Honkai: Star Rail recently rolled out Version 1.1, but players noticed that it's missing one highly-anticipated feature. The latest update introduced a new five-star banner character named Silver Wolf, events, and quality of life improvements.
There had been a lot of hype surrounding Honkai: Star Rail Version 1.1. Before it was launched, many have already seen early rumors on what they could expect in the update, but the excitement didn't seem to die down. HoYoverse also hosted a special stream to showcase Version 1.1's additions, which players can enjoy before the next update comes around in July.
However, when players updated Honkai: Star Rail, they noticed that the in-game Friend Chat wasn't installed yet. HoYoverse confirmed the feature weeks before Version 1.1 was released, which made many players excited. The Version 1.1 overview blog on HoYoLab announced that the Friend Chat function would be available in the update, but players would have to wait for future announcements for its official release date.
On social media, a number of Honkai: Star Rail players said they were disappointed that the chat function was nowhere to be found yet. Twitter user PomPomArchive, who regularly posts Star Rail news and leaks, theorized that the feature simply got delayed since the initial leak appeared plain. They also hoped that HoYoverse would add emotes to the Friend Chat, like the cute Pom-Pom emotes that the characters send to each other.
Based on HoYoverse's blog, it didn't seem like the feature was completely scrapped, so that's still good news for Honkai: Star Rail players. An in-game chat feature could be a nifty feature for those who want to interact with their buddies. This could also be a hint that Star Rail might add a co-op mode in dungeon levels, like the ones in Genshin Impact, in future updates. The game mode could give players more ways to farm EXP and upgrade materials.
For now, some players might be hoping that Friend Chat won't experience further delays. But considering how swift HoYoverse has responded to players' feedback and concerns in the past, it might post an update status if the feature does get delayed until Honkai: Star Rail Version 1.2 or more. While waiting for the in-game chat to roll out, many players might be busy accomplishing the Punklorde Mentality event missions and farming Stellar Jades for gacha pulls. Hopefully, this will diminish their disappointment over the feature's delay.
Honkai Star Rail is available now on Mobile and PC, with PS4 and PS5 versions in development.
Source: HoYoLab
