Summary
The many details forGenshin Impact4.8, including its definitive release date, new characters, banner lineup, story updates, and events, have all been revealed, a few weeks ahead of the arrival of the patch itself. Version 4.8 is expected to be the final six-week patch before the release of Version 5.0 and, consequentially, the arrival of Natlan to the playable areas of the current Teyvat map. While the nation’s release is the most important upcoming piece of content, players will still have to wait a bit more before they get to exploreNatlan inGenshin Impact.
In the meantime, during Version 4.8, they will have plenty of ways to spend their time. While there is no main Archon Quest confirmed for this patch, players will get to play an event that takes them to a new limited map, where they will be able to gear up for Natlan’s release. Developer HoYoverse tends to offer such maps right before the release of a major Nation and has been doing something similar since before the introduction of Inazuma. There have been severalGenshin Impact4.8 leaks and, now, most of them have actually been confirmed to be true.
Genshin Impact 5.0 Leaks: Every New Natlan Character Rumored (So Far)
A few initial details about the first Natlan characters arriving with Genshin Impact 5.0 have started being shared. Here’s what you need to know.
Genshin Impact 4.8 - Release Date
The Update Is On Par With The Game’s Regular Six-Week Schedule
The many details about the patch were officially revealed during the Version 4.8 livestream, which was broadcast on the officialGenshin Impactchannel on Twitch. According to the developer,Genshin Impact4.8 will arrive on July 17. This means that the popular action RPG did not suffer any internal delays that would postpone upcoming content and that it is sticking to its regular six-week schedule. If there are no delays to Version 5.0 and Natlan, Version 4.8 should last from July 17 to August 27 and, of course, should be split into two phases.
Based on the standard update schedule, Version 5.0’s livestream should occur on August 17.
Genshin Impact 4.8 - New Characters & Banners
Three Characters Are Reruning In The Update’s Banners
As was previously implied by the showcasing of only one new character, Version 4.8 will only receive one new playable unit. The rest of the 5-star units featured during the update will be reruns, and the 4-star units with increased drop rates have all been available in the game for some time. As was previously predicted byGenshin Impact4.8 character banner leaks, Phase 1 banners will be composed of Navia and Nilou reruns. The 5-star Geo DPS unit and the 5-star Hydro sub-DPS character, respectively,will be available in the gacha system from July 17 to August 6.
Their respective weapons will also be featured in the weapons banner during the same period, giving players a chance to grab their unique tailor-made equipment.On August 6, Phase 2 will commence, shifting the featured characters. During it, Yelan will be a rerun character in one of the banners. The 5-star Hydro sub-DPS will rerun alongside the debut of Emilie, which had been confirmed by HoYoverse weeks ago. Now, the Dendro character has been confirmed to be a 5-star unit who will star in her own dedicated character banner in Phase 2.
This means that Emilie and Yelan will be available from August 6 to August 27.
As was previously leaked,Emilie’s kit inGenshin Impactallows her to operate as a Dendro sub-DPS who enhances the power of the Burning Elemental Reaction.The character excels at off-field Dendro application and is best used when paired with a powerful Pyro DPS that activates Burning, such as Hu Tao, Lyney, or Arlecchino, for instance. The Version 4.8 livestream also confirmed Emilie wields a polearm in battle. During Phase 2, Yelan’s Aqua Simulacra and Emilie’s new Lumidouce Elegy will be available in the weapons banner.
The 4-star characters with increased drop rates in both Phase 1 and Phase 2 character banners have yet to be revealed.
While Emilie’s value as a Dendro sub-DPS has yet to be proven effectively with more players actively testing her, the banner structure for Version 4.8 is one of opportunities. Navia is currently one of the best Geo DPS characters, especially for players who have a good Geo sub-DPS like Chiori or Albedo. Nilou can be a good Hydro sub-DPS, butYelan holds the throne of the best in the category and is arguably the best off-field damage dealer among all characters– although she is mostly reliant on her Elemental Burst inGenshin Impact.
Genshin Impact 4.8 - Events, Updates, & More
Summer Event Will Also Bring Forth Two New Skins
In addition to Emilie as a brand-new playable unit with Burning Reactions at the forefront of team comps and the prospect of obtaining older characters or their weapons, there will be additional playable content in Version 4.8 in the form of events. The most important one is the flagship summer event, Summertide Scales and Tales.The event will take players to a new limited-time map called Simulanka where they will participate in a new narrative questand various activities. The special flagship event will feature two new outfits for Nilou and Kirara inGenshin Impact.
The Nilou skin will be showcased during the event, though it will be a premium item from the store. Alternatively, players will be able to claim Kirara’s new skin for free by participating in the event. In fact,a free copy of Kirara will also be distributed via the special event. As the flagship event, Summertide Scales and Tales will offer a large pool of rewards that also include several materials and Primogems.
Envisaged Echoes will be a new update within the Imaginarium Theater, and is considered a new permanent game mode. The activity’s challenges will need to be unlocked with regular Imaginarium Theater keys and, upon completion,players will unlock new character trails that follow specific characters. During the special challenges, players will control the respective character they want to unlock the cosmetics for. Diluc, Jean, Qiqi, Ningguang, and Kirara are the characters confirmed to gettrails inGenshin Impact.
There will also be several other limited-time events, including Bing-Bang Finchball, Outside the Canvas, Inside the Lens: Dew-Kissed Chapter, Energy Amplifier: Lemma, and Overflowing Mastery.
In addition to the events, HoYoverse announced a series of quality-of-life (QoL) updates that will arrive in Version 4.8, most of which had leaked beforehand. One of them is the Hide UI function, which will allow players toremove elements from the interface as they explore Teyvat for a less visually polluted experience. Furthermore, world bosses that are not part of Trounce Domains will start respawning faster, with the five-minute cooldown reduced to a mere 10 seconds. This will allow players to challengeworld bosses inGenshin Impacteasily without having to wait too long.
There is speculation that this boss update was brought forth as a means to prepare players for farming extra materials for their characters, which are rumored to have their level cap increased to 100 with Natlan.
The encounter point system will also be enhanced. The long-term encounter points can be stored and then used to supplement daily encounter points by using Resin. A Dialogue Review feature will also be added, which will allow players to check what is said during a conversation. Overall the main attraction in the patch is the summer event, though it is reasonable that the game is slowing down before the anticipated release of Natlan inGenshin Impactlater this year.
