The characters coming to your world in 1.3 and beyond!

It has been several months since the hyped release of Genshin Impact, and the content train has kept on rolling with several new patches that added new features, zones, and characters. So far the new patches have been accompanied by some entertaining events that offer excellent rewards as well as a chance to obtain additional characters. Two additional characters were released with patch 1.2, Albedo, a sword wielding Geo, and Ganyu, a Cryo archer. A cold ice biome named Dragonspine was also added.

Genshin Impact
Via: GenshinImpact @ twitter

If MiHoYo sticks to their current schedule, it seems likely that 1.3 will be out sometime in February 2021, and will bring additional characters with it. Between data-mined content and some other leaks, there seems to be a good chance that the new characters will be Xiao and Hu Tao. There is limited information on these two, but the leaks and data-mined information help to put together an image of what to expect.

Upcoming Genshin Impact Characters in 1.3

Xiao – Anemo – Polearm

Xiao was briefly playable during the closed beta, however he was nowhere to be found when Genshin Impact was publicly released. That should change coming in 1.3 as Xiao has been found on the test server with some small changes from his original debut. One of these changes is the requirement of a new material currently named Juvenile Jade that will be required for Ascension. The material looks to be something new that will be introduced alongside the character in 1.3, and is unfortunate news for those looking to farm up prior to his release.

Via: Attackofthefanboy

Skills

Normal Attack – Perform up to 6 consecutive spear strikes

Charged Attack – Consumes stamina and performs an upward spear thrust

Plunging Attack – After becoming airborne, Xiao can dive down and impact the ground below him. The attack damage is based on the height Xiao falls from.

Elemental Skill: Lemniscatic Wind Cycling –  This skill has two charges and can be used in mid-air. Xiao lunges forward dealing Anemo damage in a straight line and moving to the strike point.

Elemental Burst: Bane of All Evil – Xiao puts on the Yaksha Mask and gains an increased jumping ability, attack AOE and damage, and converts attack damage into Anemo damage. During Xiao’s elemental burst he will continuously lose HP until he leaves the field.

Hu Tao – Pyro – Polearm

With another polearm wielder, Hu Tao provides an additional option for those looking to add a different element to their team. While Xiao was briefly seen in the beta version of the game, Hu Tao was not so lucky. Much less is known about her other than what can be seen from the data mined from the test server.

Via: Survivethis

Skills

Normal Attack – Perform up to 6 consecutive spear strikes

Charged Attack – Consumes stamina and performs an upward spear thrust

Plunging Attack – After becoming airborne, Hu Tao can dive down and impact the ground below him. The attack damage is based on the height at which the skill is activated.

Elemental Skill: Butterfly Leads to Life –  Hu Tao sacrifices a portion of her life to increase her attack power based on the amount of life sacrificed. All attack power is converted to Pyro damage, and heavy hits will apply Blood Plum Fragrance.

Blood Plum Fragrance – Enemies inflicted with Blood Plum Fragrance take Pyro damage every 4 seconds

Elemental Burst: Godsoother – Hu Tao releases a fiery soul, causing Pyro damage in a large area. Hitting enemies restores a percentage of her maximum health, and works on up to 5 enemies. If her current health is below 50%, additional damage and healing will apply.

Genshin Impact Characters 1.4 and Beyond

Via: One Esports

While MiHoYo has done an excellent job in providing a development roadmap up until patch 1.3, things start to get a little cloudier past that. If they continue with their typical 6 week content updates, 1.4 could be expected to come out in April or May of 2021. However, nothing is officially announced yet.

Beyond the characters expected in 1.3, there are two additional characters currently data-mined with some details on their abilities. Both are Cryo-based, and it is believed they will be released alongside the new zone of Inazuma, also possibly to be in 1.4.

Ayaka – Cryo – Sword

Via: HITC

Ayaka is the princess of the Kamisato House in Inazuma. She is supposedly a noble and elegant figure, and was actually showcased in the initial Genshin Impact story trailer. Because of this, there is a decent amount of information known about her abilities. These, however, can change as she is currently in development. This is what is known:

Skills

Normal Attack – Perform up to 5 rapid strikes

Charged Attack – Consumes stamina and performs a continuous stream of sword attacks

Plunging Attack – After becoming airborne, Ayaka can dive down and impact the ground below her. The attack damage is based on the height at which the skill is activated.

Elemental Skill: Kamisato Art: Hyouka – Ayaka surrounds herself with ice, then launches it at surrounding enemies dealing AOE Cryo damage.

Elemental Burst: Kamisato Art: Senho – Stamina is consumed and Ayaka disappears from view into snow that moves around as she does. When Ayaka reappears, she inflicts Cryo damage to nearby enemies, and converts her attack damage to Cryo damage for a short period. During this form, Ayaka has increased movement over water.

Rosario – Cryo – Polearm

As of this article, not much is known about Rosario other than she is a Cryo-based polearm wielder. If this remains true throughout development, it is likely that she will be a secondary character released alongside Ayako when the Inazuma zone is opened.

Via: Republicworld

While there are a number of leaks and possibilities for additional characters over the next several months, these are the characters that you are most likely to see in 2021. So far, MiHoYo has provided an excellent timeline for content updates to keep players busy with loads of new content. Hopefully this will continue well into the future and Genshin Impact can continue to expand its ever-growing world.