Honkai: Star Rail 4.6 Reveals Pearl in "Dance With the Beast Before Moonrise" — What HoYoverse Actually Confirmed

HoYoverse aired the Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.6 Special Program, “Dance With the Beast Before Moonrise,” on September 20, 2026, alongside the official version trailer. The headline reveal is Pearl, a new 5-star unit — but the broadcast also confirmed a release window, new story content, a new gameplay system and two new outfits.

When Version 4.6 Arrives

The update releases September 27, 2026 on the North America server and September 28, 2026 on Asia and Europe servers — the usual regional maintenance stagger rather than a single global date.

Pearl: What’s Actually Confirmed

Pearl is a 5-star Ice character following the Path of Elation, introduced as one of the “Ten Stonehearts” within the IPC’s Strategic Investment Department — the same faction that includes Aventurine, Jade and Topaz. Her kit, as shown in the broadcast: her basic attack deals Ice damage scaling off her own DEF, an enhanced version of that basic attack heals the whole team while also dealing AoE Ice damage, and her Elation-aligned skill boosts allies’ follow-up damage output based on how many Elation characters are in the active team. Her signature 5-star Light Cone is “Colors for Tomorrow.”

The Event Warp Banner Lineup

Pearl and her signature Light Cone, “Colors for Tomorrow,” receive boosted drop rates throughout Version 4.6. Evanescia returns in the first half, while Mortenax Blade is the confirmed second-half rerun. COGNOSPHERE’s HoYoverse press release names both returning 5-star characters and their phase placement, so Mortenax Blade is no longer a leak or an unconfirmed banner report.

Story: Picking Up After Nihilux’s Reveal

The Special Program confirmed the new Trailblaze Mission continues directly from the story beat where Nihilux revealed her identity as Aha, the Aeon of Elation. In Version 4.6, the Trailblazer and Pearl head to the Life Sciences Institute deep within Astropolis to investigate a scheme described as an attempt to “weaponize the husk.” Beyond that framing, HoYoverse hasn’t detailed how far the mission progresses the wider Astropolis arc.

New Systems, Events and Outfits

HoYoverse confirmed a new gameplay system called Astral Imagea, letting Trailblazers collect multiple Astral Imageas to accompany them during adventures — full mechanical detail wasn’t broken down in the broadcast beyond the basic concept. A new limited-time event, “Love, Ghosts & Robots,” brings back the resurrected character Skott, who runs a mechatron workshop the Trailblazer helps operate during the event. Two new outfits are also confirmed for the Outfit Show Window: Hyacine’s “Warm Cotton Skies” and Evanescia’s “Lunar Blossoming.”

Livestream Codes

Three redemption codes were issued alongside the broadcast, together worth 300 Stellar Jades:

• KA5SV3FJM7WX — 100 Stellar Jades + 50,000 Credits
• 7S4AD2X35NE3 — 100 Stellar Jades + 5 Traveler’s Guides
• MALSV2F247FP — 100 Stellar Jades + 4 Refined Aether

Their stated deadline was September 21, 2026, at 23:59 (UTC+8). That deadline has passed, so the codes are listed here only as a historical record of the Special Program rewards. HoYoverse has not announced an extension or replacement set for those three broadcast codes.

What HoYoverse Hasn’t Confirmed

The full Astral Imagea mechanics, the complete Trailblaze Mission episode count for this version, and any additional Light Cones beyond Pearl’s signature were not detailed in the Special Program or accompanying announcement. Leak communities have circulated kit numbers and other future-version claims around the broadcast; none of those are treated as confirmed here.

For more from Tokyo Game Show 2026, see our Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance trailer breakdown and Solo Leveling: Karma’s TGS 2026 systems trailers. For the show’s own operational news, see our coverage of TGS 2026’s cancelled final day.