If you just pulled your dream 5-star unit after saving up 100+ Stellar Jades for a banner, you’re probably tired of running around Jarilo-VI or the Xianzhou Luofu with the default Trailblazer you picked on launch day. That’s when you start looking for how to change main character in Honkai: Star Rail, and it’s totally normal to get confused at first – the game hides the option behind a few easy-to-miss menu taps, especially if you’re a brand new player who hasn’t dug through all the settings yet. We’ve tested every method across PC, mobile, and PlayStation 5 to pull together this no-fluff guide, so you don’t have to waste 20 minutes fumbling through menus when you could be exploring or farming materials. We’ll cover everything from open world leader swaps to story Trailblazer changes, plus common mistakes to avoid so you don’t mess up your team setup mid-exploration.
How to Change Main Character in Honkai: Star Rail for Open World Exploration
Swapping your open world lead is the most common type of main character change, and it only takes a few taps regardless of what device you play on. This swap lets you control any unit in your current party while you run around the open world, and activates their unique exploration passive skills automatically. The steps vary slightly by platform, so follow the guide that matches your device:
- On mobile: Tap the character icon in the top right corner of your screen, then select the “Formation” tab from the bottom menu. Tap the unit you want to set as your lead, then press the “Set as Leader” button on the right side of the screen.
- On PC: Press the C key to open your character roster, navigate to the Formation tab with your mouse, left-click the unit you want as your main, then select the Set as Leader option listed below their stats.
- On PlayStation: Press the Options button to open the main menu, scroll to the Characters tab, select Formation, highlight your desired unit with the D-pad, then press X to confirm and set them as your main character.
It’s worth noting that this swap only applies to the unit you control while running around the open world. You’ll still see the default Trailblazer in all mandatory main story cutscenes, even if you have a different unit set as your lead. That’s a common point of frustration for a lot of players, but it’s intentional to keep the story consistent across all player accounts.
Can You Change the Story Main Character (Trailblazer) Permanently?
A lot of new players assume they can swap the canonical story protagonist to their favorite 5-star unit, but that’s not the case right now. You cannot fully replace the Trailblazer as the story’s protagonist in current game updates, as they are the core of Honkai: Star Rail’s overarching narrative. That said, you do have some options to customize your Trailblazer to fit your playstyle as you progress through the game.
First, you can swap the Trailblazer’s path and element once you complete the corresponding story arc. So far, players can unlock Physical, Fire, and Ice paths for the Trailblazer, with more expected to drop as new regions and story chapters release. To swap their element, open the Data Bank, select the Trailblazer profile, choose the unlocked path you want to use, and confirm the swap. You can only make this change when you’re not in combat or a story domain, so plan ahead if you want to use a specific Trailblazer element for an upcoming fight.
Another common question is whether you can swap your Trailblazer’s gender after starting the game, and as of now, the answer is no. HoYoverse hasn’t announced any plans to add a gender swap feature, so if you’re still early in the game and regret your initial choice, you’re better off restarting your account before you sink too many hours into it. I made that mistake on my first playthrough, picking Caelus without realizing I could pick Stelle instead, and I ended up restarting after 8 hours of play because I didn’t want to be stuck with a protagonist I didn’t connect with.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Swapping Your Main Character
Swapping your main seems simple, but there are a few common mistakes that can lead to frustrating moments if you don’t watch out for them. The first and most frequent mistake is forgetting to adjust your team formation after swapping your lead. Your main character is always the first unit in your party for open world combat encounters, so if you swap to a squishy support like Natasha as your lead, you might get one-shot by high-level overworld enemies if you don’t adjust your team to include a shielder or healer backup.
Another mistake is trying to swap your main during a story domain or active combat sequence. The game locks all formation changes during these moments to prevent bugs or story inconsistencies, so you’ll have to wait until you’re back in the open world to make any swaps. If you’re stuck in a domain with a team setup that’s not working, you’ll have to abandon the domain first to adjust your lead.
Third, don’t forget to level up your new main before you swap to them. Even if you just pulled a limited 5-star unit, if they’re level 1 with no light cone or relics equipped, they’ll get destroyed by even low-level overworld enemies. Always make sure your lead unit is leveled to at least the same level as the enemies in the region you’re exploring before you set them as your main. I learned this the hard way when I swapped to a brand new Blade immediately after pulling him, and got one-shot by a level 70 enemy on Jarilo-VI because I forgot to level him first.
Quick Tips to Make Swapping Your Main Character Faster
Once you swap your main regularly, you’ll want to cut down on the time you spend navigating menus to make changes. The easiest way to do this is to set up 2-3 pre-saved formation presets for different activities. You can save up to 5 presets in the Formation menu, so make one for exploration, one for combat, and one for material farming. That way you can swap your entire team and main character with one tap instead of adjusting units individually every time.
If you play on PC, you can set a custom keybind for opening the Formation menu directly in the settings, so you don’t have to press C and navigate through multiple tabs every time you want to make a swap. On mobile, you can also tap the small character portraits in the bottom left corner of the open world screen to quickly swap between your 4 party members without opening the full menu. That’s perfect for when you need to use a specific character’s exploration skill, like Herta’s long-range item pickup or March 7th’s ice bridge creation, on the fly.
If you play on multiple devices, make sure you wait for the save icon to disappear after you make formation changes before closing the game. I’ve had times where I set up a new preset on my PC, then opened the game on my phone later and found the preset was gone because I didn’t wait for the cloud sync to finish. It’s a small hassle, but waiting 10 seconds will save you from redoing all your presets later.
Once you get the hang of how to change main character in Honkai: Star Rail, you’ll be able to customize your play experience way more than you might expect. Whether you want to run around with your favorite unit for fun, use exploration passives to farm chests faster, or optimize your team for open world combat, the swap feature makes it all possible with just a few taps. If you run into a bug where your main character won’t save after a swap, a quick restart of the game almost always fixes the issue – it’s a small, common glitch that HoYoverse hasn’t fully patched out yet. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different lead units for different activities, you might be surprised how much faster some tasks become when you use the right unit for the job.
