Honkai: Star Rail 3.4 Update Launches on July 2 With Fate/stay night Collaboration, Saber and Archer Join Game

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Honkai: Star Rail x Fate/stay night Crossover Event: New Characters and Free Archer Main Story Expansion and New Character: Phainon Returning Characters and Gameplay Enhancements

HoYoverse has announced the upcoming release of Honkai: Star Rail Version 3.4, titled For the Sun is Set to Die, scheduled to launch on July 2. The update will introduce new story content, gameplay features, and a major collaboration with the anime franchise Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works], featuring Saber and Archer as playable characters. A trailer was also revealed.

Honkai: Star Rail x Fate/stay night Crossover Event: New Characters and Free Archer

A special story event titled Sweet Dreams and the Holy Grail War will begin on July 11, set in Penacony. Players will participate in a Grail War-style competition involving seven contestants, each summoning Heroic Spirits to battle alongside them. According to HoYoverse, “three legendary Heroic Spirits will respond to the Holy Grail’s call: Saber, Archer, and Lancer.”

As part of the crossover, Saber and Archer will become playable characters. Saber is a 5-star Wind-type character following the Path of Destruction. Her Ultimate, Excalibur, deals wide-area Wind Damage and enhances her Basic Attack to target all enemies. During combat, she accumulates “Core Resonance” via multiple actions. When fully charged, Saber gains an extra turn, and her Skill damage and Ultimate recharge increase.

Archer is also a 5-star, and he is a Quantum-type character following the Path of the Hunt. Known for sustained single-target damage, Archer’s Skill allows multiple uses per turn in a state called “Circuit Connection.” His Ultimate triggers Unlimited Blade Works, a powerful attack followed by a series of conditional follow-up attacks. HoYoverse notes, “whenever an ally attacks, Archer can consume [Special Charge] to trigger a Follow-up ATK and restore 1 Skill Point for the team.”

Honkai: Star Rail x Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] Announcement Trailer

Players who log in during the event period from July 11 through the end of Version 3.6 will be able to claim Archer for free.

Main Story Expansion and New Character: Phainon

Version 3.4 will also continue the main story with the introduction of Phainon, a major new character from Aedes Elysiae. He joins the Trailblazer following the events in Amphoreus.

Phainon is described in the press release as “calm and reliable,” but “behind his demeanor lies the burden of great expectations.” In combat, he uses “Coreflames” to transform and create a “Territory,” temporarily removing allies from battle but maintaining their bonuses. His powers derive from the elements of Origination, Calamity, and the Foundation Titans. Additionally, Phainon increases the team’s Technique Point cap and can instantly defeat normal enemies within range without triggering combat.

Returning Characters and Gameplay Enhancements

Several limited 5-star characters will return across the update:

First half: Tribbie, Sunday, Sparkle
Second half: Firefly, Jingliu, Blade

Silver Wolf, Kafka, Jingliu, and Blade will receive combat and Eidolon adjustments, allowing for more flexible and personalized builds. Players can also toggle between classic and enhanced combat modes.

A new outfit for Firefly titled Spring Missive will also make its debut, and the previously announced “skip dialogue” feature will finally be available. The popular Origami Bird minigame will also return.

The Japanese voice cast for the game includes:

Hino Satoshi as Phainon
Karato Syuntaro as Lygus
Endo Aya as Aglaea
Inoue Marina as Cyrene
Ayako Kawasumi as Saber (Fate/UBW)
Junichi Suwabe as Archer (Fate/UBW)
Kikuchi Michitake as Old Oti
Konishi Katsuyuki as Boothill
Nazuka Kaori as Robin
Ishikawa Yui as Stelle

You can watch the trailer below.

Honkai: Star Rail x Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] Announcement Trailer

Honkai: Star Rail is available on PC, iOS, Android, PlayStation 5, and the Epic Games Store. The game has surpassed 150 million downloads and has received numerous awards, including: