Whenever a major update arrives in Honkai: Star Rail, it always brings with it tons of new additions and gameplay features, and 4.0 is no exception. However, it seems like this version is building up with its first patch, and that we might see the real major benefits and changes once 4.1 and 4.2 arrive. Keep in mind, 4.0 is still a big deal! Especially when it comes to Sparxie and Cosmicon Collective. But I get the impression we’ll see the full weight of Planarcadia’s Trailblaze Missions and Elation’s power once we get more into it.

With the new Planarcadia Trailblaze Missions in Honkai: Star Rail 4.0, it reminds me more of the early Xianzhou Luofu and Penacony storylines than something like Jarilo-VI and Amphoreus. We’re welcome guests to the planet, with Sparkle acting as a host. It’s a very bright space that feels modern, with lots of games and activities. Now, there is the setting for something more and growing stakes, since there is the Phantasmoon Games competition. The winner gets to meet Aha and wield the power of an Aeon for a minute. Given Trailblazer, Sunday, Sparxie, and Silver Wolf are all competing, there’s a lot of potential for how this all could go.

However, I’m more excited about 4.0 for another reason. That’s because Himiko is tied to Planarcadia. We’ve seen recent versions with members of the Astral Express tied to areas including eventual revelations about the characters. Dan Heng came up during the 1.0 Xianzhou Luofu storyline. March 7th ended up featured in 3.0 at Amphoreus. This feels like Himiko’s turn, and I’m excited by the initial teasers and hints we get so far.

One of the best parts of Honkai: Star Rail 4.0 is the new Elation path, though I think most people won’t get to really appreciate it until Sparxie’s banner arrives on March 3, 2026. The new path might feel a bit like the DOTs in Nihility characters or Remembrance Memosprites since Aha could chime in for additional effects and you want to set things up for Punchlines and Elation DMG. It’s most evident with Sparxie, who I got to test out, since her Boom! Sparxicle's Poppin Skill enhances her Basic into Bloom! Winner Takes All for an attack with splash AOE damage and makes her Skill briefly Engagement Farming for a DMG multiplayer and more Punchline points. She can do big numbers even without Yao Guang, especially if Sparkle is on the same time, though she is best when paired with her fellow Elation character. 

The thing is, Yao Guang herself isn’t as exciting or useful without Sparxie. Her Decalight Unveils All Skill’s zone is best for Elation stat boosting, which only applies to Sparxie at the moment. While her Hexagram of Feathered Fortune is a more generic one that helps get Aha acting again and boosting Punchline, due to it helping all-type Res Pen for the party, she’s ideally a buffer for a type of team that probably won’t be possible until 4.2 or 4.3. I’m a bit surprised she’s the first banner for Honkai: Star Rail 4.0, in fact, given the focus Sparxie/Sparkle has in the story and the general usefulness of the other character.  

What I especially liked about the 4.0 update for Honkai: Star Rail is the Cosmicon Collective card game, which feels like the equivalent of Genius Invokation in Genshin Impact. It’s of course its own beast, with elements like weather influencing matches to offer boosts, and us using Prismatic Dice and collected character cards to fight matches. It’s standard TCG fare in many ways, with attack level determining dice selected and used, defense level determining your defense based on rolls, and us knowing how many D6s and D4s would be used and if a Prismatic Die could be used. We roll dice, select which ones to use to determine damage dealt and defenses set. It goes really quickly, and there being the “Cosmicon, Roll On” event around at launch helps make it more inviting.

The fact that Yao Guang won’t probably be all that exciting until her rerun aside, it feels like HoYoVerse is building something with Honkai: Star Rail 4.0. Planarcadia’s plot is leaving all sorts of threads to follow and hints of things to come, even though the initial quests are more about getting acquainted with the premise. Sparxie feels like a great example of what Elation could be capable of with the right supports. Cosmicon Collective is a lot of fun. It’s like we’re at the foundation now, and I’m excited for what’s next.

Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the 4.0 update is live now.

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HoYoverse just wrapped up a big Honkai: Star Rail Special Program. We’ve been waiting for this one for a couple of weeks now thanks to a delay, but the developer has finally delivered all the news on Version 4.0, which will arrive February 13.

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HoYoverse just hosted a sizeable Honkai: Star Rail Special Program, revealing more than just the game’s next major update. Version 3.8 was the big highlight, of course, with the new release arriving soon, on December 16-17 depending on your server region.

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Mitchie M is known for “Hatsune Miku realistic singing” songs, and the Vocaloid composer and HoYoVerse shared a new Honkai: Star Rail track called “Memi Memi Myun Myun” starring Mem for HoYoFair2025. As the name suggests, it is completely focused on the Memosprite from Amphoreous. It is paired with an animated music video of the character from Jun Aoki and Space Neko Company. 

There are a few spoilers near the end of the music video in the form of backup dancers for Mem, but this Honkai: Star Rail track primarily focuses on the mascot-style character. As a reminder, we almost immediately meet Mem in the Amphoreus storyline of the game. When the Trailblazer gets their Remembrance path role, she serves as the Memosprite we can summon to aid and attack alongside the party. The Gray-mera Chimera based on the Trailblazer character shows up as a DJ and dancer at some points too. 

Here’s the full “Memi Memi Myun Myun” Honkai: Star Rail from Hatsune Miku composer Mitchie M from YouTube. There are only Japanese subtitle options. The “spoiler” backup dancers come up after the 2:09 mark.

This Mitchie M Honkai: Star Rail song about M isn’t the only recent one about video game or anime characters, as the Vocaloid composer contibuted “What Kind of Future” to the Project Voltage project pairing up Hatsune Miku with Pokemon and created a track called “Idol Senshi” for Gundam x Miku. 

You can see the Project Voltage song “What Kind of Future” below:

And here’s “Idol Senshi.” A figure was even made based on this music video.

Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and a Cyrene banner is now live alongside the 3.7 update.

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