HoYoverse has a funny way of keeping us on our toes. Just when you think you've finally mastered the "Remembrance" meta and understood how Aglaea fits into your team, the rumor mill starts churning out 4.0 details that make everything we know look like old news. Honestly, the way people talk about the Honkai Star Rail future banners right now is a bit of a mess. There’s a lot of noise about who’s coming next, but if you aren’t looking at the 2026 roadmap properly, you’re probably going to waste your Stellar Jades on the wrong character.
Let's be real for a second. We’re currently in the middle of Version 3.8, and while the "Fugue" and "Lingsha" banners are wrapping up, the community is already looking toward the horizon. The transition from the 3.x era into 4.0 is shaping up to be the biggest shift since the game launched. We aren't just getting new characters; we’re getting an entirely new Path.
The 3.8 Phase 3 Pivot: Sunday and Aglaea
Before we even touch 4.0, we have to deal with the immediate future. Starting January 28, 2026, we’re getting the final push of the 3.8 cycle. This is where a lot of players make their first mistake. They see "4.0" and decide to skip everything in 3.8. That’s risky.
Aglaea is the first heavy hitter for the Remembrance path. She isn't just a Lightning DPS; she’s the blueprint for how that Path functions. If you’ve been ignoring the Memosprite mechanics, Aglaea is going to be a rude awakening. Then you have Sunday. People have been waiting for him since the Penacony days, and his kit as a Harmony support for hypercarries is, frankly, ridiculous.
The four-stars on these banners are decent—Tingyun, Yukong, and Dan Heng—but let’s be honest, you’re pulling for the five-stars here. If you’re running a team that relies on the "Fate" collaboration characters like Saber or Archer, Sunday is almost a non-negotiable pull. He makes them significantly more "comfortable" to play, as the theorycrafters like to say.
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The 4.0 Planarcadia Shift: Elation Becomes Real
This is the part everyone is buzzing about. Version 4.0, which is slated for February 12 or 13, 2026 (depending on your time zone), is moving the Astral Express to a new world called Planarcadia. This is Aha’s playground. The Aeon of Elation is finally taking center stage, and that means the Elation Path is becoming a permanent fixture for playable characters.
Most people assume Elation just means "Follow-up attacks." While that was true in the Simulated Universe, the new characters are more complex.
Yao Guang: The Seer Strategist
Yao Guang is a Physical character on the Elation path. She’s one of the Arbiter-Generals of the Xianzhou Alliance, but don’t expect her to play like Jing Yuan or Feixiao. She’s being described as an Elation support. She reads "fortune" to buff your team’s damage output. It’s a weird niche, but in a world where the meta is shifting toward Aha-themed mechanics, she’s likely going to be the backbone of any 4.x team.
Sparxie: The Masked Fool Streamer
Then there’s Sparxie. Yes, she’s basically a variant of Sparkle, or at least heavily tied to her. She’s a Fire Elation unit. Her drip marketing paints her as a high-energy content creator or streamer. In terms of gameplay, she’s expected to be a performance-heavy damage dealer. If you like the "gremlin" energy of the Masked Fools, Sparxie is basically that vibe turned up to eleven.
Looking Past 4.0: The "SP" Character Wave
If you think 4.0 is the end of it, the leaks for the rest of 2026 are even wilder. There’s a massive trend coming called SP Variants. These aren't just skins; they are entirely new versions of existing characters with different paths and elements.
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- Version 4.1: Rumors suggest we might finally see Pearl from the IPC’s Ten Stonehearts. She’s been teased forever, and word is she’ll be an Elation-based healer. There's also talk of La Mancha, the leader of the Galaxy Rangers.
- Version 4.2: This is the one that might break the internet. Leaks point to Yae Sakura arriving as an Ice Elation unit. Alongside her, we might get Silver Wolf (SP), who supposedly moves from Nihility to Erudition.
- Version 4.3 and Beyond: Hold onto your hats, because Blade (SP) is rumored for 4.3 as a Lightning Hunt character. Even Himeko (SP) and Robin (SP) are being whispered about for late 2026.
It’s a lot to process. The game is moving away from the "one and done" character model and toward these "Aha-stamped" variants. It's a clever way for HoYoverse to keep old favorites relevant while introducing new mechanics.
Why You Shouldn't Just Save for 4.0
Here’s the nuance most guides miss: the synergy between 3.8 and 4.0. You’ll see plenty of people telling you to "save everything for Sparxie." But if the 4.0 characters require specific buffs from the Remembrance path or the specialized Harmony kits of 3.8, you might pull a shiny new 4.0 DPS and have nobody to support them.
The Indelible Coterie banner is another thing to watch. HoYoverse has been experimenting with these "six-character rerun" banners. They are unpredictable. They can appear out of nowhere and bait you into spending your stash on a character like Firefly or Lingsha right before a major patch.
Strategy for Your Stellar Jades
If you’re a Free-to-Play player or a light spender, you have to be ruthless.
First, look at your current roster. If you have a solid "Break" team (Firefly/HMC/Ruan Mei), you’re actually in a good spot to skip some of the transitional 3.8 banners. However, if you want to be part of the new 4.0 meta, you need to target Yao Guang over Sparxie. Supports in this game almost always have more longevity than DPS units.
Second, don't ignore the Light Cones. For characters like Sunday and Aglaea, their signature Light Cones—A Grounded Ascent and Time Woven Into Gold—are huge power spikes. If you can’t afford the signature, make sure you have the 4-star alternatives like Dance! Dance! Dance! ready to go.
Third, keep an eye on the "Fate" collaboration. If you pulled Saber or Archer, you basically must look at characters who can provide high-frequency buffs. Sunday is your best bet there.
The transition to Version 4.0 and the world of Planarcadia is basically HoYoverse throwing the rulebook out the window. Between the new Elation path, the arrival of Arbiter-Generals like Yao Guang, and the potential for SP variants of our favorite Stellaron Hunters, 2026 is going to be an expensive year for Trailblazers.
Next Steps for Players:
- Check your Remembrance materials. If you plan on pulling Aglaea or future Remembrance units, start farming the new sets now.
- Watch for the 4.0 Special Program in early February. This will confirm the exact banner order for Yao Guang and Sparxie.
- Audit your Harmony units. If you don't have Robin or Ruan Mei, Sunday becomes a much higher priority for your account's health.