HSR 4.5 Launch Guide: What to Do First in Astropolis

Version 4.5, "To Roll the Stars in Astropolis," goes live 25 August for North America and 26 August for Europe and Asia. Two things are worth doing before you touch the new story, and both are easy to get wrong in the first hour.

Do not spend Trailblaze Power on launch day until you've checked the event tab. Version 4.5 brings back Planar Fissure and Realm of the Strange, the double-drop events for Planar Ornaments and Trace materials. Stamina spent on those domains before the events open returns half of what the same stamina returns after. In a five-week version, that's not a rounding error.

That single rule does more for your account than anything else on day one. Here's the rest of the order.

The first hour, in sequence

1. Update and claim maintenance compensation. HoYoverse issues Stellar Jade for maintenance downtime, delivered by in-game mail. Mail expires — collect it before anything else.

2. Redeem the version codes. New codes drop at launch and typically expire within days. The Special Program codes from the 14 August livestream have already lapsed, so don't waste time on old lists.

3. Check the event tab before spending stamina. This is the Planar Fissure and Realm of the Strange check. Note their start dates, then plan around them.

4. Clear the Trailblaze Mission. Astropolis is a new area, and new areas carry meaningful Stellar Jade in chests and exploration rewards. In a shortened version this matters more than usual, because it front-loads income before Phase 2's banner.

5. Start Nameless Honor and the event tracks. Weekly-gated progress is the thing you cannot catch up on later.

Why stamina timing is the real launch-day decision

Most launch guides tell you to log in and play. The sharper question is what your Trailblaze Power is worth on which day.

Planar Fissure doubles Planar Ornament drops. Realm of the Strange doubles Trace material drops. Both are returning in 4.5, but their exact windows sit inside the version rather than at its start.

Bank stamina until those windows open. Trailblaze Power caps and overflows, so this isn't unlimited patience — but holding a reserve into a double-drop window converts the same stamina into twice the materials. If you're building either 4.5 character, that's the difference between having them usable in Phase 1 and having them usable in Phase 2.

The Divergent Universe refresh also lands this version, which is where Planar Ornaments come from for most accounts. Between the refresh and the double-drop return, relic farming in 4.5 rewards waiting a few days far more than it rewards starting immediately.

The banner order, and what it means for Phase 1

Phase 1 (25 August – 12 September): Robin • Summeretto, a 5-star Wind character on the Path of Remembrance, alongside a Hyacine rerun and Hyacine's Light Cone, Long May Rainbows Adorn the Sky.

Phase 2 (12 September – 27 September): Aventurine • Waveflair, a 5-star Quantum character on the Path of Elation, alongside an Ashveil rerun and Ashveil's Light Cone, The Finale of a Lie.

Both alternate versions are separate characters, not skins. Robin • Summeretto has her own banner, Light Cone and Eidolons, and the original Physical Harmony Robin remains fully intact and separately owned. If you already run Robin, pulling Summeretto adds a unit rather than upgrading one — our Robin Summeretto buffer guide covers her Vibes mechanic and where she fits.

Phase 1 is shorter than it looks. Because 4.5 runs roughly five weeks instead of six, the gap between deciding and losing the chance is compressed at both ends. Our breakdown of what the five-week version does to your Jade income covers the budgeting side in detail.

The event slate

Beyond the main story, 4.5 carries a full event roster:

• Overdrive: Whirlwind Grand Prix — the headline event, casting the Trailblazer as team principal of a racing crew
• Minuscule Great Adventure — a stage event
• Divergent Universe refresh
• Planar Fissure and Realm of the Strange — the double-drop returns
• Trailblaze Fashion headwear "Aw, Look Up Here" to unlock

A quality-of-life addition worth knowing: story dialogue can now be played at a faster speed, toggleable at any point during dialogue. If you've been putting off the Planarcadia backlog, that's the version to do it in.

Don't skip the Nameless Honor weeklies

The most common way players end a version short is not missing the story — it's missing weekly-gated progress that doesn't roll over.

Nameless Honor weeklies reset Monday at 4:00 AM server time, and skipped weeks are gone permanently. In a five-week version, there are fewer weeks to absorb a missed one. Our Nameless Honor guide covers the reward structure and when buying levels is actually worth the Jade.

The same applies to endgame. Memory of Chaos, Pure Fiction and Apocalyptic Shadow together return a substantial Stellar Jade haul per cycle — our Memory of Chaos guide covers the current rotation.

What isn't confirmed yet

• Exact dates for Planar Fissure and Realm of the Strange within the version. Check the event tab on day one before committing stamina.
• Version code list, which publishes at launch.
• Maintenance compensation amount, typically announced alongside the update notice.
• Overdrive: Whirlwind Grand Prix's reward track and time requirement.

Version 4.5 also confirmed a Zenless Zone Zero collaboration later in 2026, with ZZZ characters joining Honkai: Star Rail — not part of this patch, but worth factoring into longer-term Jade planning.

Astropolis rewards accounts that are already built

Double-drop windows and a five-week version both reward players who can act immediately — and roster depth is the slow half of any Star Rail account.

Browse verified Honkai: Star Rail accounts if you'd rather enter Astropolis with the units to clear it, speed up relic and trace farming with Honkai: Star Rail hourly services, or clear the toughest endgame floors through Honkai: Star Rail boosting.

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