Skip to contentAdd as a preferred source on Google
NEXUS ANIMA

Blade's Reveal Week: Free at Level 40 in the Final Beta

Blade is the free 5-star Eidos of the Final Closed Beta at Player Level 40, Bladehound included. His trailer, Nexus Meet lore and Companion Journal explained.

By Nexus Anima Hubbladefinal closed betaeidostrailergiveaway

Blade is the free 5-star Eidos of the Honkai: Nexus Anima Final Closed Beta: reach Player Level 40 and you can claim him, with his Anima Companion Bladehound included. HoYoverse spent the week of November 8 introducing him, with a trailer, a lore card and a comic strip.

The three posts arrived on @HonkaiNA over three days. Together they set out who Blade is, why he is angry, and how to get him without a single Bond pull once the test opens on November 25 (UTC+8).

Closed beta caveat. Everything here comes from HoYoverse’s official posts and from the test build our database is drawn from. HoYoverse labels each post “The game is under development and subject to change”, and we have not played the Final Closed Beta build. Facts checked 2026-11-12.

Key takeaways

  • Free 5-star: reach Player Level 40 in the Final Closed Beta to claim Blade. No Bond pull needed.
  • Bladehound comes with him: the first time you obtain Blade, you can also claim Bladehound for free.
  • The trailer: “Strength Speaks for Itself”, a 20-second vertical Iconic Visuals clip posted on November 8.
  • The lore: Blade is the 22nd Novarch, a Phoenixbreaker, and the former sworn guardian of Kafka, the vanished Sovereign of Strength and Weakness.
  • The comic: a Companion Journal strip shows the tone of Blade’s bond with Bladehound: gruff on his side, devoted on the hound’s.
  • The giveaway: the Nexus Meet Blade draw ($50 gift cards and merchandise) closed on November 12 at 23:59 (UTC+8).

How to get Blade free in the Final Closed Beta

HoYoverse attached the same “Final Closed Beta, Additional Notes” to both Blade posts. The wording is short, so here it is in full: “Reach Player Level 40 to claim the 5-star Eidos: Blade!” and “Upon obtaining this Eidos for the first time, you can also claim his Anima Companion: Bladehound for FREE.”

That makes Blade the one 5-star Eidos every tester gets. It also changes how you should treat your early Bond currency. You do not need to chase him, so pulls can go toward the featured Eidos instead.

What we do not know yet

HoYoverse has not said where the claim appears (mail, an event page or a level reward track), whether it expires, or how long Level 40 takes in this build. The test has also changed since the Evolution Test, so levelling speed from the earlier beta is not a reliable guide.

The Anima Companion rule is not unique to Blade. The Final Closed Beta announcement explains that every Eidos now comes with its Anima Companion the first time you obtain them. Blade is simply the first one everyone is guaranteed.

Final Closed Beta reward Requirement Source
5-star Eidos Blade Reach Player Level 40 @HonkaiNA, November 8 post
Bladehound (Anima Companion) Obtain Blade for the first time @HonkaiNA, November 8 post
Featured 5-star on first 50/50 First 5-star from Event Bonds Final Closed Beta notice
Test start November 25, 2026 (UTC+8) Final Closed Beta notice

Not in yet? The questionnaire closes on November 22, 2026 at 09:59 (UTC+8), which is 01:59 UTC and 02:59 CET. Our Final Closed Beta sign-up guide covers every route in.

“Strength Speaks for Itself”: Blade’s trailer

The trailer went up on November 8 as an Iconic Visuals clip, credited as “Starring Animaster: Blade” and “Proudly presented by Path of Legends Pictures.” It is the most watched of the week’s posts by a wide margin.

The same clip is on YouTube as a Short.

What the trailer shows

It runs about 20 seconds in portrait, cut like a film poster campaign. From our frame-by-frame pass:

  1. Poster cards. Blade in a long black coat against cream, grey and gold backdrops, with “BLADE” in tall block capitals and his name in a signature script.
  2. A silhouette. A black figure on gold, then a red title card.
  3. The close-ups. His face, a tassel earring and a red spider lily on his chest, the flower the game ties to him.
  4. The strike. He swings his sword across a bright stage, then the cut goes dark: a glowing amber eye, a red flash and the logo.

The “Path of Legends Pictures” credit is a joke with a point. Path of Legends is the game’s roguelike mode, framed as a film shoot with Star Anima and an Actor Rating. HoYoverse is casting its own Eidos as film stars in an in-world studio, the same trick as its Planar Transmission adverts.

Note the word “Animaster” in the credit. That was this site’s name for the playable cast until August, and HoYoverse’s English posts still use it. The game client calls them Eidos, which is what we use.

Who is Blade? The Nexus Meet lore

The Nexus Meet post, also on November 8, is the fullest official summary of Blade so far. It confirms several details the test build only hinted at.

“The 22nd Novarch, one of the Phoenixbreaker Novarchs. Before the Sundering of the world, Blade served as the sworn guardian of Kafka, the Sovereign of Strength and Weakness. But after the Sundering, the Sovereign vanished, and her faction fell apart.”

The post continues: Blade “is now traversing the Planes in search of any trace of Kafka. At the same time, he has joined forces with Amorphiron and Parayaya to hunt down the one responsible for the Sundering, and make them pay.”

Official Nexus Meet card for Blade in Honkai: Nexus Anima: the 22nd Novarch seated on water beside Bladehound, with red spider lilies Blade’s official Nexus Meet card, with Bladehound behind him and red spider lilies at his feet.

What this adds to what we knew

  • Kafka is “her”. The test text calls her a Sovereign who vanished. The Nexus Meet post confirms her pronoun and says her faction “fell apart” without her.
  • “Sworn guardian”. The game text said Blade was “once a guard for the Sovereign”. The new wording makes the bond personal.
  • Two goals, not one. He searches for Kafka and hunts whoever caused the Sundering. The test build’s text says Blade seeks “revenge on the Reconstructor of Realms”, a title that points at you.

Our Sovereigns and Novarchs guide maps where the 22nd Novarch sits, and the lore primer explains the Sundering itself. His Phoenixbreaker partners have their own pages: Parayaya and Amorphiron.

Blade’s kit in the test build

Lore aside, Blade is a strong pull for a free unit. Our Blade Eidos page has the full kit from the test build, and our tier list has him at S. In short:

  • Splintered Sword (Eidos Skill) hits one enemy for Physical DMG, and adds True DMG if the target is below 50% Health.
  • Splinter (Aspect Skill) raises Strength Anima ATK and marks targets that the Dominator hits four times in a row.
  • Bladehound synergy: Bladehound heals from Blade’s damage, and kills with Bladehound restore Blade’s Eidos Energy.

Kit numbers can change between builds, and the Final Closed Beta is a new build. Our Aspect synergy guide covers how Strength teams work, and the team builder lets you plan a Strength formation now.

Companion Journal: Blade and Bladehound

On November 10, HoYoverse posted a Companion Journal for the pair, a chibi comic strip with the line “A battle companion you can trust with your back, and a loyal friend always by your side.”

The strip is three panels. Blade tells Bladehound “Don’t follow me. Got it?” and gets a reluctant “…Fine.” Then he tries to command it (“Do your… No. Not you. Sit.”). In the last panel the two sit back to back, captioned “Striving to reach the peak together.”

Companion Journal comic for Blade and Bladehound in Honkai: Nexus Anima: three chibi panels of Blade telling the hound not to follow him, then sitting back to back with it The Companion Journal strip. “The peak” is a nod to The Peak, the Plane Blade rules.

Bladehound’s side of the story

The comic plays it for laughs, but Bladehound’s dex entry is more serious. It calls the hound “the embodiment of every quality befitting Strength”, always pressing toward a strength it never feels it has reached. The entry also notes a “fleeting loneliness” whenever it looks at Cublade, a stubborn 3-star pup with a bone blade of its own. The dex does not explain the connection.

In the test build, Bladehound is a 5-star Strength Explorer and a Frontline Physical damage dealer. The dex places it in the hills behind Iia, where it “will not bond with anyone it deems weak”. In the Final Closed Beta you skip that, because claiming Blade hands it to you.

The Nexus Meet giveaway (now closed)

The Nexus Meet post doubled as a giveaway: $50 USD gift cards for 5 winners and random merchandise for 20 winners. Entry was to follow @HonkaiNA and reply with your first impression of Blade, using #HonkaiNexusAnima and #Blade.

It closed on November 12, 2026 at 23:59 (UTC+8), which is 15:59 UTC and 16:59 CET. It followed the same format as the Juelle Nexus Meet on November 6, so expect more Eidos to get one before the test. A giveaway that is still open, the Camcorgi FryFest draw, is covered in our FryFest giveaway post.

Scam warning. HoYoverse contacts winners through official channels. Ignore any account that DMs you a “prize link” or asks for your HoYoverse password.

Bottom line

Blade is the free 5-star of the Final Closed Beta, and Bladehound comes with him. Hit Player Level 40 and claim him. Save your early Bonds for the featured Eidos, since your first 5-star from an Event Bond is guaranteed to be the featured one.

The lore week also settled a few things: Kafka is “her”, Blade was her sworn guardian, and he is hunting whoever caused the Sundering. Read the Blade Eidos page for his kit, check the characters guide for the rest of the cast, and browse the Anima dex before November 25.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get Blade in the Honkai: Nexus Anima Final Closed Beta?
Reach Player Level 40. HoYoverse says that unlocks a claim for the 5-star Eidos Blade in the Final Closed Beta, which starts on November 25, 2026 (UTC+8). No Bond pull is needed. HoYoverse has not said where in the menus the claim appears.
Is Bladehound free with Blade?
Yes. HoYoverse says that the first time you obtain Blade, you can also claim his Anima Companion, Bladehound, for free. That follows the Final Closed Beta rule that every Eidos comes with its Anima Companion on first obtain.
Who is Blade in Honkai: Nexus Anima?
Blade is the 22nd Novarch, master of the Plane known as The Peak, and one of the three Phoenixbreaker Novarchs. Before the Sundering he was the sworn guardian of Kafka, the Sovereign of Strength and Weakness. She vanished in the Sundering, and he now hunts whoever caused it, alongside Amorphiron and Parayaya.
When did the Nexus Meet Blade giveaway end?
The Nexus Meet Blade giveaway on X closed on November 12, 2026 at 23:59 (UTC+8), which is 15:59 UTC and 16:59 CET. It offered $50 USD gift cards to 5 winners and random merchandise to 20 winners.
Is Blade good in Honkai: Nexus Anima?
Our tier list places Blade at S in the current test build. He is a Strength finisher: his Active Skill adds True DMG against targets below 50% Health, and his Splinter passive marks targets for the Dominator. Treat any beta ranking as provisional until launch.

Back to News