Trailblazers, prepare for a significant update! Honkai Star Rail version 3.3, titled “The Fall at Dawn’s Rise,” is set to officially reveal its contents tomorrow, May 9th, promising a wealth of new features, characters, and system enhancements that could reshape the game as we know it. This isn’t just another patch; it feels like a pivotal moment for the game’s evolution. Let’s delve into everything you need to know before the special program airs.

Livestream Details and Free Stellar Jades

Mark your calendars! The version 3.3 special program will premiere tomorrow, Friday, May 9th, at 19:30 (UTC+8). For those in India Standard Time, that translates to 5:00 PM IST. You can catch the livestream on the official Honkai Star Rail Twitch and YouTube channels.

As is tradition, the livestream will drop three limited-time redeem codes, each granting 100 Stellar Jades. These codes are notoriously fleeting, expiring a mere 16 hours after the stream concludes. To ensure you don’t miss out on these valuable resources, keep an eye on community channels and be ready to redeem them swiftly!

Exciting New and Returning Characters

Version 3.3 is upping the ante with a total of four five-star characters gracing the banners. Get ready for two brand-new faces and the return of two fan favorites:

New Character: Hyacine (Wind, The Path of Remembrance)

This five-star Wind character is carving a unique niche as a support and healer hybrid. Her abilities scale off her Max HP, and she brings a helpful memo sprite named Eeka into battle.

• Eeka’s Support: Eeka not only provides healing but also triggers buffs for the team.
• Basic Attack: Deals Wind damage based on Hyacine’s HP.
• Skill and Ultimate: Heal the entire team, including Eeka.
• Technique: Grants the team bonus HP at the start of combat.
• Unique Mechanic: Hyacine possesses a special state that further increases the team’s Max HP, synergizing powerfully with her passive effects.
• Passive Talents: Achieving over 200 Speed unlocks bonus healing, increased Max HP, and automatic debuff removal upon using her Skill or Ultimate. This makes her incredibly valuable in fast-paced team compositions.
• Eidolons: Her Eidolons enhance her support capabilities even further, granting allies Speed upon taking damage, boosting Crit DMG based on her Speed, and allowing Eeka to provide more frequent buffs.
• Light Cone: Long May Rainbows Adorn the Sky: Her signature Light Cone boosts her Speed by 18%. When Hyacine attacks, it consumes 1% of each ally’s current HP, triggering a follow-up attack from Eeka that deals bonus damage based on the total HP consumed. Additionally, when Eeka uses her Skill, enemies take 18% more damage for two turns. This Light Cone is tailor-made for HP-centric teams that thrive on sustain and consistent chip damage.

New Character: Cipher (Quantum, The Path of Nihility)

In stark contrast to Hyacine, Cipher is a five-star Quantum character focused on debuffing, enemy stat manipulation, and amplifying follow-up attacks.

• Skill: Reduces enemy defense.
• Ultimate: Marks a target, causing them to take increased follow-up damage.
• Talent: Converts a portion of allies’ damage into True Damage when they hit a marked enemy.
• Technique: Applies a full field debuff at the start of combat, providing an immediate advantage.
• Eidolons: Her Eidolons significantly enhance her debuff values, grant bonus damage scaling, and offer flexibility in her ability adjustments to suit various team setups.
• Light Cone: Lies Dance on the Breeze: This signature Light Cone operates on a dual-state system. After using an attack, it applies either “Bamboozle” (reducing all enemies’ defense by 16%) or “Theft” (reducing defense by 8% if Cipher’s Speed is over 170). Only one of these debuffs can be active at a time, ensuring consistent enemy weakening.

Rerun Character: Aglaea (Lightning, The Path of Remembrance)

Aglaea, a powerful Lightning-type Remembrance character, is making her first reappearance since version 3.0. Players who missed her debut or are looking for constellations will have another chance to add her to their roster.

Rerun Character: The Herta (Ice, The Path of Erudition)

The brilliant and eccentric member of the Herta Space Station, The Herta, an Ice-type Erudition character specializing in AoE damage, is also returning. This is a great opportunity for players seeking a strong Ice damage dealer.

While the exact order of the character banners in Phase 1 and Phase 2 hasn’t been officially confirmed, leaks suggest that Hyacine will debut alongside The Herta in the first phase, followed by Cipher and Aglaea in the second phase. However, be prepared for potential last-minute changes.

Engaging New Events

Get ready for two exciting new limited-time events that will reward you with Stellar Jades and valuable upgrade materials:

• Trace and Drift: This event seems to be a fast-paced and stylish spheroid racing mini-game. Expect upgrade rewards as you navigate themed tracks.
• Legend of the Galactic Baseballer: Demon King: This event offers a more narrative-driven experience, tasking you with finding the “blackcloak demon king” in pursuit of the ultimate baseball bat.

Participating in these events is crucial for free-to-play players looking to maximize their Stellar Jade income, potentially reaching over 14,000 Stellar Jades in this version through regular content and event participation. Don’t skip them! They also provide essential resources like Tracks of Destiny, Self-Modeling Resin, and character/relic enhancement materials.

Groundbreaking Real Money Transparency

Version 3.3 is introducing a significant structural change to the game’s gacha system: real money transparency. This long-awaited feature will clearly display the actual cost of each pull in your local currency.

For example, a 6,480 Stellar Jade pack might be labeled as providing approximately 50.5 pulls, with the cost per pull explicitly shown (e.g., around $1.98 USD). If you still have your first-time top-up bonus active, the effective cost per pull for larger bundles will also be transparent.

This move aligns with similar changes implemented in Genshin Impact and likely foreshadows its adoption in Zenless Zone Zero. It’s widely believed that new EU regulations regarding digital spending and transparency are driving this industry-wide shift. For players, this is a welcome change, offering a clear understanding of the financial investment involved in obtaining characters and Light Cones without the need for external calculations.

Powerful New Relic Sets

Prepare to optimize your builds with two brand-new Relic sets designed to synergize with the upcoming characters and offer new strategic possibilities:

Warrior Goddess of Sun and Thunder

This set appears tailor-made for Hyacine or other healers with consistent off-field healing, like Eeka.

• Two-Piece Bonus: Increases Speed by 6%.
• Four-Piece Bonus: When the wearer heals an ally (excluding themselves) while the “Gentle Rain” status is active, they gain a stack of Gentle Rain (up to once per turn, lasting two turns). While under the effect of Gentle Rain, the wearer’s Speed increases by an additional 6%, and all allies’ Crit DMG is boosted by 15%. This set encourages consistent healing to provide both personal speed and team-wide damage buffs.

Wave Strider Captain

This set offers a more aggressive approach, potentially benefiting damage-focused characters who rely on team synergy.

• Two-Piece Bonus: Increases Crit DMG by 16%.
• Four-Piece Bonus: When the wearer is targeted by an ally’s Skill or ability, they gain one stack of “Help” (up to two stacks). Upon using their Ultimate with two stacks of Help, all Help stacks are consumed, granting a massive 48% Attack boost for one turn. This set could be particularly potent on characters that benefit from ally buffs or have impactful Ultimates.

Challenging New Weekly Boss

A new formidable weekly boss will be introduced in version 3.3. While the exact mechanics remain a mystery, recent weekly bosses have proven to be significant challenges, so be prepared for a tough fight. These bosses are the primary source for character ascension materials for the newest characters. If you plan on pulling Hyacine or Cipher, you’ll need to face this boss multiple times per week to gather their required materials. Leaks suggest this new weekly boss might be related to Aquila, a significant figure in the Amphoreus storyline.

Expanding the World and Lore

The story continues to unfold with map expansions in Amphoreus, promising new explorable areas and deeper narrative content. A new NPC named Sirene will also make her debut. She is associated with the AED’s Allesia faction and might have connections to Feain. While Sirene is not expected to be playable in version 3.3, her introduction likely sets the stage for future story developments and potential playable characters.

A Turning Point for Honkai Star Rail

Version 3.3 is shaping up to be a substantial update for Honkai Star Rail. With exciting new characters, significant system-level changes like real money transparency, engaging events, powerful new gear, and further story expansion, it truly feels like a pivotal moment in the game’s ongoing evolution. Whether you’re a dedicated Trailblazer or someone considering a return, version 3.3 offers compelling reasons to jump in and experience the latest chapter of this stellar journey.

Who are you planning to pull for in version 3.3? What are your thoughts on the upcoming changes to the gacha system? Share your excitement in the comments below! And don’t forget to claim those precious redeem codes during tomorrow’s livestream – they won’t last long!