Version 4.4 is one of the most resource-heavy patches Honkai: Star Rail has had in a long time. Three new 5-stars land in the same update window, two of them are collab-exclusive, and one of them is completely free. That last part is the key detail — Gilgamesh doesn’t cost you a single Stellar Jade, which means the real question is where to point your saved pulls after you claim him.
The patch runs on two separate pity pools, not one. Himeko Nova sits on the standard Character Event Warp starting July 14. Rin Tohsaka and Gilgamesh arrive on a dedicated Fate collab warp on July 24 — and that pool carries its own independent pity counter. If you’re planning to pull on both sides, you’re budgeting for two separate 50/50s. Most F2P accounts can safely guarantee one character per version, sometimes two if they’ve been saving for multiple patches. Three is not realistic for the majority of players, so priority calls matter here.
This guide goes through each character’s actual kit and role, who they pair with, and where they land depending on what your account already has.
HSR 4.4 Banner Schedule and Pity System — What You Need to Know Before Pulling
Himeko Nova launches with Version 4.4 on July 14 and runs through August 5. Rin Tohsaka and Gilgamesh go live on July 24 with no confirmed end date, which mirrors how Saber and Archer were handled in Part 1 of the Fate collab.
That open-ended availability matters. Standard limited banners cycle out and rerun eventually. Collab characters work on licensing terms — there’s no guarantee Rin Tohsaka gets a rerun at all. That asymmetry shifts the decision logic for players on the fence about pulling her.
A few mechanics worth understanding before you commit:
- The Fate collab warp and the standard event warp are completely separate pity pools. Pulls on Himeko Nova’s banner do not count toward Rin’s, and vice versa.
- Pity from Saber and Archer’s Part 1 banners carries forward to Part 2. So if you hit soft pity pulling for them, that counter applies to Rin and Gilgamesh.
- Gilgamesh requires no Stellar Jades. Log in between July 24 and the end of Version 4.6, and you get him through the event — or an extra copy of Archer if you’d prefer that instead.
- F2P players earn roughly 9,000–11,000 Stellar Jades per version through dailies, events, and endgame modes. That covers one soft pity with some cushion. It doesn’t guarantee two featured characters across two separate pity tracks in the same patch.
Buy services for
Honkai Star Rail!
Get help with the parts of the game that take the most time. Browse available services or place a custom order.
Order
Himeko Nova Kit and Pull Value — Best HSR 4.4 Fire DPS
Himeko Nova is a 5-star Fire Erudition main DPS. She’s also the first alternate version of Himeko, which makes her a big deal thematically — but the kit backs it up mechanically.
Her playstyle is built around the Starblazer: a mech she deploys at the start of battle that grants all allies access to an Assist Skill. When allies use that Assist Skill, Himeko enters one of two Companion Protocol states depending on which teammate triggered it:
- Verdict — Her Ultimate CRIT DMG increases by 100%, and she auto-fires one free Assist Skill after two allies use their Ultimates.
- Decimation — All allies gain 80% CRIT DMG on Skills, and she auto-fires a free Assist Skill after enemies take 9 total hits.
Her Skill (Navigator’s Semaphore) refreshes her Assist Skill uses and gives the whole team a 30% DMG buff for three turns. Her Ultimate puts her inside the Starblazer, firing six hits of the Hyperluminal Particle Beam — or triggering Orbital Annihilation Pulse if she’s built up Source Energy.
The rotation requires some attention. You need to keep Navigator’s Semaphore active and make sure allies are actually using the Assist Skill before she fires her Ultimate, or her personal damage drops off. She’s not a press-and-forget carry. That said, the skill floor is manageable once you understand the loop.
What makes her stand out is F2P viability. Beta testing showed functional 2-cost and 3-cost team compositions — something almost unheard of for a flagship DPS unit in this game’s current meta. She doesn’t need a full Astral Express lineup, though Sunday, Dan Heng — Permansor Terrae, and Welt all pair well with her. E0 handles endgame content. E2S1 is the community-cited sweet spot for players investing further.
Best in: Pure Fiction, Memory of Chaos
Signature Light Cone: A Star That Lights the Night (ATK up, DEF ignore with two Trailblaze Companion allies)
Best-in-slot Relics: Navigator set (added in 4.3), buffs Skill and Ultimate from battle start
Who should pull:
- Players with no dedicated Fire AoE DPS
- Anyone already running Sunday, Welt, or Dan Heng — Permansor Terrae
- Himeko fans who want the Astral Express thematic payoff
- F2P accounts that need a strong main DPS without Eidolon investment
Rin Tohsaka Kit and Pull Value — Is She Worth Pulling Without Archer?
Rin Tohsaka is the second 5-star Quantum Erudition unit in the game after Jade, and her kit is more mechanically complex than anything in that archetype so far.
Her core resource is Gem Energy — a private meter she builds every time any ally on the team consumes or recovers Skill Points. She enters every battle with 20 Gem Energy from her Talent. From there, each SP movement from any teammate adds 1 more. Once she reaches 15 Gem Energy, or the team hits 7+ SP, her Skill upgrades into Second Magic Experiment: an AoE Quantum hit followed by up to 33 random single-target jewel bomb hits, each consuming 3 Gem Energy. In the right setup, that combo deletes single targets from full HP.
Her Ultimate applies 25% vulnerability to all enemies for three turns and recovers 1 SP for the team. It’s an enabler as much as a damage tool.
The Archer synergy is where the kit goes from good to excellent:
With Archer in the party, the team’s max SP cap increases by 2, and Rin gains 150% ATK plus 20% DEF ignore at battle start (Archer gets the same ATK/DEF ignore buff).
When Archer uses his Skill and the team has 3 or fewer SP, both characters fire a joint follow-up AoE attack — each dealing Quantum DMG equal to 300% of their respective ATK — and the team recovers 4 SP. This resets once per Rin’s turn.
That recovered SP immediately generates more Gem Energy, which keeps the enhanced Skill cycling faster.
Without Archer, she loses all of that — the SP cap raise, the DEF ignore, and the joint attack. She still functions as a Quantum AoE carry, but the damage ceiling drops significantly.
Best in: Pure Fiction, Memory of Chaos
Signature Light Cone: Flickering Stars (CRIT Rate and Skill DMG up; team-wide DEF ignore when allies consume multiple SP)
Trace priority: Talent → Skill → Ultimate → Basic ATK
Ideal team: Rin + Archer + one SP support (Sparkle) + one sustain
Who should pull:
- Players who already have Archer from Part 1
- Anyone with a Quantum element gap
- Players who enjoy active SP management and high-ceiling rotations
Who should wait or skip:
- Players without Archer — the kit works, but you’re leaving a lot on the table
- Anyone already thin on Stellar Jades after Himeko Nova’s banner
Gilgamesh — Free 5-Star Lightning DPS, No Pulls Required
Gilgamesh is a 5-star Lightning Destruction character and the free unit of the Fate collab Part 2. Log in during the event window, claim him, done.
His mechanics are built around the Interest system. He accumulates Interest stacks from ally actions — when the gauge fills, he immediately takes an extra turn outside the normal action order and fires Enuma Elish, a multi-hit Lightning Ultimate.
The reason his Ultimate costs 600 Energy (one of the highest in the game) is intentional: he doesn’t charge it himself. A trace returns 80% of any Energy spent by allies on their Ultimates directly to him. In a team that fires Ultimates frequently, that fills fast.
At E0, he covers all current endgame content. His best mode is Apocalyptic Shadow, where his 30% DEF ignore on Skill and single-target burst output pair well with boss-focused content. He also handles Memory of Chaos at a solid level. Saber is his best teammate — she provides the Joint Follow-Up attack, acts as a constant Energy battery, and unlocks his peak damage ceiling. Without Saber, he leans more toward team buffer than hypercarry, but he’s still worth building.
E1 is the standout Eidolon if you want to invest — it adds team-wide DEF ignore, a large power jump. Most players should stop at E0 and spend elsewhere.
Best in: Apocalyptic Shadow, Memory of Chaos
Signature Light Cone: I Am As You Behold (ATK and Energy Regeneration Rate up; team-wide CRIT DMG buff)
Best-in-slot Relics: Scholar Lost in Erudition (4-piece), Cosmic Life Sciences Institute (ornament)
Himeko Nova vs Rin Tohsaka vs Gilgamesh — Quick Comparison
| Himeko Nova | Rin Tohsaka | |
|---|---|---|
| Gilgamesh | Path | Erudition |
| Erudition | Destruction | Element |
| Fire | Quantum | Lightning |
| Role | Main DPS (AoE) | Main DPS (AoE + burst) |
| Main DPS (single-target/burst) | Best modes | Pure Fiction, MoC |
| Pure Fiction, MoC | Apocalyptic Shadow, MoC | Key synergy |
| Astral Express crew | Archer (near-mandatory) | Saber (strong but optional) |
| Pity pool | Standard event warp | Fate collab warp |
| Free — no pulls needed | F2P viability at E0 | High |
| Moderate without Archer | High | Rerun likelihood |
| Standard schedule | Uncertain (collab) | Uncertain (collab) |
HSR 4.4 Pull Priority by Account Type
There’s no single correct answer here — it depends on what’s already in your roster.
Buy services for
Honkai Star Rail!
Get help with the parts of the game that take the most time. Browse available services or place a custom order.
Order
Should You Save Stellar Jades for HSR 4.5 Instead?
If you’re on the fence about 4.4, the 4.5 roster matters. Current leaks point to Robin in Phase 1 and Aventurine in Phase 2 — both are top-tier supports who would strengthen most accounts more than a third 4.4 pull across two separate pity pools.
That’s the counterargument for skipping or going light in 4.4: standard limited characters rerun on a predictable schedule. Robin and Aventurine have both had reruns before. Rin Tohsaka and Gilgamesh may not.
That asymmetry is the thing worth sitting with. If you pull Himeko Nova and skip Rin, you can reasonably expect another shot at Robin or Aventurine later. There’s no equivalent safety net for collab units. Whether that’s enough reason to prioritize Rin over a support you’ve been saving for is a call only you can make based on your roster.
