As the next banner event in Genshin Impact draws near, fans now have a much better idea of which five-star character might steal the spotlight. Lover of spirits, butterflies, and spirit butterflies, it has been rumored that Hu Tao might on a 1.3 banner since January, but fans were also surprised when the latest banner featured Keqing and not Hu Tao. But with the release of a new teaser trailer featuring Hu Tao, it seems likely she will be the character to headline the third 1.3 banner.
The current 1.3 banner is Dance of the Lanterns and features Keqing, a sword-wielding Electro character. Players can spend wishes to get the five-star Keqing, or four-star characters Barbara, Bennett, and Ningguang, who all have drop-rate boosts. Also live right now is the Ley Line Overflow event, which nets players double rewards from Blossom of Wealth or Blossom of Revelation challenges. The Dance of the Lanterns banner will end March 2, and it seems it might finally be time for Hu Tao to get a banner event when March rolls around.
Hu Tao was leaked back in January, along with her potential passive abilities and constellations. She is the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and cares immensely for accurately carrying out last rites and keeping the world's balance of yin and yang. She's also apparently a pretty good poet. In her new teaser trailer, Hu Tao talks about herself at Wuwang Hill and plays with her ghostly friend.
As for Hu Tao's combat abilities, she is rumored to be another five-star character and will wield a polearm. Her playstyle is shown off in a leaked Hu Tao gameplay video that demonstrates her Pyro abilities. If other leaked knowledge is correct, Hu Tao will be able to increase her DMG by sacrificing some of her health, while also using her Elemental Burst ability to heal based on how many enemies are hit. The healing might also be distributed to party members, which positions her as the only Pyro focused polearm user that uses offensive power for healing support.
Although developer miHoYo has not officially confirmed who will be featured in the the next Genshin Impact banner or revealed any of the accompanying four-star characters, fans think there is enough information to safely bet Hu Tao is next. Along with several leaks, miHoYo has mentioned a mysterious character would be in the 1.3 update and one player recently found an unlockable namecard in Genshin Impact with Hu Tao's name on it. Hu Tao would be a perfect character for the next banner, considering her specialty dish is rumored to be Ghostly March.
Genshin Impact is available now on the App Store, Google Play, PC, and PS4, and is currently in development for PS5 and Switch.