We only had a glimpse at what Version 2.3 of Honkai: Star Rail will bring – which we’ll learn more about in Friday’s Special Program livestream – and yet we’re already starting Version 2.4’s drip marketing cycle, which has just revealed the first new unit arriving in that update, the sword prodigy Yunli.
According to the drip marketing, Yunli is a new 5-star Physical Destruction character, a Path and Element match-up she shares with the Standard 5-star Clara. In her splash art, Yunli is surrounded by a myriad of different-sized swords while roaring flames appear to rage behind her. She, like Yanqing, is said to be a sword hunter so perhaps she will wield a large variety of blades in combat. Her design is also very unlike any Xianzhou character we’ve seen so far, likely because she’s from the Zhuming and not the Luofu.
“A sword hunter from the Xianzhou Zhuming and “the Flaming Heart” General Huaiyan’s darling granddaughter. Frank and straightforward. She practiced swordsmanship and forging from Huaiyan since young, and thus is the second-youngest prodigy swordmaster of the Flamewheel Octet. Fueled by an intense loathing for the cursed swords that emerged from the Zhuming, she vowed to “hunt down and wipe out all cursed swords.”
Yunli’s Character Bio
Sword Hunter Yunli, Physical Destruction
In terms of story, Yunli is a completely new character who we’ve never met before. However, seeing as she’s from the Xianzhou Zhuming, a sister ship to the Xianzhou Luofu, and that she’s the beloved granddaughter of that ship’s General – General Huaiyan – it seems likely that we’ll be paying her, and the Zhuming, a visit soon. In fact, according to the 2.3 Special Program, the patch preceding Yunli’s release is called “Farewell, Penacony” so the chance seems even higher.
For those unfamiliar with the term drip marketing, it’s a bit of terminology used in gacha game circles to describe promotional images or teasers released prior to a unit’s official kit reveal. For Hoyoverse titles like Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and the soon-to-be-released Zenless Zone Zero, drip marketing for characters usually arrives a full version before they get added to the game. This gives players time to plan out their pulls and decide whether or not they want to pull for the upcoming units or not.
Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.4 is set to launch sometime in early August, whereas Version 2.3, which is set to add Firefly and Jade as playable units, will be released on June 19th.
SOURCE: Honkai: Star Rail Yunli Drip Marketing
