HoYoverse has held its Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.4 Special Program, revealing details about the next five-star character, Himeko Nova, the two new characters for the Fate/stay night collaboration, version events, and more.
Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.3 left off with the Lord Ravager Asat Pramad attacking various areas on Planarcadia and the members of the Astral Express, and Version 4.4 shows the aftermath of his planet-wide destruction. At the same time, Himeko and Asat Pramad disappear, and the Astral Express crew work to track her down.
A new version of Himeko is being released with Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.4, Himeko Nova, a Fire character on the Path of Erudition. When on the field, she summons the Starblazer mech and creates a territory. Using her Ultimate, everyone on the team pilots Starblazer, dealing massive damage to everything on the battlefield.
Himeko Nova can also increase allies’ damage and recharge the Assist Skill, a new skill that teammates can use to call in Starblazer and get special buffs if the teammate is an Astral Express member (and yes, this includes the unofficial-for-now member Sunday). This also includes the variants of the Astral Express crew, like Evernight and Dan Heng: Permansor Terrae.
Himeko Nova will be available for the entire Version 4.4 patch. In the first half, Sparxie, Dan Heng: Permansor Terrae, and Evernight will be available, while the Second half will feature Cerydra, Anaxa, and Aventurine.
At the same time, the second iteration of the Fate/stay night crossover is coming with Version 4.4 on July 24, 2026. As previously revealed, Rin Tohsaka and Gilgamesh are coming to the game. This time, they’ll join in the Imagenae: Holy Grail War after Rin uses the Holy Grail in an attempt to get her magic back.
However, she does this in Planarcadia, and it’s powered with Wishpower, Rin’s memories, and the Trailblazer’s memories, as they’re the owner of the current Holy Grail. At the same time, scattered treasures rain from the skies. Gilgamesh wants them back, which leads him to Planarcadia, too.
In combat, Rin Tohsaka is a Quantum character who follows the Path of Erudition. She uses various powers she encounters across worlds. She accumulates gem energy, which is powered when allies use or replenish Skill Points. Her skill levels up with enough gem energy, and she can dish out more powerful AoE damage. Her Ultimate summons a giant bow and deals AoE damage while recovering a Skill Point.
Archer has a special interaction with Rin when they’re on the same team. They can launch a joint follow-up attack and recover Skill Points.
Gilgamesh is a Lightning character on the Path of Destruction. When he enters combat, Gilgamesh is bored and will only use his. As allies take action, he’ll gain interest. Once he’s accumulated enough interest, he’ll be able to attack with his powerful AoE Skill and Ultimate.
When Saber and Gilgamesh are on the same team, they’ll unleash a follow-up attack, and he’ll gain interest from it.
From July 24, 2026 until the end of Version 4.6, players can pick Gilgamesh or Archer for free. Players will also receive their upgrade materials. Rin Tohsaka and Gilgamesh will have their own banners at the same time. The guaranteed count for the banner will merge with the other Fate/stay night banners, and they’ll also be available long-term.
After spending 200 Star Rail Special Passes, players will be able to choose between Gilgamesh’s and Archer’s Light Cone to claim for free.
Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.4 will have several events as well, including the Antigraft Brickbuster. This event comes as Aventurine asks players to investigate the IPC, and Silver Wolf helps players hack into the organization’s firewall with Tetris-like gameplay.
Currency Wars: Zero-Sum game is also getting an update with new characters, new levels and rank difficulty, and more. The Planar Fissure and Garden of Plenty events will also be there, as well as the Gift of Odyssey. Sparxie is also getting a new outfit in the store, and the Trailblazer has new fashion and a new pet in the upcoming version, too.
There are also a few quality-of-life updates, such as a one-button character level-up, Light Cone level-up, and achievement claiming.
Players can watch the Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.4 Special Program here, or check out the trailer below:
Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.4 is set to release on July 15, 2026, on PC, PlayStation 5, and mobile devices (iOS and Android).
As always, here are the limited-time codes available to celebrate the Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.4 Special Program:
- WAK84U29VLYP: 100x Stellar Jades, 50,000x Credits
- HT3QMCJ9U4JB: 100x Stellar Jades, 5x Traveler’s Guide
- XTJ9MV38DL3X: 100x Stellar Jades, 4x Refined Aether
