Because some financially-mindedGenshin Impactplayers want to save up money for certain characters, there’s a lot of rumors and speculation of what the nextBanner following Klee’s Sparkling Stepswill be. Leaks suggest the highly-anticipated Xiao will be featured in the next Wish Banner alongside the 1.1 update toGenshin Impact, but some other evidence suggests it might be much longer until players get to wield him.
Though MiHoYo has roadmapped its plans for several future updates, including the new regionDragonspine that will release alongside the 1.2 updatein December, the Shanghai-based developer hasn’t announced any future Banners follow Klee’s current one or even specific character release dates. With each new region will come a handful of new characters to the action-adventure RPG. Likewise, it’s presumed that each group of new characters released will be accompanied by a Banner to increase the rate on one of the anticipated five-star characters. Coming up, manyGenshin Impactplayers are looking forward to Xiao.
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Xiao’s Banner Image Leak
Xiao is another five-star Anemo user but uniquely brandishes a spear, which makes him the only character of this combination. Like Klee, Xiao was also obtainable during closed beta, so many have been awaiting his arrival, though a small quest featuring him is currently available inGenshin Impact. Therumors of a Xiao Banner coming soonbegan circulating when a “leaked” image surfaced (see image above), not to be confused with the Nuo Dance of Evil Conquering beta test Banner with Xingqiu as the four-star rate-up.
Though many users have been quick to call this a leak, some Redditors were quick to point out some points in the image that suggest it was simple fan art made for clout. For one, the art used in the image is very different from the official Banners released thus far. Secondly, there’s only one four-star with a higher rate, Beidou, next to him in this allegedly leaked Banner, which also doesn’t follow the trend of theVenti or Klee Banners.
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Reworking Xiao’s Combat
There’s a considerable amount of speculation that Xiao may not be released until February. When Xiao was tested inGenshin Impact’s closed beta, what made him unique was his ultimate attack ending in a plunge with his polearm. However, following the full release ofGenshin, all characters have a plunge attack, but this wasn’t the case during closed beta. This means that Xiao’s combat is likely being reworked and may not be ready yet as he isn’t being playtested like Diona currently is.
Some players also look to the Lantern Festival in Liyue that appeared in early beta testing as a signifierXiao may not be coming until the 1.3 update in February. Without giving away spoilers, Xiao’s quests heavily revolve around the Lantern Rite that MiHoYo has already confirmed is coming in February. But all this could mean is that Xiao’s main story event won’t come until 2021, but he could still be released as a playable character as soon as next month. After all, he’s already been met by the Traveler in-game.
Xiao is One of the Most Likely New Additions
However, if these rumors are true, based on the information known about the 1.1 update that comes from closed beta testers and piecing together reports, it seems most likely that the six weeks between the1.1 and 1.2Genshin Impactupdateswill see two banners, each featuring Xiao and the Geo use Zhongli as the five-stars with higher gacha rates. It’s been confirmed by MiHoYo that 1.1 will see the rest of the Liyue story, which seemingly includes Xiao and Zhongli as important characters.
Additionally,Genshin Impactads featuring Xiao in combat have allegedly surfaced on Instagram, and many are taking this to mean MiHoYo is hyping up fans for a full Xiao release soon.
Genshin Impactis available now on Mobile, PC, and PS4, and is in development for Switch.
