Who is Firefly in Honkai Star Rail?

Updated on June 20, 11:31 a.m. (GMT+8): Added more details on Firefly’s background.

Ever since she first appeared in the Honkai Star Rail Version 1.6’s “Crown of the Mundane and Divine” Special Program, everyone has been asking — who is Firefly?

If you listen to the audio of the special program version 2.0, Sunday doesn’t even mention or talk about her. Her name and portrait were flashed across the screen without acknowledgement from the speakers.

A mysterious, cute girl who captured the attention of fans, HoYoverse has been holding out on her, not giving us any hint about who she is or her role in Penacony — until now.

Warning: Major spoilers if you haven’t played the quest “Sleepless Night” added in Honkai Star Rail 2.0’s update.

Who is Firefly in Honkai Star Rail? Here’s a summary of her story in Penacony’s main storyline quest

Once you enter the Dreamscape, you’ll be led through a series of events during main quest “Sleepless Night.”

After meeting Dr Edward, you’re tasked to investigate a disturbance in the open plaza where two thugs are threatening Firefly, calling her a “stowaway.”

The moment she sees the Trailblazer, she will ask for your help, which leads to a quick battle.

Without missing a beat, Gallagher steps in after you attain victory where you’ll see his handsome, scruffy face for the first time. We learn that he’s a security officer deployed by the Bloodhound Family to maintain order at the Charmony Festival. The two officers are his subordinates.

They explain to him that she appears suspicious, but he dismisses their accusations because the report states that the suspect is a male with silver hair, not a female.

Calling Firefly as an “honored guest,” he doesn’t believe that she could possibly be a stowaway — that is, a person who enters the Dreamscape illegally.

To thank you for saving her, Firefly offers to take you around town, and unconvincingly claims that she works for The Family.

We don’t learn much about her during the next few segments, as it’s really to help you get acquainted with the town, its mini games, and… Sampo.

The meat of the story starts after during “Gentleness, the Name of Nocturne” quest when you agree to follow her to her secret hideout located at the border of Golden Hour where The Family is still building and constructing the Dreamscape.

After solving a bunch of puzzles and learning new mechanics, you finally arrive at a rooftop which Firefly says is “the closest place to the sky” in the Dreamscape.

At the same time, the song “If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking” by Robin, a famous singer in the Dreamscape, plays in the background.

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Firefly explains that she likes this spot because it’s far away from the hustle and bustle of the city below, a city where “everyone falls asleep here equally, regardless of our different agendas.”

She then admits that she is, indeed, a stowaway — an illegal immigrant of the Dreamscape.

An interstellar refugee just like many of the locals in Penacony, her homeland was destroyed, possibly by the Legion or the Swarm. The Harmony accepts everyone and The Family takes in these refugees, but she feels that they don’t truly belong here.

Still, she admits she has a dream she wants to achieve in the real world but cannot, which is why she’s giving it a shot here.

The next big reveal? On top of her sad circumstances, she’s also suffering from Entropy Loss Syndrome which causes a dissociation from the physical structure around them. Those affected slow down “until the lines between your body and the entire world become blurry,” until they can’t tell reality from dreams.

Finally, she drops the bomb: her goal is to go after the Watchmaker’s Legacy — which is also the name of the new relic set, the Master of Dream Machinations.

Warning: Major spoilers if you haven’t played “Should One Awaken at Midnight,” a continuation quest about Firefly in Honkai Star Rail 2.0 main storyline.

Your adventures with Firefly aren’t over. Just before you enter The Reverie in the Dreamscape, the fake Sampo appears. Revealing her true colors, Sparkle drops her disguise and sends both of you to the “real” Dreamscape called Memory Zone.

After running through what seems like a loop of passageways scattered with TV screens, you encounter a boss called Memory Zone Meme “Something Unto Death”. Halfway through the battle, Black Swan appears to lend you a hand.

Once that’s settled, you finally wake up for real, finding yourself back in your room in The Reverie. Regrouping with your crew, you decide to jump back into Memory Zone using Silver Wolf’s code that’ll let you bypass the “fake” Dreamscape and into the real one.

With the help of Black Swan and Acheron, you retrace her footsteps until you reach The Reverie’s Dreamscape lobby.

And that’s when things escalate quickly.

Out of a void, the Memory Zone Meme “Something Unto Death” appears again, flies past you, thrusts Firefly into the air, and stabs her.

Falling down into Trailblazer’s arms, she dies and disappears into a sea of bubbles. We learn, implied through the dialogue with Acheron and Black Swan, is that if you die in the Dreamscape, it’s no different from dying in real life.

And with that, Firefly’s story ends… At least, in version 2.0.

With Firefly gone, you’ll then encounter SAM, the Stellaron Hunters’ imposing mech. Later, it’s revealed that Firefly is the pilot who controls SAM from within. They operate as a single unit.

To deal with her Entropy Loss Syndrome, she relies on SAM, which she initially describes as an “icy medical cabin.” Essentially, SAM becomes her life support system, allowing her to interact with the world.

Later in the story, a shocking revelation comes. Firefly’s arrival in Penacony isn’t random. It’s tied to a prophecy by Elio, which states that Firefly must die three times.

You’ve witnessed her first few deaths, now are you ready for the final one?

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READ MORE: Full list of all Honkai Star Rail characters: Rarity, combat type, paths, voice actors