Everything we know about Genshin Impact 2.5

Want to know what’s coming in Genshin Impact 2.5? The special programme for the new version has aired, finally confirming beta leaks surrounding Yae Miko’s arrival, the Raiden Shogun rerun, and that new crazy-looking weekly boss that seems to be Ei piloting a puppet suit with a giant katana.

In terms of other arrivals, we have new events, we can become a bartender in Mondstadt, and head back down into the darkness of Enkanomiya to dispel some kind of lingering corruption—we should also watch for the new, knight-like Shadowy Husk enemies.

As usual, it’s a hefty dose of new stuff, but if you want to know everything that’s coming in Genshin Impact 2.5, including when it drops, I’ve summarised the characters, events, and other new stuff you can expect to find below.

Release date What is the Genshin Impact 2.5 release date?

The Genshin Impact 2.5 release date is February 16. The first banner of the new version is Yae Miko, and the new story quests for her and the Raiden Shogun are also launching at the same time. If you’re hoping to wish on either Raiden or Kokomi’s reruns, you’ll have to wait until the second half which, if banner duration remains the same, should be around March 9.

Characters

(Image credit: miHoYo)Who are the Genshin Impact 2.5 characters?

Here are all of the Genshin Impact 2.5 characters arriving in the new version:

• Yae Miko: This Kitsune shrine maiden is the only new character we’re getting in 2.5, and her banner ‘Everbloom Violet’ releases on February 16. Apart from being the Raiden Shogun’s best buddy, i.e the one who brings light novels and sweets to her shut-in realm, Yae is a five-star Electro catalyst-user—the first one since Lisa launched with the game. She’s all about raining thunderbolts from the sky, and looks to be a powerful damage-dealer.
• Raiden Shogun: Though she’s skipping her turn in the rerun queue—sorry Klee and Kazuha—the Raiden Shogun is one of the most popular Genshin Impact characters around, so it makes sense miHoYo would want to bring her back in time for the new story quests and her weekly boss. She arrives in the second half of version 2.5 alongside Kokomi, which if banner durations remain consistent, should be around March 9.
• Kokomi: Thanks to the Ocean-Hued Clam artifact set, healers can now deal decent damage, and as a supercharged Barbara who arrived shortly before the artifact set, Kokomi kind of became the poster child for healers turned damage-dealers. A shrine maiden and military strategist, she returns for a rerun alongside Raiden Shogun’s banner.

Events

(Image credit: miHoYo)Genshin Impact 2.5 events

In terms of Genshin Impact 2.5 events, there’s the usual mix of new stuff and reruns:

• Three Realms Gateway Offering: This looks like the headlining event for Genshin 2.5, and sees us delve back into a dark-shrouded Enkanomiya. We have to use the new gadget, the Bokuso Box, to solve puzzles, weather the corrosive effects of the dark, and earn Light Realm Sigils we can offer to the statue on the map, which boosts how long the box keeps the dark at bay. This event also rewards the four-star Oathsworn Eye catalyst weapon that should be a good free-to-play pick for Yae. There are also new Shadowy Husk enemies coming to the submerged realm that look like something right out of Dark Souls.
• Divine Ingenuity: In this event we’ll be designing our very own Domains for friends to complete. Once you finish the basic Domain challenge, you’ll be able to craft obstacle courses, though you can only create them if you’re able to complete them yourself—just to prevent you from torturing others with impossible challenges.
• Of Drink a Dreaming: This one is a bartending mini-game, though, like the rest of Genshin, it doesn’t really involve alchohol. You’ll be working at Diluc’s tavern in Mondstadt, and creating tasty beverages for the city’s residents.
  

Aside from these, we’ve got Inazuma’s tag-team fighting event, Hyakunin Ikki, except this time there are new characters to pair together. Overflowing Mastery is also back, giving us a boost to Talent Ascension material rewards in Domains.

New boss

(Image credit: miHoYo)Who’s the new weekly Genshin Impact 2.5 boss?

We may have already fought her twice, but the Raiden Shogun is returning as the weekly boss in Genshin Impact 2.5, though this time she has some kind of mech suit that looks like it came right out of Honkai Impact. This new boss is apparently part of the story quests for Yae Miko and the Raiden Shogun, and you’ll also need to defeat it if you want the talent ascension boss materials for the former.

Map

(Image credit: miHoYo)The Chasm’s coming in Genshin Impact 2.6

The special programme also gave us a look at a long-anticipated region of Liyue that’s set to unlock in version 2.6: The Chasm. This area is already part of the map, and has been for quite some time, but we’ve seen some concept art that makes it look like a vast mine, as well as the enemies we’ll be facing there, like the new burrowing ruin serpent.