Honkai Star Rail 4.3 update Inkford Hermitage map: new region, banners, and release times

Honkai: Star Rail version 4.3 officially launches on May 31, 2026 for NA players (UTC-5) and rolls out globally on June 1 across EU and Asia servers. This patch is the biggest Planarcadia update yet, adding a brand-new explorable region called Inkford Hermitage, a reworked version of Blade as the debut five-star unit, two rerun banner phases, and the confirmation of a second Fate/stay night collaboration.

Honkai Star Rail: Version 4.3 “The Lethe Below the Living” Hub

What is the Honkai Star Rail 4.3 update Inkford Hermitage map?

Inkford Hermitage is a new explorable area inside Planarcadia, the overworld region at the center of the current story arc. It is not freely accessible from the map selector. You unlock it by starting and progressing through the new Trailblaze Mission, The Lethe Below the Living.

Think of it this way: Planarcadia has been expanding one region at a time across recent patches, and Inkford Hermitage is the 4.3 layer of that map. If you want to explore it on patch day, boot up the update and go straight to the new Trailblaze Mission.

Q: Is Inkford Hermitage available from the start of version 4.3?
The area becomes accessible after progressing through The Lethe Below the Living Trailblaze Mission, which unlocks on patch day.

Q: What kind of region is Inkford Hermitage?
It is a Planarcadia sub-region, introduced as part of the ongoing 4.x story arc centered on the Weathering Curse and the Murata family.

Q: Do you need to complete previous 4.x story quests to access Inkford Hermitage?
Yes. Planarcadia content requires completing the earlier Trailblaze Mission chain before new regions in the arc unlock.

Mortenax Blade kit: what changed from original Blade

Mortenax Blade follows the Path of Nihility and deals Fire damage, which is a full rework of his original identity as an HP-burning Wind DPS. The HP consumption mechanic is still there, but his role and numbers work differently.

His Ultimate hits all enemies, applies a DEF shred debuff, increases enemy damage taken, and pushes him into an enhanced combat state. Inside that state, he gains both CRIT Rate and CRIT DMG buffs, accesses an enhanced Skill not available outside it, and can activate a second version of his Ultimate. He also Taunts enemies during certain ability windows and triggers a bonus Skill hit after stacking enough charges.

Expert Insight: Mortenax Blade plays like a hybrid between a self-sustaining bruiser and a team damage amplifier. The DEF shred on his Ultimate is passive party-wide value, meaning even if you run him as a carry, your entire team benefits from his presence. Players who pulled original Blade for sustained fights will find his enhanced state rhythm familiar, but the Fire typing and Nihility path open up team slots that vanilla Blade could not fill. Test him in Memory of Chaos against multi-enemy waves first before committing to a Relic set direction.

Players who pull Mortenax Blade in Phase 1 also receive a free Karmic Fire cosmetic for the Trailblazer at no extra cost.

Q: Is Mortenax Blade a replacement for original Blade?
No. Mortenax Blade is a separate unit on the Path of Nihility with Fire typing. Original Blade remains on the Path of Destruction with Wind typing.

Q: What path does Mortenax Blade follow in HSR 4.3?
He follows the Path of Nihility, making him the first Blade variant to use that path.

Full HSR 4.3 banner schedule: Phase 1 and Phase 2

If Cyrene or Phainon is your target, you have time to soft-pity into Phase 1 before switching over. If Mortenax Blade is your pull, Phase 1 starts on day one. Do not sleep on Yao Guang’s rerun either, especially if you skipped her original banner.

For a broader look at what is coming after 4.3, the Honkai Star Rail banner and patch schedule hub has the full 4.x roadmap with confirmed and projected windows.

Free rewards in HSR 4.3 and how to claim them

The Gift of Odyssey event returns during version 4.3 and gives all players 10 free pulls through the daily login system over the patch window. Log in consistently and collect them early.

The Pixel Plane Rumble event is also confirmed for this patch alongside other limited-time activities that reward Stellar Jade, upgrade materials, and Relic EXP. A new boss also drops fresh Relic and Ornament sets, so farming those early before guides standardize the best loadouts gives you a head start on theory-crafting.

Player Insight: The first 48 hours of a new patch are the best time to run new boss content because the community has not yet settled on the fastest clear rotations. Jumping in early with whatever strong team you have, even a non-optimal one, means you get farming repetitions in before everyone else optimizes. Do not wait for a tier list before touching the new Relics.

Fate/stay night Part 2 collab: confirmed for July 2026

HoYoverse officially confirmed a second round of the Fate/stay night collaboration during the 4.3 Special Program livestream. Rin Tohsaka and Gilgamesh are joining Honkai: Star Rail as playable characters. The collab is scheduled to begin on July 24, 2026, which falls in the 4.4 patch window.

No pull counts, kit details, or pricing have been officially released yet. Wait for a dedicated 4.4 Special Program before planning your Jade budget around either of these units. If you pulled during Part 1, both characters will likely require separate banner pulls.

Q: When does the Fate stay night Part 2 collab start in Honkai Star Rail?
The second Fate/stay night collaboration is scheduled for July 24, 2026, with Rin Tohsaka and Gilgamesh as the confirmed playable characters.