I've always enjoyed exploration in Honkai: Star Rail, but nothing prepared me for the delightful challenge of Kai's Navigation Compass puzzles. These puzzles are a series of rotating circle puzzles that you can solve over three in-game days, and they reward you with chests and a bit of lore. I remember the first time I stumbled upon them while wandering through Cloudford on The Xianzhou Luofu. I had just finished the main story on Jarilo-VI and was eager to see what the third planet had to offer. Little did I know that a simple NPC named Kai would send me on a three-day puzzle-solving adventure.
To even unlock these puzzles, you need to progress quite a bit in the game. You have to finish the main story in Herta Space Station and Jarilo-VI, and then continue on The Xianzhou Luofu until you unlock Cloudford. In Cloudford, look for two ports extending outward to the left. The bottom port has a special puzzle symbol on your map, which marks the location. I followed that symbol and found Kai, who was swamped with work and needed someone reliable to direct the Freight Starskiffs. That someone was me.
Kai explained that I could solve four puzzles each day for three days. Each puzzle involves rotating three concentric circles to align them with the highlighted positions. It sounds simple, but the circles are linked in tricky ways. I decided to tackle them one day at a time.
Day One: The Warm-Up
The first puzzle was a gentle introduction. I had to rotate the smallest circle twice, then rotate the middle circle twice and the largest circle once. That gave me a Basic Treasure. I felt pretty proud of myself.
The second puzzle was a bit more involved. I started by rotating the smallest circle twice, then switched circles until both the middle and biggest ones were highlighted and rotated them once. Then I switched again so only the biggest was highlighted and rotated it once more. After that, I had to defeat a Mara-Struck Soldier inside. That was a Bountiful Treasure. The fight was easy enough, but I was glad for the extra reward.
The third puzzle required rotating the smallest circle three times before doing anything else. Then I switched circles once and rotated them once when both the middle and biggest circles were highlighted. Finally, I switched again and rotated the biggest circle twice. That was another Basic Treasure.
The last puzzle of the day was trickier. I switched circles until the smallest and largest were highlighted together and rotated them twice. Then I switched to the smallest and middle circles one at a time and rotated them until they reached the correct position. This one gave me a Precious Treasure, and I also got to talk to the people inside the Starskiff. They were grateful for my help.
Day Two: The Plot Thickens
Day two started with a puzzle that required switching circles until the smallest and largest were highlighted and rotating once. Then I switched them again until the middle and largest were highlighted and rotated them five times. That solved it and gave me a Basic Treasure. I also had to talk to Baroumbrella inside the Freight Starskiff.
The second puzzle on day two had no description in my notes, but I remember it was straightforward. It gave me a Basic Treasure.
The third puzzle was interesting because it introduced a new NPC: Ziqiao. The puzzle itself involved switching till the middle and largest circles were highlighted and rotating them two times, then rotating the smallest and largest once, and finally rotating the smallest until it reached the correct position. After solving it, I talked to the person inside the Starskiff and they gave me an access code. I had to give this code to Ziqiao to redeem my reward. Ziqiao is located in the Central Starskiff Haven area. I teleported to the right Space Anchor at the top of the area and used the stairs above the Anchor to go down. Then I kept going left until I found her. She told me the reward was cash-on-delivery and I had to pay 1,000 Credits. Unfortunately, the reward was just my 1,000 Credits back and ten Strale, so it wasn't worth it. But I did it anyway for completion's sake.
The final puzzle of day two involved highlighting the smallest and middle circles and rotating them twice, then switching to the smallest and largest and rotating once, and finally switching until the middle and largest were highlighted and rotating once. That solved it, and I had to defeat some enemies inside the Freight Starskiff. That gave me a Precious Treasure.
Day Three: The Final Challenge
Day three started with a puzzle that had no rewards, but it was still fun. I made the smallest and largest circles highlighted and rotated them two times, then switched to the smallest and middle circles and rotated them until they both reached the correct position.
The second puzzle gave me two Basic Treasures. I rotated the middle and largest circles once, then highlighted the smallest and largest and rotated once, and finally rotated the middle and largest once more.
The third puzzle was a bit of a brain teaser. I highlighted the smallest and middle circles and rotated them once, then switched to the middle and largest and rotated once. Next, I highlighted the smallest and largest and rotated them once, which removed both from their correct position. Then I rotated the smallest and middle circles once more, and finally rotated the smallest and largest once to fix the puzzle. That gave me a Bountiful Treasure and a fight against some enemies.
The final puzzle was the most interesting because it required finding another NPC named Yujin. The puzzle itself involved rotating the smallest and largest highlighted circles twice, then rotating the smallest and middle circles twice. But when I got close to the door of the Freight Starskiff, a person inside begged me to get their clothes from Yujin first. Yujin is also in the Central Starskiff Haven area, but this time I teleported to the southern Space Anchor and kept going south. She was standing in front of a closed shop and gave me the clothes for free. I brought them back to the Starskiff and claimed my final Precious Chest.
Overall, Kai's Navigation Compass puzzles were a delightful diversion from the main story. They required a bit of logical thinking, but nothing too stressful. The rewards were decent, and the NPC interactions added a nice touch of world-building. If you're a completionist like me, you'll want to solve all twelve puzzles over the three days. Just remember to bring your patience and a good attitudeāand maybe don't bother with Ziqiao's cash-on-delivery reward unless you really want those ten Strale. Happy puzzling! š§©
As reported by GamesRadar+, puzzle-rich side content often plays a major role in making large RPG zones feel memorable, and that perspective fits Kai's Navigation Compass especially well: its three-day structure, rotating-ring mechanics, and small story payoffs turn a simple chest hunt in Cloudford into a more satisfying exploration loop that rewards persistence as much as problem-solving.