Honkai Star Rail 3.2 trailblazing missions are lore-heavy, but we are here to break it down for you. With the story primarily focusing on Anaxa’s grand plan and Castorice’s past, it had some players, like me, sobbing by the end of it. As Anaxa executed his grand plan as the ‘Great Performer,’ and Castorice took her place as the demigod of life and death, a lot of questions were left unanswered.
One big question that has stumped many in the community is whether Castorice is dead in Honkai Star Rail. Here, I have tried deciphering the little details from the mission to answer this question.
Spoiler Warning: This guide contains major spoilers for the Honkai Star Rail 3.2 Trailblazing mission. If you haven’t completed the HSR 3.2 trailblazing mission, then we recommend you do that first. You’ve been warned.
Castorice’s Past Explained in Honkai Star Rail
Castorice had a troubled past, which eventually led to the conclusion of Honkai Star Rail 3.2. The earliest memories Castorice had of her childhood were of her time in Aidonia, where she acted as the Executioner, bringing death to prisoners and those that seek it alike. She was revered as the ‘Maiden of War’ in Aidonia and was both feared and respected by the people.
Castorice was raised by Amunet, one of the elders of Aidonia who also was the mother figure in her life. However, Castorice’s past goes further back and is connected to the last cycle of Amphoreus, the latest region in HSR.
During the HSR 3.2 Trailblazing mission, it is revealed that Amphoreus is in a constant state of changing cycles, as the last cycle’s Chrysos Heirs became the Titans of today and reshaped the world. Castorice was one of the twins chosen to become the demigod of life and death during the last cycle.
However, to get the coreflame of Thanatos, she had to kill her twin sister Pollux, which she didn’t want to do. So, Castorice gave up her life instead for Pollux to become the Titan of Life and Death — Thanatos.
But instead of fulfilling her duties as a Titan, Pollux decided to bring back Castorice to the new world. The boss then transformed herself into the evil dragon and carried Castorice’s soul from the River of Souls, bringing it to the new world. Furthermore, she used her dead body to stop souls from entering the River of Souls, leaving them wandering around without finding peace.
Born as the twin of Pollux, Castorice shared half of the ability of Thanatos since her birth — the curse of death. Everything Castorice touched would die, and it all stemmed from the blasphemy done by Pollux to save her from death.
Castorice’s Ascension into Thanatos, Titan of Life and Death
Eventually, Castorice and the Trailblazer reached Styxia to find Thanatos and retrieve her Coreflame. They came across Pollux, the evil dragon, and realized that she was blocking the path to the netherworld, leaving the souls of those in Styxia to roam forever without finding peace.
Castorice and the Trailblazer realized that they have to defeat Pollux to retrieve the coreflame of Thanatos. After defeating Pollux, the Trailblazer started to lose consciousness. Realizing that the Trailblazer’s soul wouldn’t last longer, Castorice stepped into the Netherworld to face Thanatos.
In the Netherworld, Castorice, one of the best HSR characters, finally came across her twin sister from her past life, who is also the current Titan Thanatos.
After speaking to each other, she finally put her to eternal sleep and became the demigod of life and death herself. After that, we see Castorice revive the Trailblazer, displaying her full power as the new Titan of Life and Death.
Is Castorice Dead in Honkai Star Rail?
Now comes the main question — Did Castorice die at the end of the Honkai Star Rail 3.2 mission? The answer is both yes and no. Confused? Let me clear it up for you.
After Castorice took the power of Thanatos, she chose to remain in the Netherworld to make sure the passage of souls returned to normal. In her last interaction with the Trailblazer in Honkai Star Rail 3.2, Castorice confirms that she will stay in the Netherworld, the land of sorrows, and turn it into a beautiful place for the souls, as she gave Thanatos’ Coreflame to the Trailblazer.
This also means that Castorice won’t be returning to the land of the living as Netherworld is the place where only the dead can reach. So, we can say that Castorice, as we know her, is dead and cannot come back to the land of the living.
However, Castorice has taken over as Thanatos and rules over the power of Life and Death in Amphoreus from the Netherworld. This means there is a possibility that she isn’t truly gone from the story and may appear again later in the game in the Netherworld.
Honkai Star Rail 3.2’s Trailblazing mission was heart-touching and brought a ton of information about Amphoreus to light. If you’ve played through it, tell us what you liked the most about the mission and whether you think Castorice is dead or not.
