Why Honkai Star Rail 3.4 might outshine the actual anniversary patch

HoYoverse has some big plans for Honkai Star Rail 3.4, so the update might outshine the actual anniversary patch. Players will be particularly excited about the Fate collaboration that will bring in Saber and Archer to the playable roster. Additionally, HoYoverse will buff several old characters in version 3.4, compelling Trailblazers to recruit them in teams.

This article further discusses everything Honkai Star Rail 3.4 has in store and validates why players could anticipate the update more than the anniversary.

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How Honkai Star Rail 3.4 could bank on collabs, character buffs, and more

Trailblazers have been waiting for the Honkai Star Rail x Fate collab for quite some time. Players are excited about playable versions of popular Fate characters like Saber and Archer. Sadly, the collaboration is featured in version 3.4 instead of the anniversary patch.

HoYoverse has yet to disclose how exactly these entities will come in contact with the Astral Express. There will be an event to validate their existence in the Star Rail universe. Players will be able to obtain them by spending Star Rail Special Passes on the corresponding event banner, which will be released on July 11, 2025.

If introducing playable characters from a different franchise wasn’t enough, Trailblazers will be gifted a copy of Archer for free. They can choose to summon his Eidolons, but we recommend getting Saber instead. While both the Fate characters boast a 5-star rarity, their Paths and elements are different.

Archer hails from The Hunt Path, wielding the Quantum element. In contrast, Saber will join the Wind element by treading on the Destruction Path. As such, their kit and playstyle will largely vary.

Silver Wolf's kit will likely get some quality adjustments (Image via HoYoverse)

Speaking of which, HoYoverse has been working to improve the abilities of Silver Wolf, Blade, Kafka, and Jingliu. Some of their abilities will be buffed in version 3.4 to put them on par with the latest characters. If things go according to plan, Trailblazers will start using them soon.

To sum it all up, the 3.4 update will see the highly anticipated collaboration, a free 5-star unit from the Fate universe, and several character buffs. These are plenty of reasons to be excited about. Not to forget, Phainon has also been confirmed to debut in the same patch.

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How HSR anniversary pales in comparison

The latest Honkai Star Rail anniversary rewards weren’t exactly exciting when compared to everything HoYoverse has planned for the 3.4 update. Aside from the flagship events offering free resources, players only received around 20 Star Rail Special Passes, 1600 Stellar Jades, and a free 5-star unit. For the characters, the options were Luocha and Ruan Mei, which most veterans have summoned already.

Yes, the rewards were more than usual, but it is no Fate character. HoYoverse did pretty much the same in the previous anniversary. Except there was no free 5-star unit.

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