Honkai Star Rail Version 4.1 is confirmed for release on NA server on March 24, 2026, followed by releases on EU and Asia servers the following March 25. Are you excited?

Fortunately, the developers seem to have recognized the players' enthusiasm. They will be launching Version 4.1 "Unraveled for Daybreak" Special Program on March 13th. This is a live stream previewing upcoming content, designed to guide players through new events, banners, story previews, and gameplay, thus maintaining their engagement with the main storyline.

The 4.1 live stream preview is about to begin. If you don't want to rush through everything, then this guide is exactly what you need. We'll take you through some of the key information that will be revealed in this Version 4.1 update, including official banners, new character appearances, new events, regions, and features, among other things. This way, you can quickly identify which content you should focus on during the live stream, giving you a head start!

Version 4.1 Special Program Date

First, please confirm the exact start time of Honkai Star Rail 4.1 Special Program in your region before starting to avoid missing it:

• Indian Standard Time (UTC+5:30): March 13, 2026, at 5:00 PM
• China Standard Time (UTC+8): March 13, 2026, at 7:30 PM
• Japanese Standard Time (UTC+9): March 13, 2026, at 8:30 PM
• Central European Time (UTC+1): March 13, 2026, at 12:30 PM
• Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7): March 13, 2026, at 4:30 AM

Therefore, please stay tuned to the official YouTube or Twitch accounts to be among the first to know about the upcoming stories, events, banners, and the first exciting details of the character packs. It's worth mentioning that during the livestream, they will randomly distribute three redemption codes to viewers, offering free Stellar Jades and upgrade materials. However, these codes have a very short validity period, so redeem them immediately!

New Character

The first thing we know from this Version 4.1 livestream is that they will definitely reveal information about the new character Ashveil, a brand new 5-star Lightning character for The Hunt path. Developers usually demonstrate full gameplay of new characters during livestreams, showcasing their skills, ultimate abilities, and sometimes follow-up attacks or special mechanics.

Ashveil is designed as a single-target damage dealer, excelling at pursuit, high critical damage, and able to mark enemies as "Bait" to reduce their defense, perfectly fitting The Hunt path. His gameplay revolves around marking enemies and then dealing higher damage to marked targets.

Besides Ashveil's skills and special mechanics, another key aspect of this new character during the livestream is his team synergy. After all, even the most powerful character cannot be fully utilized without a suitable team. So, let's look forward to seeing which existing characters can synergize better with it!

Banners

The banners for Honkai: Star Rail 4.1 haven't been announced yet. Everything will probably only be revealed during the livestream!

While we don't have any concrete information yet, players already have their own ideal candidates for the banners. Currently, community discussion mainly focuses on which characters can synergize well with Ashveil's combat style, namely Robin and Feixiao. Both are very powerful, high-frequency pursuit characters, very suitable for offensive team compositions, so many players think it would be reasonable for them to appear in the same update as Ashveil.

It's worth noting that the update cycle for Version 4.1 will be shorter than before, approximately 4 weeks, instead of the standard 6 weeks. Normally, a version is divided into two phases, with each phase lasting only about 2 weeks, meaning players have less time to acquire these characters. If you want to unlock the 4.1 banners immediately, then head over to IGGM and buy Honkai Star Rail Top Up service and fill your wallet with tons of Oneiric Shards. You'll never have to worry about pulling new characters again!

New Light Cone

Besides the new banners, another feature that's almost always included in Special Programs is the new Light Cone.

As you might have guessed, Ashveil will have his own exclusive 5-star Hunt Light Cone: The Finale of a Lie. This Light Cone provides you with approximately 18% critical hit rate. Furthermore, at the start of battle or every 4 follow-up attacks, the wearer gains Umbra Devourer effect for 3 turns, increasing your attack power by 40% and reducing enemy defense by 12%, designed to enhance your follow-up damage.

Since Ashveil's skill set focuses on frequent follow-up damage, marking enemies, and boosting the entire team's damage, this Light Cone perfectly complements his skill set, perhaps already giving us a glimpse of how powerful this new character will be in the future.

New Area: Planarcadia

Regarding the major story, version 4.1 continues the plot of 4.0, but expands upon it with the new Planarcadia chapter, a world heavily influenced by Aha and Path of Elation. The story revolves around the events triggered by the arrival of Phantasmoon Games and Express.

If you've played the recent Honkai Star Rail story missions, you might have noticed how unusual the environment is. The surreal scenery and character behavior, drastically different from previous areas, showcase its lively, colorful, and chaotic playground atmosphere.

In addition, this update is expected to introduce new characters and further reveal the dangerous fog shrouding the area. The official livestreams almost always include short trailers to preview the plot developments of the next update. These previews usually don't reveal major plot twists, but they give viewers a good feel for the game's tone and atmosphere. It's worth noting that besides the continuation of the story, the livestream may also showcase new explorable areas in Planarcadia filled with puzzles, treasure chests, and environmental mechanics.

New Boss

The introduction of a new area naturally brings new enemies, which usually only appear in endgame modes. This new boss encounter will most likely be revealed during Honkai Star Rail Version 4.1 preview livestream.

Currently, we understand this is a boss themed around Pom-Pom transforming into a giant Anomaly Arbitration. They may showcase some mechanics or attack patterns during this Special Program, giving players a feel for the gameplay.

Events

Finally, the highlight of every update is the upcoming series of in-game events, which are usually the major way for players to earn Stellar Jades after an update.

Each major update typically brings a main story event and several smaller side events. The main story event is usually directly related to the area's story or theme. For Planarcadia, this might mean content related to investigations, puzzles, or special challenges that fit Ashveil's detective-style backstory.

Since the 4.1 update cycle is shorter than usual, many players are paying close attention to the event rewards. Even minor changes to the number of events or login rewards can affect the amount of currency players collect before the next update.

In short, this Version 4.1 "Unraveled for Daybreak" Special Program should give us a comprehensive overview of the next update. Are you ready to experience its chaotic and surreal atmosphere and face brand new battles? With update cycles shortened to just four weeks, planning your gacha strategy is more important than ever. Know everything you need to stay ahead in Honkai Star Rail universe!

Following the new version updates for Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero, Honkai Star Rail will also be releasing a major update, Version 4.0, just in time for Lunar New Year!

This update will not only bring new characters and other regular updates, but will also offer you the chance to win generous rewards through more new events! If you haven't played HSR in a while, now is the perfect time to return!

4.0 Version release date

The official name of Version 4.0 is No Aha at Full Moon, will be released in two phases. The entire Version 4.0 and Phase 1 will launch on February 12, 2026, with the exact time varying depending on the time zone:

• North America: February 12, 2026, 10:00 PM
• Europe: February 13, 2026, 4:00 AM
• Asia: February 13, 2026, 11:00 AM
• TW, HK, MO: February 13, 2026, 11:00 AM

Phase 2 should then launch around March 3rd, and the entire version will end on March 24th, followed immediately by Version 4.1, barring any unexpected delays.

All 4.0 characters and related banners

4.0 Version banners will also be released in phases, with each phase including a new character's exclusive banner, a rerun character banner, and two Light Cone banners corresponding to these characters. You can decide which ones to draw based on your needs.

Phase 1 banners

The new character in this phase is Yao Guang, whose exclusive banner will be available after Version 4.0 launches and will continue until the end of the version, not just until the end of Phase 1.

The other Indelible Coterie banner is for rerun characters, featuring popular five-star and four-star characters from previous years. Some four-star characters may also appear in Yao Guang banner:

• Five-star: Evernight, Hysilens, and Black Swan
• Four-star: Pela, Hanya, and Qingque

Yao Guang's Light Cone banner is Brilliant Fixation, from which you can draw her exclusive Light Cone, When She Decided To See. The banner's start and end times are the same as Yao Guang character banner.

The rerun character's Light Cone banner is Coalesced Truths, and the included probability-up Light Cones are:

• Five-star: To Evernight's Stars, Why Does the Ocean Sing, and Reforged Remembrance
• Four-star: Planetary Rendezvous, Resolution Shines As Pearls of Sweat, and The Story's Next Page

Phase 2 banners

The banner for the other new 4.0 character, Sparxie, will open on March 3rd along with Phase 2 and will run until the end of the version. Her exclusive Light Cone is Dazzled By A Flowery World, and the corresponding banner is Brilliant Fixation Phase 2.

It's worth noting that the four-star rerun characters and their Light Cones remain unchanged in Phase 2, but the five-star characters change to Cerydra, Rappa, and Sparkle, with the corresponding Light Cone banners and specific items being:

Coalesced Truths Phase 2 version:

• Epoch Etched in Golden Blood
• Ninjutsu Inscription: Dazzling Evilbreaker
• Earthly Escapade

Core content update

Trailblaze Mission is the main storyline of Honkai Star Rail, and each version update brings new chapters, and this time is no exception.

Previous versions further extended Amphoreus storyline, and this time, Version 4.0 will take you to the new planet Planarcadia, starting a brand new main story chapter, No Aha at Full Moon.

As a map update, Planarcadia is a city where entertainment culture thrive. You are expected to encounter various interesting entertainment facilities here, as well as 6 new characters related to the new story and quests.

New playable events

Version 4.0 will not only bring many limited-time events that offer special rewards but also Planarcadia Ultimate Elation League, which started on February 6th.

This is a welfare web event. Log in to the game between February 6th and 13th and complete the reservation by submitting your email address.

Afterward, the game will distribute redemption codes for corresponding rewards when the number of reservations reaches different milestone targets. These can be redeemed after Version 4.0 officially launches.

In addition, after completing the reservation, if your character level is 11 or higher, you can start a four-round quiz challenge program with a theme of joy.

Completing the four rounds of quizzes gives you a chance to obtain special items for a lucky draw. The prize pool includes physical game consoles, figurines, in-game resources, and more.

More new events and rewards include:

• Cosmicon, Roll On!: Play competitive mini-games to win rewards.
• Ding! Arcadia Fun-Time Clock-In Essentials: Complete specific objectives related to Planarcadia to claim limited-time rewards.
• Free 5-Star Character Selector in 4.0: You can claim a free five-star character through this event until the end of version 4.2.
• Free Ruan Mei Skin: Log in during Version 4.0 to receive Ruan Mei's new Outfit Plumblossom Letter.
• Gift of Arcadia: Log in during Version 4.0 to receive 10 Star Rail Special Passes, 3 Self-Modeling Resin, and 600 Lone Stardust.
• A Flip of Fortune: Log in for 5 consecutive days to draw up to 1600 Stellar Jades in Fortune Slips.
• 4.0 Gift of Odyssey: Log in for seven consecutive days to receive up to 10 Star Rail Special Passes.
• Novaflare: Test Sparkle and Black Swan's new buffs to earn Stellar Jades.
• 4.0 Planar Fissure: Challenge Worlds in the Simulated Universe! to receive double planar ornaments.
• 4.0 Realm of the Strange: Challenge Caverns of Corrosion to receive double relics.

The above are all the main contents of Honkai Star Rail Version 4.0. There will be a few hours of maintenance before the version goes live, so don't forget to download the update package to access the game afterward!

If you're worried that your current resources won't be enough to get the characters you want in Version 4.0, then remember to get Honkai Star Rail top up at IGGM! We have various Oneiric Shard packages available to meet all your gacha needs!