HoYoverse held a special broadcast today (the 10th) ahead of the 3rd anniversary and Version 4.2 update for Honkai: Star Rail. The broadcast was divided into two parts: the first half covered the Version 4.2 update, while the second half focused on 3rd-anniversary events and related news.

Silver Wolf LV.999, Evanesia, and the Trailblazer of Elation? Version 4.2 Character Lineup Revealed

Version 4.2 follows the story of the Charmony Game as it approaches its first match point. In Version 4.1, the reward for the Charmony Game shifted from receiving Aha's power for one minute to becoming an Aeon of Elation forever, intensifying the competition. As the participants of the Charmony Game—including the Trailblazer, Sparky, Sunday, Pearl, Ashvale, Silver Wolf, and Manwon—and their individual goals are revealed, the PV suggests a shift away from the previous lighthearted atmosphere of Elation toward a darker, more desperate struggle. Developers presented this narrative context in the form of a briefing, acting as reporters and detectives from the Raccoon Magazine.

Following this, 'Clockwork City,' a new area in the Land of Dreams, was unveiled for Version 4.2. As a travel hub of the Land of Dreams and the headquarters of the Manwon Broadcasting Station, it is where Manwon plans to hold a public TV debate to discuss the impact of the Charmony Game on the world. With the Trailblazer's party aiming to lead the Anti-Annihilation Alliance and Manwon discussing the happiness of ordinary people in the Land of Dreams, the two are expected to continue their confrontation during the public debate, while also gradually unraveling the 'Calamity of Extinction' mentioned early on.

Following this, the special stage introduced the Version 4.2 featured character, 'Silver Wolf LV.999.' As the first Emanator of Elation to appear in the Aetherium Wars game, this form represents Silver Wolf unleashing her power by utilizing an LV.999 cartridge in an extremely limited situation. Details regarding Silver Wolf, the LV.999 cartridge, and the circumstances behind her joining the Stellaron Hunters will be revealed in a future Myriad Celestia trailer. Additionally, a short animation depicting the early conflict between Silver Wolf and the Genius Society after she joined the Stellaron Hunters is scheduled to be released.

Silver Wolf LV.999 gains an equal amount of Hidden Score whenever allies gain Laugh Points. Once the Hidden Score reaches a certain threshold, she activates her exclusive cartridge to enter the 'Invincible Player' state via her Ultimate, 'Invincible Player, Activate.' As an Invincible Player, Silver Wolf pulls allies and enemies into a special reward stage, and her basic attacks are enhanced into AoE attacks.

She also acquires items as random rewards within the stage to trigger special effects. The 'Super-Duper Greatsword' deals guaranteed additional damage to the enemy with the highest HP, while the 'Boom - Boom - Boom Bomb' deals AoE damage and restores Skill Points for all party members. The 'Bizarre Bean' provides additional Laugh Points to party members. Random rewards can be obtained not only on Silver Wolf's turn but also with a certain probability whenever an ally consumes a Skill Point within the reward stage. Once the Floating Cannon's energy accumulates to the final stage, Silver Wolf strikes all enemies with a final blow and exits the Invincible Player state.

During 'Aha Time,' attacks also differ depending on whether she is in her normal state or the Invincible Player state. In the Invincible Player state, she fires a laser cannon, dealing massive bounce damage to all enemies. In her normal state, the game switches to a mini-game to earn Hidden Score.

Silver Wolf LV.999's Technique summons a 'Bizarre Bean' that hovers around her; if there are normal enemies nearby, it automatically tracks and consumes them, spending Technique Points. For elite enemies or higher, the Bizarre Bean's effect triggers upon entering battle. Starting this version, if there are snacks in the inventory, Technique Points will automatically replenish when they hit zero, reducing the hassle of manual refills. Furthermore, even if not in the party, Silver Wolf LV.999 can temporarily intervene when allies are hit by crowd-control debuffs, granting all allies immunity to such debuffs for a certain duration.

The second pickup character, 'Evanesia,' possesses a 'Great Skill' stat that increases whenever her Ultimate energy increases. Since her Ultimate energy also rises alongside the 'Great Skill' stat, Evanesia can quickly charge and activate her Ultimate to rapidly accumulate massive AoE damage against enemies.

Furthermore, when the 'Great Skill' stat reaches a certain threshold, 'Teacher Fox' appears, dealing damage to all enemies and restoring energy, accelerating the Ultimate cycle. 'Teacher Fox' also appears when using Evanesia's Technique, dealing damage to all enemies and restoring energy.

Additionally, the Path of 'Elation' will be unlocked for the Trailblazer this version. The Elation Trailblazer appears wielding a cheerleading baton and possesses an Ultimate that cheers for an ally, providing a bonus to 'Great Skill' and allowing them to immediately trigger an Elation skill. Their Skill deals AoE damage and grants 'Great Skill,' and during 'Aha Time,' they switch their baton to nunchucks to pummel all enemies.

Existing character enhancements are also planned for Version 4.2. Firefly, Huohuo, Seele, and Welt have been selected. After enhancement, Firefly's Complete Combustion state is extended each time she defeats an enemy, allowing her to deal damage to enemies more stably for longer. Huohuo's Ultimate increases Yangming points, and her ability to protect allies is enhanced, such as allowing Yangming to heal more allies.

Seele's Skill is now automatically triggered against enemies on the field with HP below a certain threshold. If the enemy is defeated, her Resurgence trait is triggered. Welt gains an effect that reduces enemy defense and increases damage taken from allies when he uses his Ultimate.

The formidable enemy introduced briefly in the PV, the 'Twisted Wicked Garden Lotus,' was also briefly explained. The Wicked Garden Lotus grants special stacks to allies, and if the stack count gets too high, the ally becomes a puppet of the Lotus. To prevent this, players must continuously attack or defeat enemies on the field to lower the stacks.

Party rooms to meet with friends, obtaining fully upgraded Relics of your choice? Version 4.2 is a great chance for returning players

The 'Currency War' mode will see its promotion level expanded to 140 in Version 4.2, with Ashvale, Silver Wolf LV.999, Evanesia, and the Elation Trailblazer newly added. Silver Wolf LV.999 starts with an initial cost of 3, but when promoted to 2 stars for the first time, she can modify her cost or create hacking modification parts. At 3 stars and 5 cost, Silver Wolf LV.999 can completely hack the game, allowing her to recover gold, crystal ore, or HP, and even arbitrarily modify enemy HP. Using hacking modification parts enhances her combat power.

Evanesia gains a buff that permanently increases her damage until the end of the calculation every time she activates her Ultimate. Ashvale provides a star-level bonus to Galaxy Rangers regardless of whether they are in the front or back row, and can receive star-level bonuses. The Trailblazer changes to Remembrance or Elation depending on their position.

Along with the expansion of the Elation lineup, a new 'Elation Bond' is added to Currency War. After activating the Elation Bond, 'Aha' appears with 3 initial pieces of equipment. Afterward, you can synthesize Aha's equipment with the character's equipment to increase Aha's stats and unleash synergy.

Also, during 'Aha Time,' the effect applies to all members within the bond, and as the bond increases, Aha's star level also increases, adding further stat bonuses. Elation Emblems can be obtained by synthesizing red or blue diamonds with trash bags. With Silver Wolf and Moze appearing as consultants and 34 new investment environments and strategies added, the meta of Currency War is set to become even more diverse.

Furthermore, in Version 4.2, the Currency War and Simulated Universe cycle score lines will be integrated into a new cycle score line, allowing players to earn weekly rewards regardless of which content they participate in. The NPC battle 'Cosmic Force,' introduced in Version 4.0, will also be slightly changed. In addition to 1v1 against bosses, two players can now cooperate to face them, and players can exchange dice or unleash tactical card synergies to take on more difficult enemies.

Cooperation with friends doesn't stop at Cosmic Force. In Version 4.2, you can visit a friend's train and gather in the party room to chat. A space will be created in the Trailblazer's room to display souvenirs and trophies, and the trajectory of your journey can be displayed in a photo zone. Additionally, a cat tower for Cake Cats has been provided, and you can open a random box every week to obtain Cake Cats.

Regarding Relics, convenience improvements and events for new and returning users are underway. First, the 'Strange Relic Exploration' event will be held, where you can set a desired Relic set for a character and obtain fully upgraded Relics through daily play. A preset function that allows you to quickly swap Relics according to character situations is also supported. A feature to ask Pom-Pom about party composition and Relic settings has also been added.

3rd Anniversary Packed with Galaxy and Gong Cha Collabs and Online/Offline Events

The latter part of the broadcast introduced the concept and rewards for the 3rd-anniversary event. This 3rd anniversary will feature 'Galaxy Signal Roaming,' a concept where the Trailblazer debuts in the Land of Dreams. The concept involves broadcasting the cool moments of party members in battle to gain popularity, and effects are further increased when specific bonds are met. Various productions and gimmicks are planned, such as viewer popularity changing based on choices made during the broadcast. During the event, companions from previous regions who have worked with the Trailblazer will appear, and various rewards, including the 4-star event Light Cone 'We Will Be Together in the Future,' can be obtained.

After the Version 4.2 update, you can receive a total of 20 Star Rail Special Passes over 7 days through attendance checks. Additionally, 1,600 Stellar Jades and 10 Fuel will be sent via mail upon login, and triple-reward events for Planar Fissure, Cavern of Corrosion, and Garden of Plenty will be held. On April 26, an annual data retrospective event will also be held to look back on the past year.

Furthermore, after the Version 4.2 update, a 'Golden Soul Companion' item will be sent via in-game mail, allowing players to redeem a 5-star limited character for free. The exchange shop's character lineup will also be updated to include Robin and Huohuo, along with their respective Light Cones. Additionally, Yunli, Argenti, and Silver Wolf will be added to the selection pool for the Version 4.2 'Starlight Bond Invitation.'

To celebrate the 3rd anniversary, new formal wear sets and accessories for the Trailblazer and Pom-Pom will be added, and a new costume for Castoris will be added to the shop. Along with this, the first-time top-up double reset and cumulative 'Old Dreams' rewards will be opened. Offline, the 'Honkai: Star Rail World Tour' will be held to commemorate the 3rd anniversary. This world tour will visit major cities around the world, including LA, Cologne, Seoul, Tokyo, and Taipei, with detailed information to be released later via the official site and SNS.

Meanwhile, in Korea, to commemorate the 3rd anniversary, a collaboration with Samsung will launch the 'Galaxy S26 Ultra Kyrene Accessory Edition' on April 24. Along with the launch, a collaboration event will be held at the Hongdae Samsung Store from April 24 to May 5. From the 22nd to May 21, a collaboration with Gong Cha will also be held, releasing various collaboration merchandise. On April 26, the day of the 3rd anniversary, a cosplay parade titled 'Elation! Fashion Parade' will be held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). In addition, in July, a collaboration with the immersive platform 'Deep' will be held, showcasing a Honkai: Star Rail themed exhibition and exclusive merchandise. The annual Honkai: Star Rail creative contest, 'Multiverse Moments,' was also teased.

On April 23, the 'Charmony New Game' web event, which features the concept of holding the Charmony Game on Earth, will also be held. During the period, players can choose their faction on the opened web page and advance to the Television Tower, with all Trailblazers participating in the faction war in the process. Large events will be held three times on April 25, 28, and 30, and participants can earn up to 800 Stellar Jades. Additionally, a web page event will be held where you can send a 3rd-anniversary message to Aha and enter a raffle to win various prizes such as Stellar Jades, Itasha, full collaboration sets, and random merchandise boxes. On May 3 at 20:00 KST, an online music performance, 'Star Rail's Bizarre Night,' will be held via the YouTube channel.

Finally, just before the end of the broadcast, a PV for an original animation produced in collaboration with Japanese animation studio MAPPA was revealed. The PV captured the daily lives and activities of the Astral Express members and the Stellaron Hunters with dramatic direction, and the phrase 'A New Story Awaits' at the end of the video hinted at additional stories not shown in the PV.

Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.2 will be updated on April 22, and detailed schedules and information can be found on the official lounge.