HSR Story Order: Can You Skip to New Regions, and Where to Find Recaps

HSR's story runs region by region, in one straight line

HSR tells its story region by region. You begin at the Herta Space Station, drop down to the frozen planet Jarilo-VI (Belobog), then reach the Xianzhou Luofu, then Penacony, then Amphoreus, and so on. Each region is a big chapter called a Trailblaze Mission (開拓クエスト in JP) — this is the main storyline. The single most important thing to remember: the main story is linear and gated in order. The game forces you to clear the previous region before it unlocks the next. You CANNOT tap straight into a newer region before finishing the earlier chapters. So if you want to reach a new area, the only path is to play through them one by one. It sounds like a grind, but it means anyone landing here follows the same clean thread. If a term like Trailblaze or Warp confuses you, look it up fast with GameVika's Glossary.

Chapter-order chart and playtime per region

Here's the chapter-order chart — read top to bottom to follow the intended flow. (1) Herta Space Station — the short prologue, roughly an hour or two to get your bearings. (2) Jarilo-VI (Belobog) — the frozen planet, a long chapter running several hours. (3) Xianzhou Luofu — a cultivation-themed ship world, similarly long. (4) Penacony — a dream world, long and full of twists. (5) Amphoreus — a newer region continuing the main thread. Later regions also add continuance chapters version by version. On playtime: the prologue is very short, while each major region can eat several hours if you read the dialogue carefully — exact numbers depend on your reading speed, so don't trust rigid hour counts. Skipping dialogue cuts the time down a lot. Tip: treat each major region as one long session, split across a few sittings so you don't burn out. For the exact chapter list of the newest version, check the in-game Mission menu or a community-wiki chapter chart, since the continuance list keeps updating.

1. 1
   Herta Space StationOpening chapter, short (~1–2 hrs)
2. 2
   Jarilo-VI (Belobog)Icy planet, long chapter
3. 3
   Xianzhou LuofuXianzhou alliance world
4. 4
   PenaconyDreamscape, twist-heavy
5. 5
   AmphoreusNewer region continuing the story

Three mission types: which one is order-locked?

The game has three mission groups, marked by different colors and icons. First, Trailblaze Missions — the main story: mandatory and order-locked as described. Second, Companion Missions (同行クエスト) — a character's personal quest: NOT mandatory, and you don't need to own that character to play it; these open once you reach a certain point in the main story. Third, Adventure Missions — side quests scattered around each region, also optional. Only the main story is hard-locked in sequence; the other two you can freely skip without stalling your progress. So if someone tells you 'you must finish every quest before the next region,' that's wrong — only Trailblaze Missions are required. To see which characters belong to which region, check each one's background in GameVika's Character List.

Should you skip straight to a new region?

Players ask this constantly, e.g. 'should I start Amphoreus without playing the Xianzhou continuance?' The technical truth: you can't skip — the main story is order-gated. But the real question underneath is usually 'I'm lazy about grinding, I just want to pull the new character.' Good news: gacha pulls (Warps) don't require finishing the story — as long as you have Stellar Jade, you can pull. Playing the story only matters for understanding the plot and grabbing rewards along the way (Jade, items). So the practical advice: if you care about the story, play in order and don't rush the skip button. If you only want to reach a new region to unlock content, you still have to play through the old regions — but you can skip the dialogue to move fast, then watch a recap to catch the gist. Just don't skip AND expect to understand; those two don't mix.

Where to read or watch story recaps

There are three reliable recap sources. First, HoYoverse's official recap videos on YouTube — before each major region they often drop a PV recapping past events; 5-10 minutes gets you the thread. Second, written summaries from community wikis (like Game8 or Prydwen) — they lay out each region's events clearly, perfect for anyone who skipped or forgot everything. Third, lore 'primer' videos by veteran players on YouTube — they retell the plot with footage, easy to digest. One thing to be clear about so you don't get misled: there is NO official 'story recap' feature inside the game. The mission log only records objectives ('go to X, talk to Y'), not a retelling of events, so it just reminds you what you're doing — it can't replace a recap. Tip for busy players: if you played but forgot, one recap video before entering a new region is enough. If you skipped entirely because you only like the gameplay, reading a written summary is faster than watching. When a hard-to-remember name or unfamiliar character shows up, open GameVika's Character List to see who they are and avoid mixing them up.

Official recap videosPVs before each big region

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Community wikisWritten per-region summaries

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Player lore primersStory retold with visuals

Do limited-time events force story progress?

Yes, partly. Many limited-time events require you to reach a certain point in the main story to unlock — usually 'clear the chapter for region X.' This is why many newcomers get frustrated: they open the game to do an event for rewards, only to be blocked because they haven't progressed the story enough. How to handle it: if you're eyeing a live event, check its progress requirement first, then push the main story to that point — you can skip dialogue if you're in a hurry. Event unlocks mainly track your main-story progress (sometimes plus a Trailblaze Level gate — that's your account level, which rises with EXP), so playing steadily means fewer locks. Don't confuse this with Equilibrium Level, which is the world-difficulty tier unlocked through Equilibrium Trials — a different thing. Don't wait until the last minute: if you know you love chasing event rewards, keep your main story from falling too far behind, or you may not have time to catch up when an event drops.

Tips to move fast without losing the plot

Here's a practical wrap-up. First, figure out your type: if you love the story, play slowly and read carefully; if you only like combat, skip dialogue but always watch a recap per region. Second, always prioritize the main story (Trailblaze Missions), since it unlocks regions, companion quests, and event eligibility. Third, save Companion and Adventure Missions for when you're free — they give rewards but never block progress. Fourth, before entering a new region when you've forgotten the old plot, spend 10 minutes on a recap video. Fifth, when an unfamiliar character shows up in dialogue, open GameVika's Character List to see who they are and which faction they're from; for unfamiliar terms, check the Glossary. That way you keep pace with the current version without ending up 'reading but understanding nothing.' In short: main story first, side content later, recap when you forget.

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