After meeting Herta’s many puppets inHonkai: Star Rail, the Trailblazer will soon meet her real form in Version 3.0. Known as The Herta, she is the 5-star form of the Ice Erudition character, who’s said to be living at the edge of the cosmos and overseeing the activities at the Space Station. The fact that Herta is showing her real form inHonkai: Star Railsoon may mean that there will be a problem that needs her attention.
Based on The Herta’s splash art, she is a beautiful, tall woman sporting a long dress and a witch’s hat. Interestingly, her weapon is a staff that’s shaped like a giant key, which manyHonkai: Star Railfans pointed out resemblesSora’s Keyblade from theKingdom Heartsfranchise.
Release Date
Version 3.0 (July 29, 2025)
Just like her 4-star version, The Herta is also an Ice-type character following the Path of Erudition, which means that she can deal AoE damage to multiple enemies. Some leaks claim that5-star Herta might not have follow-up attacks in her kit, but she could allegedly apply Clue stacks to make enemies more susceptible to damage. It’s likely that The Herta will have cool animations with her unique staff for her Skill and Ultimate during combat.
Lore-wise, the significance of Herta’s key-shaped staff is still unknown, and could be addressed inHonkai: Star RailVersion 3.0’s story. Meanwhile, this could also open up an opportunity forHonkai: Star Railto do aKingdom Heartscollaboration for a Keyblade-inspired weapon cosmetic for Herta. While some fans might feel skeptical about this possibility, it’s worth noting that HoYoverse has had interesting collaborations with other video games in the past, such asGenshin ImpactturningHorizon Zero Dawn’s Aloy into a playable character, and a roundtable discussion between the creators ofZenless Zone ZeroandStreet Fighter 6. So, tapping Square Enix and Disney for a potential Keyblade skin forHonkai: Star Railmight not be that farfetched, and this could also be a great marketing tactic for the upcomingKingdom Hearts 4.
Honkai: Star Railalso has an upcomingFate/Stay Nightcollaborationreleasing next year, which could debut a playable character from the popular franchise.
Likewise, HoYoverse shares some similarities with Square Enix in terms of gameplay experience. TheFinal Fantasyseries alone has open-world exploration, turn-based and hack-and-slash combat, and party systems that most HoYoverse titles have.Kingdom Hearts' whimsical vibe could be a good match withHonkai: Star Rail, especially if one looks at Penacony’s cartoonish characters and dream-like surroundings. The Square Enix title also deals with themes of defeating darkness and bringing balance to the world, which is also similar to Trailblazer’s mission throughoutHonkai: Star Rail.
HoYoverse puts a lot of importance on equipping ideal weaponsto characters, but it has yet to introduce weapon skins, which could enhance players' experience. After all, HoYoverse has already come out with multiple character skins in games likeGenshin Impact, so it’s only logical to focus on customized weapons next. It would also be cool if the weapons had special perks from the skins, like adopting the Keyblade’s magic abilities, and seeing how this could appear during combat.
Realistically, it might take some time before HoYoverse pulls off a potential Square Enix and Disney collaboration withHonkai: Star Rail, especially since it’s gearing up for itsnext major arc in Amphoreus. But consideringHonkai: Star Rail’s financial success and current story pace, HoYoverse still has plenty of time to refine gameplay and prepare for more exciting crossovers.
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.
