Datamining from the Genshin Impact beta has revealed that Varesa, Xilonen, and Xianyun will headline the Event Banners for Version 5.5, with Venti likely receiving a rerun. The Natlan era has maintained a strong focus on meta-defining banners, prioritizing high-value characters that significantly impact the game’s meta. Recent lineups, such as Arlecchino and Clorinde, have reinforced this trend, making banner reruns for less popular units increasingly rare.
The shift towards high-performing banners has left characters like Shenhe, Ganyu, and Kokomi waiting over a year for a rerun. While the Liyue Chronicled Banner temporarily addressed this issue, players continue to speculate whether Genshin Impact will eventually introduce triple banners to accommodate its growing roster. With nearly 100 characters available, managing reruns effectively has become increasingly challenging.
According to leaks from Hakush.in, the featured five-star characters in Genshin Impact Version 5.5 will include Varesa, an Electro Catalyst user; Xilonen, a Geo Sword wielder; and Xianyun, an Anemo Catalyst user. Xilonen’s rerun so soon after her debut is a notable inclusion, given her strong popularity and relevance in the meta. Meanwhile, Xianyun’s return aligns with the Spiral Abyss favoring Plunging teams, complementing Varesa’s role as a Plunge hypercarry. The final slot is widely expected to be Venti, continuing the annual Archon banner cycle.
While Venti is a likely candidate, his revenue performance has declined in recent years. His last rerun in Version 4.1 saw Wriothesley significantly outperform him, while newer characters like Kinich and Raiden Shogun maintained stronger sales figures. However, with the Windblume Festival rumored to return post-Version 5.5, further delays for Venti’s rerun seem unlikely.
The four-star characters for these banners remain unknown, but many players hope to see Iansan paired with Varesa due to their potential synergy. More details on the Version 5.5 Event Banners are expected to be revealed during Genshin Impact’s official developer livestream on March 14, 2025.
