Honkai: Star Rail Currency Wars 4.2 Update: New Characters & Elation Bond

Together with the celebratory campaigns for Honkai: Star Rail's 3rd anniversary update, a fresh wave of content has arrived for the Currency Wars permanent game mode. In this guide, we'll cover all the new updates and changes introduced in version 4.2 of Currency Wars, and explore how the meta has evolved.

With the release of the Version 4.2 patch, Currency Wars receives several major updates: brand new characters, adjustments to existing characters, new features and investment strategies, and most notably, the full introduction of the brand new Elation Path Bond.

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Brand New Characters

The first major addition is the introduction of several new characters:

Character	COST	BOND	Character Empowerment
Ashveil (The Hunt: Lightning)	2-cost	Follow-Up ATK, Galaxy Ranger	On-field: Provides Bond buffs to on-field “Galaxy Ranger” based on star rating. Off-field: When taking action, attacks apply “Bait” to enemies. Allies restore Energy when attacking enemies with “Bait.” After using Ultimate, launches an enhanced follow-up ATK and gains “Charge” to trigger follow-up ATKs. Can also gain “Galaxy Ranger” Bond buffs based on star rating, even when off-field.
Silver Wolf LV.999 (Elation: Imaginary)	3-cost	Elation, Stellaron Hunters, Ready Player One (Independent Bond)	On-field: Max “Hidden MMR” rank is additionally increased. During an Elation Skill or Basic ATK, gains the stat boost provided by “Aha” summoned by the Elation Bond. Upon reaching a specific “Hidden MMR”, Silver Wolf LV.999 gains additional DMG Amplification. Ready Player One (Independent Bond): When “Silver Wolf LV.999” is upgraded to 2-star, you can select to modify this unit’s cost and transform it into a higher-cost 1-star “Silver Wolf LV.999” (e.g., 2-star 3-cost → 1-star 4-cost, 2-star 4-cost → 1-star 5-cost), or obtain a “Hacker Mod”. Upon reaching 3-star 5-cost, the Wolf Lord will activate cheat mode and take over Currency Wars. You can select when a 3/4/5-Cost is upgraded to 2-Star for the first time. If you select to obtain “Hacking Component,” this selection will no longer trigger. “Hacking Components” are a type of special equipment exclusive to Silver Wolf that provides various buffs during matches. “Hacking Components” do not occupy equipment slots.
Evanescia (Elation: Physical)	2-cost	Elation, Galactic Voyager	On-field: During an Elation Skill or Ultimate, gains the stat boost provided by “Aha” summoned by the Elation Bond. Using an Ultimate also permanently increases DMG Amplification. Off-field: When an ally gains “Certified Banger,” Evanescia gains “Certified Banger” and Energy. During an Elation Skill or Ultimate, gains the stat boost provided by “Aha” summoned by the Elation Bond. Using an Ultimate also permanently increases DMG Amplification.
Trailblazer (New Elation Path Form)	4-cost	Energy, Elation, Express Cohort	Off-field: The “Elation” team member with the most equipment will immediately use their Elation Skill again during an Aha Instant. The Ultimate allows the target to use their Elation Skill instantly. During an Elation Skill, gains the stat boost provided by “Aha” summoned by the Elation Bond.

Brand New Bonds

Alongside the new characters, a brand-new faction bond has been added to the game: the Elation Faction Bond.

Faction Bond: Elation

• Bond Levels: 3 / 4 / 5 / 7
• Bond Members: Yao Guang, Evanescia, Silver Wolf LV.999, Sparxie, Trailblazer

Bond Effect:

• Increases the Lucky Strike Rate of "Elation" characters.
• "Aha" descends into the preparation area. It is considered simultaneously on-field and off-field, has initial stats, and starts with 3 random pieces of basic equipment (different each game).
• As the 3-, 4-, and 5-character Bond tiers are activated, "Aha" unlocks its 3 pieces of basic equipment in sequence, and its star rating increases.
• Drag basic equipment from the Inventory onto "Aha" to synthesize the corresponding advanced equipment.
• "Aha" has SPD and attack stats determined by its star rating and equipped gear.
• In combat, "Aha" triggers Aha Instant based on its SPD. When allies in the Bond use an Elation Skill, they can trigger "Aha"'s equipment effect and gain various offensive stat bonuses.
• When an Aha Instant is activated, you can "Roll" to obtain a random amount of Punchline. Rolling the Big Prize further enhances the Lucky Strike effect.

Character Adjustments

Alongside all the new additions, several updates are being made to how existing characters work in the game mode:

Bond Adjustments

Several existing bonds have received reworks, major adjustments, and new members.

Bond	New Bond member added	Become Expert Advisor	Cost / Tier Adjustments	Effect / Multiplier Changes
Follow-Up ATK	Ashveil (2-Cost)	Moze	Feixiao: 2-Cost → 1-Cost (base stats adjusted accordingly)	Increased DMG amplification from continuous actions at Bond levels 5, 7, and 9. Unified Attack DMG multiplier increased.
Stellaron Hunters	Silver Wolf LV.999 (3-Cost)	Silver Wolf	—	Bond DMG and HP amplification increased. New effect: Every 7 attacks by Stellaron Hunters, Silver Wolf LV.999 uses 1 Elation Skill, granting 40 fixed Punchlines (4 attacks pre-counted at battle start).
Galaxy Ranger	Ashveil (2-Cost)	—	Bond tiers expanded: 1/2/3 → 1/2/3/4 (tier 3 stats adjusted)	4‑Galaxy Ranger effect: Characters enhanced by Bond Root take immediate action at battle start.
Wolf Hunt	—	Moze	Bond levels: 3/5/7/9 → 3/5/6/8; Borisin level‑up XP adjusted accordingly	—
Galactic Voyager	Evanescia (2-Cost)	—	—	New effect: When Evanescia is on field, initial Energy +15.
Quantum Resonance	Tribbie	Silver Wolf	—	Each stack of “Synchronized Frequency” increases Vulnerability applied by Tribbie’s Zone.
Bloodflame	—	—	—	Bond effect DMG amplification increased.
Night Demigod	—	—	Evernight cost: 3-Cost → 4-Cost (base stats adjusted); Bond tiers: 3/5/7/9 → 2/4/7/9	Increased Moonlight Essence gained per Bond level; adjusted bonus Essence multiplier for perfect victory; reduced Essence required for Lv. 3–9 crystal ore rewards.
DoT	—	—	—	“Super Excitation” base DMG multiplier increased.
IPC	—	—	—	Off‑Field Strength increased. IPC members boost productivity → enhanced Gold Coin gain.
Break	—	—	—	“Shockwave” DMG multiplier increased.
Debuff	—	—	—	“Afterburn” DMG multiplier increased.
Belobog	—	—	—	Bond effect DMG amplification increased.
Cosmic Scholar	—	—	—	On/off‑field strength increased for Cosmic Scholar members; certain “Cake Cat” reward values increased.

New Update Analysis

Now that we've covered all the changes in the Currency Wars gamemode for version 4.2, let's analyze how these updates will impact the meta.

• Elation Shakes Up the Meta – The introduction of the Elation path drastically shifts the game's meta. The Elation Faction Bond is both extremely powerful and easy to form, making it one of the best bonds to aim for during a match.
• Silver Wolf Lv.999 – A New Win Condition – With the addition of Silver Wolf Lv.999 and her unique gimmick, players gain a powerful new win condition: upgrading her to 3 stars and 5 cost allows her to effectively "hack" the game and secure victory with ease. Fun fact: This effect also stacks with Cyrene's win condition, allowing multiple amazing benefits to appear on screen simultaneously.
• Overall Character Buffs – Nearly every character in the game has received buffs in one form or another, making higher-difficulty fights easier to clear.
• Amazing Changes to Bond Effects – The bond effect adjustments in this update are outstanding. Several bonds received massive damage buffs—such as DoT, Follow-Up Attack, Galaxy Rangers, and Stellaron Hunters—while others enjoy smaller but still beneficial improvements.

Conclusion

That wraps up everything you need to know about the 4.2 update for the Currency Wars gamemode.