Honkai: Star Rail Imbibitor Lunae character details and release date

When will Imbibitor Lunae debut in Honkai: Star Rail? Honkai: Star Rail has thrown us a bit of a curveball with the announcement of Imbibitor Lunae, a 5-star playable character whose story is deeply intertwined with that of existing character Dan Heng.

At this point, almost everything about Imbibitor Lunae is as mysterious as their name, but we're expecting more information to come out over the next few weeks. Read on below for everything we know about HSR's Imbibitor Lunae so far, including details of their potential release date.

Who is Imbibitor Lunae in Honkai: Star Rail?

Imbibitor Lunae is an upcoming 5-star rarity playable unit in Honkai: Star Rail. They follow the path of The Destruction and are aligned with the Imaginary element. Details on Imbibitor Lunae's role in HSR's plot are basically nonexistent right now, but we do know the tantalising fact that in-story they're an alternate version of starter character Dan Heng, despite the fact that the two will be functionally completely separate characters.

Good old Dan Heng is one of the Trailblazer's canonical travelling companions on the Astral Express, so you'll likely be familiar with him from his role in the game's lore even if you haven't played with him in your party since launch. Dan Heng as we know him is a 4-star rarity character who follows the path of The Hunt and is aligned with the Wind element, so safe to say he and Imbibitor Lunae will play very differently, even if they are technically variations on the same character according to the game's lore.

Whether Imbibitor Lunae (meaning: "Moon Drinker") is Dan Heng from the past, the future, or another timeline entirely remains to be seen — although they presumably have some connection to the mysterious past he was running from when he joined the Astral Express. Given that their title is "High Elder of the Luofu", it seems like we're due a hefty Dan Heng lore drop to accompany their introduction.

When will Imbibitor Lunae be released?

Officially, while Imbibitor Lunae has been announced as an upcoming playable character in Star Rail by HoYoverse as of July 4th, no details have been given as to their planned release.

However, the timing of this official announcement suggests that they'll be one of the new units introduced in Version 1.3 of HSR, which is expected to launch on August 30th, 2023. This doesn't mean they'll necessarily arrive on that date, however, as they could come as part of Phase 2 of the update, which will likely land on September 20th.

Imbibitor Lunae Light Cone and abilities

While we've yet to see much official word on how Imbibitor Lunae will play, reliable leaks have given us a decent look at their in-development kit. Bearing in mind that these details may change for the final release, here's what their abilities look like so far:

• Lotus (Basic Attack 1): Deals [unknown]% of Imbibitor Lunae's ATK as Imaginary DMG to a target enemy.
• Instant Brilliance (Basic Attack 2): Casts a 3-stage attack, dealing Imaginary DMG equivalent to [unknown]% of Imbibitor Lunae's ATK to the designated enemy. Casting this skill requires 1 Skill Point.
• Heavenly Shadow Arrow (Basic Attack 3): Performs 2 attacks, dealing Imaginary DMG equal to [unknown]% of Imbibitor Lunae's ATK. Additionally, Imaginary DMG equal to [unknown]% of Imbibitor Lunae's ATK is dealt to adjacent targets.
• Panna's Radiance Leap (Basic Attack 4): Performs 2 attacks, dealing Imaginary DMG equal to Imbibitor Lunae's ATK. At the same time, performs 4 attacks that deals Imaginary DMG equal to [unknown]% of Imbibitor Lunae's ATK on adjacent targets. Grants [Roar] Effect: Each stack of [Roar] increases Imbibitor Lunae's CRIT DMG by [unknown]%. This effect can be stacked up to [unknown] times, and lasts until the end of the round.
• Unrestrained (Skill): Basic Attack DMG is strengthened. Basic Attack DMG can be strengthened up to 3 times in a row. Casting this Skill does not consume Skill Points and is not considered as a Skill Usage.
• Cleansing of the World (Ultimate): Deals high Imaginary DMG to a single enemy and minor DMG to enemies adjacent to it. Grants [unknown] stacks of Reverse Scale for Imbibitor Lunae. Reverse Scale stacks are consumed instead of Skill Points.
• From the Abyss to the Sky (Technique): After using Imbibitor Lunae's Technique, he will receive [unknown] stack(s) of Reverse Scale at the start of the next battle.
• Righteous Heart (Talent): After Imbibitor Lunae casts an attack, the DMG he deals will be increased by [unknown]%. This effect can stack up to [unknown] times, and lasts until the end of the turn.

Details of Imbibitor Lunae's signature Light Cone Light Brighter Than The Sun have also been leaked with the following description: "Increase Crit Rate of the wearer by [unknown]%. When the wearer casts a Basic ATK, they will gain 1 stack of [Dragon's Chant], which lasts for [unknown] turns. Each stack of [Dragon's Chant] will increase the wearer's ATK by [unknown]%, and energy regeneration by [unknown]%. [Dragon's Chant] can only be stacked up to a maximum of [unknown] times."

It's worth bearing in mind that while Imbibitor Lunae will be able to equip any Destruction Light Cone (and indeed, any Destruction character will be able to equip Light Brighter Than The Sun), this Light Cone is designed specifically to best complement Imbibitor Lunae's kit.

Imbibitor Lunae will almost certainly be exclusively available on time limited Character Event Warp banners. Take a look at our Honkai: Star Rail banners page to find out all the latest news about when they'll be available, as well as our Honkai: Star Rail codes page so that you can start saving up free pulls for their release!