Next Planet Destination Prediction: Is It Xianzhou Yaoqing or Fanghu?
Scene One (Casual Player Perspective): A Trailblazer just finished Penacony’s main story, said goodbye to their friends at the Memory Zone. They stand in the Astral Express observation car, staring at the passing star trails outside the window, full of both excitement and uncertainty: “Where are we going next?” For this question, only an official preview livestream can give the final answer.
Scene Two (Lore Expert Perspective): A dedicated “Star Scholar” who has memorized every piece of in-game text, dialogue, and light cone lore already knows the answer. They pull up the star map, point to the Xianzhou Alliance territory, and say with confidence: “The answer is already written in the story. Every clue points to the Alliance’s strongest battleship—Yaoqing, and the most mysterious Alchemy Commission headquarters—Fanghu.”
The contrast between these two perspectives is exactly what makes Honkai: Star Rail’s story design so compelling. Its world isn’t a disjointed collection of maps driven by version updates—it’s an organic universe filled with hidden clues and long-running plot threads. This article will step into the role of a Star Scholar, break down every available in-game clue, and predict the likelihood of the Astral Express heading to either Xianzhou Yaoqing or Fanghu next. This isn’t just a new map change—it’s a natural, inevitable next step for the ongoing main story arc.
Linear Old Maps vs a New World of Foreshadowing: The Unfinished Xianzhou Alliance Journey
If we use the traditional single-player RPG mindset of “beat one area, move straight to the next” to predict the future, after Penacony’s story wraps up the Express should head to a completely new, unrelated galaxy. But this linear thinking ignores the massive narrative chessboard the writing team has been building since launch—especially when it comes to the Xianzhou Alliance arc.
Blind Spot One: The Luofu Arc Illusion—Is the Story Really Over?
Many players believe that once we defeated Phantylia on the Luofu, the entire Xianzhou story came to an end. But this is a huge misconception. The Luofu is only one of the Xianzhou Alliance’s six flagships, and we only defeated a single fragment of an Abundance Emanator during our stay. The thousand-year war between the Hunt and the Abundance has only just had its surface scratched.
Example: During the Luofu main story, we hear references to other Xianzhou flagships multiple times. General Jing Yuan mentions the Alliance’s Marshal Congress, and the fake Tingyun’s scheme ties back to an Eternal Freeze Lord’s plot. All of this strongly hints that the Luofu story is far from the end—it’s just the opening act of a much larger saga.
Blind Spot Two: The Character Backstory Paradox—Do Their Stories Only Live in Companion Quests?
We’ve already met dozens of Xianzhou characters, from Feixiao to Huohuo, and even the upcoming Hunt Emanator. If you assume their stories will only unfold in personal companion quests, you’re vastly underestimating the writing team’s ambition. Every major character’s hometown and backstory acts as a direct signpost for future main story content.
Example: Feixiao, the Sword Chief of Yaoqing, her very appearance is the strongest clue we have. She’s on a mission to hunt down Abundance abominations, and her allies, her past, are all deeply tied to Yaoqing, the Alliance’s strongest battleship. Having the Astral Express crew travel to Yaoqing to fight alongside Feixiao is an incredibly natural narrative progression.
Blind Spot Three: The Logical Shift From Saving the World to Joining a War
From Jarilo-VI to Penacony, the Astral Express crew has mostly filled the role of outsider and peacemaker. But with the Xianzhou Alliance, we’re stepping into a fundamental, thousand-year-long war over the very ideas of immortality and death. The Express’s stance, and their relationship with the Aeons of the Hunt and Abundance, will face their ultimate test along this arc. This means we’ll shift from being participants in single events to decision-makers in a massive, galaxy-spanning war.
Foreshadowing and Clues: Two Paths Pointing to Yaoqing and Fanghu
Looking at all current in-game information, two clear, most likely routes stand out on our interstellar star chart: one heading to the military core of Yaoqing, and the other exploring the sacred alchemical hub of Fanghu.
New Core Region: Yaoqing—The Strongest Blade of the Xianzhou Alliance
If the Luofu is Xianzhou’s commercial and cultural center, Yaoqing is the Alliance’s beating heart and strongest military fist. It’s the most powerful military force among the six flagships, and the main fleet that carries out the Hunt’s will and hunts down Abundance abominations.
The full set of clues pointing to Yaoqing:
- Key Character Feixiao: As a Cloud Knight General of Yaoqing, her story arc will inevitably lead us back to her hometown, to uncover the organization and mission behind her journey.
- Unresolved Abundance Mysteries: Phantylia was defeated on the Luofu, but the Eternal Freeze Lords are still active across the galaxy. It makes perfect logical sense for a large-scale decisive battle against the Abundance to be set on the Alliance’s strongest flagship, Yaoqing.
- All-New Art and Cultural Style: In-game text has repeatedly hinted that every Xianzhou flagship has a unique cultural identity. As a major military stronghold, Yaoqing’s architecture and fashion will be completely different from the lively, bustling Luofu, giving players a brand new visual experience.
New Faction Hub: Fanghu—The Mysterious Headquarters of the Alchemy Commission
If Yaoqing represents the martial side of Xianzhou, Fanghu represents the scholarly and healing side. It’s the medical and alchemical center of the Xianzhou Alliance, the headquarters of the entire Alchemy Commission, and the leading research hub for core topics like immortality and corrupted shadow bodies.
The full set of clues pointing to Fanghu:
- Characters Huohuo and Bailu: Huohuo’s role as a judge and the Suiyang entity sealed in her tail are both tied to Xianzhou’s underworld affairs; while Bailu, as the Dragon Transcendent, the root of her eternal youth secret could very well trace back to the Alchemy Commission’s highest institution at Fanghu.
- The Ultimate Solution for Corrupted Shadow Bodies: We saw the horror of corrupted shadow bodies on the Luofu, but we never found a permanent cure. As the holy land of alchemical arts, Fanghu is very likely the key location to unlock the secrets of immortality and find a permanent solution for corrupted shadow bodies.
- Balancing Narrative Pacing: After the flashy, mysterious urban story of Penacony, shifting to a quieter, more suspense-filled ancient holy land of medicine full of long-buried secrets is a perfect change of pace for the overall story.
Beyond Planets: Plotting New Coordinates for Interstellar Narrative
When we predict future versions, we need to shift our perspective from asking “what is the next map” to asking “what is the next major narrative arc”.
- Prediction Basis: Traditional old map prediction: Official announcements, preview livestreams | New interstellar narrative prediction: In-game lore text, character backstories, worldbuilding foreshadowing
- Core Focus: Traditional old map prediction: New maps, new characters, new gameplay | New interstellar narrative prediction: Evolution of story themes, deepening core conflicts (like Hunt vs Abundance)
- Character Role: Traditional old map prediction: A new pullable combat unit | New interstellar narrative prediction: A key character that drives the main story, whose home is the next story stage
- Worldbuilding: Traditional old map prediction: An isolated new location | New interstellar narrative prediction: An organic part of the existing world, tightly connected and built on previous narrative lore
Frequently Asked Questions About the Next Planet
Q1: Which has a higher chance of being next, Yaoqing or Fanghu?
Right now, Yaoqing has a slightly higher chance. That’s because Feixiao, the character directly tied to Yaoqing, already debuted as a major character in version 2.0, so continuing her story arc has much more immediate urgency. That said, it’s still possible that the Express could make a brief stop at Fanghu first for a medicine or alchemy-related incident, before moving on to the main battlefield at Yaoqing.
Q2: Are there any other possible destinations besides Xianzhou?
Absolutely. For example, the Interastral Peace Corporation headquarters where Topaz and Numby work, or the “First Interstellar Academic Center” mentioned by Lady Herta, directly managed by Nous the Aeon of Erudition—both are very promising potential future destinations. But based on how tightly tied the current main story is to Xianzhou, and the sheer number of existing foreshadows, continuing the journey within the Xianzhou Alliance is the most narratively logical choice.
Q3: Roughly when will the new planet launch?
Based on Honkai: Star Rail’s current update cycle of releasing a new major planet with each X.0 big version, we won’t get a new planet until after Penacony’s full story arc wraps up, which will likely last through the rest of the 2.X versions. Even the most optimistic estimate puts the launch at around the game’s second anniversary or later. Before that, we’ll probably get a preliminary preview of the new world through transitional Trailblaze missions.
The Fork in the Star Path
Honkai: Star Rail’s star chart gives us players a unique freedom to participate in solving the lore puzzle:
The freedom to predict lets us enjoy putting together the future from the tiny clues the writers left behind;
The freedom to anticipate gives us grounded, informed excitement for every new version update.
The real question is:
When the Express pulls out for the next stop, what are you hoping for?
Is it just a new map full of new chests and new enemies? Or is it a grand new stage that deepens our understanding of this universe, and pushes forward the exploration of life, death, memory, and war?
Whether we sail into the fires of war on Yaoqing, or explore the ancient secrets of Fanghu, the magic of this interstellar journey is that its next stop is always worth picking apart for clues, and waiting for with excited anticipation.