Honkai Star Rail Version 3.8 brings Constance The Dahlia as the new 5-star Fire Nihility character, alongside reruns of Firefly and Boothill. Releases December 16, 2025. Pre-farming requires 65 Radiant Prominence, Break Effect relics, and specific ascension materials.
HSR 3.8 Banner Leaks Overview
Mark your calendars, Trailblazers. Version 3.8 drops December 16, 2025 — that's 10:00 PM UTC-5 for NA players, 4:00 AM UTC+1 in EU, and 11:00 AM UTC+8 for our Asia region friends.
Phase 1 runs from December 16 through January 6, featuring the highly anticipated Constance The Dahlia alongside some heavy hitters: Firefly, Boothill, and Rappa reruns. Phase 2 (January 6-27) shifts gears with Fugue, Lingsha, and Yunli making their comeback.
The Light Cone banners mirror these character rotations perfectly. You'll see Never Forget Her Flame (Dahlia's signature weapon), Whereabouts Should Dreams Rest (Firefly's go-to), and Sailing Towards A Second Life (Boothill's preferred choice) all featured in Phase 1.
Quick tip from the editorial desk: if you're planning to whale or dolphin for these banners, Honkai Star Rail top-up site BitTopup consistently offers competitive pricing with instant delivery. Worth bookmarking.
Constance 'The Dahlia' Character Analysis
Let's talk numbers first. At Level 80, Dahlia sits at ATK 679, DEF 606, HP 1086, Speed 96, with 130 Energy capacity. She's a Fire Nihility character — and honestly? This kit screams Break support specialist from every angle.
Her skill Lick… Enkindled Betrayal (yeah, that name's a mouthful) deploys a 3-turn Zone that deals 160% ATK Fire damage. But here's where it gets interesting: this Zone boosts ally Weakness Break Efficiency by 50% and converts Toughness Reduction into Super Break damage against non-broken enemies. That's some serious utility packed into one ability.
The Ultimate Wallow…Entombed Ash applies a 4-turn Wilt debuff while dishing out 300% ATK Fire damage. More importantly, it reduces enemy DEF by 18% and adds your Dance Partners' elements as enemy Weaknesses.
Speaking of Dance Partners — this is where Dahlia's kit really shines. Her Talent grants Dance Partner status to your highest Break Effect ally, regenerating 35 Energy in the process. These Dance Partners convert Toughness Reduction to 60% Super Break on already broken enemies. Plus, Dahlia triggers 5 instances of 30% ATK follow-ups after partner attacks, converting to 200% Super Break once per turn.
Honestly? This synergy potential has me excited. The Break meta just got a serious upgrade.
Firefly Analysis and Team Synergy
Firefly remains the queen of Break damage, and her synergy with Dahlia looks absolutely bonkers on paper. Her Ultimate advances action by 100%, granting +60 SPD, +50% Break Efficiency, and +20% enemy Break damage received. During Combustion state, she recovers 10% Max Energy (capped at 50%) when applying Fire Weakness.
For optimal builds, you're targeting 360%+ Break Effect through the Iron Cavalry 4-piece set. That's +16% Break Effect plus ignoring 10-25% DEF — exactly what you want. Main stats should be Body ATK%, Feet SPD, Sphere ATK%, Rope Break Effect. Substats priority goes Break Effect > SPD > ATK%.
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Boothill Analysis
Boothill brings Physical Hunt energy with identical base stats to Dahlia: ATK 679, DEF 606, HP 1086, Speed 96 at Level 80. His skill Sizzlin' Tango enters a 2-turn Standoff, dealing 220% ATK Physical damage. Each Pocket Trickshot stack increases Toughness Reduction by 50%, with Break damage scaling from 35-170% based on stacks.
His signature Light Cone provides +60% Break Effect and ignores 20% DEF on Break damage. Alternative option? Sleep Like the Dead for CRIT builds — that's +30% CRIT DMG and +36% CRIT Rate on non-CRIT hits.
The versatility here is what I appreciate. Boothill can pivot between Break and traditional DPS builds depending on your team composition.
Pre-Farming Guide
Universal materials first. You'll need Tatters of Thought, Fragments of Impression, and Shards of Desires from Memory Zone Meme enemies throughout Penacony. Farm these through daily Assignments and Simulated Universe runs. The Omni-Synthesizer offers 2:1 conversions if you're short on specific materials.
Character-specific requirements:
Dahlia: 65 Radiant Prominence from Stagnant Shadow: Shape of Ashes (30 Trailblaze Power per run, expect 2-3 materials per clear). You'll also need Fiery Spirit, Starfire Essence, and Heaven Incinerator from Alchemy Commission Calyx.
Firefly: 65 Raging Hearts from her dedicated Stagnant Shadow, plus 12 Lost Echo from Echo of War weekly boss.
Boothill: 65 IPC Work Permit from Stagnant Shadow: Shape of Duty, same weekly boss materials as Firefly.
Daily routine recommendation? Split 90 Trailblaze Power across three Stagnant Shadow runs (30 each character). Don't forget your three weekly Echo of War runs.
Overworld farming route: Reverie Hotel → Grand Theater → Golden Hour typically yields 15-20 materials per clear. Not the most exciting content, but necessary prep work.
Light Cone and Relic Recommendations
Dahlia's Never Forget Her Flame offers +60-120% Break Effect with Skill Point recovery — that's her bread and butter. Firefly's Whereabouts Should Dreams Rest provides +60% Break Effect and +24% Break damage. For Boothill, his signature works for Break builds, while Sleep Like the Dead suits CRIT approaches.
Iron Cavalry 4-piece remains the gold standard for all three characters. Farm Caverns of Corrosion: Path of Jabbing Punch for these sets. Planar Ornaments should be either Forge of Kalpagni Lantern (+6% SPD, +40% Break Effect) or Talia Kingdom (+16-36% Break Effect at 145+ SPD).
Stellar Jade Planning
Let's talk budget reality. F2P players get approximately 14,260 Jade plus 25 Special Passes (114 total pulls) per version. Monthly Pass holders bump that to 18,040 Jade plus 25 Passes (138 pulls).
Soft pity hits at 75, hard pity at 90. Budget 160 pulls for guaranteed character acquisition, plus another 160 for signature Light Cone if you're going all-in.
My recommendation? Prioritize Dahlia first if you're running Break teams. Then evaluate Firefly/Boothill based on your current roster gaps. E1 Dahlia enhances team-wide Super Break capabilities, but both Firefly and Boothill function perfectly at E0 with proper relic investment.
Pre-Farming Timeline
Week 1-2: Focus on universal materials from Penacony. Target 100+ Tatters of Thought as your baseline.
Week 3-4: Rotate through Stagnant Shadow domains for character-specific materials. Maintain those weekly boss runs religiously.
Week 5-6: Relic farming intensive. You want 20+ Break Effect relics across Iron Cavalry and Thief sets minimum.
Final preparation involves verifying your Enhancement Ore and Credits stockpile. You'll want immediate Level 80 ascension capability plus trace upgrades ready to go.
FAQ
When does HSR 3.8 release? December 16, 2025 at 10:00 PM UTC-5 for NA. Phase 1 continues until January 6, 2026.
How many Stellar Jades needed for guaranteed Dahlia? 14,400 Jade (160 pulls) guarantees acquisition through the pity system.
Priority farming materials? 65 Radiant Prominence from Stagnant Shadow: Shape of Ashes for Dahlia, plus universal Tatters/Fragments/Shards from Penacony enemies.
Is Dahlia worth pulling? Absolutely, if you're invested in Break teams. She significantly enhances Firefly's performance through Super Break enablement and energy synergy.
Existing relics compatibility? Iron Cavalry and Thief of Shooting Meteor sets work across all three characters. Prioritize Break Effect substats over traditional CRIT stats.
Signature Light Cone priority? Dahlia's provides substantial team benefits. Firefly and Boothill function well with F2P alternatives. Always prioritize character copies before weapon banners.