Genshin Impact 4.4 banners: Xianyun and Gaming debut

Every new and returning character coming with the update

Author:
Marco Wutz
Updated:
Jan 30, 2024 3:01 AM EST
Original:
Jan 19, 2024

Update 4.4 of Genshin Impact is already waiting in the wings, bringing the annual Lantern Rite Festival and another duo of playable Genshin Impact characters to the anime open-world RPG.

Appropriately for our return to Liyue – and the region’s massive map expansion – we’ll get two fresh characters hailing from the City of Contracts: Cloud Retainer is finally joining the fray in under a human guide, taking the alias Xianyun, while Gaming is a caravan guard we’ve never really interacted with before. Naturally, you can expect a couple of character reruns as well, giving you the chance to pull for figures you may have missed previously – or finally get those juicy Constellations you’ve been saving up for.

Genshin Impact Xianyun and Gaming artwork. — Your Genshin Impact 4.4 newcomers: Xianyun and Gaming.
HoYoverse

Here’s everything you need to know about the Genshin Impact 4.4 character banners.

Genshin Impact 4.4 banners: Phase 1

Starting on January 31, 2024, with update 4.4’s launch, you’ll be able to call upon the following characters:

Banner #1: Xianyun (5-Star character, catalyst, Anemo), Gaming (4-Star character, claymore, Pyro), Noelle (4-Star character, claymore, Geo), and Faruzan (4-Star character, bow, Anemo).
Banner #2: Nahida (5-Star character, catalyst, Dendro), Gaming (4-Star character, claymore, Pyro), Noelle (4-Star character, claymore, Geo), and Faruzan (4-Star character, bow, Anemo).

Xianyun

Cloud Retainer walks the world of mortals under the name Xianyun and is an offensively oriented healer. Her Skill allows her to become immune to fall damage and deal additional damage with Plunging Attacks, while her Ultimate heals allies and boosts their jump height. She is going to be an excellent addition to Xiao teams.

Gaming

Gaming is an attacker that mainly uses Plunging Attacks to deal damage, so he benefits from Xianyun’s kit as well. He’s got some HP consumption and self-healing abilities as well, making him a potential fit for teams with Fontaine characters.

Nahida

Artwork of a young white-haired girl. — HoYoverse

Nahida is one of the best Dendro characters in the game, as befits her status as an Archon. She can enable many types of reaction teams, providing both a continuous output of Dendro effects and damage enhancement through linking up enemies as well as boosting the team’s Elemental Mastery.

Noelle

Noelle is a tanky character specializing in providing a shield for the team. She's one of the few free characters in Genshin Impact, becoming available early on in the story. While you won't find her in top team compositions, she can do great job carrying free-to-play users through story content.

Faruzan

Faruzan was designed as a support character for Anemo damage dealers and excels in this role. Characters like Xiao and Wanderer will be greatly helped by her abilities, which should make her and Xianyun working together a frequent sight.

Genshin Impact 4.4 banners: Phase 2

After a duration of three weeks, the banners will change at the halfway point of the game version on February 21, 2024. That’ll make the following characters available:

Banner #3: Yae Miko (5-Star character, catalyst, Electro), Xinyan (4-Star character, claymore, Pyro), Ningguang (4-Star character, catalyst, Geo), and Yaoyao (4-Star character, polearm, Dendro).
Banner #4: Xiao (5-Star character, polearm, Anemo), Xinyan (4-Star character, claymore, Pyro), Ningguang (4-Star character, catalyst, Geo), and Yaoyao (4-Star character, polearm, Dendro).

Yae Miko

Artwork of a red-haired woman in a priestly outfit. — HoYoverse

Yae Miko is a strong off-field Electro character, summoning up to three totems that consistently apply Electro to nearby enemies. She fulfills a similar role to characters like Fischl in this regard.

Xiao

Artwork of a tattooed man taking off a demon mask. — HoYoverse

Xiao is a powerful Main DPS dealing Anemo Damage. His kit revolves around Plunging Attacks, which makes Xianyun an excellent Support for him – if you need a well-oiled Anemo team, then prioritizing those two characters during version 4.4 is a fantastic idea.

Xinyan

A young woman wearing a red rock'n'roll outfit. — HoYoverse

Xinyan is an often forgotten character outside of her popping up during events, as she's almost completely irrelevant when it comes to gameplay. Her kit, unfortunately, is just not very effective.

Ningguang

Ningguang regained some relevance recently with the release of Navia, as she's an excellent Sub DPS to accompany her, triggering Geo reactions to restore Navia's ammunition. If you pulled for Navia and are looking for a solid addition to her team, this is it.

Yaoyao

Artwork of a girl with a bunny toy and bells in her hair. — HoYoverse

Yaoyao is a solid 4-Star healer who can provide off-field Dendro application as well. Her only disadvantage is that she can't do both at the same time, as her summon is either healing or attacking, unlike Kokomi's.

Three weeks after the second half of version 4.4 starts, update 4.5 will arrive in the game with the next wave of character and weapon banners.

Genshin Impact's Chevreuse looking down the sights of her musket.