Phase 3 Banner Context
Phase 3 runs Jan 28-Feb 12, 2026 with simultaneous Aglaea (5★ Lightning Remembrance DPS) and Sunday (5★ Imaginary Harmony support) reruns. Each brings their signature 5★ Light Cone: Time Woven Into Gold (Aglaea) and A Grounded Ascent (Sunday). Light Cone Event Warp features 75% rate-up on 5★ pulls.
Banner Mechanics:
- 80-pull hard pity, soft pity starts pull 65
- Rate increases: 1.2% (pull 70), 2.0% (pull 75), 4.0% (pull 80)
- 50% of players get 5★ by pull 72, 75% by pull 76, 90% by pull 79
- Unlike character banners, maintains 75% featured rate throughout (no 100% guarantee)
Low pity (0-30 pulls) means average cost of 72 pulls (5760 Stellar Jades), worst-case 160 pulls (12,800 Jades) if losing 75% rate-up twice.
Need Stellar Jades? Honkai Star Rail top up via BitTopup offers competitive pricing with fast, secure delivery.
F2P Income Breakdown (per patch):
- Daily missions: 1800 Jades
- Limited events: 1200-1500 Jades
- Memory of Chaos: 800 Jades
- Pure Fiction: 800 Jades
- Apocalyptic Shadow: 800 Jades
- Total: 6500-7500 Jades (one guaranteed 5★ Light Cone every 2.5 patches)
Sunday Light Cone: A Grounded Ascent
Base Stats (Lv80): 1058 HP, 635 ATK, 396 DEF
Passive Ability:
- Regenerates 6 Energy to targeted ally when wearer uses Skill/Ultimate
- Grants one Hymn stack: +12% DMG at S1 (max 3 stacks = 45% DMG), +18% at S5 (max 54% DMG)
- Recovers 1 Skill Point every two triggers
Performance Impact:
- Enables 3-turn Ultimate cycles (40% frequency increase across 12-cycle encounters)
- SP-neutral rotations despite Skill-intensive playstyle
- Accelerates Remembrance summons (Aglaea's Garmentmaker memosprite)
Endgame Benchmarks (Sunday + Aglaea + Robin + Gallagher):
- Memory of Chaos 12-1: 4 cycles vs 5-6 with 4★ alternatives
- Pure Fiction 4-1: 38,000 points
- Apocalyptic Shadow 6: 3,800 points
- 12-15% total team DPS improvement
Future-Proofing: Works on any Harmony support. Energy regeneration and DMG buffs remain universally valuable regardless of meta shifts.
Best 4★ Alternatives:
- Memories of the Past (Herta Store): Energy Regen Rate + Break Effect
- Planetary Rendezvous: ATK% buffs in mono-element teams
- Performance gap: 12-15% team DPS (1 extra cycle in MoC, 3000-5000 point reduction in Pure Fiction)
Aglaea Light Cone: Time Woven Into Gold
Base Stats (Lv80): 1058 HP, 635 ATK, 396 DEF, +12 SPD (base) to +20 SPD (S5)
Speed Impact:
- Aglaea base: 102 SPD
- Garmentmaker memosprite: 35% of Aglaea's SPD
- +20 SPD increases both Aglaea's turn frequency and summon action speed
Passive Ability:
- Accumulates Brocade stacks: +9% CRIT DMG per stack at S1 (max 6 stacks = 54% CRIT DMG)
- S5: +15% CRIT DMG per stack (max 90% CRIT DMG)
- Max stacks grant +9% Basic ATK DMG at S1 (+15% at S5)
Endgame Benchmarks (Aglaea + Sunday + Robin + Gallagher):
- Memory of Chaos 12-1: 3 cycles
- Pure Fiction 4-1: 36,000 points
- Apocalyptic Shadow 6: 3,900 points
- 22-28% personal damage increase, 15-20% team DPS improvement
Critical Limitation: Gap narrows to 12-15% vs Nowhere to Run S5—smallest signature-to-alternative differential in recent HSR history.
Best 4★ Alternative:
- Nowhere to Run: CRIT Rate + ATK% buffs, triggers on wearer/summon attacks
- Delivers 85-88% of Time Woven Into Gold S1 performance
- Both achieve full MoC star clears; signature offers faster times, not progression enablement
Head-to-Head Comparison
Sunday's A Grounded Ascent Wins On:
- Versatility: 12-15% team DPS applies across all compositions where Sunday supports
- Future-proofing: Works on any Harmony support, retains value with future units
- Universal applicability: Benefits any DPS paired with Sunday (Aglaea, future Remembrance, traditional DPS)
Aglaea's Time Woven Into Gold Limitations:
- Character-specific: Passive optimizes exclusively for Aglaea's Basic ATK-focused kit
- Narrow advantage: 12-15% gap vs Nowhere to Run harder to justify at 5760+ Jade cost
- Future risk: May not transfer well to future Remembrance units with different playstyles
Account-Specific Priority:
Own Sunday, not Aglaea: Pull A Grounded Ascent—immediate roster improvement
Own Aglaea, not Sunday: Evaluate if 12-15% damage increase over Nowhere to Run justifies Jade expenditure vs saving for future supports
Own both: Prioritize A Grounded Ascent unless you already have competitive 4★ Harmony Light Cones. Sunday's signature enables Aglaea (even with Nowhere to Run) to perform closer to max potential through superior action economy
Own neither: Skip both—investing 5760+ Jades for weapons without characters is poor resource allocation
Low Pity Decision Framework
Risk Assessment (0-30 pity):
- Expected cost: 72 pulls (5760 Jades) from current position
- 35% chance: Pull within 40 attempts (3200 Jades)
- 25% chance: Require 90+ pulls (7200+ Jades)
- Only 18% secure featured Light Cone within first 30 pulls
Break-Even Analysis:
A Grounded Ascent: 5760 Jades for 12-15% team DPS across multiple compositions vs 45% of guaranteed limited character (12,800 Jades)
Time Woven Into Gold: 5760 Jades for 12-15% damage over Nowhere to Run (after gap compression) = poor value unless Aglaea is primary account focus
Opportunity Cost:
- F2P recovery time: 1-1.5 patches to rebuild reserves
- Version 3.9 Phase 1 (late Feb 2026): Potential must-pull supports
- Depleting reserves in Phase 3 reduces flexibility for future meta-defining units
Pull Only If:
- Maintain 8000+ Jade reserves post-investment (absorbs worst-case scenarios)
- Own associated character and use them as account cornerstone
- Already built strong core roster (supports, sustain units)
Endgame Performance Testing
Memory of Chaos 12-1:
- Sunday + A Grounded Ascent: 4 cycles
- Sunday + Memories of the Past: 5 cycles
- Aglaea + Time Woven Into Gold: 3 cycles
- Aglaea + Nowhere to Run S5: 4 cycles
- Both configs achieve full stars; signatures offer speed, not enablement
Pure Fiction 4-1:
- Sunday + signature: 38,000 points
- Sunday + 4★: 34,000-35,000 points (10% reduction)
- Aglaea + signature: 36,000 points
- Aglaea + 4★: 32,000-33,000 points (10-12% reduction)
- Gaps rarely affect reward tiers (thresholds: 30k, 36k, 40k)
Apocalyptic Shadow 6:
- Sunday + signature: 3,800 points
- Aglaea + signature: 3,900 points
- Aglaea + 4★: 3,600-3,700 points (5-8% reduction)
- Narrower gap suggests sustained encounters favor signatures less
Future Value Assessment
Rerun Patterns:
- Limited 5★ Light Cones return with character reruns
- Sunday: Expected 4-6 months (popular support)
- Aglaea: Expected 6-8 months (limited DPS)
- Skip now = wait until late 2026/early 2027
Version 3.9+ Meta Predictions:
- Continued Remembrance path emphasis with new summon-based DPS
- Time Woven Into Gold value diminishes if Aglaea faces power creep
- A Grounded Ascent remains relevant—Harmony supports maintain multi-cycle value (see: Bronya, Ruan Mei)
Long-Term Investment:
- A Grounded Ascent: Safer—transfers to future Harmony supports, universal mechanics
- Time Woven Into Gold: Higher risk—DPS characters face shorter meta windows, character-specific optimization
Final Recommendations
F2P Players (0-30 pity):
- Pull A Grounded Ascent if: Own Sunday, plan long-term use, maintain 8000+ Jade reserves
- Skip Time Woven Into Gold unless: Aglaea is main DPS, other account aspects optimized, sufficient v3.9 reserves
- Default: Skip both, save for v3.9 characters (larger progression jumps)
Light Spenders:
- Priority: A Grounded Ascent (versatility + long-term value)
- Secondary: Time Woven Into Gold (only if maining Aglaea)
- Consider buy HSR Oneiric Shards online via BitTopup for secure, competitive rates
Whales/Completionists:
- Pull order: A Grounded Ascent first, then Time Woven Into Gold
- Superimposition: Stop at S1 for both (S1→S5 costs 51,200 Jades for 3-12% gains—poor value vs new characters)
Emergency Skip Scenarios:
- Jade reserves <5000
- Missing core supports (Robin, Ruan Mei, sustain)
- Already own S5 4★ alternatives
- Uncertain long-term character commitment
Maximizing Stellar Jades (Jan 28-Feb 12)
Phase 3 Income Sources:
- Daily Training: 60 Jades/day × 14 days = 840 Jades
- Remaining v3.8 events: 1200-1500 Jades
- MoC reset (Feb 1): 800 Jades
- Pure Fiction reset (Feb 1): 800 Jades
- Apocalyptic Shadow reset (Feb 1): 800 Jades
- Simulated/Divergent Universe: 225 Jades/week
- Total: 3000-3500 additional Jades
Smart Budgeting:
- Maintain minimum 6400 Jade reserve entering v3.9 (50 pulls for flexibility)
- Phase 3 budget = Total Jades - 6400
- Example: 12,000 Jades → 5600 available (covers average-case, risky for worst-case)
FAQ
Is Sunday's light cone worth pulling at low pity? Yes, if you own Sunday and maintain 8000+ Jade reserves. A Grounded Ascent provides 12-15% team DPS with broad versatility. F2P players with limited reserves should save for v3.9 unless Sunday is their account cornerstone.
How does Aglaea's signature compare to 4-star alternatives? Time Woven Into Gold gives 22-28% personal damage, but gap narrows to 12-15% vs Nowhere to Run S5—smallest signature differential in recent HSR. Both achieve full MoC stars; signature offers speed, not enablement.
What pity count is low for light cone banners? 0-30 pulls. Expected cost: 72 pulls (5760 Jades). 35% chance within 40 pulls, 25% chance requiring 90+ pulls. High uncertainty demands careful resource planning.
Should F2P prioritize Sunday or Aglaea light cone? Sunday's A Grounded Ascent if choosing between them. However, most F2P should skip both, saving for v3.9 characters (larger progression). Only pull if owning character, 8000+ reserves, strong core roster.
Can Sunday function without his signature? Yes. Memories of the Past or Planetary Rendezvous cause 12-15% team DPS reduction (1 extra MoC cycle) but don't prevent full star clears. Signature optimizes, not required.
Best 4-star light cones for Sunday? Memories of the Past (Herta Store): Energy Regen + Break Effect. Planetary Rendezvous: ATK% in mono-element teams. Both close 85-88% of performance gap to signature.
