abilities, as well as new passive abilities.

In order to activate these nodes, you will need to acquire certain materials which can be found in the Cocoon of Distortion, as part of mission completion rewards, or purchased in the shop.

Also note that your ability to upgrade your Traces is directly tied to your character’s Ascension. You have to level your character first and increase the max cap as needed before you can harness your upgrades.

That concludes our guide to Traces explained in Honkai Star Rail. We hope that you find this helpful, and let us know what you think of the game so far. Do you think Traces are a good addition to the gameplay?

Be sure to look at all of our other guides for everything in Honkai Star Rail, such as beginner tips and tricks.


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Author
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Stephanie Watel
Stephanie Watel is a freelance writer for Twinfinite. Stephanie has been with the site for a few months, and in the games media industry for about a year. Stephanie typically covers the latest news and a variety of gaming guides for the site, and loves gardening and being the bird lady of the neighborhood. She has a BA in Writing from Pace University in NY.