Stella Sora 1.13 Summer Update: Suntide Willow, Two New Modes and 20 Free Pulls
Stella Sora's biggest patch of the summer went live after the July 20 maintenance. Version 1.13 brings a beach-themed limited event, the debut 5-star Trekker Suntide Willow, two experimental game modes in beta, 20 free recruitment tickets from a log-in event, and sets up Main Story Chapter 8 for August 10.
Version 1.13 at a glance
| What | When (UTC-7) |
|---|---|
| Version 1.13 live | July 20, 2026, after maintenance |
| Suntide Willow banner (Warm Up Before Jumping In!) | July 20 to August 10, 19:59 |
| Fleeting Glimmers Runic Disc banner | July 20 to August 10 |
| Log-in event: 20 free tickets | July 20 to August 10, 19:59 |
| Nazuka rerun + Deer's Song rerun | After August 3, 21:00 |
| Main Story Chapter 8: Lingering Warmth | August 10, 21:00, permanent |
All dates come from Yostar's official update preview. Stella Sora runs its schedule in UTC-7, so convert accordingly for your region.
Suntide Willow headlines the summer banner
The patch's exclusive 5-star Trekker is Suntide Willow, a summer variant running on the "Warm Up Before Jumping In!" banner from July 20 to August 10 at 19:59 UTC-7. She is joined by a rate-up pair of returning Trekkers on the same banner.
Her signature 5-star Runic Disc, Fleeting Glimmers, runs on the parallel "Rippling Waves, A Touch so Gentle" banner over the same window.
Rounding out the recruitment section, Iris gets a purchasable 3D appearance, "Drifting Together on Gentle Waves", available in the shop.
The summer event: Checking In for A Cozy Summer
The patch's flagship limited event is Sunlit Breeze, Azure Seas, Checking In for A Cozy Summer~, paired with its own event story. It anchors a wider set of seasonal activities: the Cooling Supply Station, the Summit Show "Cat-stle Siege" showcase, and the Cataclysm Survivor, Urgent Bounty and Call for Best Records event refreshes.
Several summer outfits arrive alongside the event, including traditional styled looks.
20 free pulls for logging in
The "Setting Sail for A Rippling Summer" log-in event hands out 20 Suntide Limited Tickets and 1 Drop of Purity between July 20 and August 10 at 19:59 UTC-7. That is twenty free recruitment attempts on the summer banner just for showing up, which meaningfully changes the math on chasing Suntide Willow as a low-spend player.
Two new game modes, both in beta
Version 1.13 ships two experimental modes, and the beta label is doing real work in both cases.
Through Hostile Depths (beta) is the more substantial of the two. Early players describe it as Stella Sora's take on the currency-wagering roguelike format popularized by Honkai: Star Rail's Currency Wars, in a preliminary edition. First impressions from trial runs lean positive: the format has been a hit in other gacha, and there is no obvious reason it will not work here. How Yostar uses it long term is the open question.
Operation: Shadow Siege (beta) is lighter than its name suggests. Players report it plays less like a full game mode and more like an additional daily activity: an auto-chess styled setup with raid encounters that are currently low level and easy, plus light co-op features and a dedicated shop. Think of it as a new routine, not new endgame.
August 3: Nazuka returns
The second half of the patch belongs to reruns. After August 3 at 21:00 UTC-7, the 5-star Trekker Nazuka returns on the "A Breezy Romance" banner, together with the 5-star Runic Disc Deer's Song ("Afternoon Glimmer into the Green") and the Nazuka 3D appearance rerun ("A Dip of Fresh Summer"). Two more events, A Finale Echoing and Lucky Treasure Shovel, open in the same window.
If you missed Nazuka's debut, this is the planned re-entry point, and it overlaps the tail of the Suntide Willow banner by exactly one week.
August 10: Main Story Chapter 8
Lingering Warmth, Main Story Chapter 8, arrives on August 10 at 21:00 UTC-7 as permanent content. The chapter closes out the patch cycle and, based on the key art, aims for the quieter, character-driven register the story has been building toward.
Yostar's livestream also teased further content and a merchandise lineup that has not yet been officially translated into English. We will follow up when those announcements land.
What the community is saying
The reception threads converge on three points.
The modes are promising, the hook is still missing. The most upvoted take frames 1.13 as a test: are these modes a real improvement, or a band-aid while Stella Sora searches for its defining moment, the way Blue Archive found one with its breakout event formats? Post-patch impressions soften that skepticism somewhat: Through Hostile Depths gets genuine credit, while Shadow Siege reads as filler to the same commenters.
No quality-of-life headline. Players looking for QoL changes found none announced, with expectations now parked on the anniversary update. In fairness, several players note the developer regularly ships small unannounced QoL fixes between patches.
The marketing question. A lighter running thread: the game's promotion almost exclusively features its female protagonist, to the point players joke the male MC does not exist. With the female lead's popularity widely credited for the game's momentum, that is unlikely to change.
FAQ
When did Stella Sora 1.13 release? July 20, 2026, after maintenance (UTC-7).
How long does the Suntide Willow banner last? July 20 to August 10, 2026, 19:59 UTC-7, alongside the Fleeting Glimmers Runic Disc banner.
How many free pulls does 1.13 give? 20 Suntide Limited Tickets plus 1 Drop of Purity from the log-in event running the full banner window.
When is the Nazuka rerun? After August 3, 2026, 21:00 UTC-7, with the Deer's Song Runic Disc and her 3D appearance rerun.
When does Main Story Chapter 8 come out? August 10, 2026, 21:00 UTC-7, as permanent content named Lingering Warmth.
Sources
- Stella Sora Version 1.13 official update preview, Yostar, consulted 26 July 2026
Written by
Lorenzo Bruno signs this article and takes editorial responsibility for it. Published 26 July 2026, last updated 26 July 2026.