Every Traveler in Teyvat has had their calendar marked for the Genshin Impact 5.0 update. Hoyoverse has maintained a regular cadence of updates since the game’s launch but always saves something special for the big milestone updates.
Genshin Impact 5.0 is packed with new content, from banners, characters, weapons, quests, and more. That’s a lot to keep track of even for even the most dedicated players, so here’s a full breakdown of everything new you can experience in Teyvat.
Key Takeaways
- The Genshin Impact 5.0 release date was August 29, 2024.
- This update features three new characters to pull for.
- Act 5 of the Archon Quest will take you to the new continent called Natlan.
- Nightsouls are a new mechanic you can use in and out of battle.
- You will need to be Adventure Rank 40 to start any of the new story quests.
Genshin Impact 5.0 New Characters
With any Genshin Impact update, the thing every player wants to know first is who the new characters are. For this version, you have three characters to look forward to.
Mualani is a 5-star Hydro character that wields a catalyst weapon. She is built mainly for DPS thanks to a mark ability that increases damage with each stack, plus she has a mix of single-target and AoE attacks.
She is available in the “Splish-Splash Wavechaser” wish that runs until September 17.
Kachina is the second of the new Genshin Impact characters. Unlike the others, she is a 4-star character who takes advantage of the Geo element with her polearm. Aside from standard thrusting moves, Kachina’s move set revolves around summoning and riding Turbo Twirly for additional moves.
You can roll for Kachina when her wish begins on August 28 and lasts through September 17, or you can get her by completing Archon Quest Chapter V: Act 1 called Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn.
Rounding out the list, Kinich will be the last character released in Genshin Impact 5.0 and is a 5-star who utilizes the Dendro element and Claymore weapon. We don’t know a ton about this character yet, but he will be able to swing in mid-air using a grappling hook that can also target enemies, as well as spew Dragon Breath dealing AoE Dendro damage.
Knich will be available in the Raiden Shogun wish running from September 17 until October 8.
Genshin Impact banners have always rolled out in phases, and that’s no different with 5.0 Phase 1 is already in progress and has three banners, while phase 2 will begin immediately after. If you’re trying to save up your Primogems for a specific pull, here’s when each banner drops and what characters get a rate-up.
Phase 1: August 28 – September 17
Mualani Banner:
Rate up for Mualani, Kachina, Bennett, and Xinyan.
Kazuha Banner:
Rate up for Kaedehara Kazuha, Kachina, Xinyan, and Bennet.
Epitome Invocation:
Includes Surf’s Up Freedom-Sworn 5-star and 4-star Favonius Sword, etc.
5-star weapon drop rate: 0.7% and guaranteed after 80 pulls.
4-star weapon drop rate: 3.9%. Character drop rate: 2.1%. Guaranteed after 10 pulls.
3-star weapon drop rate: 93.3%.
Phase 2: September 17 – October 18
We have to wait for more Genshin Impact news to reveal the full details of the upcoming banners.
Kinich Banner: Rate up for Kinich and three TBD 4-star characters.
Raiden Banner: Rate up for Raiden and three TBD 4-star characters.
Epitome Invocation:
Includes Surf’s Up Freedom-Sworn 5-star and 4-star Favonius Sword, etc.
5-star weapon drop rate: 0.7% and guaranteed after 80 pulls.
4-star weapon drop rate: 3.9%. Character drop rate: 2.1%. Guaranteed after 10 pulls.
3-star weapon drop rate: 93.3%.
Genshin Impact 5.0 New Weapons
Update 5.0 brings an arsenal of new Genshin Impact weapons to pull for, forge, and earn via a special event.
Featured 5-star weapons
Surf’s Up: a new 5-star catalyst that grants a 20% bonus HP to the user. It is only available through the Epitome Invocation Banner.
Fang of the Mountain King: 5-star claymore. As of the time of this writing, no specific details about this weapon are available, but we will be sure to update you as soon as official information is released.
There is also one 4-star rated weapon called The Ash-Graven Drinking Horn. This is a catalyst for anyone who completes the Traces of Artistry event.
Genshin Impact 5.0 New Quests
For everyone who has been on the edge of their seats after the events of Archon Quest Chapter IV’s Masquerade of the Guilty left many lingering threads, the new quests included in Genshin Impact 5.0 should be at the top of your to-do list, especially since the main questline will bring you to the new region of Netal.
Genshin Impact 5.0 New Artifacts
Pulling the new Genshin Impact characters is still just the first step in unlocking their true potential or upgrading your current roster.
Artifacts define your team, and Genshin Impact 5.0 includes two new sets, both of which you can get from the Domain of Blessing – Sanctum of Rainbow Spirits in Natlan’s Toyac Springs region.
The Obsidian Codex set includes the Reckoning of the Xenogeneic, Root of the Spirit-Marrow, Myths of the Night Realm, Pre-Banquet of the Contenders, and Crown of the Saints.
The 2-piece set effect bonus is that any character who is in Nightsou’s Blessing on the field gets a damage buff of 15%.
If you get the 4-piece bonus, then your character will use one Nightsoul point to boost their critical hit chances by 40% for six seconds. This can be triggered once per second.
The second new Artifact set is called the Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City and is built from the Beast Tamer’s Talisman, Mountain Ranger’s Marker, Mystic’s Gold Dial, Wandering Scholar’s Claw Cup, and Demon-Warrior’s Feather Mask.
The 2-piece set bonus grants the equipping character 6 Elemental Energy whenever a party member triggers a Nightsoul Burst.
With a 4-piece set bonus, anytime the equipping character triggers a reaction, all your nearby party members get a 12% elemental damage buff for the involved Elemental Type for 15 seconds. However, if the equipping character does this while in the Nightsoul’s Blessing state, the buff is increased by an additional 28% and lasts for 20 seconds.
Genshin Impact 5.0 New Map
I spoiled the name a little earlier, but this update will expand the Genshin Impact map to include the new region of Natlan. This is the sixth major region under the Pyro Archon and is located to the west of the Desert of Hadramaveth on the Eastern side of the map.
The big new feature of the Genshin Impact 5.0 update is undoubtedly the Nightsoul Blessings that we’ve referenced throughout this article. These are a new combat mechanic that is currently exclusive to the new characters.
How it works is that, whenever Mualani, Kachina, or Kinch uses their major ability, they will build up a Nightsoul Blessing meter. This bar can be spent to either enter the Nightsoul’s Blessing state, which buffs that character’s movement and damage, or trigger a Nighsoul Burst that improves their elemental damage.
Outside of combat, Nightsoul Transmissions serve as a new form of traversal. Each is unique to one of the Natlan characters, and they include grappling points in the sky, the ability to surf across the water, and the ability to ride a machine up cliff faces.
Genshin Impact 5.0 also introduces a new creature native to Natlan called Saurians. These new monsters all have their own unique elements and will help you explore and solve puzzles based on their element by taking over their body temporarily.
Genshin Impact 5.0 Trailer
We’ve touched on everything you could ever possibly want to know about the Genshin Impact 5.0 update above, but for a little more context, there’s the “Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn” trailer released by the official Genshin Impact YouTube channel. This four-minute video goes over features, and story details, giving you a look at Natlan in all its glory.
The Bottom Line
The Genshin Impact 5.0 update adds a huge amount of content to the immensely popular Gacha game for new and returning players. The region of Natlan, new characters to pull, and exciting weapons to play around with make this substantial overhaul well worth experiencing whether you’re playing on a console, smartphone, or PC.