- Honkai: Star Rail Version 40 will launch on February 13
- Update adds new planet, new characters, CCG and new events
- Plus, the chance to get a free limited five-star character and 1,600 Stellar Jade
Oh no, they’ve done it now: a collectible card game is coming to Honkai Star Rail in the upcoming 4.0 update.
Sure, there are two new playable characters, a handful of new or expanded events, a generous amount of goodies, and a whole new planet to explore – but I know where I stand. Really about to lose all my gaming time.
Before I get lost in the excitement of yet another game where you collect digital trading cards, let me touch on the real key updates that are coming to version 4.0, “No Aha At Full Moon,” when it launches on February 13th.
So the characters. Yao Guang, a five-star physical character on the new Elation path, will join the game when the update launches. As a support, she causes allies to deal Elation damage and aims to cause additional triggers of the new Aha Instants mechanic that causes other Elation characters to activate specific skills. A pretty vital element, then, if you’re building a team around the new path.
In early March, she is followed by Sparxie, a five-star Fire character who is also on her way to Elation. As a damage dealer, she is the ideal partner for Yao Guang, with the ability to increase your team’s critical damage and unleash a barrage of Elation damage by consuming skill points.
Of the two, I’m more drawn to Yao Guang, simply because we’ve seen how powerful supports can be throughout the lifecycle of the Honkai Star Rail. However, without a true damage dealer Elation to accompany her, she might be harder to slot into teams without Sparxie by her side – but perhaps patch 4.1 will help with that by providing more options.
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Of course, spending the saved currency to get new characters is only part of the fun with a new update. Especially when it comes to a flagship update that will add a massive new planet named Planarcadia to explore.
You’ll visit the bustling metropolis of Duomension City with the main goal of competing in the Phantasmoon Games, where the top prize is an audience with a god and the chance to become an Aeon for one minute. I’m not deeply familiar with the history of Honkai Star Rail, but this seems like a pretty powerful boon to me.
What catches my attention is one of the many new events coming in 4.0. Yes, I’m back on the CCG. Named “Cosmicon Collective,” it looks like you can travel the world, challenge others to unlock new cards, and build your deck with iconic characters, monsters, and figures from the game. That’s what I’m all about.
Other things revealed in today’s livestream include a magazine management game (maybe a little too much like a busman’s vacation for me), a 2D side-scrolling platformer, which should be a fun change of pace from all the turn-based combat, and an expansion of the much-loved Currency Wars mode.
Look on it
Since this is a big 4.0 update, Hoyoverse is also banking on gifts for this patch. The title is that you can claim one of seven five-star characters from the pool of Jing Yuan, Kafka, Dan Heng – Imbibitor Lunae, Jinglui, Sparkle, Acheron, and Aventurine.
A free outfit for Ruan Mei, 20 special Star Rail passes and 1,600 Stellar Jade are also given out. With the latter, there is a 0.01% chance that you will also obtain 100 special Star Rail passes. I don’t have much hope myself, given my luck on gacha banners so far, but maybe the tide is turning.
Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.0 will launch on February 13. The free RPG is now available on PC, mobile and PlayStation 5.
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