Honkai: Star Rail’s Version 3.2, "Through the Petals in the Land of Repose," drops on April 9, 2025, and it’s shaping up to be a big one. With the community buzzing after the March 28 livestream, all eyes are on two new 5-star standouts: Castorice, a Quantum Remembrance powerhouse, and Anaxa, a Wind Erudition maestro. This update’s packed with fresh characters, reworked mechanics, and hefty rewards, making it a prime time for Trailblazers to dive in—or decide who’s worth their Stellar Jade. Let’s break down what these two bring to the table and why 3.2’s got everyone talking.

Castorice - Abilities and Kit

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  • Rarity: 5-star
  • Path: Remembrance
  • Element: Quantum
  • Role: Main DPS / Hypercarry

Abilities

  • Basic Attack: Hits one enemy with Quantum damage. Nothing fancy, just a standard poke—probably not your main damage source.
  • Skill: Deals Quantum damage to all enemies and drains a chunk of your team’s HP (think 25-30% per ally). This fuels her damage scaling and charges her Ultimate.
  • Ultimate: Summons Netherwing, a dragon that sticks around as a summon. It’s got its own HP bar and two moves:
    • Claw Hit: Quantum damage to all enemies.
    • Fire Breath: Stronger Quantum AoE damage, but it burns through Netherwing’s HP (you pick how much—25% up to 100%). More HP spent, more damage dealt. When Netherwing dies or its turn count runs out (usually 3 actions), it explodes for extra damage and heals your team.
  • Talent: Ties her damage to HP loss. For every bit of HP your allies lose, she builds “Stamen Nova” stacks, boosting her and Netherwing’s damage (up to 3 stacks, 20% each, so max 60%). At full stacks, her Ultimate’s ready. Oh, and she’s got a wild global passive: if an ally takes a fatal blow (even when she’s not in the party), they hang on in a near-death state, giving you a chance to revive them with specific conditions (details TBD).
  • Technique: Starts a fight with Netherwing already on the field, skipping the buildup.

Playstyle

Castorice is a high-risk, high-reward DPS. She scales off HP loss—hers and her team’s—so you’re constantly juggling health to pump out damage. Netherwing’s a big part of her kit, turning fights into a spectacle of AoE destruction. That global passive is a game-changer too, offering insurance against wipes in tough content like Memory of Chaos (MoC).

Anaxa - Abilities and Kit

Honkai Star Rail Anaxa Materials Kit And Eidolons

  • Rarity: 5-star
  • Path: Erudition
  • Element: Wind
  • Role: Sub-DPS / Support Hybrid

Abilities

  • Basic Attack: Deals Wind damage to one enemy. Scales decently (around 100% of his ATK), and each hit adds a random elemental weakness to the target (prioritizing ones they don’t already have).
  • Skill: Bounce attack hitting multiple enemies with Wind damage. Like his basic, it tacks on random weaknesses per hit.
  • Ultimate: The big one—slaps all seven elemental weaknesses (Physical, Fire, Ice, Wind, Lightning, Quantum, Imaginary) on every enemy for 1 turn. Plus, it stuns them unless they’ve got Control Resistance.
  • Talent: “Tetrad Wisdom Reigns Thrice” keeps the weakness party going. Every attack (basic, skill, or follow-up) adds a random weakness, stacking up to make enemies vulnerable to whatever your team’s packing.
  • Technique: Likely boosts his opening move, maybe extra energy or a free weakness implant (not fully detailed yet).

Playstyle

Anaxa’s all about versatility. He’s an AoE damage dealer who doubles as a support by making enemies weak to everything under the sun. His Ultimate’s a cheat code for team flexibility, letting any DPS shred through toughness bars. He’s not the heaviest hitter on his own, but he sets the table for everyone else.

Comparison and Team Roles

Damage Output

Castorice: She’s a beast when built right. Her damage scales with HP loss, and Netherwing’s Fire Breath can reportedly hit over 1 million in optimal setups (per online buzz). She’s AoE-focused but shines brightest in prolonged fights where you can stack her buffs. Needs her signature Light Cone (Make Farewells More Beautiful) for max output—free-to-play options like Bailu’s LC are okay but drop her damage by 20-30%.

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Anaxa: His personal damage is solid but not top-tier. Think Herta-level AoE with better scaling (maybe 200-300k per rotation at E0S1). His strength isn’t raw numbers—it’s the weakness implants that amp your whole team’s damage. His signature (Along the Passing Shore) boosts him, but the free 4-star The Great Cosmic Enterprise works fine.

Winner: Castorice for raw damage, hands down. Anaxa’s output leans on teammates exploiting his setups.

Team Role and Synergy

Castorice: Hypercarry DPS. She wants a team built around her—HP-scaling supports like Blade or Mydei to feed her stacks, a healer like Luocha or Gallagher to keep the squad alive, and a buffer like Tribbie or Sunday for extra damage. She’s niche; without the right crew, her HP-drain gimmick can backfire. Best for MoC or Apocalyptic Shadow (AS) where sustained DPS matters.

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Anaxa: Sub-DPS/Support hybrid. He slots into almost any team—pair him with The Herta for Pure Fiction (PF) clears, Acheron for MoC toughness breaks, or even break-focused units like Firefly. His weakness implants make him a universal enabler, especially if your roster’s missing certain elements. Shines in PF and AS, less so in single-target MoC stages.

Winner: Anaxa for flexibility. Castorice is stronger but demands specific teammates; Anaxa adapts to what you’ve got.

Ease of Use

Castorice: Tricky. You’re managing HP, timing Netherwing’s HP burn, and praying your sustain keeps up. Autoplay AI might struggle with her, and she’s Light Cone-dependent.

Anaxa: Straightforward. Spam attacks, drop the Ultimate, watch enemies melt to your DPS. Works fine on auto and isn’t as tied to his signature gear.

Winner: Anaxa. Castorice takes more brainpower and resources.

Longevity

Castorice: Her global passive and unique Remembrance mechanics suggest she’ll stay relevant, especially as more HP-scaling units drop. But her niche could get outshined if Hoyo pushes other paths harder.

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Anaxa: Weakness implantation is future-proof—enemies aren’t ditching toughness bars anytime soon. He’ll stay useful as long as team variety matters.

Winner: Tie. Both have staying power, just in different ways.

Who’s Worth Pulling For?

Pull Castorice if: You want a flashy, high-damage Quantum DPS and can afford her Light Cone plus a tailored team (Tribbie, a healer, etc.). She’s meta for MoC/AS and a blast to play if you like risky strategies. Skip if you’re F2P with no HP-scaling supports or Jade to spare—she’s a commitment.

Pull Anaxa if: You need a Wind unit, value versatility, or lack DPS for certain weaknesses. He’s a safer bet for F2P players (cheaper to build, free LC viable) and boosts any team, especially in PF or mixed-content runs. Skip if you’ve already got strong AoE like Herta or Jade and don’t need the support angle.

Verdict

Castorice is stronger in raw power and meta potential—probably a T0 DPS with the right setup—but Anaxa’s broader utility and lower investment make him more worthwhile for most players. If you’re chasing endgame clears and have the resources, Castorice is your gal. If you want a flexible unit to round out your roster without breaking the bank, Anaxa’s the pick. Personally, I’d lean Anaxa for the chill vibes and team synergy, but Castorice’s dragon is tempting if you’re stacked on Jade.
What’s your roster like? That could tip the scales.