The long-anticipated next chapter in Honkai: Star Rail’s sprawling multiverse hits full throttle this month. HoYoverse has officially confirmed Version 3.5, “Before Their Deaths,” will launch globally on August 13. Following up on the emotionally charged fallout of the Deliverer arc, the update digs deeper into the Amphorean storyline.

After Phainon’s divine intervention brought Irontomb’s siege to a grinding halt, players now find themselves thrown back a thousand years into the ancient realm of Okhema, a lost era ruled by the fire-forged Imperator Cerydra. This Trailblaze Mission promises to peel back centuries of mythos, exploring the origins of the Law Coreflame and the strategic mind who first kindled the Flame-Chase Journey.

Cerydra makes her playable debut alongside Hysilens, commander of the holy city’s knights, and both five-star additions are looking to make serious meta waves. Hysilens follows the Path of Nihility as a Physical-Type unit, deploying a suite of damage-over-time effects that synergize brutally with DoT teams. Her Zone mechanic amplifies team damage while lowering enemy stats, turning each tick of poison or burn into an artillery barrage.

Cerydra, on the other hand, represents the Path of Harmony and enters as a tactical powerhouse. Her “Military Merit” buff grows stronger over time, letting allies replicate skill effects while stacking ATK, CRIT DMG, and RES PEN bonuses. In practice, she’s equal parts strategist and enabler, a perfect fit for players who love building around high-synergy rotations.

And yes, fan favorites Kafka and Silver Wolf are getting rerun banners in 3.5, rounding out a lineup that’s clearly designed to let Trailblazers experiment with layering debuffs and unleashing chaos.

Beyond the battlefield, Styxia, the City of Infinite Revelry, debuts as a new map, offering a psychedelic new layer to the game’s already-dense aesthetic. Players will clash with Lygus, a shifting foe whose identity fractures across multiple forms. Expect reveals, twists, and some long-overdue payoffs.

HoYoverse is also tossing in some lighter fare with events like “Chrysos Maze Grand Restaurant” where players manage a fairy café and “Old Brews & New Friends” where players mix drinks and catch up with old characters. The new version also brings a voice toggle option for collaboration characters, letting players switch between in-game and licensed voice dubs on the fly, a nice touch for immersion chasers.

With over 150 million downloads, Star Rail’s momentum hasn’t slowed. HoYoverse continues to polish its turn-based epic with each version, and 3.5 looks like another carefully tuned expansion, with more news potentially debuting at Gamescon, according to a press release.

Version 3.5 drops August 13 across PC, PS5, iOS, Android, and the Epic Games Store. If you haven’t logged in lately, now’s the time to trailblaze back.