Honkai: Star Rail is reportedly set to welcome Nova, a 5-Star Fire character aligned with The Erudition path, in version 4.4. Leaked beta information, sourced from honeyhunterworld, provides an early look at Nova's abilities, Eidolons, and the materials required for her Ascension and Traces.
Nova's kit is characterized by her ability to enhance ally damage and manipulate the battlefield. Her basic attack, 'Enkindle the First Lodestar,' deals Fire damage to a single enemy. The Skill, 'Upraise the Vanward Cresset,' grants allies increased damage via 'Navigator's Semaphor' and immediately replenishes Assist Skill uses. Nova's passive Talent, 'Of Fire and Far Faring,' deploys 'Starblazer Visioscape,' allowing allies to command a 'Starblazer' to attack enemies using Assist Skills. This state also boosts Nova's All-Type RES PEN and Critical Damage, enabling attacks to ignore Weakness Types for Toughness reduction and triggering Fire Weakness Break effects. Using an Assist Skill by an ally other than Nova regenerates four Energy.
Her Ultimate abilities include 'Hyperluminal Particle Beam,' which deals Fire damage to all enemies and grants 'Source Energy,' and 'Orbital Annihilation Pulse,' which consumes 'Source Energy' for additional damage instances against random enemies. Nova's Technique, 'Starcharter Cruise,' increases maximum Technique Points and allows for an immediate Skill use at the start of each wave upon entering combat, potentially defeating normal enemies instantly.
Bonus Traces further enhance her utility. Bonus Trace 1, 'Whither, the Last and First Men?,' removes Assist Skill usage costs and grants additional Energy regeneration. Bonus Trace 2, 'Hark! The Express's Pulse Roars,' grants an extra turn to characters other than Nova when they use an Assist Skill. Bonus Trace 3, 'The Silver Rail, Hushed in Antiquity,' increases 'Source Energy' generation and boosts the damage multiplier of her 'Orbital Annihilation Pulse' when 'Source Energy' is high.
To ascend Nova, players will need significant amounts of Radiant Prominence and Lucid Awl-based materials, alongside Whimsy Wax, Dreamweave Steel, and Credits. For instance, reaching Level 70 of Ascension requires 9 Lucid Awl and 35 Radiant Prominence, totaling 160,000 Credits.
Upgrading Nova's Traces will necessitate materials like Lucid Awl and Cosmic Sandpit, as well as Whimsy Wax, Dreamweave Steel, Celestial Globe, Galaxy Framework, and Tracks of Destiny. Fully upgrading all abilities demands approximately 3 million Credits and substantial quantities of each material, including 139 Cosmic Sandpit.
Nova's Eidolons offer further enhancements. E1 increases Assist Skill triggers and reduces Ultimate costs. E2 increases Assist Skill uses and damage multipliers for her Ultimate and Assist Skill, alongside improved Assist Skill recovery. E3 and E5 boost the levels of her Ultimate, Basic Attack, Skill, and Talent. E4 extends the All-Type RES PEN buff from her Assist Skill to all allies, with an additional increase for Nova herself. The E6 Eidolon significantly boosts Nova's Fire Type RES PEN, increases her maximum 'Source Energy' to six, enhances Assist Skill damage dealt by allies, and provides substantial damage bonuses to her Ultimate abilities.
It is important to note that all details regarding Nova's kit, materials, and Eidolons are based on leaked beta information and are subject to change before her official release in Honkai: Star Rail version 4.4.