The countdown has begun for the revolutionary 4.0 "No Aha at Full Moon" update in the Honkai: Star Rail universe. This time, Trailblazers are heading to Planarcadia, the cyberpunk-themed entertainment planet and playground of Aeon Aha.

Here are all the details on the highly anticipated update and its new characters coming this Thursday (or Friday):

Honkai: Star Rail 4.0 – Planarcadia and the Path of Elation

This update introduces not only a brand-new region but also a completely new gameplay mechanic: the "Elation" Path.

Release Date and Times

The update goes live between February 12-13, 2026, depending on your server region:

• North America: Evening of Thursday, February 12.

• Europe & Turkey: Morning of Friday, February 13 (maintenance typically starts at 01:00 and ends around 06:00 local Turkey time).

New 5-Star Characters

1. Yao Guang (Phase 1): * Element/Path: Physical / Elation

   • Role: Known as the Seer Strategist, Yao Guang is a powerful support character who boosts your team's Elation damage and generates skill points (SP).

2. Sparxie (Phase 2): * Element/Path: Fire / Elation

   • Role: Sparxie is the streamer alter ego of Sparkle, serving as a main DPS who consumes a lot of skill points but delivers massive burst damage.

Rerun Banners

• First Half: Black Swan, Evernight, and Hysilens.

• Second Half: Sparkle, Cerydra, and Rappa.

4.0 Update Freebies

As this is version 4.0, Hoyoverse is going all out with the rewards:

• Free 5-Star Character: Choose a free 5-star character from a special pool (including Acheron, Kafka, Jingliu, and more).

• Free Skin: A brand-new costume for Ruan Mei.

• Warps: Earn a total of 20 limited Warps and 1600 Stellar Jade from login events.