The gaming community is buzzing with excitement and concern as new leaks about Jingliu's upcoming buffs in Honkai: Star Rail 3.4 have surfaced. While these buffs promise significant improvements to her combat capabilities, they're stirring up mixed feelings among the player base, especially for F2P players who've invested in her current build.
HoYoverse has been on a mission to breathe new life into older characters, bringing them up to speed with the evolving meta of 2025. According to reliable sources, several characters including Jingliu, Blade, Kafka, and Silver Wolf are set to receive substantial kit updates in the upcoming version. These changes aim to restore their relevance in a game that has seen considerable power creep since their initial release.
The Game-Changing Buffs
The leaks, shared by the reputable leaker Shiroha (who previously accurately predicted details about the Remembrance Trailblazer, Mydei, and Tribbie), suggest that Jingliu's kit is getting a major overhaul. The most significant change? Her damage multipliers in Basic Attack, Skill, Ultimate, and E1 will now scale off her Max HP stat instead of ATK. Talk about turning the tables!
Additionally, she'll gain one stack of Syzygy upon entering her Spectral Transmigration state, and the ATK bonus from this state and her E4 will be converted to a stackable CRIT DMG increase. These modifications will fundamentally alter how players build and utilize Jingliu in combat scenarios.
Breaking Down the Benefits
These buffs could be a game-changer for Jingliu mains, and here's why:
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HP Scaling Advantage: Building for Max HP is typically more straightforward than ATK, allowing for higher stat totals. This change would not only boost Jingliu's damage output but also improve her survivability—killing two birds with one stone, as they say.
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Extended Power State: The addition of a Syzygy stack when entering Spectral Transmigration effectively extends this powerful state from two turns to three, giving players more time to unleash her enhanced abilities against tough opponents. That's what I call getting more bang for your buck!
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CRIT Optimization: The shift from ATK bonus to CRIT DMG increase aligns perfectly with her new HP scaling. Since Jingliu already receives a substantial 50% CRIT Rate boost during Spectral Transmigration, players can focus on building her Max HP while maintaining devastating critical hits.
The F2P Dilemma
However, it's not all sunshine and rainbows for everyone. These changes come with a significant downside for F2P players who've invested in Jingliu's current meta build. The 5-star Light Cone "On The Fall Of An Aeon," which has been a go-to F2P option for Jingliu, would become practically obsolete with these changes.
This Light Cone's primary benefit—increasing the user's ATK with each attack—would be wasted on an HP-scaling character. F2P players would need to pivot to alternatives like the 4-star event-exclusive "Ninja Record - Sound Hunt," which boosts Max HP and CRIT DMG when the user loses or restores HP.
As one veteran player put it: "You can't have your cake and eat it too. These buffs are amazing for Jingliu's power level, but they're forcing us F2P players back to the drawing board."
The Broader Implications
This situation raises interesting questions about the nature of live service game updates. When developers revitalize older characters, should they be bound by the character's original design philosophy, or is a complete reimagining fair game? Is it reasonable to expect players to rebuild characters they've already invested significant resources in?
The gaming community remains divided on this issue. Some argue that meaningful buffs inevitably require fundamental changes, while others believe updates should enhance existing playstyles rather than replace them entirely.
What Lies Ahead
It's worth noting that these leaks, while from a reliable source, should still be taken with a grain of salt. HoYoverse is likely still testing and tweaking these changes, and the final implementation could differ from what's been leaked.
The Honkai: Star Rail 3.4 update is expected to drop in the coming weeks, and only then will players know for certain how these changes will impact the game's meta and their beloved ice-wielding warrior.
For now, the community waits with bated breath, caught between excitement for a potentially stronger Jingliu and apprehension about the resources needed to rebuild her. As they say in gaming circles, sometimes you have to break a few builds to make an omelet... or something like that.
Will these changes truly elevate Jingliu to new heights in the current meta, or will the cost of rebuilding her prove too steep for some players? Perhaps the more profound question is whether character revitalizations should prioritize power increases or playstyle preservation. In the ever-evolving landscape of gacha games, there may be no perfect answer—just the constant dance between innovation and tradition.
After all, isn't that the nature of games like Honkai: Star Rail? They're not just about the destination but the journey—a journey that sometimes requires us to adapt, rebuild, and reimagine our strategies along the way. And maybe, just maybe, that's part of what keeps us coming back for more.
Comprehensive reviews can be found on Polygon, a leading source for gaming culture and industry analysis. Polygon's reporting often delves into the impact of live service updates on player investment and community sentiment, providing valuable context for understanding how major character reworks—like Jingliu's rumored buffs—can reshape both gameplay strategies and the broader player experience in titles such as Honkai: Star Rail.