Apocalyptic Shadow is a permanent endgame game mode in Honkai: Star Rail, offering a challenging experience for players. This guide will walk you through unlocking Apocalyptic Shadow, strategies to defeat bosses in Version 3.0, reset schedules, and valuable rewards.
How to Unlock Apocalyptic Shadow
To access Apocalyptic Shadow, you must first complete the Grim Film of Finality Mission, which is located in Dreamflux Reef. Stage 1 of Apocalyptic Shadow will become available after you have spoken with Elegy during this mission.
Finish Grim Film of Finality
Apocalyptic Shadow Best Teams
Choosing the right team composition is crucial for success in Apocalyptic Shadow. Here are some recommended teams for the current phase, Locust’s Instigation:
Locust’s Instigation Best Teams
This phase features two main bosses. Here are team recommendations for each:
First Boss: Sky-Shrouding Stardevourer Swarm
| Firefly DPS |
|---|
| The Herta |
| Yunli DPS |
| [Feats of Might |
| Argenti DPS |
| Argenti |
| F2P Team |
| [Hunter’s Stride |
Second Boss: Opportunistic Provocateur
| Acheron DPS |
|---|
| Acheron |
| Rappa DPS |
| [Tangled Chaos |
| Kafka DoT |
| Kafka |
| Jing Yuan DPS |
| [Sweeping Force |
| F2P Team |
Utilize Specific Weaknesses for Each Boss
First Half (Sky-Shrouding Stardevourer Swarm): Focus on characters with Physical, Ice, Quantum, and Imaginary damage types. These are the weaknesses of the enemies in the first half of Locust’s Instigation. We recommend DPS characters capable of hitting multiple enemies and attacking frequently to effectively deal with the Starcrusher Swarm King and its summons.
Recommended characters for the first half include:
| First Half Team Recommendations |
|---|
| Fu Xuan |
| Jingliu |
Second Half (Opportunistic Provocateur): For the second half, prioritize characters who deal Fire, Lightning, Wind, and Imaginary damage. These elements exploit the weaknesses of enemies encountered in this phase. Characters that can inflict significant Toughness damage are particularly effective for quickly breaking the Lotus summons.
Recommended characters for the second half include:
| Second Half Team Recommendations |
|---|
| Topaz |
| Feixiao |
How to Beat Apocalyptic Shadow Locust’s Instigation
Here’s a breakdown of strategies for defeating each boss in the Locust’s Instigation phase:
Sky-Shrouding Stardevourer Swarm Boss
This boss has two phases and summons minions to aid it in battle.
Defeat Sting Summons to Reduce Toughness
When the boss summons Gnaw Stings, prioritize defeating them. Attacking these summons effectively deals Toughness damage to the Starcrusher Swarm King. Breaking the Swarm King’s Toughness is crucial as it weakens the Insect Eggs, which in turn buff the Sting summons.
Prioritize Lesser Sting Enemies in Phase 2
In the second phase, the Swarm King can summon Lesser Sting enemies. These enemies can inflict Enrage on your characters. Eliminate the Lesser Stings before they can take their turn to prevent them from applying Enrage and disrupting your team.
Opportunistic Provocateur Boss
This boss, Phantylia the Undying, also has two phases and relies on Lotus summons.
Defeat Lotuses For DMG Buffs
In both phases of the fight against the Opportunistic Provocateur, focus on defeating the Lotus summons. Destroying Lotuses is key to enabling Phantylia’s Weakness and granting valuable buffs to your team.
Destruction Lotuses provide a Break Effect buff, enhancing your ability to break enemy toughness, while Abundance Lotuses grant an All-Type DMG buff, increasing your overall damage output.
Defeat Lotuses to Weaken Eternal Condemnation
In Phase 2, Phantylia gains a powerful attack called Eternal Condemnation, which can target all of your units. To significantly weaken this devastating attack, ensure you defeat all Lotus summons before Phantylia’s next turn. This is crucial for surviving Phase 2.
Apocalyptic Shadow Boss Mirages
Here’s detailed information about the bosses you’ll face in Apocalyptic Shadow:
Sky-Shrouding Stardevourer Swarm
| Sky-Shrouding Stardevourer Swarm Information |
|---|
| Starcrusher Swarm King – Skaracabaz (Synthetic) |
| Phases |
| Weaknesses |
| Resistances |
Sky-Shrouding Stardevourer Swarm Boss Traits
| Boss Trait | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Steadfast Safeguard | This Boss Mirage initially takes 50% less DMG. However, once its Weakness is broken, and its action is delayed, it will take 100% increased DMG. |
| Battlefield Transfer | At the end of its turn, the Boss Mirage gains Insect Eggs. It consumes these eggs to enhance its Swarm summons and grant them “Growth Hormone”. Insect Egg – Provides resources for the boss to power up its summons. |
| Hormone Secretion (Difficulty 3) | Starting from Difficulty 3, every time the Boss Mirage summons a certain number of Swarm summons, the next summon will automatically have 1 stack of “Growth Hormone”. Growth Hormone – Each stack increases ATK, up to 3 stacks. At 3 stacks, Swarm summons unlock Bonus Abilities. |
| Egg Burst (Difficulty 4) | In Difficulty 4, the number of Insect Eggs gained at the end of the Boss Mirage’s turn is increased. |
Sky-Shrouding Stardevourer Swarm Summon Info
| Phase 1 Enemies | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Phase 2 Enemies | Weaknesses |
Opportunistic Provocateur
| Opportunistic Provocateur Information |
|---|
| Phantylia the Undying |
| Phases |
| Weaknesses |
| Resistances |
Opportunistic Provocateur Summon Info
| Enemies | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Abundance Lotus | |
| Destruction Lotus |
Opportunistic Provocateur Boss Traits
| Boss Trait | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Steadfast Safeguard | Similar to the Swarm King, this Boss Mirage takes 50% less DMG initially. Weakness Break and action delay will then increase DMG taken by 100%. |
| Flower By Another Name | When a new Lotus is summoned, the Boss Mirage enters Toughness Protection, making it immune to Toughness reduction. Defeating any summon dispels this protection and deals additional Toughness Reduction to the Boss Mirage. Toughness Protection – Prevents Toughness from being reduced. |
| Withered Tree’s Revival (Difficulty 3) | In Phase I, when the Boss Mirage changes form, the summons will restore 25% HP. |
| Hollowflower Blaze (Difficulty 4) | In Phase II, the summons’ Max HP is increased by 20%. |
Apocalyptic Shadow Reset
Stay updated with the Apocalyptic Shadow reset schedule to maximize your rewards.
Apocalyptic Shadow Reset Calendar
When Does Apocalyptic Shadow Reset?
| Reset Time | 2024/01/20 – 4:00 (Server Time) |
|---|
Apocalyptic Shadow introduces a new Phase every six weeks, with each phase lasting for the same duration. The reset always occurs on a Monday at 04:00 server time.
Current Phase: Locust’s Instigation
| Ruinous Embers Effect |
|---|
| When an enemy with “Steadfast Safeguard” is Weakness Broken, all allies are dispelled of control states, recover Skill Points, and activate their Ultimates. Additionally, Skill DMG taken by all enemies is increased by 25%, and Ultimate DMG taken is increased by 15%. |
| Phase Duration |
Each Apocalyptic Shadow Phase features a unique Ruinous Embers effect and Finality’s Axiom buffs. Your progress in clearing Apocalyptic Shadow stages will reset with each new phase, allowing you to earn rewards again.
How to Play Apocalyptic Shadow
Here’s a quick guide on how to engage with the Apocalyptic Shadow game mode:
Face Two Boss Mirages
In Apocalyptic Shadow, you will confront projections of Finality and battle against familiar bosses with enhanced abilities. These boss mirages possess different and additional attacks compared to their regular counterparts.
Before each battle, you can review enemy traits and plan your strategy accordingly. Each phase offers four difficulty levels, with increasing rewards for higher difficulties.
Choose Finality’s Axiom Buffs
Similar to Pure Fiction, Apocalyptic Shadow requires you to form two separate teams to tackle the two boss mirages. You can select buffs, known as Finality’s Axiom buffs, to aid your teams in combat. Each Apocalyptic Shadow phase will offer a selection of buffs to choose from, allowing for strategic customization.
Defeat Bosses as Quickly as Possible
Apocalyptic Shadow stages incorporate an Action Value Timer. This timer decreases with every action taken by both your team and the enemy. Your final score is determined by the remaining Action Value after defeating both bosses and the total boss HP depleted.
Therefore, your primary objective is to defeat both bosses as swiftly as possible to maximize your score and rewards.
Apocalyptic Shadow Rewards
Participating in Apocalyptic Shadow offers a variety of rewards, including a free 4-star character.
Free 4-Star: Xueyi
Xueyi is available as a free 4-star character reward for clearing Difficulty 2 of Apocalyptic Shadow for the first time. In addition to Xueyi, you’ll also receive 300 Stellar Jades and 1 Self-Modelling Resin upon your first clear.
List of All Free Characters in Honkai: Star Rail
Rewards Per Difficulty
| Stages | Rewards |
|---|---|
| Clear an Apocalyptic Shadow Difficulty | Credit x30000 |
| Collect 1 Insignia | Stellar Jade Currency Icon in Honkai Star Rail x60 Credit x20000 |
| Collect 1 Insignia (Starting from 9 Insignias) | Stellar Jade Currency Icon in Honkai Star Rail x80 Credit x20000 |
Total Insignia Rewards
| Insignia Rewards |
|---|
| Stellar Jade Currency Icon in Honkai Star Rail x800 |
By completing Apocalyptic Shadow stages and collecting insignias, you can earn substantial rewards. You receive 60 Stellar Jades and 20000 Credits for each insignia earned. Starting from the ninth insignia, the Stellar Jade reward increases to 80 Stellar Jades per insignia.
These insignia rewards reset periodically, allowing you to collect Stellar Jades and Credits again in each new phase.
Furthermore, accumulating 7 to 12 Insignias in each phase grants you up to 600 Jade Feathers. Jade Feathers can be exchanged in the Priceless Jewels shop (“Jokes Come True” tab) for valuable items like Self Modeling Resins and Relic Remains.
Honkai: Star Rail Related Guides
For more comprehensive guides and resources on Honkai: Star Rail, explore these categories:
Honkai Star Rail Wiki Guide
Honkai: Star Rail Wiki Front Page
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