Honkai: Star Rail 4.4 Fate Collaboration: How to Get Gilgamesh or Archer for Free (Until Version 4.6)

Honkai: Star Rail's Fate/stay night collaboration is back for Part 2, and this time the headline is not a banner — it is a free 5-star for every single player. Starting July 24, 2026 at 12:00 server time, the Fate Contract: Renewal event lets you choose one collaboration 5-star — Gilgamesh or Archer — and claim it at no cost, bundled with enough materials to immediately hit level 60 with upgraded Traces. If you plan to chase the paid Rin Tohsaka banner on top of the free unit, a quick top-up at Topuplist through the official Topuplist storefront keeps your Oneiric Shards stocked so you are never one warp short of a guarantee.

This guide walks through everything the official event and community breakdowns confirm: the exact dates, the step-by-step claim, which of the two units to pick for your account, why you should not spend a single pull on the free copy, and the questions Trailblazers keep arguing about on Reddit and the HoYoLAB boards.

The Free 5-Star Everyone Gets — Fate Contract: Renewal

The giveaway is delivered through a single event: Fate Contract: Renewal. It is a straight 5-star character selector — not a gacha, not a login streak you can fail, and not tied to any purchase. You open the event, you pick one of the two Fate units, you confirm, and the character lands in your roster already loaded with ascension and Trace materials.

What makes this notable is the window. The claim is open from the moment Fate/stay night Part 2 goes live on July 24, 2026 and stays open until the end of Version 4.6. That is multiple patches of runway, which means even players who start late in Version 4.5 still have time. It is also a deliberate contrast with the paid Collaboration Warp that runs alongside it: the selector is the zero-risk part of the version, and the warp is where the spending decisions actually live.

For the canonical dates and event text, HoYoverse's official Honkai: Star Rail site is the reference point players circle back to once the in-game notice posts.

Dates, Versions & the Claim Window

Version 4.4 "In Ravages Does the Whistle Sound" launched July 15, 2026, with some regions able to start the night of July 14. The Fate collaboration itself does not open on day one — like the first Fate crossover, it begins roughly a week into the patch, on July 24, 2026. Fate Contract: Renewal goes live at the same moment.

The key mental model: Version 4.4 is the launch, July 24 is the claim start, and Version 4.6 is the claim deadline. Everything in between is fair game, so there is no rush to claim on the first day. That said, the character is the only part of the collaboration that is truly free, so the smart play is to claim early and then focus your warp budget elsewhere.

How to Claim Gilgamesh or Archer (Step by Step)

The claim process is short and forgiving. Here is the exact walkthrough community guides have verified against the pre-launch data:

1. Log in after 12:00 server time on July 24, 2026. The event will not appear before the Fate Part 2 launch, so do not go looking for it on July 15.

1. Open the Events menu and select Fate Contract: Renewal

1. Choose your free 5-star — Gilgamesh or Archer. This is a deliberate selection, not a random draw.

1. Confirm. The unit joins your account bundled with materials to reach level 60 and upgraded Traces — no early Calyx farming required.

1. Verify. You will know it worked when the chosen character shows up in your roster already at level 60 with upgraded Traces, rather than at level 1.

You get one character from this selector, not both. Picking Gilgamesh does not also grant Archer, and vice versa. There is no confirmed player-level gate, so newer accounts that can reach the event interface can still claim. The deadline is the only hard limit: miss the Version 4.6 cutoff and there is no retroactive claim.

The 200-Pull Bonus: A Free Collab Light Cone

On top of the free character, Version 4.4 hides a second freebie for active players. If you accumulate 200 warps on any Warp during Version 4.4, you unlock a selector for a free collaboration 5-star Light Cone — choose between I Am as You Behold or The Hell Where Ideals Burn . The 200-warp threshold counts pulls on any banner, so your normal limited-character and standard warps all contribute. It is a strong reason to keep pulling through the patch rather than stopping at the free unit.

The collaboration also ships a themed story event — a large turn-based card battle built around a "Golden Rain" and a stolen Holy Grail, where a certain king's treasury has unexpectedly shattered across the shadows. Beyond the free character and Light Cone, the event route hands out daily sign-in rewards (including Star Rail Special Passes across a seven-day check-in) and the usual event currencies, so even free-to-play accounts that never touch the warp still walk away with meaningful progress. Completing it also feeds the 200-warp threshold if you choose to pull, which makes the free Light Cone and the story rewards stack naturally for active players.

Gilgamesh vs Archer — Which One Should You Pick?

This is the question every Trailblazer is asking, and the answer depends almost entirely on whether you already own Archer from Part 1.

• If you already have Archer (he was given free to every player in the first Fate crossover, Version 3.4), choosing him again only adds an Eidolon — a duplicate, not a new unit. In that case, pick Gilgamesh for a brand-new roster member.

• If you missed the first Fate collab and own neither, weigh which fits your teams, but remember a fresh unit generally beats a duplicate Eidolon. Gilgamesh is the safer universal pick for most accounts.

Gilgamesh is a 5-star Lightning Destruction DPS built around an interest-stacking mechanic and a high-energy Ultimate that scales off ally actions; he performs better with Saber on the team. Archer remains a strong single-target Quantum Hunt unit. For the majority of accounts — especially those that participated in Part 1 — Gilgamesh is the recommended pick precisely because Archer is already widely owned.

Before you commit your warp budget to the paid side, top up your Oneiric Shards through the official Topuplist storefront via the HSR top-up page so the Rin banner never catches you short.

Don't Pull E0, and Save Your Shards for Rin Tohsaka

The single most important budgeting rule of Version 4.4 is simple: claim Gilgamesh for free, and do not spend a single pull on his E0. Because the base unit costs zero warps, any pull you make on his banner is, by definition, buying an Eidolon at full pity price. His E0 kit is already complete — an AoE Ultimate with bounce hits, DEF ignore on Skill, and a self-action-advance that scales with team speed. Eidolons add comfort, not capability.

The opportunity cost is the real danger. Character Event Warp hard pity is 90 pulls, and with the 50/50 rule a guaranteed limited 5-star can cost up to 180 pulls. Spending that on a Gilgamesh duplicate directly cannibalizes your guarantee for Rin Tohsaka — the premium 5-star Quantum Erudition unit on the paid Collaboration Warp. She is the unit you actually spend on, so the disciplined move is to bank your Oneiric Shards for Rin and treat Gilgamesh as a free bonus.

Shared Fate Pity & the Rin Tohsaka Banner

Fate banners use a separate pity counter from regular Character Event Warps, and — critically — all four Fate banners share the same guarantee pool. In practice:

• Pulls on any Fate banner accumulate toward one shared pity counter.

• Progress toward the 90-pull hard pity does not reset when you switch between Fate banners.

• It is fully isolated from your standard limited-character pity.

The common myth — that each collab banner has a fresh counter — is false. If you reach 40 pulls without a 5-star on an earlier Fate banner, that carries straight into Rin's banner. Every warp counts toward the same guarantee, so earlier Fate pulls chip away at your effective Rin target. The math most players use: hard pity is 90 pulls = 14,400 Stellar Jade (160 per pull), and since collab pity is shared, your stockpile goal for a comfortable Rin guarantee is roughly 90 pulls of saved currency, lower if you already have Fate pulls banked.

Where to farm free Jade before you top up: clear all uncompleted Simulated Universe, Forgotten Hall, and Pure Fiction stages; redeem daily and weekly login rewards plus event mission Jade; and complete the collaboration story event fully. For the time-poor, a fast top-up through Topuplist from the official Topuplist storefront stretches the gap between your free Jade and a Rin guarantee.

Community Hot Questions Players Keep Asking

Across Reddit's r/HonkaiStarRail and the HoYoLAB boards, a consistent set of questions dominates the Fate Part 2 discussion:

• "Is the free unit battle-ready at level 60?" Yes. The selector bundles the ascension and Trace materials needed to reach level 60 with upgraded Traces, so the character is usable the moment you claim it — no Calyx farming required first.

• "What if I already pulled Gilgamesh on the warp?" Then your free selector should go to Archer instead (if you lack him), or you accept a duplicate Eidolon. Most players who already own both simply take the one they have at lower Eidolon count.

• "What happens if I miss the Version 4.6 deadline?" You lose the free character permanently — there is no retroactive claim. A single missed day will not cost you if you log in and catch up inside the window, but do not leave it to the final day, when a hotfix or maintenance could block access.

• "Should I pull E0 Gilgamesh?" No. He is free at E0; any warp on him is an Eidolon purchase at full price. Save those warps for Rin.

• "Is there a player-level requirement?" None is confirmed. Fresh accounts that reach the event interface can claim.

• "Do the 200 warps for the free Light Cone have to be on Fate banners?" No — any Warp during Version 4.4 counts toward the 200 threshold.

For the broader collaboration cadence, banner schedules, and kit breakdowns, community guides such as Game8's Honkai: Star Rail hub track the live data as it verifies in-game.

Bottom line: the free Gilgamesh-or-Archer selector is the easiest 5-star you will ever earn in Honkai: Star Rail — log in after July 24, pick the unit your roster actually lacks, and walk away with a level-60 character for zero pulls. Then point every shard you would have spent on Gilgamesh straight at Rin Tohsaka, and let the shared Fate pity carry your guarantee across banners. Claim early, save hard, and the entire Fate Part 2 becomes a rare double win: a free unit and a funded guarantee.

FAQ

Q1: How do I get a free Gilgamesh or Archer in Honkai: Star Rail 4.4?
A: Open the Fate Contract: Renewal event after it launches on July 24, 2026 at 12:00 server time, choose either Gilgamesh or Archer, and confirm. The character is free and arrives at level 60 with upgraded Traces — no pulls or purchase required.

Q2: Until when can I claim the free Fate character?
A: The claim window runs from July 24, 2026 through the end of Version 4.6. There is no retroactive claim after that cutoff, so do not leave it to the final day.

Q3: Which should I pick — Gilgamesh or Archer?
A: If you already own Archer from the first Fate collab (Version 3.4), pick Gilgamesh for a new unit. If you skipped Part 1 and own neither, a fresh unit generally beats a duplicate Eidolon — Gilgamesh is the safe default for most accounts.

Q4: Should I spend pulls on Gilgamesh's banner?
A: No. His E0 is free, so any warp on him only buys an Eidolon at full pity price. Save your Oneiric Shards for the paid Rin Tohsaka banner instead.

Q5: Is there a free Light Cone too?
A: Yes. Accumulate 200 warps on any Warp during Version 4.4 to unlock a selector for a free collaboration 5-star Light Cone — I Am as You Behold or The Hell Where Ideals Burn.

Q6: Do Fate banners share pity?
A: Yes. Fate banners use a separate counter from standard Character Event Warps, but all four Fate banners share one guarantee pool, and progress carries between them. Hard pity is 90 pulls (14,400 Stellar Jade).