Honkai Star Rail's Version 3.8 runs 8 weeks from December 16, 2026 to February 12, 2026 across three banner phases. Phase 2 (January 7-28, 2026) reruns Fugue and Lingsha with Fire synergies. Phase 3 (January 28-February 12, 2026) brings Aglaea and Sunday for Lightning/Imaginary teams. Understanding the 90-pull hard pity and resource allocation determines whether you secure targets or waste Stellar Jade.
Version 3.8's 8-Week Banner Structure
Version 3.8 spans 8 weeks vs standard 6-week patches. Launch: December 16, 2026 10:00 PM UTC-5 (NA), December 17, 2026 4:00 AM UTC+1 (EU), December 17, 2026 11:00 AM UTC+8 (Asia). Ends February 12, 2026.
Phase 1 (December 16-January 7): The Dahlia + Firefly. 4-stars: Gallagher, Luka, March 7th.
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Phase 2→3 Timeline
Phase 2 (January 7-28, 2026 - 21 days):
5-stars: Fugue (Fire Nihility), Lingsha (Fire Abundance)
4-stars: Natasha, Sampo, Arlan
Light Cones: Long Road Leads Home, Scent Alone Stays True
Phase 3 (January 28-February 12, 2026 - 15 days):
5-stars: Aglaea (Lightning Remembrance), Sunday (Imaginary Harmony)
4-stars: Tingyun, Yukong, Dan Heng
Light Cones: Time Woven Into Gold, A Grounded Ascent
How 3-Phase System Works
Phases divide 8 weeks: Phase 1 (22 days), Phase 2 (21 days), Phase 3 (15 days). Each phase has independent Character Event Warp banners, but pity carries over between phases for same banner type.
Character Event Warp pity accumulates continuously. 45 pulls in Phase 2 without 5-star = 45 pity entering Phase 3. Light Cone Event Warp maintains separate pity. Standard Warp never interacts with limited banners.
Days Per Phase
Phase 2's 21 days yields ~3,150 Stellar Jade from dailies (60/day). Events, Simulated Universe, endgame content add more. Express Supply Pass holders gain 300 Jade weekly (900 total Phase 2).
Phase 3's 15 days creates urgency. Fewer dailies, less event time, reduced accumulation. Players entering Phase 3 without reserves face tough choices: skip targets, risk 50/50, or purchase Oneiric Shards.
Early planning wins. Skip Phase 2 = 6+ weeks resource accumulation for Phase 3. Impulsive Phase 2 spending leaves you short when Phase 3's better roster arrives.
Phase 2 Banner Breakdown
Phase 2 continues Fire emphasis from Phase 1. Fugue + Lingsha enable Break Effect teams. 4-star roster (Natasha/Sampo/Arlan) = weakest recent lineup.
Phase 2 Limited 5-Stars
Fugue (Fire Nihility): Break Effect specialist. Zone lasts 3 turns, increases Weakness Break Efficiency 50%, converts Toughness to Super Break damage. Talent designates Dance Partner for 200% effectiveness follow-ups on Weakness Break. Synergizes with Firefly, Boothill, Rappa.
Signature Light Cone Long Road Leads Home: +60-120% Break Effect (refinement dependent). Grants 32-72% Break DMG on combat start. Recovers 1 Skill Point on Weakness Break (once per skill use). 25-35% damage increase over 4-star alternatives for Break teams.
Lingsha (Fire Abundance): Hybrid healer-subdamage. Ultimate increases enemy Break DMG taken 25% for 2 turns. Provides sustain without sacrificing damage. Ideal for mono-Fire/Break teams.
Signature Light Cone Scent Alone Stays True: HP 1164, ATK 529, DEF 463 at level 80. Optimizes hybrid role but faces competition from 4-star Abundance options like Post-Op Conversation.
Phase 2 4-Stars
Natasha: Basic Physical healer. Most accounts have E6 from Standard Warp
Sampo: Wind DoT specialist. DoT teams underperform current meta
Arlan: Lightning self-damage DPS. Weakest inclusion, conflicts with healer rotations
Meta Relevance
Firefly + Fugue + Lingsha + Ruan Mei = top Break composition. Excels in multi-enemy content (Pure Fiction, certain Memory of Chaos rotations). Struggles in boss-focused Apocalyptic Shadow where Hypercarry/Follow-Up teams dominate.
Value depends on roster. No Break supports? Prioritize Fugue. Have complete Break team? Skip Phase 2, save for Phase 3.
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Phase 3 Rerun Analysis
Phase 3 (January 28-February 12) reruns Aglaea + Sunday. 15-day window creates urgency for dual-target players.
Phase 3 Limited 5-Stars
Aglaea (Lightning Remembrance): Summon specialist. Remembrance Path deploys persistent entities for damage/buffs independent of action economy. Lightning damage amplification through summons.
Signature Time Woven Into Gold: Enhances summon damage, extends duration, provides energy regen. Path-specific passives = worthless on non-Remembrance characters.
Sunday (Imaginary Harmony): Premium buffer with action advancement and damage amplification. Universal value across team comps. Imaginary element triggers Weakness Break while buffing.
Signature A Grounded Ascent: Increases buff potency, extends duration, improves energy regen. Harmony-specific = 20-30% team damage increase over 4-stars.
Phase 3 4-Stars
Tingyun: Top 4-star Harmony. ATK buffs + energy regen. Lightning element adds Weakness Break value
Yukong: Imaginary Harmony with conditional buffs. Higher skill floor than Tingyun, comparable ceiling
Dan Heng: Wind Hunt single-target DPS. Low Skill Point consumption, simple rotation
Why Phase 3 Wins
Sunday's Harmony buffs enhance any DPS regardless of element/Path. Universal value vs Phase 2's Fire-focused niche. Aglaea introduces Remembrance archetype for gameplay variety.
4-star quality exceeds Phase 2. Tingyun + Yukong = endgame-viable supports. Dan Heng = functional DPS alternative.
Timing at patch end creates natural urgency. Skip Phase 3 = 6-12 month wait for reruns. Securing now prevents prolonged roster gaps.
Complete Pity System Guide
Character Event Warp: 90-pull hard pity, 50/50 mechanics. Understanding separates efficient management from wasteful spending.
Soft Pity at 74 Pulls
Soft pity starts pull 74. Base 0.6% rate jumps to ~6% per pull, increasing each pull to near-certainty by pull 89. Most players get 5-star between pulls 75-85.
Strategic implications: Don't casual pull at 74+ pity. Each pull carries significant 5-star probability. Low pity (0-40) = safe single pulls for 4-star rate-ups without unwanted 5-star risk.
Soft pity applies across phases. 74 pity in Phase 2 carries to Phase 3 with elevated rates. Enables pity positioning—stopping at high pity on unwanted banner to guarantee early acquisition on next phase.
Hard Pity at 90 Pulls
Pull 90 guarantees 5-star with 100% certainty. Applies regardless of history, phase, or factors.
Doesn't specify which 5-star. 50/50 determines featured rate-up or standard pool (Bronya, Gepard, Welt, Bailu, Yanqing, Himeko, Clara).
Losing 50/50 activates guarantee. Next 5-star = 100% featured character, persists across phases.
50/50 System and Guarantee Positioning
Binary outcome: featured character or standard character. Pure probability, no influence from timing/rituals.
Guarantee positioning = most powerful strategic tool. Lose 50/50 early = guaranteed access to subsequent limited characters. Example: Lose 50/50 at pull 20 Phase 2 = need only 70 more pulls (90 total) to guarantee Phase 3 character.
Risk: Early 5-star before soft pity = unwanted character, wasted guarantee. Only for players with surplus resources.
Pity Carryover
Pity carries between phases for same banner type only. Character Event Warp Phase 2 pity → Phase 3 Character Event Warp completely. Never expires unless you get 5-star.
Never transfers between banner types. Character/Light Cone/Standard Warps = separate pity counters. Requires tracking multiple counters.
Guarantee follows identical rules. Persists indefinitely until consumed by featured character, then resets to 50/50.
Smart Pull Decision Framework
Systematic evaluation prevents emotional/impulsive pulls that exhaust resources on suboptimal targets.
Step 1: Audit Pity Status
Check exact pity: Warp menu → View Details → Records tab. Count pulls since last 5-star.
Determine guarantee: Last 5-star = featured character? You're on 50/50. Last 5-star = standard character? You have guarantee.
Calculate pulls needed: 0 pity = 74-90 pulls. 40 pity = 34-50 pulls. 70+ pity = 4-20 pulls (soft pity).
Step 2: Calculate Available Stellar Jade
Tally current Jade + Star Rail Passes (160 Jade per pass). Include Oneiric Shards if purchasing.
Estimate incoming resources:
Dailies: 60 Jade/day × remaining days
Weeklies: ~225 Jade/week × remaining weeks
Events: 300-800 Jade per event (Chrysos Awoo Championship, Remnants of Twilight, Treasure Hunt)
Memory of Chaos: 600 Jade per clear, 2 resets = 1,200 total
Pure Fiction: 600 Jade per rotation, 2 resets = 1,200 total
Apocalyptic Shadow: 600 Jade per rotation, 2 resets = 1,200 total
Gift of Odyssey: 10 Special Passes (1,600 Jade equivalent)
Step 3: Prioritize Account Needs
Evaluate roster gaps. No Break supports? Prioritize Fugue. No premium Harmony? Prioritize Sunday.
New character > constellations for most players. Roster diversity beats marginal power increases.
Account for Light Cone requirements. Character + signature = ~150-170 pulls average (90 character, 80 weapon).
Decision Flowchart
Guarantee + 90+ pulls: Pull immediately on highest-priority character.
Guarantee + <90 pulls: Calculate if you'll accumulate enough before banner ends. Yes = save and pull near end. No = top-up or skip.
50/50 + 180+ pulls: Pull for one character with guarantee backup if losing 50/50.
50/50 + 90-179 pulls: Attempt one 50/50 only if satisfied with featured OR standard 5-star. Otherwise skip.
50/50 + <90 pulls: Skip current banners, accumulate for future guarantee.
Resource Income Calculator: 8-Week Budget
Version 3.8's 8 weeks = 80-100 pulls F2P with full completion. Enough for one guaranteed 5-star, potential second if winning 50/50.
Daily and Weekly Income
Daily commissions: 60 Jade/day × 56 days = 3,360 Jade (21 pulls)
Weekly activities: 225 Jade/week × 8 weeks = 1,800 Jade (11.25 pulls)
Battle pass free: 680 Jade + 4 Special Passes = 1,320 equivalent (8.25 pulls)
Battle pass premium: Doubles to 2,640 equivalent (16.5 pulls)
Event Rewards
3 major events: ~500 Jade each = 1,500 Jade (9.375 pulls)
Gift of Odyssey: 10 Special Passes = 1,600 equivalent (10 pulls)
Endgame Modes (2 resets each)
Memory of Chaos: 1,200 Jade (7.5 pulls)
Pure Fiction: 1,200 Jade (7.5 pulls)
Apocalyptic Shadow: 1,200 Jade (7.5 pulls)
F2P Total
13,180 Jade equivalent = 82.375 pulls
Assumes full endgame completion. Casual players: 60-70 pulls. New content (Finality Mission, Dream of Gnawing Oak, new bosses) adds 3-5 pulls.
82 pulls = one guaranteed 5-star (typically 75-85 with soft pity), no guarantee backup. Win 50/50 or early 5-star = potential two characters. Lose 50/50 + hard pity = may need Oneiric Shard supplement.
Advanced Pity Management
Guarantee Positioning Technique
Strategically lose 50/50 on low-priority banner to secure guarantee for high-priority future banner. Example: Pull to 74 pity Phase 2 (don't want Fugue), hope to lose 50/50 for standard 5-star, activating guarantee for Phase 3 Sunday.
Risk: Early 5-star = unwanted featured character, wasted guarantee. Win 50/50 = spent 74+ pulls without achieving goal. Only for surplus resources.
Safer variation: Pull where you'd accept either outcome. Happy with Fugue OR standard 5-star = acceptable risk.
When to Stop at Soft Pity
Stop at 74 pity only when preserving guarantee for future banner. At 74 with guarantee during Phase 2 but want Phase 3? Stop immediately. Each pull = 6%+ 5-star probability consuming guarantee.
Don't stop at soft pity when wanting current banner. Soft pity means 5-star within 75-85 pulls typically, saving 5-15 pulls vs worst-case 90.
Decide definitively at 74 pity: want this character? Continue through soft pity. Don't want? Stop immediately.
Managing Multiple Banner Types
Character + Light Cone = two separate pity counters. Pull 40 character banner, switch to 30 weapon banner, return to character = no pity loss on either.
Optimal sequence: Secure character first, then weapon. Characters > weapons for value. New character = new team comps. Signature weapon = enhances existing character.
Exception: Guarantee on character but 50/50 on weapon? Pull weapon first to test luck. Win weapon 50/50 = both secured. Lose = skip weapon, use guaranteed character pulls with 4-star Light Cone.
Common Mistakes
Never pull Standard Warp with Stellar Jade. No rate-ups, pity doesn't contribute to Limited Banners. Only use free Standard passes.
Don't build pity on unwanted banners. 5-star can occur any pull—unwanted 5-star at pull 15 resets pity, wastes guarantee.
Track pity accurately. Check Warp Records before decisions. Don't rely on memory after breaks.
Light Cone Banner Strategy
Light Cone Event Warp: 80-pull hard pity, soft pity ~63-65. Base 0.8% rate vs 0.6% character banners. Two rate-up 5-stars simultaneously, 75% probability featured weapon, 25% off-banner.
Light Cone Pity System
80 pulls vs 90 for characters. Dual rate-up = might get wrong featured weapon, forcing more pulls.
No guarantee system. Losing 75/25 (off-banner weapon) doesn't activate guarantee. Returns to 75/25 next 5-star. Riskier than character banners.
Soft pity 63-65, earlier than character banner's 74. Most get weapon 65-75 pulls.
Signature vs Universal Light Cones
Signatures: 20-35% damage increase over best 4-star. Fugue with Long Road Leads Home = ~30% more Break damage than Good Night and Sleep Well. Costs 80 pulls average = could get another 5-star character instead.
Universals (But the Battle Isn't Over, Planetary Rendezvous): Value across multiple characters. 10-15% less power than signatures but flexible.
New players: Character diversity > weapon upgrades. Second limited character = second endgame team. Veterans with complete rosters: Signatures = only remaining progression.
When to Pull Weapon Banner
Only after securing all desired characters. Want Fugue + Sunday? Get both before considering weapons.
Need 160+ pull surplus (one guaranteed character emergency reserve) before weapon pulls. <160 pulls = skip weapons entirely.
Evaluate if signature justifies cost. Constantly-used character with 25-30% damage increase? Maybe worth 80 pulls. Occasional-use character? Skip—80 pulls = half your next limited character.
Spending Tier Strategies
F2P: Maximize Free Resources
80-85 pulls per 8-week patch = one guaranteed 5-star, no backup. Strict priority list. Pull only for critical roster gaps or new archetypes.
Skip all weapon banners. 80 pulls = entire patch income. Use 4-star Light Cones, accept 20-30% damage reduction.
Plan across multiple patches. Version 3.8 has no priorities? Skip all, save for 3.9. Accumulate 160+ pulls across two patches = guaranteed next high-priority character.
Monthly Pass: Optimal Timing
Express Supply Pass: $4.99 = 300 Jade immediate + 90 Jade daily × 30 days = 3,000 Jade (18.75 pulls). Highest value at ~$0.27/pull vs $2+/pull direct purchases.
Purchase at patch start. Buy December 16 = daily Jade through January 15 (Phase 1 + most Phase 2). Second purchase January 16 = through February 15 (Phase 3 + Version 3.9 start).
Monthly pass holders: ~100-105 pulls per patch (82 F2P + 18.75 pass) = one guaranteed + small backup. Two passes = 120-125 pulls = one guaranteed + 30-35 toward second character/weapon.
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$20-100/patch = 1-2 guaranteed characters + potentially one signature weapon. Focus high-impact meta-relevant characters, not every release.
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Tracking Tools and Methods
In-Game Warp History
Warp menu → View Details → Records tab. Displays every pull with date/time/item. Count pulls since last 5-star = current pity.
History shows only recent 6 months. Extended breaks >6 months = lost historical data, impossible to verify guarantee/pity through in-game tools.
Guarantee status: Review most recent 5-star. Featured character portrait = currently 50/50. Standard character = have guarantee.
Manual Tracking
Spreadsheet: Columns for Date, Banner Type, Pulls This Session, 5-Star Obtained, Current Pity. Record after each session. Permanent records immune to 6-month limitation.
Screenshot Warp Records after each 5-star. Visual proof of guarantee/pity. Store in cloud/dedicated folder.
Never provide account credentials to third-party tools. Violates ToS, risks account theft. Only use manual entry or screenshot analysis tools.
Banner End Reminders
Phase 2 ends January 28, 2026. Phase 3 ends February 12, 2026. Set calendar reminders 2-3 days before for final decisions without last-minute pressure.
Account for time zones: NA 10:00 PM UTC-5, EU 4:00 AM UTC+1, Asia 11:00 AM UTC+8.
Complete planned pulls 12+ hours before banner end. Prevents server issues/maintenance/emergencies from costing target character.
FAQ
How does pity work in Honkai Star Rail 3.8? 90-pull hard pity, soft pity at 74. Each pull without 5-star increases counter by 1. Getting 5-star resets to 0. Pity carries between phases for same banner type, never between different types.
What characters are in Phase 2 banners? Phase 2 (January 7-28, 2026): Fugue (Fire Nihility), Lingsha (Fire Abundance). 4-stars: Natasha, Sampo, Arlan. Light Cones: Long Road Leads Home, Scent Alone Stays True.
When does Phase 3 start? January 28, 2026 when Phase 2 ends, runs through February 12, 2026 (15 days). Features Aglaea (Lightning Remembrance), Sunday (Imaginary Harmony). 4-stars: Tingyun, Yukong, Dan Heng.
Does pity carry over between banners? Yes, for same banner type. Character Event Warp pity Phase 2 → Phase 3 completely. Never transfers between Character/Light Cone/Standard Warps.
How many Stellar Jade for guaranteed 5-star? 14,400 Jade worst-case (90 pulls × 160). Soft pity means most get 5-star at 11,840-13,600 Jade (74-85 pulls). Specific featured character needs 28,800 Jade worst-case (lose 50/50 + guarantee).
Should I pull Phase 2 or wait for Phase 3? Phase 3 offers superior value. Sunday's universal Harmony buffs + Aglaea's Remembrance mechanics > Phase 2's Fire-focused niche. Pull Phase 2 only if specifically needing Break supports (Fugue) or Fire sustain (Lingsha). No premium Harmony? Prioritize Phase 3 Sunday.