Everything Announced in Genshin Impact's 2.3 Update Livestream

Genshin Impact’s Version 2.3 Special Program Livestream just dropped a few major surprises into the fanbase. Dark horse Eula appeared out of nowhere as a limited 5 star character to share the lime light with Albedo. From the game-changing duel character banners to the inconsequential arrival of Paimon in the Serenitea Pot, the 2.3 preview debuted a wealth of content sure to keep Genshin Impact players occupied until the next development.

The English voice actors for Gorou (Cory Yee), Aether (Zach Aguilar), and Albedo (Khoi Dhao) provided insight and commentary, kicking off the livestream with a trailer highlighting the event at the crux of Version 2.3: Shadows Amidst Snowstorms. A theft, a face-off, and an avalanche – the Albedo-centric event promises intriguing Dragonspine lore complemented by the fierce mysteries of Inazuma in Itto’s upcoming quest. Here’s a breakdown of everything to look forward to in Version 2.3, available on November 24.

Double Event Character Banners: Albedo & Eula

Genshin Impact has done something unprecedented yet probably inevitable, given its ever-expanding cast. Itto is arriving as wish-able 5 star character number twenty on a schedule that only allows for two different limited characters every six weeks. This is a game with a ten year plan feeling crowded on the dawn of year two, after all, so players waiting over a year for a chance at their favorite isn’t sustainable. Developer miHoYo seems reluctant to add 5 stars to the Standard Banner pool, and this move indicates a possible solution, though whether it’s a temporary or long-term method of handling re-runs wasn’t addressed in the livestream.

Phase 1 will feature both Geo sword-user Albedo and Cryo claymore-wielder Eula: each on separate yet simultaneous Event Banners for equal duration. Pity carries over from Albedo’s banner to Eula’s banner, still distinct from Weapons and Standard Banner. Eula was definitely a surprise: she evaded leakers until the final hour. Eula further establishes the precedent of re-running characters according to their story relevance after Tartaglia’s unexpected third re-run for Labyrinth Warriors.

Version 2.3 is a notable celebration of Geo after a long period of neglect. Oni gang leader Arataki Itto and the fuzziest war general Gorou are now officially confirmed to share a banner in the latter half of this update. The livestream expounded upon their lifestyles, personalities, and details of their kits.

Itto’s striking red horns signify his oni ancestry, a “special being” in the same category as Inazuma’s tengu. He’s a lively, brash individual who plays cards with kids to steal their snacks and has a “strong will to win, no matter what he’s doing.” The first act of Itto’s Story Quest releases with his banner, and clips of Itto showing off his moves place him in a realm similar to the Mystic Onmyou Chamber of Labyrinth Warriors.

Itto’s gameplay focuses on accumulating stacks of “superlative strength” through the 2nd and 4th strikes on his four-part Normal Attack sequence and via the little bull “Ushi” summoned during his Elemental Skill. Ushi is considered a Geo construct and taunts opponents, granting one stack of superlative strength when taking damage and leaving the field. Superlative strength then enhances his powerful Charged Attacks. Itto enters his "oni state" during Elemental Burst, converting his auto attacks to Geo damage and increasing his ATK proportionate to his defense, but losing some Elemental and Physical Resistance.

Gorou embodies the loyal protector imagery and is known as a good listener and reliable companion. Players who don’t care for mono-comps may be disheartened by Gorou’s niche kit – he’s a thoroughly Geo-geared support. His Passive Talent increases party DEF and his Elemental Skill buffs active characters based on the number of Geo party members, requiring three total for the desirable Geo DMG bonus. Gorou’s Elemental Burst has the same caveat: it deals AoE Geo DMG and buffs according to the number of Geo party members. Unlike the Skill, his Burst moves with the active character, continuing to pulse Geo DMG.

Gorou is a 4 star character and won’t have a Story Quest, but Gorou fans should be glad to know he'll be receiving his own Hangout series along with Beidou.

New Boss: Golden Wolflord

“Golden Wolflord” is the spooky new open world boss unleashed in Version 2.3. The Wolflord is described as an Abyssal beast and Rifthound King with the power to “dissolve space itself and forge a rift through which it may enter.” Gameplay depicts the enormous skeletal phantom-dog tearing through a black cloud of smoky matter and shooting beams of light.

Mechanic-wise, the Golden Wolflord operates in a similar vein to its Rifthound minions, applying the health-sapping Corrosion status – now in stacks of escalating lethalness. Rifthounds will come to their ruler’s aid when its HP drops, acting as shields. The latter phase of battle decreases the Wolflord’s Geo Resistance while increasing its ATK. Previous Genshin leaks have already confirmed the Golden Wolflord drops the ascension materials needed for Arataki Itto.

New Weapon & Artifacts

Genshin fans were finally given an official glimpse of what is presumably Arataki Itto’s signature weapon: Redhorn Stonethresher. The 5 star claymore is the assumed Weapon Banner accompaniment to Itto’s debut in Phase 2. Alongside this are new artifact sets: Husk of Opulent Dreams for the DEF-scaling Geo characters and Ocean-Hued Clam, hand-crafted for Kokomi. These artifact sets will share a domain on Seirai Island.

Husk of Opulent Dreams: 2 PC DEF + 30%; 4 PC A character equipped with this Artifact set will obtain the Curiosity effect in the following conditions: When on the field, the character gains 1 stack after hitting an opponent with a Geo attack, triggering a maximum of once every 0.3s. When off the field, the character gains 1 stack every 3s. Curiosity can stack up to 4 times, each providing 6% DEF and a 6% Geo DMG Bonus. When 6 seconds pass without gaining a Curiosity stack, 1 stack is lost.

Ocean-Hued Clam: 2 PC Healing Bonus + 15%; 4 PC When the character equipping this artifact set heals a character in the party, a Sea-Dyed Foam will appear for 3 seconds, a Sea-Dyed Foam will appear for 3 seconds, accumulating the amount of HP recovered from healing (overflow included). At the end of the duration, the Sea-Dyed Foam will explode, dealing DMG to nearby opponents based on 90% of the accumulated healing. (This DMG is calculated similarly to Reactions such as Electro-Charged, and Superconduct, but is not affected by Elemental Mastery, Character Levels, or Reaction DMG Bonuses). Only one Sea-Dyed Foam can be produced every 3.5 seconds. Each Sea-Dyed Foam can accumulate up to 30,000 HP, including overflowed healing. There can be no more than one Sea-Dyed Foam active in the entire party at any given time. The effect can still be triggered if the character is not in the field.

Shadows Amidst Snowstorms Event

The main event of Genshin Impact Version 2.3 returns players to the perilous peaks of Dragonspine. The premise revolves around “winter training” hosted by the Adventurer’s Guild, a tradition which pairs seasoned members with new recruits in this snowy hellscape to hone their skills. Eula, Amber, Bennet, and Albedo are the familiar faces of Mondstadt glimpsed braving the elements in the trailer. Dragonspine has always been a central part of Albedo’s iconography, and it seems he’ll take the lead driving this event’s plot. The preview briefly hinted at some kind of conflict between the central heroes and Albedo – an ominous echo of his Story Quest, where Albedo expressed concern with losing alchemical control.

The Guild’s mission will manifest in gameplay as Agility Training, Tracking Training, and Combat Training. Agility is a coin-scooping race with Sonic energy while Tracking appears to be hunting and melting ice for sport. The Combat Training is more involved, experimenting with the Sheer Cold and heat-diffusing Scarlet Quartz mechanics unique to Dragonspine. Most importantly: completing these challenges means cleaning out the Event Shop filled with Primogems and the Cinnabar Spindle, a new 4 star sword intended for Albedo.

Genshin Impact also has an adorable wintery treat in store: building a snowman. Players can obtain snowman components during Shadows Amidst Snowstorms and craft their own custom Frosty, exchanging parts with friends. The snowman continues to live on even after the event ends as a decorative fixture in the Serenitea Pot.

Bantan Sango Case Files: The Warrior Dog Event

The Warrior Dog event continues the canine theme of Version 2.3, this time on a reconnaissance mission to retrieve missing animals in Inazuma. A magical, sword-wielding dog guards the site perimeters with illusions. Travelers who successfully sneak past this pup receive rewards such as Primogems, EXP Materials, Mora, and a game-changing new gadget: Omni Ubiquity Net. Players can snag “blueprints” of animals met in the wild and replicate their forms in the Serenitea Pot with the Ubiquity Net – the new, humane way to Pokemon.

Miscellaneous Events And Primogem Codes

Genshin Impact is bringing back three familiar mini-game events:

Energy Amplifier Fruition is a slightly altered repeat of the Energy Amplifier Initiation event from Version 1.5, sending players on site-specific quests to retrieve Fruit Fragments in exchange for benedictions in limited time Domains and the Twisted Realm. Primogems and Mora are featured rewards, though no word on a free 4 star character like the previous iteration.
Misty Dungeon: Realm of Light is a repeat of another 1.5 event, Battlefront: Misty Dungeon. Realm of Light will include a new set of trial characters players may select to navigate a foggy dungeon activating runes, defeating enemies, and avoiding traps. Specific achievements per run will net additional rewards.
Marvelous Merchandise is a lowkey event that’ll enjoy its fourth circulation in 2.3. The famously-styled traveling merchant Liben returns to trade his Box o’ Marvels for easily gatherable materials once per day. Primogems, Mora, Talent Books, and Enhancement Ore were coveted prizes of the past hopefully packed by Liben again.

Last but never least, these Special Program Primogem codes are valid until November 12, 11:00 PM (UTC-5).