Genshin Impact's 2.4 patch is coming out on January 5, and along with it, there will be heaps of new content. The Inazuma part of the story is slowly coming to an end but, because the world is so big, so much more remains to be seen. Besides the sunken ruins of Enkanomiya, which will make their debut on this next content drop, players will also be able to partake in new events and pull for a new character, Shenhe.
The new Genshin Impact update will be titled “Fleeting Colors in Flight,” and will mark the debut of two new playable characters. One of those will be Yun Jin, a four-star, but the second and more exciting one will be the five-star Shenhe. She will be a polearm user meant for support and sub-DPS roles, carrier of a Cryo vision that allows her to infuse ice magic in her kit.
From what developer MiHoYo has mentioned and shown in videos so far, Shenhe is a disciple of the Cloud Retainer. She comes from a family of exorcists, and for some reason was taken in to train under the adepti. She is special even among the rare humans who have gotten to train with these demi-gods for her constitution, strong will, and innate talent, but having spent so much of her life in the mountains of Liyue has made her grow detached from her previous mortal life.
Shenhe's Banner In Genshin Impact
In order to recruit Shenhe, players will be able to pull in a brand new banner featuring both her and Yun Jin, along with Chongyun and Ningguang. The banner will be titled The Transcendent One Returns, according to the 2.4 Livestream, and as every other in-game banner, will run for three weeks. There will be a parallel banner featuring Xiao instead of Shenhe, with the same four-star characters.
When it comes to gear, the Epitome Invocation banner will feature the Calamity Queller and Primordial Jade-Winged Spear as its two five-star weapons. The boosted four-star weapons will be the Favonius Warbow, The Flute, the Lithic Spear, The Widsith, and the Favonius Greatsword. On the other hand, the lantern rite event will feature Yun Jin in the shop, so players can recruit her without pulling.
Shenhe's Gameplay
Shenhe wields a polearm she can use to launch herself against enemies as a charged attack, which is perfect to close gaps in the heat of the battle. Her elemental skill does ice damage and applies a buff called Icy Quill that enhances normal, charged, and plunging Attacks. Along with elemental skills, Shenhe has bursts that deal Cryo damage based on her attack stat. Her burst is a large area attack that decreases Cryo and physical resistance.
Shenhe's real strength comes from her buffing capabilities, which makes her excellent to run along with other Cryo users such as Ayaka, Eula, or Kaeya, for example. If ran as a support and enabler, she might turn out to be a character that greatly enhances the effectiveness of more damage-oriented characters.
One final curious detail about Shenhe is the mysterious line about her coming from a family of exorcists. While this isn't confirmed, some fans of the game theorized she might be somehow related to Chongyun, another white-haired exorcist from Liyue who also uses Cryo to fight. As Shenhe comes from a cadet branch of the family, they are probably cousins rather than siblings.
Genshin Impact is now available on Android, iOS, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Nintendo Switch version is in development.