The Version 1.1 Update to Genshin Impact will be out soon and will pick up where the Liyue story left off. Two characters—Zhongli and Childe—have been confirmed for release alongside the content update and will play major roles in the upcoming main storyline. Fans were somewhat disappointed to learn that Xiao is not coming as soon as they previously predicted, and are anxious to know which of the upcoming duo will be released first.
Unfortunately, MiHoYo doesn't currently announce which characters are being given dedicated Banners following the current ones. When Klee's Sparkling Steps Banner was revealed, it was due to leak following fan speculation that she would be summoned soon. Knowing who's coming up in the weeks following is important to fans because the financially-minded ones often choose to save up their money for specific five-star characters, or even time their pity pulls to coincide with a particular Banner.
Though nothing has been confirmed yet, it's likely that recent evidence can tell fans whether Childe or Zhongli will be summoned first. However, some fans are disappointed by the signs that point in the direction of the young Hydro user coming first, rather than the stoic Geo character who's had fan attention since his formal announcement.
Four-Star Banner Image Leak
Recently, a Redditor allegedly datamined images from the upcoming Genshin Impact Banners, showing off the four-stars that are intended to get higher pull chances on Zhongli and Childe's upcoming Banners. In one image, Diona, Ningguang, and Beidou are seen together with a faint blue glow while in the other image, Xinyan, Chongyun, and Razor are grouped together and are accompanied by an orange glow.
The blue suggests Childe's Banner, while the orange is seemingly part of Zhongli's Banner. Taking this into account, it's important to look at the alleged image file names listed underneath. Respectively, they say "UI_Gacha_A023_Up2.png" and "UI_Gacha_A024_Up2.png." In comparison, an image of Venti's Banner matches the filename and is denoted by "A019," suggesting that Childe's Banner (A023) is intended to release first.
However, the source of the "leaked" four-star Banner images has not been verified, but much evidence suggests that they are legitimate, and other supporting factors also allude to Childe being summoned first.
Childe's Trailer
On November 5th, Genshin Impact released a trailer featuring Childe, known more appropriately by his real name Tartaglia. It reveals his true nature as a debt collector and he stumbles upon an interesting treasure, a Sigil of Permission. But the release date of this trailer is important in the context of the next Banner because Genshin Impact is a big offender of following predictable patterns.
Genshin Impact looks to be releasing a new trailer before a five-star character arrives that features them. While Venti is a bit different because his Banner was available at launch and his trailer didn't release until it was already live, Klee's Sparkling Steps Banner is an excellent example. Her adorable trailer "Jumpy Dumpty" released the day before her Banner went live. All other characters who have a Character Tales spotlight video or a Collected Miscellany trailer have been featured on a five-star Banner, so this would suggest Childe/Tartaglia's Banner will succeed Klee's on November 11th.
Tartaglia/Childe's Profile
Navigate to the official page for Genshin Impact on miHoYo's website and click on the "Characters" tab. Change the region from Mondstadt to Liyue Harbor and take a look at the characters listed at the bottom of the page. These are all the characters that players have met so far on their journey throughout Liyue that are intended to be playable characters.
Interestingly, Xiao is the first character who has a profile here, though he's not yet playable in Genshin Impact. Scroll all the way to the end to find Tartaglia's profile and notice that Zhongli isn't listed here. Though Xiao is found here and isn't playable yet, it would seem that Childe/Tartaglia is being teased out to fans first in anticipation of his upcoming Banner.
Genshin Impact is available on mobile devices, PC, and PS4 with PS5 and Switch versions in development.