Honkai: Star Rail 4.6 Overview: Before the Moon Rises
Release timing and the new character
Version 4.6 went live at 07:00 on September 28, 2026 . The story moves into the Synthesis Institute deep within Thousand Star City - the origin of all Illusory Constructs, built under the direction of company R&D head Apollyon, who is now pushing a dangerous "beast molt weaponisation" plan that Pearl intends to unravel.
Banners and events
Pearl and the limited 5-star Light Cone "Colors for Tomorrow" both have boosted rates throughout 4.6. The first half reruns the limited 5-star Feiying, and the second half reruns Qianye Blade.
Events include the management-style "Love, Ghosts and Robots" (helping the revived Scott run a mech workshop), the large-scale combat reality show "Interastral Peace Gala: One Take", and the new Stellar Phantom Pets system, which lets you collect companion pets and take on the "Stellar Bumper Partner!" challenge with friends. Cosmetics for Fengjin and Feiying also arrive.
Honkai: Star Rail Pearl Mechanics: Good Show and Deep Learning
Good Show as a team-wide defensive resource
Pearl spends her own Good Show stacks to reduce a portion of damage taken by the entire team. It is a group defensive card rather than a personal shield, so her value is not fully captured by her damage panel.
Timing is the whole skill: treat her as pure damage and the defensive resource is wasted; treat her as pure support and the enhanced attack never lands. The practical approach is to bank Good Show before a boss burst turn and let the enhanced attack carry the rest of the rotation.
Deep Learning: copying an ally's combat data
In Deep Learning, Pearl learns from a designated ally's combat data and gains a corresponding enhanced attack . Two upgrade rules matter:
- If the copied ally is on the Elation Path, Pearl's enhanced attack deals additional Elation damage
- If the entire team is on the Elation Path, that ally gains an extra turn along with a large amount of Joke and Good Show
The second rule is the core payoff and the reason a full Elation team is this patch's build target. Off-Path teams still work, but they leave that bonus on the table.
Honkai: Star Rail Pearl Team Compositions
Three setups
| Team | Configuration | Light cone / relics | Rotation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Elation loop (recommended) | Pearl + Elation carry + Elation support + Elation sustain | Pearl with "Colors for Tomorrow" | Pearl copies the carry first, extra turn triggers, carry chains damage, sustain closes |
| Mixed Path burst | Pearl + Elation carry + generic support + generic sustain | Supports on speed and energy | Pearl copies the carry, enhanced attacks stack, carry bursts in the ultimate window |
| Budget transition | Pearl + standard carry + dual support | Speed on Pearl first | Supports buff, Pearl copies the damage dealer, enhanced attacks fill gaps |
Relic stats
Pearl's core stats are speed and HP. Speed decides whether she can complete or refresh Deep Learning before a key turn, and HP governs both her mitigation and survival ceiling. Filter relics in the order speed, then HP percentage, then effect hit rate or DEF. The limited 5-star Light Cone "Colors for Tomorrow" has boosted rates during 4.6, and it improves rotation quality more than a pure stat cone.
Honkai: Star Rail 4.6 Resource Planning and Investment Order
Who to build first
With limited patch resources, the order is Pearl's level and traces first, then her signature Light Cone, then Elation teammates' traces. The logic is direct: Pearl's payoff comes from copying an ally, so a stronger ally makes her enhanced attack stronger - teammate trace investment pays twice on her.
Claiming event rewards
New systems like Stellar Phantom Pets lean toward long-term progression rewards, so clear the daily tasks each day. "Love, Ghosts and Robots" is a management event with long single runs, better stacked into a weekend session. Both windows close with the version, so do not leave them to the final week.
Honkai: Star Rail 4.6 Synthesis Institute Exploration
What to expect in the new area
The Synthesis Institute is 4.6's story stage and the source of the Illusory Constructs. Exploration threads you through Xuzhao, Xiuye and Butusi's storylines; Xuzhao's identity as Aha, the Aeon of Elation, was already revealed ahead of the patch.
Exploration rewards lean on chests and collection logs. Sweep them along your main story route rather than dedicating a full day to completionism.
Planning ahead for 4.8
Officially confirmed: Zenless Zone Zero characters Ellen and Astra Yao join Honkai: Star Rail in version 4.8, and a Razer collaboration line launches globally. That means your Stellar Jade plan from 4.6 through 4.8 needs headroom, so do not empty your account in 4.6.
Honkai: Star Rail 4.6 FAQ
Q: When did Honkai: Star Rail 4.6 launch?
A: September 28, 2026 at 07:00, under the name "Before the Moon Rises, Dance with Beasts".
Q: Does Pearl require a full Elation team?
A: No, but with an all-Elation team the copied ally gains an extra turn plus a large amount of Joke and Good Show, which is the largest single gain available.
Q: What relic stats does Pearl want?
A: Speed first, then HP percentage. Speed determines whether she can complete or refresh Deep Learning before a key turn.
Q: What new activities are in 4.6?
A: The management event "Love, Ghosts and Robots", the combat reality show "Interastral Peace Gala: One Take" and the Stellar Phantom Pets companion system.
Q: What should I plan for in 4.8?
A: Zenless Zone Zero crossover characters Ellen and Astra Yao join in 4.8, so keep Stellar Jade in reserve from 4.6 onward.
Action checklist
- Invest in Pearl's level and traces first, then her signature Light Cone
- Build Elation teammates' traces too - Pearl copies allies, so their power multiplies hers
- Filter relics in the order speed, HP percentage, effect hit rate or DEF
- Bank Good Show before boss burst turns and use enhanced attacks elsewhere
- Clear Stellar Phantom Pets dailies and save "Love, Ghosts and Robots" for a weekend
- Reserve Stellar Jade for the 4.8 crossover and do not empty your account
More Honkai: Star Rail team-building and progression coverage is on the GameHub guide hub.
Game Guides
- Palworld 1.0.5 Awakening Guide: Radiant Gem Farming and Holy Water Costs
Palworld 1.0.5 (2026-09-15) leaves Awakening as the only system that permanently raises a single Pal's ceiling: at an Ancient Workbench, 50 Radiant Gems of one element plus 10 World Tree Holy Water yields one Awakening Crystal, and consuming it permanently boosts that Pal's base HP, Attack and Defence. Finish the specimen first, reach level 80 and lock in the passives before spending gems .
- Reverse: 1999 4.0 Drake Pull Guide: Twilight Support and Free Six-Star Picks
Reverse: 1999 4.0.0 Gatekeeper, live since 2026-09-24, puts Drake in the second half as a Twilight support who does not consume card priority and loops with Beryl. Community consensus puts zero-portrait SP Crossbow first, then Beryl's key portraits, then zero-portrait Drake and Liangyue, with 37 and J leading the free six-star pick list .
- Love and Deepspace Mid-October Windows: Fleeting Wish, Rekindled Light and Starlit Vow
Love and Deepspace stacks three pieces of content into one window running 2026-10-11 to 10-18: the Fleeting Wish banner, a five-star wish rerun called Rekindled Light, and the Starlit Vow gameplay mode. Two deadlines land earlier, with the 19th Ten Days With You check-in closing on 10-16 and the 13th Meow Counter drop boost on 10-19. Sort by deadline, claims before pulls .
- Honkai: Star Rail 4.6 Planar Fission Guide: Spending 12 Double-Drop Runs
Honkai: Star Rail 4.6 Planar Fission opened on 2026-10-11, granting double Planar Ornament rewards in Simulated Universe and Divergent Universe: each run spends one double-reward charge plus an Immersifier and pays a second set of rewards on top. Past runs of the event followed a 12-run, roughly 480 Trailblaze Power structure, with the exact count for this window shown in the in-game event screen .
- Genshin Impact 7.1 Rewards Checklist: How to Claim 1600 Primogems and Blank Slate
Genshin Impact 7.1, Requiem for the Land of the Dead, went live on 2026-09-23 and hides its value in three places: 1600 Primogems delivered across four in-game letters, 10 Intertwined Fates from seven days of check-in, and a free limited five-star invitation from the Tabletop Theatre event. The main event, Silverplume Moonchase, trades Festival Ambience for the limited four-star sword Silver Goblet .
- Wuthering Waves 3.7 Moon Festival Rerun and Xuanfang City Achievements
Wuthering Waves 3.7, Mirror-Locked Illusion, Mind Lights the Mortal World, launched on 2026-09-30 and brings the Moon Festival back after two years with 8 hidden achievements inside it; Xuanfang City adds another 15 achievements listed in the community completion series plus the notorious luck-based "Journey Unreturned". Clear the limited-time activities and logins first, spend the leftover stamina on achievements, and hold Astrite for the current banner .
- Zenless Zone Zero 3.3 Preview: Phoenix Kit, Banners and Prep Checklist
Zenless Zone Zero 3.3 lands on 2026-10-21 with two new S-Rank Agents: Phoenix, a Fire Anomaly unit whose Nirvana core skill lets Anomaly damage crit and who revives once from a fatal hit, and Severian, a Wind Attack unit. Phase 1 runs 10-21 to 11-11 with a Velina rerun, and Phase 2 runs 11-11 to 12-02 with a Norma rerun .
- Arknights Hengyuan Jinliang Collab Guide: Sanity Split for Two Live Events
Arknights runs the Yesterday Sea wrap-up and the Hengyuan Jinliang National Library collab side by side in mid-October, so sanity gets tight fast. Send about 144 of your roughly 240 daily sanity to the event stage, keep about 96 for story nodes and Integrated Strategies prep, and claim the login furniture the same day it appears.