The Genshin Impact hype train is not losing any steam yet, and as fans dive deeper into the world, they hunger for more characters to join the roster. The official launch of Genshin Impact included 23 characters, but the Chinese closed beta had more than a few that did not make the initial cut. On top of that, miHoYo has confirmed four characters that will be coming to Genshin Impact in November.
Below is the list of the known playable characters coming to Genshin Impact in the future. Warning: there are light spoilers ahead, as some information about the characters is shown in story missions.
Zhongli
Zhongli is the most intriguing so far, mostly due to his shady background and obsession with tradition. In the story mission Farewell, the Archaic Lord, we get to learn more about the shady funeral homeowner, like that he is the longtime friend of an Adeptus, and that an old companion used to bring him Dandelion Wine.
The missions in which the Traveler helps Zhongli feel very reminiscent of the tasks done for Venti lead us to a sneaking suspicion that Zhongli may be concealing his true identity.
The symbol on the back of his jacket is the same symbol on Rex Lapis’s statues, and Zhongli was a Chinese immortal that had the power of alchemy — turning stones to silver and gold. Zhongli has no interest in money, but Liyue does pride itself on contracts and financial prowess.
The leaker just keeps delivering
Zhongli Gameplay#GenshinImpact pic.twitter.com/W0lFCH15C3— Zeniet (@Zeniiet) October 6, 2020
He is a calm and collected undertaker who has a vast knowledge of Liyue and an airtight policy on contracts. He uses a polearm / lance, and possesses a geo vision, focusing on defense and recovery.
Zhongli also summons a geo pillar for his elemental skill that resonates with geo power. No one knows quite how this will work in combat, but leaked gameplay gives us a hint. His elemental burst is an AoE crowd control that petrifies enemies in place, leaving them open to more damage. The geo pillars can all resonate with each other, which means that having a short elemental recharge and high elemental mastery will be crucial for the character.
Childe
The smooth-talking Fatui Harbinger — officially known as Tartaglia — will arrive in Genshin Impact in update 1.1. Always in cheerful spirits, Childe doesn’t come across as harsh as La Signora, but still plays manipulative games in favor of the Fatui.
He uses a bow and has hydro vision, and his elemental skill is a stance change of sorts that allows him to switch between long-range and short-range attacks. This is an entirely new mechanic for Genshin Impact.
Xinyan
There isn’t any footage of Xinyan yet, but there have been a handful of leaks about her abilities. Xinyan supposedly uses a claymore and is a pyro character that focuses on dealing AoE pyro damage and providing her with a shield. The shield scales based on how many enemies are hit when the elemental burst is activated.
Diona
This icy cat girl is currently available in the closed China test server, but should be available to the masses soon. Diona is the daughter of Draff, Head of the Hunters in Mondstadt, which explains why her weapon of choice is the bow.
Diona is a healer, and her elemental skill is called Aoe Care, but the details of what it does and what the rest of her skill set is about are scarce.
Klee
This adorable Knight has an affinity for explosions, packing one hell of a punch in a tiny, stylish package. Klee is playable as a trial character in the mission The Mystery of the Girl in Red’s Treasure, and she is overall underwhelming.
Klee is a Spark Knight who uses a catalyst as a weapon to throw out explosive slime bots in a chaotic fashion. Her basic attack sends out one small slime to deal pyro damage.
For her elemental skill, Klee will throw a pyro slime bot that explodes into a minefield of smaller explosive slime bots.
Finally, Klee’s elemental burst is a flying drone that follows her and does pyro damage, but will disappear if you switch her out. Her elemental burst is a powerful crowd control ability mainly because she can still attack and use her elemental skill while the burst is active.
Xiao
Inarguably the coolest looking character in Genshin Impact so far, Xiao is a Conqueror of Demons who protects Liyue with the power of Anemo. Xiao uses a polearm and is a swift damage dealer with a high risk, high reward playstyle. He was available in the second China closed beta, but has no re-release date yet.
In the Genshin Impact lore, Xiao is one of the oldest of the Adepti, and oddly enough, one of the less well known. He is a being of great power that wages war against any forces of evil that may threaten Liyue, so it is not often that he is seen or worshipped like some of the others are.
His history matches his skill set, and Xiao’s elemental burst is Bane of All Evil, which turns him into a yaksha, unleashing terror at the cost of his health.
Ayaka
There isn’t much we know about Ayaka, except that she was available for play during the first closed beta, and that she carries a cryo vision and wields a sword.
Ayaka is voiced by Saori Hayami, a voice actress who has worked on animes ranging from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba to One Punch Man, and even voiced Kyrie in Devil May Cry 5. Most game studios wouldn’t seek out an award-winning voice actress unless they planned on doing something special with the character they give her.
Genshin Impact has an update on Nov. 11 that will bring a new event titled The Unreturned Star, and it will be the first sizeable update since the game launched. Genshin Impact already has a decent selection of characters, but lacks an exceptional geo character, so we are looking forward to an addition there.
