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

Here are all the details about the highly anticipated update and new characters, arriving this Thursday (or Friday):

Honkai Star Rail 4.0: Planarcadia and the Path of Elation

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

Release Date and Times

The update goes live by server region on February 12-13, 2026:

• North America: Evening of February 12, Thursday.

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

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 who boosts the team's Elation damage and generates extra skill points (SP).

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

   • Role: Sparxie, the streamer alter ego of Sparkle, is a main DPS who consumes a lot of skill points in exchange for massive burst damage.

Rerun Banners

• Phase 1: Black Swan, Evernight, and Hysilens.

• Phase 2: Sparkle, Cerydra, and Rappa.

4.0 Update Freebies

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

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

• Free Skin: A brand new outfit for Ruan Mei.

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