The highly anticipated Honkai: Star Rail Version 3.4 special program aired today as scheduled. A focal point for players of the popular HoYoverse title, the reveal of new characters always generates excitement. The stream showcased the upcoming additions to the game’s playable roster.
The major highlight was the confirmation of the Fate/stay night collaboration event. This collaboration, linking Honkai: Star Rail with the influential fantasy visual novel Fate/stay night, was initially announced in August of last year, coinciding with the announcement of Fate/stay night’s official English localization and remaster. It was understood that the Star Rail integration would take some time. After a considerable wait, the crossover event is finally approaching, roughly 10 months later.
Version 3.4 introduces familiar faces from the Fate franchise, including Saber (a 5-Star Wind/Destruction character, featured in her own limited-time banner) and Archer (a 5-Star Quantum/Hunt character available for free to all players logging in during the collaboration period). The collab is confirmed to run from Version 3.4 through Version 3.6 (projected to end around November this year), making the Fate characters available longer than typical characters.
Furthermore, Phainon, a prominent NPC featured since Version 3.0 earlier in the year and the first new character met on Amphoreus, will finally be added as a playable character, following in the footsteps of other Chrysos Heirs. This 5-Star character will wield a Physical/Destruction skillset. As the Fate crossover characters appear outside of the regular banner rotations, all three new additions will launch in Phase 1.
Adding to the content, the update presents a total of six rerun banners. Tribbie, Sunday, and Sparkle will be available for a limited time in Phase 1, while Firefly, Jingliu, and Blade will be featured in Phase 2. While Phase 2 will not offer any new characters, the packed schedule is sure to keep players engaged.
The popular Stellaron Hunters will receive enhancements in V3.4. Updates are coming to the battle mechanics and Eidolon effects for Kafka, Silver Wolf, and Blade, alongside a new alternate outfit for Firefly. Jingliu will also experience a kit enhancement. The potential shift in Jingliu’s loyalties is a talking point, even if it leads to joining Elio’s morally ambiguous team.
Honkai: Star Rail 3.4 goes live on July 2nd, with Phase 2 scheduled to begin on July 23rd. The complete special program livestream is available for viewing below:
Back in May, Honkai: Star Rail’s version 3.3 introduced Hyacine to the game, and brought back The Herta for the first time as part of its initial phase. The second phase of the banner, launching recently, introduced the new character Cipher along with some returning favorites.
Version 3.3 also saw the replacement of the English-language voice actors for the playable Trailblazer protagonists, Stelle and Caelus. This change followed the actors’ solidarity actions with SAG-AFTRA, who recently ended their video game voice actor strike upon reaching a tentative agreement with several major studios. The situation for other characters with actors participating in the action, including main characters like Dan Heng and Himeko, remains uncertain.