Honor of Kings Opens 2026 With New Hero, Cultural Wukong Skin, and Esports Return
Honor of Kings Opens 2026 With New Hero, Cultural Wukong Skin, and Esports Return
Honor of Kings is opening 2026 with a major content update that introduces a new mid-lane hero, a culturally inspired Wukong skin, a fresh cooperative gameplay mode, and the return of its global esports circuit through Honor of Kings Invitational Season 4.
The update marks the first major content rollout of the year for HOK, reinforcing its focus on hero variety, regional representation, and team-oriented gameplay.
New mid-lane hero Haya joins the battlefield
Honor of Kings introduces Haya, a new mage designed for the mid lane, available starting January 22. Players can unlock the hero through direct purchase for 588 tokens or 13,888 Starstones, with a discounted price of 294 tokens during the first week.
Haya’s kit centers on zone control and sustained pressure. Her passive skill, Moon’s Farewell, enhances spell interactions, while Crescent Wave and Wayward Rays allow players to manage spacing during skirmishes. Her ultimate, Moonscape Mirage, enables aggressive plays while offering room for repositioning in team fights.
The addition of Haya expands mid-lane options ahead of the competitive season, giving players another high-impact mage to master.
Wukong receives Wayang Kulit-inspired skin
A new Wukong skin, Anoman, arrives on January 29. The design draws inspiration from Indonesia’s Wayang Kulit, a traditional shadow puppet art form, blending cultural elements with the hero’s mythological roots.
Players can obtain the skin through a bargaining system that rewards in-game activity. The system allows players to reduce the skin’s price over time, with unused bargaining attempts converted into token vouchers if the purchase is completed early.
The release highlights Honor of Kings’ continued effort to incorporate Southeast Asian cultural influences into its cosmetic designs.
Spriteling Troop mode encourages coordinated play
Alongside the hero and skin updates, Honor of Kings introduces Spriteling Troop, a new gameplay mode added to the main battlefield starting January 22.
In this mode, players can plant their country’s flag in the gorge, creating a circular zone that provides shields to nearby allies for five seconds. The shield strength scales based on how many teammates are inside the zone, encouraging grouped movement and coordinated positioning during fights.
The mode is designed to reward teamwork over individual play, reinforcing the game’s emphasis on coordinated objectives and collective decision-making.
Honor of Kings Invitational Season 4 heads to Jakarta
The competitive calendar begins with Honor of Kings Invitational Season 4, set to take place from January 31 to February 8 at the GBK Basketball Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia. Eight teams from different regions will compete for a USD 100,000 prize pool.
The group stage runs from January 31 to February 3, followed by the knockout stage from February 5 to 8. The event also features the Honor of Kings Women’s Series, with its group stage scheduled from January 17 to 30 and knockout matches from February 3 to 7.
As the first international Honor of Kings esports event of 2026, KIS4 sets the tone for the game’s global competitive scene, bringing together teams, creators, and fans from across regions.