Genshin Impact update 4.8 is half over, which means the new 5-star Dendro polearm character Emilie is just hours away from release. Emilie will kick off the banners for the second half of the patch, which will drop around 7pm ET today, August 6, or 4pm PT and 12am BT (August 7).
Emilie will debut alongside a rerun banner for Yelan, a powerful 5-star Hydro bow user capable of monstrous off-field damage. Early impressions of Emilie from players with access to the game's test server have also described her as a strong off-field DPS character, though her damage output is tied to the long-unpopular Burning reaction triggered with Dendro and Pyro.
Emilie doesn't modify the reaction itself like Nilou does with Bloom, but the indirect damage buff that Burning gives her does make it more worthwhile to build teams around Burning enemies. Between Emilie's theming and the recent release of an artifact set which benefits from nearby Burning enemies, Genshin Impact seems to be giving Dendro's least-loved reaction a bit more of the spotlight.
The shared 4-star characters on the Emilie and Yelan banners are: Yanfei, Xiangling, and Razor. Xiangling is still the premier off-field Pyro DPS unit, and Yanfei has legitimate utility with the shield tied to her fourth Constellation as well as her catalyst typing unlocking the Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayer's attack buff. Razor, meanwhile, is pretty weak and feels tacked-on for this lineup, with no clear synergy with the featured 5-stars. Xiangling should work well with Emilie, and Yanfei likes having Yelan as a support if you choose to play her on-field, even if she is on the weaker end of Pyro damage.
The signature 5-star weapons for Emilie and Yelan lead the accompanying weapon banner, backed by solid 4-star weapons like the Favonius spear and bow. The featured Flute sword is quite bad, and the Sumeru claymore and catalyst are more niche, but this weapon banner is still solid overall, especially if you plan on pulling for Emilie herself.
That being said, this is the last update of the Fontaine region, which means Genshin Impact's next region, Natlan, is just around the corner. There's sure to be a flood of new characters in the months ahead, so be mindful of how you budget your limited Primogems.
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