Honkai Star Rail 4.3: Story, Mortenax Blade, and Modes

Honkai: Star Rail 4.3officially titled Beneath the River of Oblivion, was launched June 1, 2026 and its cycle ended July 15, 2026The update was important for three reasons: it advanced the Planarcadia arc, it turned Mortenax Blade in playable character and added the Starward Mode to the main endgame challenges.

What Honkai: Star Rail version 4.3 left behind

Update 4.3 wasn't solely focused on a new banner. Its weight was distributed between story, combat, and limited-time activities. The core narrative continued to develop in Planarcadia and in the World in Canvas, while Mortenax Blade assumed a central role around Shuhu and the Voracity.

The story of 4.3 deepened the Planarcadia conflict

Version 4.3 directly picked up where 4.2 left off. At the edge of the painted landscape await the divine remains of Aeon of VoracityA central piece to the conflict surrounding Blade and Shuhu. The story places Mortenax Blade before an extreme possibility: using the power of Voracity against the influence of Abundance within his body.

The approach works because it doesn't treat Blade's transformation as a mere cosmetic change. His journey is tied to a long-standing narrative debt and his relationship with immortality, Shuhu, and the curse that has haunted him. Episode 4.3 made this conflict one of the chapter's central themes, instead of relegating it to a secondary explanation.

Inkford Hermitage and the threat of Asat Pramad

The Trailblazer follows a different route and heads towards Inkford Hermitage, situated on the boundary between the real world and the World in CanvasThere he must warn Graphia on the threat of Asat PramadThis shift matters because the area functions as a narrative boundary between both planes and expands the relationship between Planarcadia, the Murata family, and the mysteries surrounding Himeko.

The version also provides additional context about Graphia, known as the Mother of Imagenesisand its link to the so-called Weathering CurseWith this, section 4.3 connects the immediate conflict with much older events within the history of Planarcadia.

Mortenax Blade: Fire, Nihility and a kit based on his battlefield

Mortenax Blade debuted in 4.3 as a limited character of 5 stars, of type Fire and belonging to the The Path of NihilityAlthough it shares an identity with Blade, its gameplay changes considerably and combines self-damage, application of disadvantages and amplification of the damage received by the enemy.

Are you Ultimate? The Furnace From the Body, displays a Bounded Field and puts him in an enhanced state. While the field is active, enemies take increased damage, and Mortenax Blade gains access to a strengthened version of his rotation. His skill uses a Sword Formation and the character can progress towards a second, more powerful Ultimate.

The most interesting aspect of the design lies in the interaction with the rest of the team. When allies attack enemies within its field, they contribute to applying debuffs and building up a special charge for Mortenax Blade. Upon completing this charge, he can automatically activate his Skill and regain additional energy. In practice, this favors teams capable of frequent attacks and effectively utilizing the windows of time when the field is active.

Version 4.3 banners and the Gift of Tempered Blade event

The first phase of patch 4.3 began on June 1st. Mortenax Blade headlined his own event skip and shared the period with the return of Yao GuangThat window ended June 24, 2026They returned in the second half. Cyrene and Phainon.

During the first phase it was available Gift of Tempered BladePlayers who obtained Mortenax Blade during the relevant period could claim the Trailblazer clothing item. Karmic Fire of the Distant ShoreThis detail is important today: The promotion has ended. and should not be presented as a reward that is still active.

Wispae Amusement Park y Pixel Plane Rumble

Among the temporary activities of the version appeared Wispae Amusement Park, an event located within the World in CanvasThe Trailblazer assumed the role of park planner, with the ability to organize routes, place attractions, and distribute themed areas to attract the wispae.

The proposal moved away from traditional combat and placed more emphasis on spatial planning. It wasn't just a decorative activity: the layout of the facilities and routes was integral to the event's progress and the attainment of rewards.

Version 4.3 also included Pixel Plane RumbleAnother temporary activity with a very different focus involved controlling and upgrading an aircraft in stages inspired by classic shooters. Its inclusion helped ensure the patch wasn't solely reliant on the main story and endgame content.

Starward Mode: Three teams for the endgame challenges

One of the innovations with the greatest systemic impact was the Starward Mode, added to Memory of Chaos, Pure Fiction and Apocalyptic ShadowThe variant introduces an additional stage in which the player needs to prepare three different teamsraising the account depth requirement compared to traditional two-team setups.

The reward also deserves clarification. Completing Starward Mode with all three content types with full stars could grant 100 additional Stellar Jades per modeTherefore, the additional maximum associated with the three was 300 Stellar Jades, not 100 per attempt.

Quality of life improvements introduced in 4.3

In addition to the visible content, the update introduced convenience settings. On mobile devices, a [missing feature] was added. home screen widget to check game information, such as daily progress and pending rewards, without having to navigate through so many menus.

The logic behind the daily training missions was also expanded, and the synchronization of certain options across devices was adjusted. These changes are less dramatic than a new character, but they reduce friction for those who switch between mobile, PC, and console.

The collaboration with Fate is no longer a future promise.

When version 4.3 was released, HoYoverse teased a new phase of collaboration with Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] by the summer of 2026. That information has already been superseded by subsequent events: collaborative content was activated on July 24, 2026, during version 4.4.

As part of that collaboration, players can claim for free one between Gilgamesh and Archeralong with materials to level up the selected character to 60. This reward period runs from July 24th until before the end of the version 4.6.

This corrects the context of the original announcement: the collaboration was teased during the 4.3 information cycle, but its playable content belongs to the later stage of 4.4. Presenting it now as something that “will arrive this summer” would make the article outdated.

Is it still worth reviewing the content of version 4.3?

Yes, especially because of its history and the systems it introduced. The main mission of Beneath the River of Oblivion It remains relevant to understanding the evolution of Planarcadia and Blade, while Starward Mode represents a permanent change in the demands of endgame content.

In contrast, the original banners, Gift of Tempered Blade And the temporary events of the version should be treated as historical content. For any current print run decisions, it's best to consult the current banner and announcements of the active version, not the June 2026 windows.

Frequently Asked Questions about Honkai: Star Rail 4.3

Official sources and current status

The information regarding dates, characters, story, and systems in version 4.3 was compared with the official HoYoverse announcement and the official patch notes. The official patch notes for version 4.4 were used for the subsequent status of the collaboration with Fate and the release schedule.

• Official announcement of Honkai: Star Rail version 4.3
• Official details of update 4.3
• Official details of version 4.4 and collaboration with Fate