In the July update 4.4 Honkai: StarRail The most anticipated event of the summer will take place - the release of the sequel collaborations with Fate/SNTo celebrate this, the game will introduce several new characters, expand the regions of Ahatopia, and allow players to participate in two storylines dedicated to the main story of Two-Dimensionalism and the beginning of a new Holy Grail War.
Honkai: Star Rail 4.4 release date
Version 4.4 in XSR will begin July 15, 2026Pre-loading in the HoyoPlay launcher, which allows you to download all the necessary files in advance, will become available a couple of days before this date.
Developer Stream
The broadcast, which showed the prepared innovations and events, took place July 3, 2026Three special songs were also voiced there. promo code, the activation of which will bring a total of 300 star jades:
- WAK84U29VLYP (Pumpkin) — ×100 Star Jade, ×50,000 Credits.
- HT3QMCJ9U4JB (Pumpkin) - ×100 Star Jade, ×5 Traveler's Guide.
- XTJ9MV38DL3X (Pumpkin) — ×100 star jade, ×5 purified ether.
What will be the banners
The patch is expected to release three new heroes at once:
- Himeko Nova is the SP form of the familiar Star Express navigator. Her abilities are primarily focused on interacting with other Nameless on the battlefield.
- Rin Tohsaka is a magical girl who came to Two-Dimensional to practice magic and participate in the Holy Grail War. Signature ally for Archer's arrow, which interacts effectively with characters that spend skill points.
- Gilgamesh, the legendary warrior king, also decided to join the competition. Suitable for support swordswoman Saber and other fighters who play with superpowers and energy.
Event Jumps
Throughout the patch, July 15 to August 25 2026 of the year, the Jump will be in effect Himeko: Nova (Erudition: Fire)In this regard, in all event banners the composition of the fours will be the same:
- Characters: Moze (The Hunt: Lightning), Hanya (Harmony: Physical) и Serval (Erudition: Lightning).
- Cones: "After the Calm of Harmony" (Erudition), "Under the Blue Sky" (Destruction) and The Birth of the Self (Erudition).
Phase One (July 15 – August 5)
During the first three weeks you will be able to knock out:
- Spark (Joy: Fire) Dazzled by a Flowery World.
- Tribute to Heng: Liberator of the Wasteland (Save: Physical) Though Worlds Apart.
- Evernight (Remembrance: Ice) To Evernight's Stars.
Second phase (August 5–25)
From the middle of the patch until its end, the following banners will be active:
- Keridry (Harmony: Windy) "The Age of Golden Blood".
- Anaxes (Erudition: Windy) Life Should Be Cast to Flames.
- Aventurine (Preservation: Imaginary) Inherently Unjust Destiny.
Joint collaboration jumps
As part of the ongoing collaboration, special banners of alien characters July 24 will be joined by two more participants - Rin Tohsaka (Erudition: Quantum) и Gilgamesh (Destruction: Electric)Like previous Jumps, they will last indefinitely.
New content
Version 4.4 will expand the main story of Two-Dimensions, the list of available cones, and the territories of Ahatopia open for exploration.
Continuation of the plot
The missions of the fifth chapter of Exploration, "The Horn at the End of the World," will focus on the open confrontation between the Nameless and Asat Pramad, who has revealed his identity to all the inhabitants of the world of Ahi. After the decisive battle with Lord Ravager, you'll be able to learn more about the story of Navigator Himeko.
light cones
Source: honeyhunterworld
Three weapon cards will be released along with their owners:
- Himeko Nova's signature When a star lights up the night sky Increases the target's defense ignorance percentage by 32-48%. When the wearer uses a support skill, they restore 6 energy and gain 1 level of a special status effect that lasts 2 turns and stacks up to 3 times. Each stack of this effect increases the damage of the support skill by 20-40%. When the number of status levels reaches 3, the damage of the wearer's super ability increases by 20-40%.
- Rin Tohsaka's Armament Twinkling Stars Grants a bonus to CS of 18-30%. If an ally uses 4 or more skill points during their turn, the cone bearer gains a status effect for 3 turns, allowing the unit to ignore 20-36% of enemy defense and increasing the owner's skill damage by 72-120%.
- Signa of Gilgamesh "I am everything that is before my eyes." Increases attack power by 18-30% and energy regeneration by 10-20%. When a character activates a super ability, its damage increases by 0.2-0.4% for each unit of energy spent, up to 72-144%. At the beginning of a battle or after activating an ultimate, the hero receives a 3-turn buff that increases the CD of all allies by 24-48%.
Planar ornaments
Source: honeyhunterworld
The Divergent Universe will be replenished with a new enemy and two sets from him:
- Signature equipment "Port of Falling Stars" for the SP Express Navigator and other crew members. Increases critical hit chance by 8% and increases critical hit damage by 32% if the wearer has at least two Nameless characters in their party, including themselves.
- Special relics from the "Biological Research Institute" for heroes whose abilities rely on their energy reserves. If their energy reserves are greater than or equal to 200 at the start of a battle, for each point above this value, damage dealt is increased by 0.2%, up to a maximum of 32%.
Locations
The two-dimensional world will expand into two areas, connected to the Painted World and the actions of Asat Pramad:
- The capital of the gaping maw of evil - a city distorted by Lord Ravager.
- Cradle of the Falling Star — the place where the Star Express crashed and set off again.
Weekly Boss
Lord of myriad forms in the void, Asat Pramad is a new, especially dangerous enemy to face in the story. The boss has three phases, corresponding to his identities: Masked Klutz, Express Navigator, and Lord Ravager. Each form possesses a set of devastating attacks and unique mechanics. After defeating him, you can face him again in Echoes of War: Comedy of Annihilation to farm the resource needed to level up future character tracks.
New streamer costume and decoration for the Pathfinder
The klutz Iskra will receive a special outfit Sweet Waves, which can be purchased in the in-game Fashion Showcase store for 1350 Ancient Dream Essences at a discount throughout the patch, and later for 1680. At the same time, players will be able to purchase a unique mask for the Pathfinder. Ancient Companion in the "Stardust Gift" for 800 Lone Star Dust.
Pet Emoji
In the same store, a special companion will be sold for 1600 Lone Star Dust. Five Flavors EmojiThe yellow ball flies behind the active character and changes its facial expression depending on interactions with them and their surroundings. During certain dialogues, the pet will also react to events.
Collaboration with Fate/SN
The second chapter of the Holy Grail War storyline will take place in Ahatopia. The sequel will add a chain of missions, a major combat event, and new long-term Event Jumps.
Plot and event
"The Holy Grail War and Phantasms" is a story chapter dedicated to the launch of new competitions fueled by the desires of the inhabitants of Ahatopia. A valuable relic, capable of making any dream come true, has been stolen and used by unknown parties to revive past events. Join the sorceress Rin in search of the artifact and restore order to Two-Dimensionalism.
"Fate: Night on the Starry Road" is the main event, starting on July 24th. The familiar turn-based battles will be complemented by the mechanic of acquiring and drawing special playing cards. Using these, you can deal damage, perform skills, gain buffs, and even summon Noble Phantasms to the battlefield.
A character of your choice and a cone for spins
The distribution of the hero and weapon card, which took place in the first chapter of the collaboration, will be repeated July 24, 2026 Along with the event's launch. During the developers' stream, it was officially confirmed that all players will be able to choose between Archer and Gilgamesh until version 4.6. Spinning 200 times during the patch will grant one of two signature cones on any banner.
Version Events
Events and other minor innovations were announced during the broadcast:
- traditional login with gifts in the form of 10 event spins;
- "Anti-corruption hack" — a puzzle game in the spirit of Tricky Towers, in which you need to build a tower from falling blocks without letting it fall;
- extension Currency wars - new levels, heroes and connections;
- quick upgrade function for characters and cones with one click;
- The ability to collect rewards for unlocking achievements with one click and an achievement search bar.
What's better to get, Himeko E1 or Darkness instead of the first Eidolon for the premium memory pack (the only thing missing is that). All E0, Kasia and Giacina have the signature.
Himeko is a rather controversial character, and if we're going to go all the way back to E2, that's it. Memory Pack is no longer a young squad, and rumor has it that Zaryanka from 4.6 will be included.
Well, I can get E2 at Rerun, and if I play Darkness, maybe I could get Zaryanka in the future, too. It's just that Himeko and Memory are needed for the main character's memory, and there's no Darkness to swap it out and leave Himeko as the main character.
Himeko GG doesn't really need memory; out of everyone, Velt does more or less damage, and that's even with SP Blade. The days when one character could do everything are long gone.
The main character in this path is similar to Bronya, with additional perks for his memory stack. And the main character is more suited for Aglaya; with her, his buffs and progression are more relevant.
There's a big risk that Nova will turn out to be as flawed as Great Gerta and Cyber, for whom it's impossible to put together a proper party due to the character's limitations.
But wasn't it predicted that it would be a promoted meta?
Well, it produces decent numbers. Its development is constrained by rather narrow constraints and dubious characters.
No one predicted "Meta" for her, and no one has ever shied away from promoting trash.
Verdict is more or less playable there, given the expanded Moon Eater party options, since the Persians worked well without her, especially with Hoho in the party. Perhaps they're supposedly trying to replace Novaya, considering the news that Robin is replacing Kastoria, it's not surprising. XD
And Destruction is simply a hodgepodge of incompatible characters who themselves need other characters for normal damage and hit rate to build up their NP stacks. More of a party stopper for new players with Star Leap characters.
So all this meta-stuff will remain more under the Currency Wars.
The same problem as with V.Gertha and Cyber - potentially strong hypercarries, in fact, there is no full-fledged party of teammates constantly and many stack-builders, and they show their worth in Currency Wars thanks to connections.
So, there's no point in spinning it in principle? Who should I invest in then, the future Zaryanka?
Set your goals. If you have squads that close out the content, and none of your current characters are interesting, then you don't need to invest in anyone at all.
A pack of joy and memory, only the second ones are already closing everything with a creak, if the Himiko squad is stronger than them, then it’s better to unscrew
Everything's unclear with Himiko. She's fine at the moment. But her team... it's a bit of a hack. Based on experience with previous characters, a dedicated partner for her should be released in a patch or two, but nothing's known at all. Unless Mortenax suddenly jumps on board... It makes sense to wait a while and see what Zaryanka does; after all, she's Nova for the entire patch.
Yeah, it's like with Anaxa, who, in the end, is anywhere but with V. Hertha.)))
They themselves made it impossible for Mikhail to pull off decks with just two compatible characters, but they keep pushing these builds. Gilgamesh never saved the situation with Saber, because he alone isn't enough.
Judging by Archer, they'll be adding a third character by version 5.x. Nova basically begs to be in the Erudite pack with Gert and Anaxa under Hoho; why the hell they tied her to the Express is unclear.
If you're talking about the Kastoria pack, it's primarily an XP-burning pack, and then a faction that gives them Cyrene perks and passives based on the number of summoned spirits in the party. Consequently, there are bosses against which this is useless, and there's some balance in the game.
Himiko's squad is also mostly old-timers, the newest of whom are also from Amphorius, and most of whom are still from Sanzhou. And as experience shows, Mihai is a big fan of leaving unfinished business with filler characters. Gerta and Cyber are good examples.
It makes sense, but the prospects are questionable. They'll temporarily tweak the game modes to accommodate the new characters, but what will happen after that is anyone's guess. Another new account and party to tweak the game modes for?
Without leveling up the signals and eidolons, it's hardly playable, and without adding characters with a full combination, even more so, E6 won't really help.
IMHO, but in my opinion, it’s better to invest in eidolons and signs of fully equipped character packs, where at least 3 characters already have full interaction.
There are even more questions about Zaryanka than Nova. She's tipped to replace Kastoria, but what will replace her is the buff from Cyrene (whose buffs are only decent on Kastoria, Darkness, and Phaenon) and the damage boost based on the entire party's total max HP (which is much more stable and flexible than faction-specific, and there's clearly no shortage of HP burn artifacts and max HP). Hyacinth benefits from party HP loss, as it determines the amount of HP restored and the spirit's damage (and HP burn in this group is on Kastoria and Darkness). Darkness, on the other hand, depends more on the number of summoned spirits and Cyrene's buff, which increases the effects of memory, and the healing from HP loss (Hyacinth). So, the Kastoria, Darkness, Cyrene, and Hyacinth group has a better chance of remaining a stable group. And the fact that HP Burn is not omnipotent is that there is not a single unit in the game that would cover absolutely everything, especially at E0.
And the currently available animations for Zaryanka are more similar to the Darkness system, and most likely it will be tied to spirits and their stacks.
For the premium pack, it was necessary to spin Cyrene, the main character won’t replace her buffs on Kastoria and Darkness, it’s purely a temporary stopgap.
I couldn't shake the feeling of déjà vu for half of the video.
So, are we going to be dismantling Asata for resources in the next patch? Irontomb held out a bit longer.
Ugh, they've shoved Anaxa in the worst possible spot for me again. If only he were in the next version... Oh well, I'll hope E1 Darkness and Himeko drop quickly.
Wow, two locations.
Oh, free character, thank you.
Oh, Tyoma again? Wasn't it just recently... I need a mide cone.
Oh, another boss spoiler. No, it's perfectly clear who it is, but why leak the appearance? I might have been surprised in-game. But now I won't be.
Um, what about improvements to old characters?
Improvements have been carried over to 4.6.
It's unclear why they're spoiling the enemies. When the Zhelana patch came out, you could go and beat her in arbitration the very first second. At least they tried to preserve some of the atmosphere.
The boss was leaked along with the first Himeko/Fate leaks. These leaks are already about a month old.
There is a difference between spoilers from leakers and official spoilers.
What? They show the same thing, the leakers bring clips from the beta.
This can't be "liquid info," another game, or a neuroslope. Moreover, all these "leaks" have long been leaked with the permission of Mihai himself; otherwise, they would at least occasionally get banned.
The difference is that not everyone wants to see these spoilers. The average player who doesn't obsess over builds (and who needs to know the leaks to plan their moves) and just plays the game won't know this. But then Hoyo comes along and dumps spoilers on them.
So just watch character leaks. What's the problem? The text and videos with skills contain no plot information.
What was written above about the leaks is correct; you can simply ignore them (although geniuses on YouTube make covers with the boss).
Showing bosses and other "main characters" is nothing new and is almost always done in release trailers, in games and movies. It's no longer a spoiler, but simply a demonstration of their presence. I didn't watch the stream, but from the trailer, it doesn't seem obvious who the boss is (though it was obvious in the previous version).
Well, you can see the model, well, yes.