A brand-new Version Update is on its way to Genshin Impact, and it is slated to bring plenty of new content, events, and some new faces for characters to meet when it launches in just over a week. The Version 5.3 update will bring not only new characters for players to pull for, but the long-awaited return of the fan-favorite Lantern Rite event, which will give Genshin Impact players plenty of ways to earn primogems and other in-game materials and even a free four-star character.
Lantern Rite is one of the largest events of the year in Genshin Impact as it corresponds with the Chinese New Year, so developer Hoyoverse pulls out all the stops to make it a massive celebration in-game. In addition to one of the game’s biggest flagship events, Version 5.3 is also slated to bring what appears to be the climax of the current Archon Quest, as well as some banners for characters that fans have grown to love during the Natlan story.
The Argument For and Against Genshin Impact Adopting Honkai: Star Rail’s 5-Star Character Versions
Honkai: Star Rail has used an interesting method of reintroducing old characters with new versions, and Genshin Impact could take a similar approach.
Genshin Impact Version 5.3 New Characters and Wish Banners
When Version 5.3 launches, the first set of banners will include two brand-new five-star characters: the Pyro Archon Mavuika, as well as Citlali. The introduction of two new limited-five stars at the same time is an unprecedented change. For the first half of the 5.3 update, these two new characters will run alongside one another with no re-run banners. In the back half of 5.3, two re-run banners for Arlecchino and Clorinde. Arlecchino is one of the strongest DPS units in Genshin Impact, so it will certainly be a tough decision for many players as to which character will get their hard-earned wishes.
On the back-half banners featuring Arlecchino and Clorinde, there will also be a brand-new four-star character to obtain: Lan Yan. Lan Yan is an Anemo Catalyst user from Chenyu Vale. Her kit revolves around maneuvering the battlefield and swirling elements to increase her personal damage. She can also provide a shield for her team, which is unique for an Anemo unit to be able to do. Players will get to know more about her and her personality during the main Lantern Rite quest in Version 5.3.
Outside the wish banners, the Hoyoverse team confirmed in the 5.3 Special Program that players will finally be able to obtain the Pyro element for their player character during the 5.3 Archon Quest. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the addition of Pyro Traveler in Genshin Impact, as Natlan was the first region to not immediately give players the new element when interacting with a Statue of the Seven for the first time. Players will obtain the new Traveler element as they progress through the 5.3 Archon Quest, and it appears that players will be able to further increase its effectiveness by completing other tasks in Natlan.
New Chronicled Wish Banner in Version 5.3
In addition to the two sets of banners coming in Version 5.3, a brand-new Chronicled Wish launches during the 5.3 update. While specific dates were not given during the Version 5.3 Special Program, the full roster of characters appearing on the Chronicled Wish banner was revealed. Perhaps the biggest highlight for many players was the fateful return of Shenhe and Ganyu, who had both been missing from limited banner reruns for a considerable amount of time.
Shenhe was last seen in Version 3.5, and Ganyu in Version 3.6, meaning they haven’t been seen in over 30 banners. The Chronicled Wish was originally designed to accommodate characters who had already received multiple reruns, but the developers at Hoyoverse opted to make an exception for Shenhe, who has only had one rerun since her initial launch, due to the high demand from the player base. The Chronicled Wish will also feature several weapons for players to wish for as well, corresponding to the limited five-star characters as well as the nation of Liyue as a whole.
Related
Genshin Impact Reveals New Envisaged Echoes for Kazuha and Ganyu
Genshin Impact provides an official look into the new Envisaged Echoes for Kazuha and Ganyu, which add a stylish flair to both characters.
New Events and Character Skins in Genshin Impact
Lantern Rite is the biggest event coming in Version 5.3, and alongside it come two brand-new character skins for players to obtain. Both Hu Tao and Xiangling will be receiving new outfits. Hu Tao’s outfit will be available for purchase from the in-game shop at a discount during the 5.3 update, while Xiangling’s outfit will be obtainable for free during Lantern Rite. Both outfits were showcased in the Lantern Rite key art displayed during the 5.3 Special Program livestream. In addition to the new Xiangling outfit, players will be able to obtain a free four-star Liyue character as part of the Lantern Rite festivities, much like previous years.
Gamers on PlayStation, Mobile, and PC will also be able to obtain a new set of wings previously exclusive to new Xbox players.
The Lantern Rite event itself will feature several minigames for players to take part in to earn primogems and other materials. As with many flagship events, this event will feature a puzzle minigame, a combat trial, and a social event where players get to interact with several playable characters during the festivities. Outside of Lantern Rite, the beetle battle event will make a return, as well as a parkour challenge, and a permanent rhythm minigame for players to enjoy. There will also be the “On the Trail of Behemoths” battle event, which will supposedly contain some of the hardest combat challenges in Genshin Impact to date, at least according to the development team.
New Quality-of-Life Changes Coming Soon
Lastly, Version 5.3 will feature a few quality-of-life changes that will make some aspects of the game much smoother. For starters, whenever an Overflowing Abundance event takes place, and there will be one during 5.3, players will no longer have to wait for specific days to get certain materials. During Overflowing Abundance, character talent materials and weapon ascension materials had a double drop rate, but were still restricted to the daily rotation of the domains. Going forward, while Overflowing Abundance is active, all materials will be available for characters to farm.
In addition to material farming, boss farming will be getting a lot easier in Version 5.3. World bosses, or “40-resin bosses” as the development team refers to them, will now respawn almost immediately after their materials have been claimed, meaning players will no longer have to teleport away for the boss to come back. This will make farming new boss materials much faster. While farming, players will also notice that their artifact storage cap will be increased as well, perfect for those who are farming to get the perfect artifact rolls in Genshin Impact.
From a new playable archon, to a new element for the Traveler, there are a lot of interesting gameplay features coming in the next update that will certainly draw some players back in. Not to mention Lantern Rite, which is always a great time in-game, loaded with plenty of rewards. Hopefully, after the launch of 5.3, Hoyoverse will give more glimpses into the upcoming characters set to debut following this major update.
Leave a Reply