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Overview
Aspect Exploration Project is a small-scale, confidential closed beta test for Honkai: Nexus Anima, announced in April 2026 as the successor to the Nexus Bond Test. Unlike the open Nexus Bond Test in September 2025, this round is invite-only, requires participants to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and gathers focused feedback on Anima combat, the new Town of Iia districts, and refreshed character customization systems.
Test format
Detail | Information |
|---|---|
Scale | Small-scale confidential test |
NDA | Mandatory; participants cannot share screenshots, livestreams, or video recordings |
Languages | Multilingual |
Platforms | PC, iOS, and Android |
Age requirement | 18 or older |
Recruitment | Survey on the official HoYoLAB community; no fixed deadline. Selected participants are notified by email in batches. |
Data policy | Beta progress is not preserved; a fresh start is required for each test phase. |
Goals
The developers framed the project as a focused design-feedback round rather than a public stress test. Stated focus areas include making battles between Anima feel more dynamic by introducing larger and more powerful foes, polishing the visual fidelity of the Town of Iia, and exposing players to new Anima, new characters, and the three newly revealed Iia districts: Kakatini Grand Hotel, Pedestrian Street, and Fleming Tower.
Recruitment process
Players sign up through the official survey hosted on the HoYoLAB community. The form asks for basic device specifications, prior closed-beta participation, region, and language. There is no fixed deadline, so additional recruitment waves can pull from the same form pool over time.
Selected players receive instructions and a beta client by email. Because the run carries an NDA, no public guides, livestreams, or screenshots from inside the test client are permitted while the project is active. This contrasts directly with the Nexus Bond Test, which had no content-sharing restrictions.
Relation to earlier tests
The Aspect Exploration Project is the second beta in the lead-up to release. Its predecessor, the Nexus Bond Test, ran on PC and iOS for a single week in September 2025 with no NDA and no Android support. The new project widens platform coverage to include Android, narrows participation, and tightens secrecy so the team can iterate on unfinished systems without external speculation. Patch-level summaries and additional reveals continue to come through DevTalk posts on HoYoLAB.
Tips for applicants
Use a HoYoverse account in good standing; the survey is gated to logged-in HoYoLAB members.
Be honest about your device. Selection is calibrated to spread devices across iOS, Android, and PC tiers.
Save the email address tied to your HoYoverse account; invitations are batched and may arrive weeks after sign-up.
Re-read the NDA before installing the client. Any breach can result in account-level penalties.
Plan for a fresh start. Progress and stored characters do not carry over between test phases or to the live game.