Version 4.6, Dance With the Beast Before Moonrise, is a focused patch. One new limited 5-star headlines the whole version, two first-time reruns split across the halves, and a heavier banner stretch is already lined up behind it. That makes 4.6 a planning patch as much as a pulling patch.
The update lands on September 27, 2026 for America and September 28 for Europe and Asia. Phase 1 runs into October 21. Phase 2 runs from October 21 to about November 10. Pearl stays on the character Event Warp for the full six weeks.
Banner lineup
Phase 1
- 5-star: Pearl (Ice, Elation)
- 5-star: Evanescia (Physical, Elation)
- 4-star: Qingque, Xueyi, Misha
Phase 2
- 5-star: Pearl (still rate-up)
- 5-star: Mortenax Blade (Fire, Nihility)
- 4-star: Qingque, Xueyi, Misha
Signature Light Cones follow the same split: Colors for Tomorrow for Pearl, Until the Flowers Bloom Again for Evanescia in Phase 1, and Reforged in Hellfire for Mortenax Blade in Phase 2.
A featured 5-star costs 90 pulls at hard pity, or 180 pulls in the worst 50/50 case. Light Cone Event Warps cap at 80. Budget for that before you lock a plan.
Pearl: high value only if Elation is your project
Pearl is a DEF-scaling Ice sustain built for Elation teams. Her basic attack heals and cleanses. Her Ultimate marks one ally as the Aesthetic Archetype, then action-advances that ally based on how many Elation units you field. At four Elation characters, that ally gets a full extra turn. She also feeds Certified Banger and bonus Elation damage after attacks, with the biggest spike on a full Elation roster.
Pull Pearl if you already run Silver Wolf Lv.999, Evanescia, Aventurine Waveflair, Sparxie, or you plan to pick up Nihilux in 4.7. She is the sustain that does not force you to drop an Elation slot, which is the real reason she matters.
Skip Pearl if you have no Elation units and no plan to build the path. Outside that archetype she is a serviceable healer with a lot of dead kit text. Huohuo or Aventurine already cover generic sustain. Waiting for Nihilux first is the safer order if you are starting the team from zero.
E0 is enough. Her signature, Colors for Tomorrow, is a real upgrade if she is a permanent slot. It is not required to make her function. Shop options and other Elation cones can hold until you see 4.7.
Evanescia: first rerun, still a core Elation carry
Evanescia is a Physical Elation DPS who converts energy, buffs, and multi-hit patterns into consistent damage. She is one of the units Pearl is designed to push. If you missed her debut and you want a complete Elation core before Nihilux, this rerun is the cleanest window. If you already have her at E0 and a working team, extra copies are a luxury. Some players value her E1 more than Pearl’s cone, but that only matters if Evanescia is already your main carry.
Do not pull her just because she is next to Pearl. Dual limited banners in one half split your pity and your jade.
Mortenax Blade: the flexible pick for everyone else
Mortenax Blade is a Fire Nihility hybrid. He shreds DEF, applies damage-taken debuffs, deals HP-scaling damage in Infinite Fury, and can soak aggro well enough that some teams treat him as a fourth slot instead of a second sustain. His value is account-wide, not path-locked. That is why he is the better 4.6 target if you are skipping Elation.
Pull him if you lack a generalist amplifier, you play Acheron or similar Nihility cores, or you want one unit that still helps after this patch’s Elation push cools off. E0 already does the job. Eidolons are optional vertical investment, not an entry fee.
Four-stars and cones
Qingque, Xueyi, and Misha stay rate-up all version. None of them should decide a 5-star pull. If you still need copies, treat them as a bonus, not a reason to spend 80 pulls on the wrong banner.
Skip signature cones unless the character is a locked endgame slot. Characters first, weapons second, especially with 4.7 and the winter crossover already on the calendar.
How to spend the patch
- Elation account: Pearl in Phase 1. Evanescia only if you do not own her. Hold remaining jade for Nihilux.
- No Elation, need support: Skip Phase 1 limiteds. Take Mortenax Blade in Phase 2.
- New or low-roster account: Mortenax Blade has broader long-term value than a path-locked sustain.
- Saving for 4.7 and 4.8: This is a valid skip patch. Nihilux is expected as an Elation carry, and the later Zenless Zone Zero crossover is slated to include a free 5-star plus a limited support banner. Three limited characters across four months can run 540 pulls in a worst case before cones.