Honkai: Star Rail’s main story has been chugging along like the Astral Express since the game launched in April, with each major update adding more content to enjoy. The latest patch, version 1.6, titled “Crown of the Mundane and Divine,” is just around the corner. Like past updates, it will bring new characters, quests, and limited-time events. Version 1.6 is an exciting update that is only going to build up anticipation for the imminent version 2.0, which will introduce the first new planet to Honkai: Star Rail in the new year.
Here’s everything we know about Honkai: Star Rail version 1.6.
What Is the Release Date For Honkai: Star Rail 1.6?
Honkai: Star Rail version 1.6 is set to release on Wednesday, December 27. This follows the pattern of Genshin Impact and previous Honkai: Star Rail updates, launching roughly every six weeks.
Maintenance for Star Rail typically begins at 6 a.m. Chinese Standard Time (UTC +8), which means the 1.6 update should go live on Tuesday, December 26 at 10 p.m. ET in the United States, due to the timezone difference.
Honkai: Star Rail 1.6 Character Banners
Star Rail’s 1.6 banners will focus on Ruan Mei and Dr. Ratio, with two phases centering on each. A third new playable character, Xueyi, will also debut with Ruan Mei’s banner.
Ruan Mei’s Phase 1 banner should run from December 27 to January 17 and will introduce the named character alongside three boosted 4-Star characters. Here are all four characters:
- Ruan Mei (5-Star, Ice, The Harmony)
- Xueyi (4-Star, Quantum, The Destruction)
- Tingyun (4-Star, Lightning, The Harmony)
- March 7th (4-Star, Ice, The Preservation)
Dr. Ratio’s banner will run directly after Ruan Mei’s from January 17 to whenever version 1.6 ends (approximately February 6), and again includes Dr. Ratio himself, and three boosted 4-star characters characters. HoYoverse revealed that all players will be able to get Dr. Ratio for free until the end of version 2.1 as a thank-you for the success of the game, including earning Best Mobile Game at the 2023 Game Awards. Here are all four characters:
- Dr. Ratio (5-Star, Imaginary, The Hunt)
- Sushang (4-Star, Physical, The Hunt)
- Natasha (4-Star, Physical, The Abundance)
- Hook (4-Star, Fire, The Destruction)
In addition to the new banners, both Kafka and Blade will be making a return in version 1.6. Blade’s banner will run alongside Ruan Mei’s in Phase 1 while Kafka’s will run alongside Dr. Ratio’s in Phase 2.
All four 5-Star characters available during version 1.6 will also have Light Cone banners that players can use warps on that will run during the same phase as the corresponding character banner.
What Quests Are Coming In Honkai: Star Rail 1.6?
The Honkai: Star Rail Version 1.6 Special Program, which you can watch above, revealed quite a bit about the new content players will be able to jump into.
A new Trailblaze Continuance Mission, “Crown of the Mundane and Divine,” will be the main event in the latest update. This will bring the Trailblazer back to Herta Space Station, where the party will cross paths with Ruan Mei who is conducting science experiments in the new Seclusion Zone area.
There will be no new companion missions in version 1.6.
What Events and Updates Will Come in Honkai: Star Rail 1.6?
Version 1.6 will include the usual lineup of update content, such as “Gift of Odyssey,” which will give players 10 Special Star Rail Passes for logging in seven days during version 1.6 (they don’t have to be consecutive days!). On top of this, the update will add three update-specific events.
The first, Critter Pick, will have players caring for creatures on Herta Space Station. Virtual Scentventure will be a combat-focused event also on Herta Space Station. Finally, Pure Fiction is becoming a permanent event in Honkai: Star Rail. However, the event will update every six weeks (in tandem with version updates) to change slightly each time. So, while not a limited-time event, each version has its constraints.
Version 1.6 also brings with it a new weekly challenge, Starcrusher Swarm King Skaracabaz, and the Gold Gears update to the Simulated Universe.
