Somehow we’re halfway through Honkai: Star Rail’s Amphoreus storyline already, and Kafka and Silver Wolf are finally back, alongside the debuts of Hysilens and Cerydra

Over the weekend, HoYoverse delivered some big news for Honkai: Star Rail enjoyers. The latest special program livestream spells all the beans on the game’s next update, version 3.5. Dubbed Before Their Deaths, the update kicks off the second half of the Amphoreus Journey story, and it goes live on August 13.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a big new HSR update without new characters, and this one is extra special.

One of the most-anticipated aspects of Honkai: Star Rail’s version 3.5 is the arrival of Hysilens and Cerydra as playable characters. The two won’t be available at once, and their release will instead take place over two phases.

Hysilens, a 5-star / Physical / Nihility character goes first with the update’s arrival. The second phase kicks off on September 3, which is when Cerydra (5-star/ Wind / Harmony) will be available.

Hysilens is a good complement to damage-over-time characters. The zone created by her Ultimate multiplies the damage done by DoT attacks from other characters. Cerydra, on the other hand, can buff her allies to boost their attack power and allow them to deal additional damage. This buff grows the higher her Military Merit goes up in combat.

Version 3.5 also brings back two 5-star characters and popular members of the Stellaron Hunter faction, Kafka, and Silver Wolf, who will both be available for a limited time. Kafka will be part of phase one alongside Hysilens, whereas Silver Wolf will arrive with Cerydra in the second phase.

The new story chapter continues from where things left off, with you tagging along with Cyrene as they venture back through time, and into another cycle of Eternal Recurrence. They find themselves in the ancient city of Okhema, a time when it was ruled by Imperator Cerydra.

Beyond the narrative content, there’s going to be a new map set in Styxia, where you’ll have a fight against the shape-shifting Lygus. You can count on new events, too, such as the Chrysos Maze Grand Restaurant, which is a restaurant managing mini-game. There’s also Old Brews & New Friends, which is a cocktail-mixing, bar-managing mini-game.

Finally, version 3.5 is adding an option to toggle voice lines between the in-game dub and the original licensed voices. This is only available for collaboration characters, however, such as the currently ongoing Fate/stay night collaboration.