HoYoverse held a special program today (the 3rd) ahead of the 4.4 version update for its turn-based RPG, 'Honkai: Star Rail.'

Version 4.4 will feature a decisive battle against the Lord Ravager, Asat Pramad, who has finally revealed their true colors. Before the showdown, the truth behind the Astral Express' emergency landing in the Ideal Paradise 15 years ago and Himeko's experiences in the Phantom Moon game will be unveiled. Asat Pramad will appear in three forms. In the first form, they unleash a barrage of rockets and strike energy spheres like billiard balls to deal massive AoE damage. Throughout the fight, players will engage in a dice game where they choose one buff while Asat Pramad takes the remaining two. Clearing the 4.4 Trailblaze Mission will add Asat Pramad to the Echo of War, allowing players to obtain the trace material 'Expectation of the False Sage.

Following this, Himeko's variant character, 'Himeko-Nova,' was revealed. She is a 5-star Fire-type character following the Path of Erudition. Upon triggering her trait, she enters battle by summoning the giant mech 'Star's Guide' and a domain boundary. When using her ultimate skill, she pilots the mech alongside her allies, attacking enemies with a high-frequency particle beam. By charging a gauge, she can unleash a powerful 'Orbital Annihilation Pulse.' Once the light blade attack count is exhausted, she delivers a finishing blow before returning to the battlefield.

When using her combat skill, she increases allies' damage and restores the usage count of 'Combat Support Skills.' Combat Support Skills are special abilities held by all allies within Himeko's domain; activating them summons the Star's Guide to attack all enemies. When the Express team summons the Star's Guide, additional effects are triggered based on the specific team members. The first half of version 4.4 will feature the Himeko-Nova banner alongside reruns for Sparkle, Dan Heng-Imbibitor Lunae, and Acheron. The second half will feature reruns for Kaelidra, Anaxa, and Aventurine.

Following the banner reveal, details for the second Fate/stay night UBW collaboration, 'Phantom Grail War,' were unveiled. Set in the Ideal Paradise rather than Penacony, the story begins as the Astral Express team donates various items—including the Holy Grail obtained in Penacony—to continue an exhibition after their battle with the Daybreak Squad. Upon hearing that the Grail has been stolen while preparing the exhibit, the team investigates based on testimony that a twin-tailed girl in red stole it. Meanwhile, Rin Tohsaka, who arrived in the Ideal Paradise after the 5th Holy Grail War, takes the Grail to return to her original world, only to be confused by the fact that it differs from the Grail she knows. The story kicks off as Gilgamesh also arrives in the Ideal Paradise to retrieve treasures scattered across the land.

Along with the Trailblaze Continuance story, the event content 'Fate/Night of the Galactic Railway' has also been revealed. In 'Fate/Night of the Galactic Railway,' Rin Tohsaka and the Trailblazer fight as a pair. In this mode, in addition to their basic skills, characters are granted various skills in the form of cards, similar to a roguelike deck-builder; when you defeat an enemy possessing a Noble Phantasm, you can acquire that Noble Phantasm as a card.

Next, the collaboration-exclusive 5-star characters, Rin Tohsaka and Gilgamesh, were introduced. Rin is a 5-star Quantum-type character on the Path of Erudition. She uses Bajiquan for her basic attack and the Jewel Sword Zelretch for her combat skill against single targets. She gains 'Jewel Energy' when using her technique, and can gain additional energy whenever allies use combat skills or healing abilities during battle.

When holding a certain amount of Jewel Energy, Rin's combat skill is enhanced, allowing her to deal damage to all enemies and then consume additional energy to strike random enemies multiple times. Her ultimate skill summons a giant bow to deal massive damage to all enemies. Furthermore, if Archer is in the party and specific conditions are met, a follow-up attack is triggered, and skill points are restored.

Gilgamesh is a 5-star Lightning-type character on the Path of Destruction. Upon entering battle, he only uses basic attacks until his 'Interest Gauge' is filled. The gauge charges whenever allies use ultimate skills. Once a certain threshold is reached, his combat skill 'Gate of Babylon' is unlocked, allowing him to consume the gauge to deal damage to all enemies. When teamed with Saber, he unleashes a barrage of weapons every time Saber attacks, performing a follow-up attack on all enemies. This increases his Interest Gauge, allowing for more frequent use of his combat skill. Using his technique 'Enkidu' restores his Interest Gauge, allowing him to use his combat skill sooner.

Rin Tohsaka and Gilgamesh will be available in banners starting July 24. With the start of the collaboration event, players will receive either Gilgamesh or Archer for free upon logging in. The second and first Fate/stay night event banners will share a pity count and will remain available for an extended period. Additionally, players who accumulate 200 pulls in any Warp event can select and receive a free signature Light Cone for either Gilgamesh or Archer.

Meanwhile, the 4.4 update will feature a mini-game event called 'Anti-Corruption Expert,' and four characters—Himeko-Nova, Acheron-Blade, Rin Tohsaka, and Gilgamesh—will be added to the Currency War. Two new Planar Ornaments and new emojis will be added, and Sparkle's new costume, 'Sweet Dream Propagation,' will be released in the shop. Several system optimizations are also planned, including batch level-up support for characters and Light Cones, a feature to claim all achievement rewards at once, and a search function for achievements.

Starting July 17, a collaboration with the immersive platform 'DEEP' will host an immersive exhibition. Visitors can enjoy various interactive content and purchase merchandise. The Honkai: Star Rail Immersive Exhibition will run from July 17 to August 31 at the immersive platform DEEP, located next to the Lotte World Ice Rink in Jamsil. Ticket reservations open on July 8 at 6:00 PM.

Honkai: Star Rail version 4.4 is scheduled for release on July 15. Detailed information can be found on the official lounge.