It’s only been a couple of weeks (two to be exact) since Genshin Impact‘s last update. Version 1.2 gave us a brand new map with accompanying story quests in the icy land of Dragonspine. As well as the introduction of the 5-star Geo sword wielder Albedo. If you missed that update be sure to check out our everything you need to know about version 1.2 here.
Now comes the second part of that update with the introduction of a new 5-star character banner featuring Ganyu. Ganyu is a half-human, half-Adeptus (to be precise, half-Qilin) hybrid and she wields a Cryo Bow.
Who Is Ganyu in Genshin Impact?
“The secretary to the Liyue Qixing. The blood of both human and illuminated beast flows within her veins. Graceful and quiet by nature, the gentle disposition of the Qilin sees not even the slightest conflict with even the most arduous of workloads.”
Genshin Impact, MiHoyo
As the secretary of Yuehai Pavilion, Ganyu undertakes many tasks that ordinary folk do not see. The calculations and data behind the Qixing’s every decision in Liyue, as well as every ordinance and regulation that is announced, are all the meticulous work of Ganyu.
Each daybreak she stands by the dock, enjoying her breakfast in silence. Even still, by the time the sun has fully risen, she will have returned to Yuehai Pavilion overlooking Yujing Terrace, to continue to fulfil her contract — one that she signed three thousand years ago with Rex Lapis.
Because of her lineage as a half-human and half-Adeptus, Ganyu will provide an interesting link between the human Genshin Impact characters and the gods. She devoutly follows the Geo Archon, Rex Lapis, and it’s hinted that there’s a connection between the two. So far, though, that connection remains a mystery. However, because Ganyu has served Rex Lapsis so long, she may be the oldest of the Adepti, meaning she’s actually thousands of years old. And because she is so closely tied to the gods, Ganyu may be the character who can shed the most light on the mysteries of Genshin Impact‘s Unknown God.
Ganyu’s Character Banner
Set to release on January 12th, Ganyu‘s character banner will be taking that of Albedos’. So if you haven’t got him yet you still have a few days to try! Like Albedo, Zhongli, Xinyan and Klee whose character banners were previously released, we expect Ganyu’s character banner to be present for the same amount of time – 3 weeks.
For those of you that haven’t figured out the math of Genshin Impact‘s gacha system yet, 5-star character drop rates are a 0.6% chance. But after 90 attempts you’re guaranteed a 5-star character. If you wish on that particular character’s banner it will increase their rate by 50%.
It hasn’t been confirmed what characters she’ll be featured with but rumours state that it’ll be with Noelle, Barbara, and Beidou.
Ganyu Combat Info
| Weapon: Bow | Role: Burst | Skill: Freeze Enemies |
| Talent | Type | Description |
| Liutian Archery | Normal / Charged Attack | Normal Attack: Perform up to 6 consecutive shots with a bow. Charged Attack: Perform a more precise Aimed Shot with increased DMG. While aiming, an icy aura will accumulate on the arrowhead before the arrow is fired. Has different effects based on how long the energy has been charged: Charge Lvl 1: Fires off an icy arrow that deals Cryo DMG. Charge Lvl 2: Fires off a Frostflake Arrow that deals Cryo DMG. The Frostflake Arrow blooms after hitting its target, dealing AoE Cryo DMG. |
| Trail of the Qilin | Elemental Skill | Ganyu dashes backwards, shunning all impurity and dealing AoE Cryo DMG in the form of a single Ice Lotus. The Ice Lotus continuously taunts surrounding opponents, attracting them to attack it. Its endurance scales based on Ganyu’s Max HP, and it blooms profusely when destroyed or once its duration ends, dealing AoE Cryo DMG. |
| Celestial Shower | Elemental Burst | Coalesces atmospheric frost and snow to summon a Sacred Cryo Pearl that exorcises evil. While active, the Sacred Cryo Pearl will continuously rain down shards of ice, striking opponents within its AoE and dealing Cryo DMG. |
| Undivided Heart | Passive Talent | Subsequent AoE DMG will be a Crit Hit if the initial Frostflake Arrow DMG is a Crit Hit. |
| Harmony Between Heaven and Earth | Passive Talent | Friendly characters that are inside the radius of the “Celestial Shower” gain a 20% bonus to Cryo DMG. |
| Preserved for the Hunt | Passive Talent | All ores used to craft Bow-type weapons are refunded by 15%. |
Best Weapons For Ganyu
Because she wields a bow, does excellent damage from range, and has a talent that draws attention away from her, it’s clear that players should focus on turning Ganyu into somewhat of a glass character. This means that it’s best to build her for pure DPS and let her rain Cryo DMG down onto enemies from afar.
With that said, three bows come into mind for Ganyu. Specifically, these are the Sacrificial Bow, Amos’ Bow and The Stringless.
Of the three, we prefer the Amos’ Bow as it lets Ganyu snipe any enemy from afar. However, The Stringless is a good alternative too, especially since it’s less rare being a four-star weapon.
If you don’t have access to any of the three, a weapon that’s easier to find but fairly devastating is the three-star Messenger. As it lets every Charged Attack that hits weak spots deal 100% ATK DMG and CRIT DMG. Although this can only happen once every 10 seconds, it’s still handy considering that the weapon is not as rare.
For our full list of best Bow weapons in Genshin Impact check it out here.
Best Artifacts For Ganyu
A Cryo DPS burst damage is going to need all the Cryo boosting artefacts out there. So if you can get your hands on the Blizzard Stayer, Noblesse Oblige or Wanderer’s Troupe set you should.
| Set | Bonuses |
| Blizzard Stayer | Cryo DMG Bonus +15% When a character attacks an opponent affected by Cryo, their CRIT Rate is increased by 20%. If the opponent is Frozen, CRIT Rate is increased by an additional 20%. |
| Noblesse Oblige | Elemental Burst DMG +25% Using an Elemental Burst increases all Party members ATK by 20% for 12s. This effect cannot stack. |
| Wanderer’s Troupe | Increases Elemental Mastery by 80% Increases Charged Attack DMG by 35% if the character uses a Catalyst or Bow. |
For more information on the best artifacts in the game be sure to check out our list here.
Ganyu Constellations
| Constellation | Description |
| Dew Drinker | Enemy Cryo Res is reduced by 15% for 6 seconds for every DMG or AoE DMG they take from a “Frost Flake Arrow”, with each hit regenerating 2 Energy for Ganyu. This effect does not stack and occurs only per “Frost Flake Arrow” hit. |
| The Auspicious | Receive 1 additional charge for the “Trail of the Qilin” talent. |
| Cloud Strider | Increases the “Celestial Shower” by 3 for each level, with a maximum upgrade level of 15. |
| Westward Sojourn | Enemies that are inside the area of the “Celestial Shower” will take additional damage of 5% that increases by 5% for every 3 seconds inside the AoE up to 25% max. The effect stays on enemies for up to 3 seconds after leaving the area of the “Celestial Shower”. |
| The Merciful | Applies a 3-level increase to the “Trail of the Qilin” talent with a maximum upgrade level of 15. |
| The Clement | The next “Frostflake Arrow” shot via the “Trail of the Qilin” talent no longer requires charging. |
Ganyu’s Level-Up Materials
It should come as no surprise to all the seasoned Genshin Impact players that being a Cryo character the first thing you should go and farm would be the Cryo Regisvine in Mondstadt. For that frosty Shiva Jade and Hoarfrost Cores.
The rest of the items can be farmed:
– Qingxin Flower – All around Liyue. You’re also able to purchase 10 at a time every 3 days at the Bubu Pharmacy.
– Nectar – Which can be found by killing Whopperflowers
– Diligence Talent Books – Every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday you’ll need to farm these in the domains.
– Shadow of the Warrior – Defeat Tartaglia at the Golden House (lvl 70 or higher).
There’s plenty to do before Ganyu comes out next week on the 12th of January (or 13th depending on where you live). In the meantime be sure to check all our other Genshin Impact guides.