Honkai: Star Rail’s massive Version 4.2 and 3rd anniversary details

We’re reaching that bridge between the Spring and Summer seasons soon, so fans of Honkai: Star Rail know what that means. This means that both a new version is happening AND the 3rd anniversary of the game! With two new amazing characters joining the roster, a plethora of rewards, an exciting story expansion, and more, you’re gonna wanna grab hold of your seats and strap in for all these juicy new details. Planarcadia’s only just starting and things are heating up, so strap in Trailblazers, and prepare for Version 4.2.

HoYoverse announced on April 10th, 2026, the details of Honkai: Star Rail’s Version 4.2 update, titled “So Laughed the Masses”. With the Phantasmoon Games receiving an exceptional boost to rewards, more eyes across the universe are drawn to the events of Planarcadia. Naturally, the intensity of the competition only seems to grow as a result. Embrace this incredible new power of the Path of Elation with the help of Stellaron Hunter Silver Wolf LV.999, who has completed her ascension to Emanator of Elation, and the observer Evanescia.

Before we take a deep dive into the upcoming characters and whatnot, let’s take a breather to discuss one of the other stars of the show: HSR’s third anniversary! The game has prepared a series of special events and generous rewards, inviting players to join the fun and celebrations. During Version 4.2, the anniversary-exclusive event “Festive Gifts” will make its return, enabling players to check in and claim a total of 20 pulls. Also returning is another highly-beloved tradition: on the full anniversary, April 26th, Trailblazers can select a blessing card from a companion of their choosing and receive a special bonus of 1,600 Stellar Jades from them. Not to forget, the extra special third-anniversary birthday surprises are also a must-see: Huohuo and Robin are joining the “Stellar Convergence” store. As is tradition with these additions, Trailblazers will be able to use a free Golden Companion Spirit item to claim a character of their choice from that aforementioned store. The first-time top-up bonus shop reset is also happening, so if you were gonna top up on pulls, now you can get twice as much bang for your buck! Also featured (Yes there’s a lot, yes it’s really cool) are new additions in the Gift of Stardust Store and a brand new outfit for Castorice.

Now that we’ve covered the details of the anniversary, let’s go over some of the story beats you can expect and following that I’ll go over the characters showing up in the Version 4.2 update banner cycles. In the new chapter of the main story, the Phantasmoon Games get a whole lot more complicated when the new stakes of victory are revealed: the winner will become the permanent Aeon of Elation instead of the one free wish from Aha themself. Caught in the dead center of the spotlights, the Trailblazer naturally draws the scrutiny and wariness of every major faction watching the games unfold. The leader of the Research Society of Happy Smiles and local media mogul, Fulwish, invites all supplicants to the Fultish TV headquarters in Seafeld City, a holiday resort renowned for its crisp scenery and idyllic climate. Fulwish plans to host a debate open to everyone, answering a burning question: “What kind of future will the Phantasmoon Games bring to this world?”.

With the heat of competition sparking up, two brand-new 5-star characters are joining the team, becoming crucial companions for the Trailblazer to turn the tables on the looming evils. Get your Stellar Jades ready to invite Silver Wolf LV.999, the Stellaron Hunter reaching her new peak, and Evanescia, the observer responsible for your fake mask.

Silver Wolf LV.999 is a 5-star Imaginary character following the Path of Elation. In combat, she’ll rack up stacks of “Hidden MMR” to activate her exclusive Cartridge as well as entering the “Godmode Player” state. Upon activation, Silver Wolf pulls enemies and teammates alike into her own domain, unlocking a “Reward stage” at the start of her turn. During this “Reward stage”, she uses her Cartridge to spawn various in-game items, not only to shake up combat but to grant powerful buffs to herself and her teammates. When “Aha Instant” occurs, Silver Wolf unleashes an insanely powerful laser cannon to deal massive damage. Additionally, similar to Castorice, Silver Wolf LV.999 brings a global passive to your account. Upon being afflicted with some sort of crowd control, she’ll hack into the battlefield and grant allies temporary immunity to such statuses. It’s a way for her to help keep the team protected during every battle. As an Elation character, you’ll want to pair her with others, such as Sparxie for a sub DPS role and Yao Guang for the support role. Seeing as we don’t currently have any Elation sustain-role units, you can use whoever you feel fits the team the best based on the content you’re doing.

Next up is Evanescia. Since the very beginning of the games, she’s been an observer. In fact, due to her special status as a “Special Observer”, she has witnessed more than just one iteration of the Phantasmoon Games. In this new story, more details about Evanescia’s true self will become clear. Evanescia herself is a 5-star Physical character also following the Path of Elation. She can continually acquire “Certified Banger” stacks through several means, including Energy she regenerates, teammates charging her, and even the Certified Banger stacks her teammates generate. When she gains “Certified Banger”, she’ll regenerate her own Energy, allowing her to maintain her damage rhythm and output. As Evanescia acquires these stacks, her damage output will also increase. Whenever it reaches a certain number of points, it will additionally trigger an attack from “Master Fox”, dealing damage to all enemies and regenerating Energy for Evanescia. Her Elation Skill can also attack all enemies. While delivering a stylish performance, it will further increase the team’s total damage output.

Last but not least for new playable characters, we’ll see the introduction of Planarcadia’s new Trailblazer, the Elation Trailblazer. When using their Skill, their new signature weapon, a very fancy glow stick (it’s NOT a lightsaber), will transform into a lightblade as the Trailblazer deals damage to all enemies in front of them and gain “Certified Banger” stacks. It can also turn into nunchucks, unleashing a spectacular flurry of attacks on surrounding enemies and hitting multiple times, so that’s pretty rad. The Trailblazer can also hype up their teammates! While using their Ultimate ability, the Trailblazer can select a teammate to cheer for. This allows the chosen teammate to gain “Certified Banger” and immediately use their Elation Skill, paving the way for an even flashier and more lively combat experience.

Now with all that talk about the characters out of the way, you’re probably wondering what the banners are looking like, right? Don’t worry, here’s where you’ll learn about that. Kicking off the first half of Version 4.2 with a special warp event is Silver Wolf LV.999, bringing reruns of characters The Dahlia, Castorice, and Firefly alongside her. In the second half, we’ll find Evanescia and the reruns of characters Tribbie, Sunday, and Feixiao. An absolutely stacked patch for characters, so budget yourself wisely. Additionally, four new Novaflare buffs are seeing their debut in this update. Firefly, Huohou, Seele, and Welt all see themselves getting supercharged, giving them a very nice buff to aspects of their kit that might have needed it in modern content. Acheron mains, you know what time it is seeing a Nihilty character getting buffed or released.

Finally, right in time for the 3rd Anniversary of Honkai: Star Rail, a whole bunch of exciting events will be arriving alongside the grand festivities. The brand-new event “Cosmic Data Roaming” will officially go live, letting Trailblazers build a top-tier streaming career by showcasing their sleekest and most hype moments in combat. Maybe don’t let it go to your head like Sparxie, though. Following this update, Currency Wars will also receive a huge expansion, giving Trailblazers more options to complete runs and build new and diverse team compositions. Meanwhile, the Cosmicon Collective is bringing the heat with its Version 2.0 update, “Cosmicon, Roll On Again!,” introducing not only new decks and dice, but a brand-new team challenge gameplay mode. In addition, exciting events and features such as “Express Renovation Escapade” and “Relic Recon” will also be rolling out to help Trailblazers fully enjoy the anniversary fun. If you’re still struggling to prepare a good set for Evanescia or Silver Wolf LV.999 or just seeking to work on the Novaflare recipients, Relic Recon is an excellent opportunity to do so.

 

Version 4.2 of Honkai: Star Rail releases officially to the world on April 22nd, 2026. You can pre-download it as of April 20th, 2026 on all platforms it’s available on, those of which are as follows: PC via standalone launcher and Epic Games Store, iOS, Android, and PlayStation 5.

If you’re still interested in seeing the full special program and the special anniversary concept trailer “Death in the Afternoon” by animation studio MAPPA, check them out below.

Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.2 “So Laughed the Masses” Special Program

Honkai: Star Rail x MAPPA Animation Concept Trailer — “Death in the Afternoon”