March 7th’s New Form In Honkai: Star Rail Is Rumored To Easily Swap In
Leaked Version 2.4 footage, which was obtained by ZenithLeak and then shared in a post tagged as “Reliable” on Reddit showcases how players will change between March 7th’s new form and her Preservation form. As seen in the video, players will be able to access the character’s page and through a feature in her Character Details page, click on a button to change Paths, thus allowing players to choose which one they want to activate.
If true, the leak ends speculation about March 7th’s new form being like Imbibitor Lunae, which is a second yet separate version of Dan Heng. The leak also confirms that March 7th’s new form is a 4-star unit in Honkai: Star Rail.
March 7th’s Leaked Form Change In Honkai: Star Rail Comes With Some Bonuses
As seen in the leaked video, March 7th’s change between forms has some added bonuses. The first of them is that when players swap the character’s Path (and, automatically, their element), there is a special animation that highlights her change from Preservation to Hunt, as well as the outfit and weapon changes. Currently, when alternating between the Trailblazer’s forms, players simply select the one they want, with no special effect to showcase that the change is happening.
This visual effect to illustrate the form change is the least significant of the bonuses that March 7th may boast over the Trailblazer in Version 2.4. The most relevant is that the character is getting a brand New Outfit that accompanies her new form, something that is not true for the Trailblazer. The game’s protagonist does see a minor change to their design when they swap Paths, but mostly in the form of weapons and gameplay animations. Other than that, the Trailblazer does not have any new outfits, something that could make them more unique in Honkai: Star Rail.
Why The Trailblazer Should Get New Outfits In Honkai: Star Rail
The addition of New Outfits for the Trailblazer, related specifically to their shift in Path alignment, would be a great idea. Aside from changing the weapons they use, the swap in outfits could also better exemplify their journeys, the places from which they gained such powers, and even how that Path is perceived – Destruction Trailblazer is a more aggressive unit, for instance, whereas Harmony Trailblazer is a support-dedicated character, and that could be better reflected with the clothes they wear in Honkai: Star Rail. Outfits are usually a great way of keeping characters visually updated in games.
Up until now, the Trailblazer was the only true adaptive character in the game, capable of changing their Path and element. Dan Heng and Dan Heng - Imbibitor Lunae are two separate units in the game, despite being related to the same character. While players get Dan Heng naturally through campaign progress, Imbibitor Lunae is a limited 5-star character who can only be obtained from character banners. March 7th’s confirmed new outfit and the leaked Path swap, however, set a new standard for the Trailblazer in Honkai: Star Rail 2.4.
Why The Trailblazer May Not Get New Outfits In Honkai: Star Rail
While the idea of new outfits for the Trailblazer for every Path may seem like a good idea, it may simply never occur. As pointed out by mapple3 in response to a user in the Reddit post mentioning they wished this happened, it is likely that the Trailblazer will not get new outfits for each form because of some story and game design decisions. This includes, for instance, how the character looks in pre-established cinematic cutscenes. If outfits for the Trailblazer were made, for instance, three distinct cutscene videos would have to be uploaded into Honkai: Star Rail’s files.
Additionally, the game would have to receive extra coding to consider what Path is equipped at the time the cutscene was triggered to then activate the correct video. Of course, these are minor examples, as new outfits may also come with new textures and movements and it would be like partially designing a new character. March 7th’s new form, however, seems like a less recurrent thing to occur in the game. While the Trailblazer is seemingly set to unlock the power of all seven Paths, March 7th’s embrace of the Hunt feels like a more dedicated story arc.
Honkai: Star Rail: Trailblazer's Marketing Concerns
The user’s discussion on Reddit also mentions how, for marketing purposes, it would be impossible to change the Trailblazer too much, as they would need to be easily identifiable in promotional materials. It is possible, however, to design brand-new looks without changing the essence of the main character and keeping them recognizable despite the clothing they wear. Nevertheless, it does seem like new outfits are still not a possibility for Trailblazer in Honkai: Star Rail, much like they are not used for the Traveler in Genshin Impact, another of HoYoverse’s popular RPGs.
It's important to note that while outfits are a fun cosmetic feature, it's ultimately up to HoYoverse to decide if they are a priority in the game. There are likely many factors involved in their decision, including the impact on gameplay, story, and marketing. As players, we can only wait and see what the future holds for the Trailblazer's wardrobe in Honkai: Star Rail.
