WMG / Honkai: Star Rail

Per wiki policy, Spoilers Off applies here and all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.

Silver Wolf isn't just similar to Bronie, she is Bronie, just grown up.

At the end of her event, Bronie ends up leaving the bubble universe she called home - in other words, Bronie is a known universe-hopper. Adding to this is the fact that Silver Wolf's element is Quantum. In HI3, the Quantum typing has generally been associated with the Sea of Quanta or contact with Bubble Universes. Also, Silver Wolf shares the Nihility path with Welt, and is also a Stellaron Hunter - while she is from Punklorde, she mentions that she left it a long time ago, and hasn't stayed in one place for too long due to being an outlaw.

Adding to this, both Silver Wolf and Bronya seem to be based on the same GGZ Bronya. It's likely not possible for one character to have more than two counterparts alive at the same time; at least, not without cloning (and even then, Kiana is technically a version of Sirin), so one of them must have come from somewhere else - and given that Bronya already has an established presence and history in this universe, the only other option is Silver Wolf.

The Stellaron Hunters implanted the Trailblazer as a spy onto the Astral Express.

Stellaron Hunters forced a stellaron into the Trailbalzer to corrupt them and to use the Trailblazer as a puppet. After that, they attracted the antimatter legion and placed the Trailblazer on the Herta Space Station in the mist of the chaos. If the Astral Express invites the Trailblazer into their group, then the Stellaron Hunters will have a powerful spy onboard. The Astral Express has/will encounter many stellarons, of which the Trailblazer can steal them or Stellaron Hunters can take them before anyone else.

Clara was a highly successful test subject of Vache's Blizzard Immunity medicine.

Clara walks around without any shoes on despite living in a desolate, freezing cold world, yet it isn't mentioned if she actually feels the cold. Given how Vache had been experimenting on people for his Blizzard Immunity, it's likely Clara may have been his first success, and would be taken away by Svarog to stop any further experimentation on her.

Pom Pom is Akivili

I was lying in bed tonight, minding my own business, sleeping, while my brain was percolating over things.

Suddenly, unbidden, my brain made the obvious connection - Pom Pom is Akivili.

We're told of Akivili:

• He was friendly and went on adventures with his followers around the universe

• Unlike other Aeons, he cared about people and what they thought and was friends with humans

• He "fell" a long time ago - some people claim he was killed by another Aeon, but you're explicitly told by the person who says this that they doubt that. This means that his disappearance/"death" is vague and unclear

• He was in charge of the Astral Express

One thing we're not told is what Akivili looked like.

Meanwhile, Himiko seems to be unable to remember where Pom Pom came from or when he first showed up on the Astral Express. What is his point of origin? Why is he there? He seems to have just showed up.

And yet Pom Pom runs the Astral Express. He is very eager to speak to you, and wants to hear all about your adventures. He wants you to bring him back souvenirs from the planets you visit, and wants to go visit them with you - but for some mysterious reason, he is unable to do so, and is stuck on the train. He is constantly worried about you (and other people) not coming back, and is always happy to have more people come aboard. He is simultaneously the conductor of the Astral Express, and yet eager - almost *desperate* - to please, talking with you about ways to improve the Astral Express and always wanting to chat and do silly little things.

And Himiko seems to think it is important not to leave him alone on the Astral Express, having someone stay behind, perhaps to keep him company.

It all seems like he is just a silly mascot character who just showed up, but he is the very symbol of the Astral Express, which is intimately connected with Akivili.

And, finally, he is the one who tells you about your Trailblaze Level and gives you rewards for it.

Everything about these people is entirely consistent with Pom Pom and Akivili being one and the same. And because of The Law of Conservation Of Plot Detail, this makes it very likely that the two ARE one and the same. We're on a journey around the cosmos with Pom Pom, doing exactly the same thing that Akivili did, and we're never actually told how Akvili died or disappeared or fell, making it very likely that we are, yet again, in the presence of an angel (or in this case, a god) unknowing. His name is very silly and he deflects questions about who he actually is or why he is there because he doesn't want to be treated like a god and venerated, he wants to be friends with people.

It's even a trope the devs have, perhaps, played with in at least one of their other games, where some innocuous seeming mascot character (Paimon) was implied by their appearance to be more intimately connected to the plot than it seemed.

• Jossed: According to the Dream Bubble in update 2.0 (and confirmed by Pom-Pom if asked), Akivili and Pom-Pom were on the Express together at the same time and talked to one another.

Sampo has ties with/is the Physical Manifestation of Aha, the Aeon of Elation

The way Sampo addresses the audience at the end of the Belebog questline leads me to believe he's more than he seems. If you think about it, most of the plot of Jarilo-VI happened due in part to Sampo's meddling.

Think about it, his the chance encounter with the Trailblazer crew lead to Gepard and the Trailblazer meeting which led to an audience with Cocolia. Then he accurately predicts that this would end with our arrest and instead brings the crew to the Underworld, along with Bronya, the future Supreme Guardian. This further leads to a series of events that helped unite the Overworld and Underworld together. Sampo has been subtly directing the Trailblazer to an intended outcome.

Another thing is he makes mention of Epsilon which the databank entry of the Aha affiliated faction, the Masked Fools quoted with it's famed superstar Ast Rickley.

One final thing is that he sends his regards "The Tavern" which is an area the Masked Fools tend to do their dealings in.

• Sampo also has a history of over-the-top cons and pranks which would fit someone at least related to Elation:
  • He sold someone a fake audiobook, the entirety of which he recorded himself, which deviated from the original halfway through and killed off every character in terrible ways.
  • He planted a "mini neutron bomb" on Luofu that would result in a nuclear explosion if someone who picked it up tried to throw it away, but in reality it was just a prank scare box.

• The Aetherium Wars event confirms that Sampo is a Masked Fool and a follower of the Path of Elation.

The laughter you hear during your fight with Phantylia is Aha or one of their followers.

• If you listen closely, don't do anything and have the background music toned down or shut off. You'll hear someone laughing [1]. This could also be taken into consideration with the above with how Sampo sends you a secret package in one of the empty shops on Starskiff Haven with a message saying that he knows you're there.

Herta's real body is much much older than her robots

In the game, we only see Herta's robot puppets and not her true self. If you read her character lore, you will know:

• Herta is over 100 years old due to inventing de-ageing/Fountain of Youth technology in her senior years
• She says her real body is a mystery in her voiceline
• Her robots are based on herself as a child and not as an adult
• When meeting the Trailblazer, Herta calls the Trailblazer a "twerp" even though both Trailblazers are much taller than her robots
• Many people call her Madam Herta, which implies she is an adult
• Herta's giant hammer weapon might fit an adult much better

Herta uploaded her mind to the Metaverse

Herta might have uploaded her mind to the Metaverse to escape aging and death. She might not even have a physical body anymore.

• We only see her robot puppets
• We have never seen her real body
• Herta created the Metaverse that could be her home
• Herta's Metaverse character icon is completely different from her robots. It looks like an AI with many terminals.
• She can outperform any human scientist in intelligence and work ethic, which would be easy for an uploaded mind running on a supercomputer

The off-planet authority that Sampo is working for are the Stellaron Hunters

The Stellaron Hunters seem very adamant that the protagonist follows a specific route, likely in order to gain ahold of other paths so they can fight Nanook. Sampo is simply their agent in Belobog.

• Adding to this, Stellaron Hunters are known for doing seemingly inscrutable things to make certain versions of the future come to be. Most of Sampo's actions don't make much sense to do from his perspective, like poisoning the Astral Express crew or dragging Bronya to the Underworld, and he has flimsy reasoning when questioned on these things. He's acting according to some plan from Elio.
• Additional evidence for Sampo being a Stellaron Hunter can be found in the Data Bank's entry for the organization where the opening quote mentions an unseen member by the name "Sam", which definitely checks out since Sampo is not above making simple changes to his name if he needs to, like how he changed his name to "Sampi" in the Boulder Town Super League event to participate in it while in disguise.
  • Jossed as of Version 2.1. Sam is the real identity of Firefly.

Clara is Cocolia's biological daughter

The Stellaron told Cocolia to sacrifice her biological daughter for the good of Belobog. Cocolia's biological daughter could have survived some horrible experiment in the underworld, only to be adopted by Svarog

Misha was born on Jarilo-VI

How else would you explain his Russian-esque name?

The flavor text narrator is the Stellaron stuck inside the Trailblazer.

All flavor texts are written in second person POV and the Trailblazer can sometimes actively argue with the narration like in the Goethe Hotel closet scene. The end of the Belobog storyline confirms that Stellaron's can talk and that the Trailblazer can hear them. There's a good chance that the Stellaron is actively talking to them and narrating their adventures and environment and the Trailblazer, with their amnesia, doesn't realize it's weird.

• Technically speaking, wouldn't this make the Trailblazer's Stellaron the Token Good Teammate among them?

The flavor text narrator is Kiana Kaslana from Honkai Impact 3rd.

No real basis besides the fact that the tone and thought processes of the flavor texts sound a lot like what Kiana would say at any given situation.

Possible future locations.

So far, the story has gone through a standard sci-fi space station, an ice planet, and a Chinese-influenced Planet Spaceship, but there's no doubt that there's going to be more diverse locations in the future, so here are some predictions in no particular order.

• A desert planet with a Stellaron-induced drought. Bonus points if it has Binary Suns.
• An ocean planet either with floating cities or underwater cities.
  • Confirmed: there's Planet Thalassa which is almost entirely covered by oceans.
• An entire City Planet, which would ideally be the capital of the Interastral Peace Corporation and the entire galaxy at large.
  • There's Pier Point, IPC's HQ, and it's mostly a giant city
• A gas giant planet with airborne civilizations suspended above the clouds and wracked with violent storms.
• An asteroid cluster with colonies of Asteroid Miners.
• A civilization set on a Dyson Sphere.
• A Rogue Planet enshrouded in darkness where its inhabitants live in isolated bunkers to survive.
• A planet wracked with frequent volcanic eruptions and a Death World by all means, which could serve as the base of the Antimatter Legion.
• A gigantic black hole like IX that pulls everything into it and the Trailblazer has to fight tooth and nail to escape it.
• A certain moon where the Astral Express crew runs into a very familiar face...

The one inside Luocha's coffin is Jingliu.

Given how Jingliu has been confirmed to be a playable character, it begs the question as to how she would somehow come back to life. The answer possibly lies in Luocha's coffin, who may have known Jingliu in the past and put her remains inside of it to try and resurrect her. Given how Luocha's Abundance powers are capable of healing even non-humans, it's not out of the realm of possibility. Adding on to that is The Stinger of 1.3. Luocha's coffin is absent in his confrontation with Jing Yuan, and 'lo and behold, Jingliu in the flesh.

• Jossed as of Jingliu's Companion Quest, as Jing Yuan speaks of the contents of Luocha's coffin as something else entirely and doesn't connect it to Jingliu.

The Kiana counterpart.

Hoyoverse has gone on record stating that yes, characters from other games will be appearing here; but also that some of them are being kept a secret for one reason or another. Kiana is practically guaranteed to appear given that she has appeared in some way in pretty much all of Hoyo's games save Tears of Themis and ZZZ. If that is the case, then Kiana's counterpart may have some interesting theories concerning her.

• She will likely be in some way related to Terminus and the path of Finality - Terminus was originally called the Aeon of the End, which was changed to Finality around the same time that Honkai Impact 3rd started using the term, implying a connection. This is taken even further considering that Terminus is stated to move backwards through time, which matches up with the Cocoon of Finality and its resetting of civilization, as well as the Herrscher of Finality's domain being time.
  • If this is true, there is a small chance that the Kiana counterpart may not be a counterpart at all, instead being the actual Kiana post-Part 1. Various characters in Hi 3 have proven themselves able to traverse universes (Seele, Delta, Bronie), and Otto was able to observe Teyvat, as well as influence the tree to some extent. Given Kiana's abilities post-Part 1, it may be even easier for her to move through the Tree to other universes. The very presence of Welt in this universe means that it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility.
• Black Swan aka the narrator of the trailers might be this universe's Kiana. She is a mysterious waif that seems to be knowledgeable about the Aeons and the galaxy. Plus Black Swan has white hair.
  • Doesn't seem likely given the mismatch in voice actors. Also, Black Swan seems to have more purple hair than white.

Elio can't forsee everything

Kafka says The Trailblazer will always meet Nanook in their future. However, if The Trailblazer chooses to stay in the Herta Space Station instead of the Astral Express, they will not meet Nanook. Therefore, Elio isn't omniscient and has limits on predicting the future. Alternatively, Elio could have manufactured the events instead of predicting the future.

The Rating Pistol measures sarcasm/wittiness

Silver Wolf, Yanqing, Dan Heng, and the Trailblazer are scored highly by the Rating Pistol, while Herta, Welt, Hook, and Himeko are scored low on the list.

• Silver Wolf is known to say sarcastic remarks to Kafka and the Trailblazer, especially when you take too long to choose between Stelle or Caelus.
• Dan Heng says many sarcastic remarks to March 7th.
• The Trailblazer has many sarcastic dialog options.
• Pela's score of 93 at first makes no sense because she's the most rational and logical of the Silvermane Guards, but she is prone to throwing some snarky sass her way, usually whenever people bring up her hobbies, mispronounce her name, or do things that she considers immature. A prime example of this is with one of the Trailblazer's dialogue options in the Jarilo-VI arc:
  Trailblazer: Yes~ Miss~ Pela~
  Pela: ...And perhaps the grownups among us could refrain from acting like children?
• Herta doesn't understand sarcasm or social situations.
• Welt is too strict and direct for sarcasm.
• Hook is too young to understand sarcasm.
• Himeko is too kind and gentle for sarcasm.
• On that note, why do March 7th, Jing Yuan, and Sampo get a "Rating invalid!" score? It's because they're far too nice to drop witty and sarcastic remarks for their own good. March 7th is The Pollyanna who always values her friendship with her fellow Astral Express members. Jing Yuan, as a general of the Cloud Knights, is too humble with a code of honor and always puts building up trust with people to the forefront. And despite Sampo's shady nature, he is shown to be genuinely polite underneath the surface and he never leaves debts go unpaid, no matter the circumstances.

On a similar note to the above: the theory floating around that the Rating Pistol rates based on unused potential

Welt and Himeko (5 and 9 respectively) would, for instance, have 5% and 9% of their potential that they could use but haven't. The Trailblazer is in the 80s because they don't really have a grasp of most of their power from the Stelleron or future elements. It would explain things like the rating for a door (10- which would mean there's a slight improvement that could be made), though it does mean that Hook is almost at her potential max...(Also, Silver Wolf probably hacked her own score because 100/100 is generally considered good). Just a thought.

Bronya and Silver Wolf are long-lost family members

It can't be a coincidence that there are two different versions of Bronya existing in the same game as separate characters. It's also confirmed that Bronya is an orphan who was adopted by Cocolia. Bronya and Silver Wolf are from the same family, but the former became separated from them and ended up in the Underground, while the latter ended up becoming a Stellaron Hunter.

• Jarilo-VI has been cut off from the rest of the universe for a long time...and Silver Wolf is from technically advanced Punklorde. Maybe a distant ancestor, though it's implied there's different universes out there (e.g. Welt coming from a universe with a Himeko, Cocolia, Seele, and Bronya).

Jing Yuan is Nanook, or at least associated with him.

Purely because of his design. Nanook and Jing Yuan both have long white hair and golden eyes, and are heavily associated with the color gold. Even if he isn't actually Nanook, their designs carry just enough similarity that they could be connected in some way (distant relatives, perhaps, since the Aeons were once mortal beings).

• Jossed. His dedication to taking down the stellaron is genuine, and he is in fact one of the key players in taking down Lord Ravager Phantylia, who actively tries, but fails, to convert him to a member of the Antimatter Legion.

Tingyun is indeed a real person, and is still alive somewhere in the Loufu.

The key difference between her and Cocolia is that Cocolia so far never has even been hinted towards becoming recruitable, whereas Tingyun was recruitable from the start, and since Cocolia dies at the end of the Belobog chapter, it would be strange to have her walk around and be recruitable, yet here Tingyun is here and doing just that. Furthermore, the various characters present do entertain the possibility of the real Tingyun having actually existed, further hinting that Tingyun likely wasn't just merely a persona completely made up by Lord Ravager Phantylia. After all, gotta be able to invite the real Tingyun to the Express eventually as well, right?

• 1.3 puts a wrinkle in this, as the Astral Express Crew holds funerary rites for Tingyun under the assumption that she really is dead. While Welt suspects that she had to have been alive somehow, the details are hazy. Until details on the contrary come up (such as Tingyun being off the Luofu for whatever reason), it's Jossed.

Elio is the cat in Kafka's Warp artwork.

The Myriad Celestia trailer showcasing the Stellaron Hunters features a cat observing the proceedings. It wouldn't be out of place to assume that the cat is indeed Elio, or at least, a proxy for which Elio can watch over the Hunters.

Yanqing is not from Xianzhou. He may not even be human at all.

Despite his (as of writing this theory) status as the story’s punching bag, Yanqing is a surprisingly mysterious character, who we pretty much know nothing about.

• Firstly, it is stated in-universe that his lineage and origin is unknown. The part two of his character story literally states about how Jing Yuan once randomly showed up with a young boy, without ever telling where he got the child in the first place. Yanqing himself also wonders in one of his messages with the player that he knows nothing about his parents or where he came from. His earliest memory is him training under Jing Yuan.

• Secondly, we got his abnormal power. Sure, right now he’s getting beaten left and right… by people with centuries of combat experience (and, well, a person with a goddamn Stellaron inside their body) The rest of the Luofu does recognize how prodigious he is at such a young age. And while he is a child prodigy, it is still a wonder how he even got here in the first place. How come he already has enough potential and power that Jing Yuan decided to take the boy under his wing and train him? Even going as far as saying in the description of “Sleep Like The Dead” lightcone that Yanqing will be “... better than everyone, and that will be only the beginning…”? Hell, in part four of Yanqing’s Character Story Jing Yuan muses to himself that Yanqing is currently too strong and needs to improve his restrain and self-control.

• Thirdly, his humanity is questioned in-universe. If you talk to Qingzu in Seat Of Divine Foresight, she may tell the player about the rumour that Yanqing is actually of a vidyadhara race and that the reason he lacks the race’s signature pointed ears is the fact that they were eaten by the mice when the boy was sleeping… Yeah, hard to believe. But, the fact, coupled with Yanqing’s unknown origins, his humanity is being brought into question, even if those are just the rumours, still is quite suspicious.

• During the confrontation with Jingliu and right before fighting Blade and Dan Feng, we can see his eyes and hair change colors. During the fight with Jingliu, Yanqing’s eye turns pink for a brief second, while in the Blade and Dan Feng cutscene, the tip of Yanqing’s ponytail begins to glow a bright blue color. So far, the only other character who changes their eye or hair color when using their powers is Seele and even then it was confirmed to only been a reference to Honkai Impact 3rd Seele/Veliona. We still have zero explanation regarding Yanqing’s change.

• A bit of a reach, but have you noticed that Yanqing is the only “human” boss to levitate throughout the whole battle? Gepard, Bronya, Svarog, Cocolia (before fusing with a Stellaron), Kafka – they’re all standing on the ground. Yanqing, though, is levitating along with his swords. While he is the only “human” boss to float throughout the whole battle, there are non-human enemies that also do. Those being: Guardian Shadow, Decaying Shadow and The Ascended.

• Finally, regarding the eye and hair color change, don’t you find it weird how it’s pink and blue in particular? Because, what other ice character with pink and blue in her color scheme, a special interest and a dorky personality that gets her to be a butt of most jokes in the game do we also know of? That’s right – March 7th. Who, wouldn’t you know it, also has an mysterious background, being found inside an ice and adopted as part of the Astral Express family. Just like Yanqing was found by the general and basically got adopted by him as well. Makes one think if Yanqing and March could possibly be somewhat related.

The person Luocha is trying to resurrect is Honkai Star Rail's equivalent of Kallen

While the characters from Honkai Impact 3rd aren't entirely who they were in that universe, some characters retain some key background information, such as Bronya and Seele being from the same oprhanage. Kallen was Otto Apocalypse's love interest and played a huge role in his backstory, so him trying to revive her seems to make sense.

March 7th is gonna get stabbed and gain the Path of Hunt

Just a silly little idea. Trailblazer got stabbed and went from Destruction to Preservation, Dan Heng got stabbed and went from Hunt to Destruction, so March going from Preservation to Hunt would complete the triangle.

Bailu is the result of Dan Feng and Yingxing's failed attempt to resurrect Baiheng from the dead.

There are numerous hints which connect Bailu and Baiheng together, like their similar hair and eye colors, as well as a similar name. Dan Feng likely attempted to resurrect the Foxian Baiheng into a Vidhyadhara, in order to give her a longer lifespan after being brought back, but due to his failure, the process was imperfect and left Baiheng, now Bailu, stuck in the body of a child, completely devoid of her past life's memories, and unable to do the things that a High Elder should be able to do.

March 17th is the mortal reincarnation of the fallen Aeon, Idrila, the Beauty

Out of the three theories offered by the Matrix of Prescience before the Messenger sabotages it, the idea that March is a fallen Aeon is the only one March doesn't reject as impossible. The missing feminine Aeons are Idrila, Ena, and I guess Oroboros? March doesn't exactly seem like a law and order type, but she puts plenty of emphasis on her "cuteness", so if that theory were to be confirmed, Idrila seems like the most likely candidate.

• Ironically enough, a full cutscene is dedicated to Argenti, a Knight of Beauty searching for Idrila, boarding the Astral Express for the first time. And the very first person he introduces himself to is March 7th.
• March's Technique is named Freezing Beauty.

The Elements, Weapons, and Abilities that the Trailblazer will use when they unlock new Paths

Since the Trailblazer unlocking the other paths is a Foregone Conclusion, this is speculation on what Elements, Weapons, and Abilities that the Trailblazer will use when they get them. The weapons part comes from how the Trailblazer switches from wielding a baseball bat to a lance when they switch from Destruction to Preservation:

• Abundance: For the Path of Abundance, the most likely element that the Trailblazer will use will be Imaginary, and since Abundance is associated with healing, the Trailblazer’s abilities will revolve around healing. The weapon they will use in this path could potentially be something that resembles a Catalyst from Genshin Impact.
• The Hunt: For the Path of the Hunt, the Element that the Trailblazer will switch to will be either Wind, or Lightning. Not sure what abilities the Trailblazer will use in this path, but the weapon they will use will either be a Javelin, a Bow, or a Rifle, as those weapons are traditionally associated with hunting.
  • If the Trailblazer being somehow linked to the Kaslanas proves true; then dual pistols is also an option.
• Nihility: For the Path of the Nihilty, the element that the Trailblazer will most likely use will be either Lightning or Quantum, similar to how Kafka and Silver Wolf are a Lightning and Quantum Nihility respectively. The weapon they will use in this path will probably be a sword.
• Remembrance: For the Path of Remembrance, its all but guaranteed that the element that the Trailblazer will use on this path is Ice. Not sure what weapon that the Trailblazer will wield will be though.
  • Remembrance is not a playable character Path, so unless the game will introduce new character paths (which they unlikely will), it will be jossed.
    • Another possibility would be to unlock a bonus across all paths or create an extra Remembrance themed version of an existing combat style.

The Aeon that created the Trailblazer is Nanook

While no one knows for sure, Stellarons have been associated with the Antimatter Legion, and the Trailblazer was built to contain one. Furthermore, the Trailblazer has a very similar color scheme to Nanook, such as hair with a silver sheen, and a yellow and black outfit. Nanook's motive appears to be that the current Universe does not deserve to exist and should be recycled. Maybe Nanook created the Trailblazer to find value in garbage and use the power of Destruction to prove themself wrong.

Dan Heng will sit out the trip to Penacony.

With Dan Heng having received a lot of focus during the story arc on the Xianzhou Luofu, and even in a few companion quests afterward, it’s likely he’ll stay behind on the Express this time for a break while the rest of the Express crew check our the party Himeko was invited to.

• Confirmed, the main Penacony quest starts with the Trailblazer checking in the rest of the crew and Dan Heng telling them that he decided to stay put on the Express to catch up on work and will reunite with the crew afterwards. Oddly enough, he tells them unprompted to not worry about Xianzhou matters, implying that he might still visit the Luofu during the stay at Penacony.

Firefly is just a Living Dream

As Penacony is where dreams can come to life, it's likely that "Firefly" is simply an entity dreamed by someone - presumably by Sam or whoever is inside said armor.

• Jossed. The ending of 2.1 confirms that "Sam" is actually Firefly in a suit of armor.

Archeron is an Emanator of Finality

When Aventurine speculates about which Aeon Archeron serves, he offers both The Hunt and The Destruction as options, before musing that it could be The Finality. This seems like a very random suggestion, out of all the Paths to suggest that she would follow, but makes some sense with Acheron's strange demeanor regarding the Trailblazer and wondering whether they know each other from somewhere. Terminus is said to travel backwards through time, whispering prophecy and its followers look forward to destined meetings. This also doubles as a connection to sister-game Honkai Impact 3rd and the Cocoon of Finality that is the source of power for all Herrschers (such as Acheron's counterpart, Raiden Mei).

• Jossed. Acheron is an Emanator of the Nihily.

Kiana is an Emanator of Finality

The prelude to Honkai Impact 3rd's part 2 implies that "Herrschers" are only how Earth humans refer to "envoys" of the Honkai, with the Martian "Cocoon of Unwoven" using said term to be able to relate to Kiana. Moreover, the Cocoon of Finality might've been Terminus' way to find an Emanator, and Kiana was specifically "chosen" to become the Herrscher of Finality.

The Trailblazer IS the Watchmaker

Considering that only the Trailblazer has been shown to be the only one interacting directly with Clockie, Misha, and the gang, along with the fact that in the most recent Penacony cartoon, Clockie is shown to have some measure of time control (and the Trailblazer's ability to tune emotions is acknowledged as unique from Sir Whittaker, a Family member), I posit that some portion of the Penacony questline will involve time travel and some kind of time loop. It might serve to explain the familiarity that certain characters inexplicably have with the Trailblazer and why it seems like they get a new path (as seen in the White Night music video, where the Trailblazer wears Hanu's hat and the ending animation being very similar to a character's ultimate).

Future Simulated Universe Paths and their benefits

As of now, the Simulated Universe has a wide variety of paths to assist you as you fight through its stages, both ones that have playable characters and those that don't, such as Remembrance, Elation and Propagation. And with them introducing new ones every new Simulated Universe mode, there's a wide variety of possible paths that we could see in the future.

• The Harmony - Based on how characters of the Harmony path operate in gameplay, it will likely centre around increasing the potency and/or duration of buffs. A possible 3-Star Blessing could involve increasing the length of fields created by characters, such Luocha's or Ruan Mei's.
• The Voracity - Fitting a path based around consumption and gluttony, this will likely grant boons from killing or damaging enemies, such as restoring HP or Skill Points or increasing attack power.
• The Beauty - Perhaps in honour of the first of Idrilla's playable followers, Argenti, this path will revolve around energy restoration to help characters charge their Ultimates faster and potentially use energy for other means aside from spamming them, such as using them in place of Skill Points.
• The Enigmata - Since the Path revolves around obfuscating anything in existence, it will revolve around inflicting non-Damage Over Time debuffs, such as DEF reduction, damage increase, the Imprisonment or Entanglement break effects, and more, while also increasing the debuff potency or duration. Possible Path Resonances will include ways to erase turns or stats from enemies by placing more debuffs.

Character likely to get new playable versions

With Dang Heng - Imbibitor Lunae showing that Star Rail isn't above giving characters other than the Trailblazer versions with different skillsets, this and a few hints throughout the story suggest that this won't be the first time such an instance occurs.

• March 7th - March is an amnesiac whose only real clue to her past is the fact she was found sealed in and can create six-phased ice. Similarly to when Dan Heng had his true identity revealed and turned into Imbibitor Lunae, it's possible us and March learning who she truly is will lead to her transforming into her new playable form with a playstyle that sees her use her six-phased ice either more offensively, or with more emphasis on her defensive capabilities.
• Herta - It's established that the Herta you play as and the one you see around the space station are a series of puppets she built to interact with the outside world while she holds herself up somewhere. This presents the possibility of us eventually meeting the real Herta and being able to play as her. Furthermore, the real Herta is an Emanator of Erudition, so she may display powerful abilities in gameplay.
• Sampo - the last scene of the "Masquerade Duet" quest reveals that the only reason Sampo helped Sparkle with her murder-mystery game was because she took his mask and she only agreed to give it back if he did. Sparkle expresses surprise at Sampo needing his mask back so suddenly, wondering if a catastrophe is coming to Jarilo-VI that requires him to have it. This suggests that when this "catastrophe" occurs, Sampo will appear donning his mask. prompting the release of a new version of him (or at least a new skin).

Sparkle is Aha the Elation.

In the same vein of the true Zangetsu outright stating who he was the first time he appeared, Sparkle openly calling herself the Elation isn't hyperbole. She's the Aeon Aha, playing the universe like a game. Her Monodrama trailer shows that she is entirely unpredictable and does things purely for the thrill of the game. Additionally, Aha's design is a bunch of masks. Sparkle's Ultimate showcases multiple masks floating around her as she puts on her two-toned mask. The two "main" masks of Aha's design are the stereotypical tragedy/comedy mask, which matches with her mask being two colors.

• This wouldn't be the first time Aha has disguised themself as a human. Eons ago, they did it to infiltrate the Astral Express while Akivili was still alive. After staying long enough, they blew up a planet and killed several Nameless who were exploring it just because they found it funny.
• The way this is "confirmed" is hilarious. The infamous Rickroll databank entry listed as Masked Fools -> Elation specifies that the Aeon will never give you up, let you down, etc. Upon Sparkle's release, she sent out a message to Trailblazers containing some level-up materials with the flavor text saying Sparkle will never give you up, let you down, etc.

Something Unto Death isn't actually killing people

With The Reveal of Firefly's survival and Robin being slated to be playable despite her apparent demise, this brings into question whether or not Something Unto Death, their apparent killer, is really capable of causing "true death" in the Dreamscape. Additionally, Aventurine's conversation with Acheron implies that there is some sanctioned off area in Penacony that few have gone to, with the former stating there is someone who is has been there but is unable to speak up about it, yet is very much alive and described as a "she", suggesting either Firefly or Robin. And since Aventurine's scheme hinged on him "dying" by goading Acheron into killing him and breaking down the barrier in the process, it's probable that this area is only reached through getting killed in the dream, but the shock of dying or some failsafe put in place by The Family prevents most from getting there.

In other words, instead of killing its victims in a way that actually kills them, Something Unto Death instead kills people in a manner that bypasses the shock/failsafe and transports them to this mysterious location, with Firefly and Robin's survival suggesting that it, or its master Gallagher, is capable of sending them back, hence Firefly's revealing herself to the Trailblazer at the end of the quest.

• Adding onto this theory, given Robin's intent to investigate the matter of a traitor within the Family, it's likely that S.U.D. "killed" Robin to warp her into the closed off area of Penacony so she could properly investigate and uncover the truth, as well as keep her away from the prying eyes of the Family. It also helps how Robin seems to be a Token Good Teammate among the prominent Family members.

Dr. Ratio is Sigonian, or at least of Sigonian heritage.

One of the key defining features of the Sigonians is their eyes—striking two-colored eyes. Aventurine's eyes have a very specific design, of two solid rings of vibrant color around the pupil—something Dr. Ratio also has, albeit with less of a sharp contrast (red and amber instead of cyan and purple). Additionally, though he seems to get along with Aventurine like a cat and a dog, Dr. Ratio is wholly on Aventurine's side. He could be acting through a sort of solidarity with his fellow Sigonian.

There will be a Harmony character who increases the team's Energy Regeneration Rate.

Tingyun gives a single ally a flat amount of energy and Huo Huo gives all party members a percentage of their own Max Energy. This character will increase party members Energy Regeneration Rate in away similar to Bronya's Light Cone, an Energy Regeneration Rate Link Rope, or the Penacony and Sprightly Vonwacq Relic Sets.

There will be a Preservation character who creates 'decoys'.

To be more specific, they will create a decoy with a high taunt value that enemies can hit instead of the team. If it is hit by AOE attacks, the actual team members will not take damage.

Aventurine has been blessed by Ena in some way.

Aventurine's eyes are the same color as the eye in the background of Ena's portrait. It is possible that Gaiathra Tryclops is Ena or one of their emanators, reimagined through Sigonian beliefs, and Gaiathra's blessing is the power of Order making the RNG work in Aventurine's favor.

Misha is the Watchmaker—or rather, he's a dream of the Watchmaker as a child.

No one but the Trailblazer is able to see Misha (Gameplay and Story Segregation notwithstanding), whose best friend is the similarly-invisible Clockie. While he does clearly exist in some manner, it isn't clear just who or what he is. His associated Light Cone, Indelible Promise, shows him receiving a Nameless badge, and it's implied that the Watchmaker was a Nameless. Additionally, his design includes a small pocketwatch, and the brooch on his cravat resembles a gear. His eyes are also very unusual, with white, keyhole-shaped pupils that look distinctly inhuman.

A sidequest revealed that a collective dream can come together to create a memetic entity of someone—it's possible that Misha is one such entity, a collective dream of the Watchmaker as a child.

Dr. Ratio created the Ratings Pistol.

The Ratings Pistol grants scores ranging from 0-100, but the scale is unclear. Who else issues points to those he deals with? Dr. Ratio.

Firefly and the Trailblazer were closer than friends before the start of the main story.

They have an obvious high chemistry with one another when they are together especially alone.