I got very lucky with the Honkai: Star Rail Departure Warp. As an introductory promotion at launch, there’s a special banner where the first 50 warps are all 20% off. So instead of spending 10 Star Rail Passes for a 10 pull, it’s 8. At the end of it all, you’re guaranteed one of the seven five-stars that are always available. I was hoping for Clara or Himeko, as I’d gotten both in beta phases. However, it was Bailu who showed up as my first Honkai: Star Rail five-star, and now I can’t imagine playing without this incredible healer.
There are basically two healers following the path of Abundance in Honkai: Star Rail right now, which means people need to hope for either Bailu or Natasha. Eventually Luocha will be there too. Given how strong some challenges can be and that you can’t even start to ascend characters and break the level 20 cap until you reach Trailblaze Level 15, someone on hand who can actually dedicate themselves to healing, rather than just shielding an ally and hoping for the best, is an incredible boon.
Especially because of how Bailu works. Her skill is called Singing Among Clouds. It checks her maximum health, then heals the ally you choose based on that figure. However, perhaps because she is a small child just swinging medicine around, a second ally also ends up healed. They’ll get two additional, smaller heals to top of their health. An AOE restoration skill like this is huge, especially considering how encounters typically involve at least two enemies and can sometimes involve multiple waves. Knowing that multiple people can be healed in a single turn is incredible.
However, Bailu’s Ultimate is the real life saver in Honkai: Star Rail, and it really sets the healer apart. When you use Leap of Marsh Drakon, every ally is healed, including her. But there’s also a regenerating element. It assigns an Invigorated status for two turns. This means if that invigorated person is damaged or knocked out by an enemy, they’ll be healed. Granted, the revival part can only happen one time in the current battle or chain of battles. But knowing that an ally will immediately be restored based on her health when they’re hit after that Ultimate is such a relief for boss fights. Especially since you can also guarantee that status is in effect before a fight even begins by using her Saunter in the Rain out-of-battle Technique to trigger it for the first round of a battle and one Trace can ensure it happens again and add a shielding effect to being Invigorated.
Screenshot via Siliconera
This isn’t to say Natasha is bad if you manage to get her and not Bailu as your healer in Honkai: Star Rail. In a way, Natasha’s Restore Skill functions in a similar way, as it heals one character, then gives them a regenerative effect for another two turns. Her Gift of Rebirth Ultimate also heals the entire party, just like Bailu’s. However, Bailu gets a few extra bonuses due to being a five-star which make her an especially ideal ally.
Just with so few healers in the game, attempting to pull on the basic banners with either Stellar Jades or Star Rail Passes doesn’t feel like such a bad idea when knowing Bailu is a possible reward. The game is very manageable in its early days. You could probably easily get through the first few Trailblaze Missions up availble before Trailblaze Level 18 without somebody in your party who can heal. But I can’t get over how effortless progressing in Honkai: Star Rail is and how helpful Bailu can be now that I have this healer around.
Honkai: Star Rail is available for PCs and mobile devices, and PS4 and PS5 versions are in development.
