If you’re a new or returning Honkai: Star Rail player, you’ve almost certainly heard of Pom Pom, the feisty, fluffy conductor of the Astral Express. They’re the face of most in-game events, hand out tons of free rewards, and have some of the most charming dialogue in the entire game. But if you’re still working through the early game content, you might not have figured out how to track them down yet. If you’re wondering how to get to Pom Pom in Honkai Star Rail as a new or returning player, we’ve got all the actionable steps you need below.
How to Get to Pom Pom in Honkai Star Rail for First-Time Players
If you’re just starting your HSR journey, you won’t be able to access Pom Pom immediately, no matter how hard you look. The Astral Express, where Pom Pom lives full-time, only unlocks after you complete the first segment of the main story on Herta Space Station. I remember being stuck for 20 minutes when I first started playing, trying to find a warp point to the Express before I realized I had to finish the Herta Space Station opening first. Don’t make that same mistake!
You’ll need to play through the tutorial until you defeat the first Doomsday Beast fragment, wrap up the initial interaction with Kafka, and get invited onto the Express by March 7th and Dan Heng. That takes roughly 30 to 45 minutes of playtime, depending on how fast you read through dialogue. You don’t need to complete any extra side quests to unlock your first visit with Pom Pom, just follow the golden main story quest markers until you step onto the Express.
Once you’re on board, walk past the main seating area where March and Dan Heng usually hang out, and you’ll find Pom Pom standing right outside the cockpit door. They’ll usually be tidying up, muttering about messy passengers, or waiting to give you your next set of story quests. You can talk to them as many times as you want once you unlock this area, no restrictions apply.
Fast Shortcuts to Reach Pom Pom Mid-Game
Once you’ve unlocked the Astral Express, you don’t have to trek all the way back to Herta Space Station every time you want to talk to Pom Pom. The devs have added a bunch of handy shortcuts that let you reach them in seconds, no matter what planet you’re currently exploring. These shortcuts save me tons of time every week when I’m claiming event rewards and turning in daily quests.
The fastest physical travel option is the direct warp to the Astral Express. Open your map, tap the location dropdown menu at the top of the screen, and select “Astral Express” from the list of available areas. You’ll spawn directly in the main carriage, less than 10 steps away from Pom Pom’s usual spot. For daily check-in rewards and minor event interactions, you can access Pom Pom directly from the in-game phone’s event tab during most limited-time event periods, so you don’t even have to travel to the Express at all.
Which shortcut should you use? It depends on what you need to talk to Pom Pom for, we’ve broken down the best options for common scenarios below:
- You need to turn in a daily quest or claim a login reward: Use the event tab shortcut on your phone to skip travel entirely
- You need to unlock a new main story quest line that starts on the Astral Express: Use the quick warp option from any map's location menu
- You want to unlock hidden character dialogues or secret rewards with Pom Pom: Warp to the Express and speak to them in person after completing every major story arc
If you’re actively on a Pom Pom-related quest, the game will also usually add a direct navigation button to your quest sidebar. Tap that button once, and you’ll be taken straight to their location automatically, no extra steps needed.
Common Issues That Block Access to Pom Pom
Sometimes you might try to reach Pom Pom and hit a wall, even if you’ve already unlocked the Astral Express. These issues are almost always easy to fix once you know what’s causing them, and you won’t need to contact support to resolve 99% of them.
The most common issue is not being far enough in the main story. If you don’t see the Astral Express as an option on your warp menu, you still have pending main story quests to complete on Herta Space Station. If you’re stuck on this step, just follow the golden main quest marker until you get the cutscene that invites you onto the Express, and the warp option will unlock immediately.
Another common problem is being stuck in a temporary story instance. If you’re in the middle of a closed story segment, like the Scalegorge Waterscape arc on the Xianzhou Luofu, you won’t be able to warp out to the Express until you finish that part of the quest. You also won’t be able to warp if you have an active side quest that requires you to stay in a specific area, like item collection quests on Jarilo-VI. If that’s the case, you can either finish the quest first or abandon it from your quest menu to unlock the warp option.
In very rare cases, Pom Pom might not spawn on the Express even after you’ve unlocked the area. If that happens, just close and restart the game, that fixes the spawn bug for almost every player that runs into it.
Hidden Perks of Visiting Pom Pom Regularly
Tracking down Pom Pom isn’t just required for main story progression, it’s also one of the easiest ways to get free rewards and extra lore in the game. I make a point to stop by and talk to them at least once a week, and I’ve earned thousands of extra Stellar Jades over the last year just from that small habit.
The biggest perk is free reward drops after every major story update. You can get up to 300 free Stellar Jades per story update just by checking in with Pom Pom after you finish the new main quest line. They also hand out free credits, upgrade materials, and even rare relics sometimes as a thank you for keeping the Express running smoothly.
You can also unlock tons of hidden lore and fun dialogue snippets by talking to Pom Pom with different characters on your team. For example, if you bring Kafka on your visit, Pom Pom will complain about her leaving empty coffee cups all over the Express the last time she visited. If you bring March 7th, they’ll bicker about who left a pile of snack wrappers on the couch. These small interactions don’t give rewards, but they add a ton of charm to the game.
Finally, Pom Pom is the starting point for almost all limited-time event quests. If you log in during an event and don’t see a quest marker for the new content, your first stop should be Pom Pom on the Astral Express. You can also unlock special pom-pom themed furniture for your dormitory by completing repeatable daily quests from Pom Pom, which are some of the cutest furniture items in the entire game.
At the end of the day, finding Pom Pom is a straightforward process once you get past the early game tutorial, and the rewards you get from visiting them regularly are more than worth the small effort it takes. Whether you’re a new player just figuring out how to get to Pom Pom in Honkai Star Rail or a returning player looking for the fastest shortcut to claim your event rewards, these steps will help you reach the beloved Express conductor in seconds. Don’t forget to talk to them every time you finish a story chapter, you might be surprised how many free rewards you’ve been missing out on.
