Evanescia’s banner is coming to a close, and since she’s the second half of Version 4.2, that means the next version of Honkai: Star Rail has been revealed and is eager to show you what it brings to the table. This morning of May 22nd, 2026, HoYoverse had their Special Program of Star Rail’s 4.3 release. Titled “The Lethe Below the Living”, we see the debut of a new character, a finale of Blade’s age-old fate, some more looks into the Voracity, and more.
The secret long withheld in the depths of Planarcadia reaches its official revelation in this version. Buried deep within the realm lies the corpse of the Aeon, the Voracity. This entity, presiding over desire and devouring, is the very reason Blade’s set out on this journey to begin with. Having absorbed the flesh of Shuhu from two hundred thousand Joy Ascendants, Blade has decided to step forth himself. He desires the power of the Voracity to burn away the Shuhu within himself and bring a final end to his long-enduring curse of immortality thanks to the Abundance. However, despite the Stellaron Hunters abiding by Elio’s script, it appears Blade’s acts remain a blank within said script, leaving it unclear whether this action will result in a rebirth or Blade’s demise after all this time. The Trailblazer will be the one to witness the results of Blade’s efforts and sacrifices. There’s more to Planarcadia’s story of course, so keep tuned in for the official release to get all the juicy details and continue your investment. Personally, all this time of build up for my main man Blade is massive.
Naturally, seeing the Stellaron Hunter himself get a new form means a new playable character. Making his debut, or I suppose re-debut, is Mortenax Blade, a 5-star Fire character riding the Path of Nihility. Previously stricken with Mara and awaiting his “death in the script” for many, many years, will face a major turning point of his destiny in this version’s story. In combat, Mortenax Blade can use his Ultimate “Fornax Ex Corpore” to deploy a special Bounded Field and enter an enhanced state. While this field is active, all enemies receive increased damage received, making him an excellent debuffer. Upon entering his enhanced state, Blade unlocks his skill, utilizing a Sword Formation to deal even more damage to enemies while gaining a brand-new and more powerful Ultimate ability. Additionally, especially for you Acheron mains out there, every time one of Blade’s allies attacks, they inflict a debuff on the target and build a special Charge for Mortenax Blade. Once this reaches its limit, he will automatically unleash his special Skill once more and regenerate extra energy for following Ultimates.
Alongside this version update, the “Gift of Tempered Blade” event will also kick off. After obtaining Mortenax Blade (which you definitely should), players can claim a special Trailblaze attire piece known as “Karmic Fire of the Distance Shores” for free. Meanwhile, Yao Guang joins Mortenax Blade in the first half of this version’s update. Who rings out the second half you may ask? That would be Cyrene and the big man himself, Phainon.
Throughout the Version 4.3 update, you’ll see various events running such as the “Wispae Amusement Park”. Taking on the role of “Chief Planner”, the Trailblazer will map out visitor routes and place amusement rides across several themed zones to attract wispae to come and visit and play. Additionally, a new “Starward Mode” will be added to the three challenge modes Memory of Chaos, Pure Fiction, and Apocalyptic Shadow. In this mode, you’ll need to bring three teams of characters instead of the typical two. Clearing each difficulty with full stars will reward an extra 100 Stellar Jades per phase, allowing you to acquire an extra 300 Stellar Jade per update. Hope you’ve been building your teams, because you’ll need them for this extra challenge!
To wrap up today’s big content drop, Honkai: Star Rail has announced an official collaboration with the tech group UGREEN. You may recall when Genshin Impact did something similar featuring products like the Kinich power bank. Collaboration merchandise and various online and offline events will gradually roll out across multiple countries and regions, with more details to be revealed at a later date. And as an extra bonus teaser, the Holy Grail War continues within Star Rail. Details will be announced at a later date, but for now you can see on official social channels that the characters Gilgamesh (Lightning Destruction) and Rin Tohsaka (Quantum Erudition) will be making their playable debut alongside Archer and Saber. Additionally, you’ll be able to choose between playable characters Archer and Gilgamesh for free to add to your roster.
The Version 4.3 update for Honkai: Star Rail releases on June 1st, 2026 on all platforms. These include PlayStation 5, iOS, Android, and PC. If you’d like to watch the Special Program in its entirety, we’ll have it linked below for you to enjoy.
Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.3 “The Lethe Below the Living” Special Program
