A fourth batch of Novaflare reworks is circulating ahead of its official reveal, and it points at three older characters who have slipped out of the Honkai Star Rail meta. The leaked lineup names The Herta, Ruan Mei, and Sunday as the units due for free kit upgrades, though HoYoverse has not announced any of it yet.
Quick answer: The leaked fourth Novaflare batch reportedly covers The Herta, Ruan Mei, and Sunday. The specific buffs have not surfaced, and no official date has been confirmed, so treat the lineup as unverified until HoYoverse shows it.
How Novaflare buffs work
Novaflare is a recurring Character Trial event that permanently strengthens older characters. It touches their Abilities, Traces, and Eidolon effects, and the goal is to bring units that have fallen behind back into relevant team compositions.
Once a Novaflare round goes live, the enhancements apply automatically to every account that owns the affected characters, and they stay active even after the trial window closes. You keep the option to switch each character between the original kit and the upgraded one from the character screen, so nothing is forced on you. The trial stages that run alongside the event also hand out Stellar Jade.
Novaflare upgrades a copy you already own. You do not need to re-pull a character to benefit from the buffs, so there is no reason to rush a rerun on their account.
The characters named in the leak
All three units sit outside the current endgame meta as of version 4.6, which is why the reworks are expected to make them viable again. The exact changes have not leaked, so the notes below reflect where each character currently stands and the areas a buff would most likely address.
- The Herta — a damage dealer who struggles in the present meta. A rework would most likely target her damage output and smooth out other parts of her kit to make her easier to play.
- Ruan Mei — a Harmony support. Expectations lean toward a boost to her supporting abilities rather than personal damage.
- Sunday — a follow-up focused support. Like Ruan Mei, any buff is expected to reinforce the help he provides the rest of the team.
Previous Novaflare rounds
Three Novaflare rounds have already run, each tied to a specific version. The leaked lineup would make a fourth batch, continuing the same pattern of reviving characters who have aged out of the meta.
| Version | Dates | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| 3.4 | July 2 – Sept 23, 2025 | Kafka, Silver Wolf, Blade, Jingliu |
| 4.0 | Feb 13 – Mar 25, 2026 | Sparkle, Black Swan |
| 4.2 | Apr 22 – June 1, 2026 | Firefly, Huohuo, Seele, Welt |
The 4.0 round shows how far these reworks can reach. Sparkle picked up Skill Point recovery on her Ultimate, vulnerability application when the team spends Skill Points, extra energy generation, and reduced Skill Point costs after allies spend theirs. Those changes pushed her and Black Swan back to the top of their roles after nearly a year on the sidelines.
When the fourth batch could arrive
Version 4.6 is the current patch and ends on November 10 for North America and November 11 on other servers, with version 4.7 beginning right after. The 4.7 special program is the most likely place for HoYoverse to confirm or deny the lineup, since that broadcast typically reveals the next round of content.
No official date for the fourth Novaflare round has been confirmed, and the specific buffs have not been shown. Until HoYoverse publishes the changes itself, the lineup of The Herta, Ruan Mei, and Sunday remains a leak rather than a locked plan, and the details could still shift before release.
