By Angelina Hu
Let’s be real; Genshin Impact’s version 2.3, launching on November 23rd, really just feels like the “we just remembered new players exist” update. The return of non-Inazuma events feels groundbreaking after the exclusion of everyone but veterans in the last few versions, and Arataki Itto and Gorou banner has been very well received. On the other hand, the new double-rerun feature has been met with both enthusiasm and dismay. No matter how you feel, however, there’s no doubt that this new feature will have consequences in all future updates to come. With this change, and 2022 coming right around the corner, here’s to talking about what the new year may bring.
Version 2.4 should start in early to mid-January, and since Lunar New Year, the biggest holiday in China, is February 1st, all of our LNY events will land during it. As Liyue is based on traditional Chinese aesthetics, most players have predicted that the celebration will be based around it.
As of right now, the only non-Inazuma 5*s who haven’t had their first rerun yet are Ganyu and Xiao, which works perfectly for the LNY reruns. However, if miHoYo decides to pull another Childe, then another possible Liyue rerun includes Zhongli. It has also been stated by trusted leakers UBatcha and Tangzhu that Yunjin, a performer from the Heyu Tea House, will be appearing most likely as a 4*. Her element and weapon are both unconfirmed, but there have been rumors for both Anemo and Dendro as well as polearm, so theorize as you wish. Shenhe, another Liyue character, has been rumored to release as well. She is widely believed to be a Cryo 5* and is associated with the adepti. Other than banners, both leakers also stated that a new area may be released, likely the underwater Enkanomiya near Watatsumi Island.
Finally, we can also speculate on the nature of the Lunar New Year celebration. LNY 2021 was very generous, handing out 20 free wishes, a free Liyue 4*, and in-game events like the Lantern Rite. After the fiasco over miHoyo being stingy during the first anniversary, it may be possible (if one thinks a little too optimistically) that they will learn and offer better rewards this LNY to make up for the deficit.
This is especially possible since Chinese fans on bilibili were complaining about the anniversary rewards as well, and as seen from Honkai Impact’s bunny-suit situation a few months back, miHoyo seems to be very much inclined to bend to their eastern audience’s will. At the very least, we can hope that we will get the same rewards as last year, other than maybe receiving Inazuma 4*s instead for relevance.
