Genshin Impact 3.4 Banners Revealed (2024)

The Genshin Impact Version 3.4 banners were announced during the Special Event Livestream! Two new characters, Alhaitham and Yaoyao, will be featured in the first half, alongside Xiao. The second half will be composed of reruns.

Genshin Impact Version 3.4 is expected to go live on January 18th, 2023. Apart from the two new characters, the update will also bring a map expansion, the Desert of Hadramaveth. This is located north of the currently available Sumeru Desert. Several new enemies will also be added.

First Phase

The first character of note to be featured in the first phase of Genshin Impact 3.4 banners is “Admonishing Instruction,” Alhaitham. He is a 5-star Dendro Sword, being introduced as a playable character in this version. We initially met him in our first few steps in Sumeru, and now we get to play as him. Many have described his playstyle as “Dendro Keqing,” but you have to see for yourself after you see his Talents, Skills, and Constellations.

“Vigilant Yaksha”Xiao will rerun alongside the Scribe. The General Alatus was last featured in a banner in Version 2.7, which happened back in June 2022, so it's also about time for him to have a rerun. The 5-star Anemo Polearm character is one of the oldest characters in the game in terms of release date, but many still pine for a Xiao in their party, if not his constellations.

“Burgeoning Grace” Yaoyao is the second new character for this patch, and her existence was close to a myth before she was finally officially announced a few weeks ago. She is a 4-star Dendro Polearm and will be a featured 4-star in both Alhaitham's and Xiao's banners. Check Yaoyao's Talents, Skills, and Constellations here.

During Alhaitham's “Caution in Confidence” banner and Xiao's “Invitation to Mundane Life,” the two other featured 4-stars apart from Yaoyao are Xinyan and Yun Jin, as confirmed by the official Genshin Impact social media posts.

“Blazing Riff” Xinyan was last featured in Version 2.5 on Yoimiya's banner. She can be built either as a DPS or a support. The shield from her Elemental Skill applies a Pyro status, which helps in clearing elemental debuffs like Slowing Water. Xinyan isn’t the best in her role, but her flexibility in either providing damage or shielding is one that players might find useful in their party.

“Stage Lucida”Yun Jin also came alongside Xinyan the last time she was a featured 4-star. She may not be as versatile as other 4-star buffers like Bennett, but her buffs can be just as powerful when you find the right character for it. She focuses on buffing Normal Attack focused characters and can deal off-field damage with her Burst, too. Yun Jin might seem underwhelming at first, but her niche of buffing Normal Attacks may come in handy especially when challenging the Spiral Abyss or events which restrict your party member choices.

As for weapons, Xiao's signature weapon, the Primordial Jade-Winged Spear (5-star Polearm) is a featured weapon during this phase. Alhaitham's signature weapon will also be introduced here, the 5-star Sword Light of Foliar Sanction.

Second Phase

“Fragrance in Thaw” Hu Tao will get her rerun in the second half of Version 3.4. The 5-star Pyro Polearm characteris also likely to get a Genshin Impact banner in the near future. She was last available in the second half of Version 2.2 last November 2021. That was her first (and only) rerun since her release in the third phase of Version 1.3. The gap between her release and her rerun was 8 months, so it's high time for another banner for the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

Hu Tao is a Pyro DPS, whose gameplay famously revolves around how low her HP is. Her playstyle is notorious for rewarding cancels in the middle of her combos, whether by jumping or dashing. She is best used in Vaporize comps (with Xingqiu, for example) or Melt.

“Valley Orchid” Yelan is a 5-star Hydro Bow character that was released in Version 2.7, the same time as Xiao's aforementioned rerun. This makes it good timing for her rerun banner as well, as many may have missed the chance to roll for her when she did release. If you're not yet sure if Yelan is a good fit in your party, check out her Skills and Talents here.

The second half will feature the following 4-star characters: “Juvenile Galant” Xingqiu, “Eclipsing Star” Ningguang, and “Uncrowned Lord of the Ocean” Beidou.

Xingqiu last appeared on a banner on Version 3.0. He is primarily used as an off-field DPS, mainly due to his Elemental Burst. As one of the earlier released characters, Xingqiu needs no introduction nor debate – his value has already been proven throughout the many teams that he’s been a part of. He's widely considered as the 4-star vision of Yelan, and it's quite amusing to see them share the same banner.

Ningguang has been in the game since release, and while her kit may seem outdated, she can still be a solid Geo damage dealer. She is a consistent character, and once fully built, can output great DPS, something that most of the Geo characters lack. At this point, long-time players are bound to have her at C6 already, though. She's had to wait a little longer than Xingqiu to be featured on a banner again, the last time being Version 2.8.

Beidou is one of the better DPS choices among all of the 4-star characters and is the core for most Taser team compositions. While not advisable to be used before reaching her second constellation, she is luckily available via the Paimon’s Bargains shop. Despite her high damage ceiling, she requires a ton of investment and farming. This, combined with her niche activation mechanics, makes Beidou a difficult but rewarding character. Her last appearance on a banner was Version 3.1, which was quite recent.

Hu Tao's signature weapon is the 5-star Polearm,Staff of Homa.A weapon banner featuring this weapon will run on the latter half of Genshin Impact Version 3.4. Of course, Yelan's signature weapon, the Aqua Simulacra(5-star Bow), is also featured alongside the Staff of Homa.