Honkai: Star Rail’s highly-anticipated collaboration withFate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Worksis rumored to be bringing two of the franchise’s most popular characters to the gacha game. Since being revealed last year,Honkai: Star Railhasn’t revealed the details of the collab, other than that it will launch in the third quarter of 2025.
HoYoverse is known for partnering with popular brands to promote its games, ranging from fast food chains like McDonald’s to othervideo game franchises likeHorizon Zero Dawn. The upcomingFate/Stay Nightevent isHonkai: Star Rail’s most ambitious collab to date, but the lack of details might cause concern among fans.
Honkai: Star Rail is Still Keeping Its Cards Close to Its Chest With the Fate/Stay Night Collab
Honkai: Star Rail’s current story arc follows the Trailblazer to Amphoreus, an isolated world where Titans are considered gods. Their mission is to help a group of heroes known as the Chrysos Heirs to obtain the Titans' Coreflames in hopes of saving Amphoreus from possible ruin. With theFate/Stay Nightcollaboration happening in a few months, many fans believe thatrumored characters Saber and Archermight be fitting additions to Amphoreus because of their heroic status. However, it’s still unknown howHonkai: Star Railfans will obtain the characters during the crossover event.
There have been rumors that theFate/Stay Nightcollab might launch inHonkai: Star RailVersion 3.4, which will be around June or July. It’s also said that theFatecharacters will be released alongside Phainon. If it’s true,Honkai: Star Railis definitely taking its sweet time to start the event or even share nuggets about the playable characters, especially since it was teased nearly a year ago. It might not be smart to leaveHonkai: Star RailandFatefans hanging after building up so much excitement because they might lose interest. It would be even riskier ifHonkai: Star Railends up delivering a subpar event or character lineup after making its fans wait.
At the same time, the long wait could work toHonkai: Star Rail’s advantage because it could have time to refine Saber and Archer’s design and kits.Honkai: Star Railleaks have claimed that Saber might be a Wind-type Destruction character, while Archer’s element and Path are still unknown. It’s certainly important for HoYoverse to ensure that its upcoming characters mesh well with existing units and also match the game’s current meta, so it could make sure that theFate/Stay Nightcharacters are flawless upon launch. Additionally, theFateevent story should also have compelling content that will get fans hooked, on top of the already exciting Amphoreus plot.
Honkai: Star Rail Should Learn From Genshin Impact’s Previous In-Game Collab
WhenGenshin Impactreleased Aloy as a playable character for itsHorizon Zero Dawncollab, it was met with mixed reactions. Many fans were initially excited for Aloy to join their rosters, and were especially stoked to get her for free. However, whatGenshin Impactfailed to do is give Aloy her own Constellationsince she can only be obtained through an exclusive in-game promo. Unfortunately, this made Aloy a forgettable character, despiteHorizon Zero Dawn’s popularity.
Honkai: Star Railcould avoid the same fate by giving players a chance to collect Eidolons for Saber and Archer. It could either allow them to do multiple pulls under the limited-timeFate/Stay Nightbanner or make their Eidolons part of the event rewards, similar to how playerscollect the Trailblazer’s Eidolons. This would be a great way to make Saber and Archer playable even after theFateevent, and possibly open doors for other collaborations to introduce moreFatecharacters in the future.
Honkai: Star Rail
WHERE TO PLAY
Board the Astral Express and roam the universe in search of myths and legends. From global interactive entertainment brand HoYoverse comes a new space fantasy RPG. Harness the spirirt of the Trailblaze in a cel-shaded space fantasy adventure where you’ll embark on an unforgettable intergalactic odyssey. You and your fellow Astral Express passengers will hop from world to world, resolve conflicts, form friendships and uncover a wealth of mysteries. In this exciting new free-to-play game, you’ll journey through immense worlds of the unknown and bond with a series of memorable characters. Choose your companions and arrange the ultimate four-person combat team to help you take down a looming threat to the universe.