Honkai: Star Rail 4.0 Brings Planarcadia and New Stars to the Fore
HoYoverse has announced Honkai: Star Rail version 4.0, titled No Aha at Full Moon, will drop on February 13. The update opens a new world, Planarcadia, a bright playground ruled by popularity and quick laughs. Trailblazers will also enter the Phantasmoon Games, chasing the title of Aeon for a Minute. This journey around The Elation runs through the year, inviting players to link up with fresh faces Yao Guang and Sparxie.
A Fresh World With Depth: Planarcadia’s Big Return
Planarcadia began as a flat “World in Canvas.” After the IPC took charge, the canvas woke up and grew into a lively hub. When the Express Crew appears, Madam Pearl, one of the Strategic Investment Department’s Ten Stonehearts, will greet them. The city hides more than glam; it is home to Navigator Himeko and marks where the Astral Express found its path again fifteen years ago. As the crew reenters this paradise, a new kind of star treatment arrives: a popular comic based on the Express Crew is now being serialized, thrusting everyone into the spotlight.
Duomension City and the Imagenae
After greeting the IPC, the Trailblazer lands in Duomension City and meets its unique imagenae. These beings live with locals, mixing into the daily rhythm. You’ll meet the station master Meowton, the train-like Bullet Wyrm, the towering thundercoil, and the beloved mechatron Mr. Yang’s friend. The imagenae aren’t guaranteed to stay; they live on Wishpower and fade if they aren’t watched. That’s why every street overflows with entertainment, and laughter never stops. Hidden doors give riders a peek into another Duomension world, opening doors to places like Dovebrook, Graphia Academy, or the Tavern of Elation, a secret meeting spot said to hide in Dovebrook’s corners.
How Laughter Feeds Combat in Planarcadia
Here, even fights wear a smile. When Path of Elation teammates join the team or you meet special foes, you earn Punchlines. Collect enough, and Aha will step on stage for an Aha Instant. In that moment, the Elation crew activates their Elation Skills one after another. The more Punchlines you have, the stronger the buffs. Once the Aha Instant ends, every Elation Path member gains a fixed buff called Certified Banger, adding more strategic depth to battles.
Two New 5-Star Heroes Hit the Stage
The update adds two major 5-star allies to the Path of Elation. General Yao Guang, a Seer Strategist from the Xianzhou Alliance’s Yuque, rises from lore to playable form. She is Fu Xuan’s senior sister and a trusted divination advisor who guides the Alliance through tough spots. To the people of the Xianzhou, she’s Madam Yao—a bringer of luck through her reads and signs. Yao Guang is a Physical character who specializes in Weal and Woe Lots, which tilt battle flow. Using her Skill, Weal Lots boost team Elation and add Punchline stacks. In an Aha Instant, Woe Lots trigger, letting enemies take more DMG while the team regains Skill Points. Her Certified Banger buff revs up ally attacks for a single Additional Elation DMG, and if a Skill Point is spent, the damage climbs higher. Her Ultimate also sparks an extra Aha Instant and raises All-Type RES PEN for all allies.
Sparxie, another 5-star Fire-Type addition on the Path of Elation, drops with a burst of sci‑fi flare. She looks a lot like Sparkle and is set to become Planarcadia’s top streamer. In combat, Sparxie runs a livestream to stage upvotes against foes. You can burn Skill Points to send Gifts that refill Punchlines or Skill Points for the team. The more you invest, the bigger the team’s damage when the fight ends. In an Aha Instant, Sparxie triggers a loud lucky draw that hits all enemies hard. In Certified Banger, Gifts from the live show add Elation DMG to a random target at settlement. Her Ultimate amplifies Elation DMG even more.
Other Stars and Warp Events
Version 4.0 also features limited-time 5-star pulls. Black Swan, Evernight, and Hysilens join, alongside Sparkle, Cerydra, and Rappa. Black Swan and Sparkle receive upgrades too. Black Swan can lift the damage of DOT teams, while Sparkle’s support now extends to Elation DMG, giving firms a steadier leg up in battles. Log in after launch to grab a 20-pull reward and claim Ruan Mei’s new Outfit for free. The Yao Guang fortune event awards 1,600 Stellar Jades as rewards. Expect new Trailblaze Outfits, headwear, and a free 5-star character selector as part of the excitement.
New Modes, New Grinds, New Rewards
No Aha at Full Moon comes with fresh activities. In Cosmicon Collective, players face tough card battles to claim cosmic glory. Furbobo Weekly turns Trailblazers into magazine editors, mixing fun with decision making. For ongoing play, Currency Wars expands, and the Divergent Universe gets updates to keep long-term play interesting.
Where to Play and What From the Hype?
Honkai: Star Rail now runs on PC, iOS, Android, Epic Games Store, and PS5. The game has surpassed 150 million downloads across all platforms. It earned the Apple App Store iPhone Game of the Year in 2023, Google Play’s Best Game, and The Game Awards’ Best Mobile Game. In 2024, it picked up the Still Playing Award (Mobile) at the Golden Joystick Awards and the PARTNER AWARD from PlayStation 2024. The game is rated Teen by ESRB and PEGI 12 in many regions.
If you want more details, you can visit the official Honkai: Star Rail site or follow @HonkaiStarRail on social channels.
In the spirit of the ride, Planarcadia invites players to see battles as a show and stories as a route to a bigger stage. The new paths, tricky foes, and star-front heroes promise a year full of surprises for fans of this space-faring title.
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