'Genshin Impact': Upcoming Character Banners Confirmed For Patch 2.2

The recently concluded Special Program for “Genshin Impact” has revealed the upcoming character banners for the next major patch that’s due out next week.

Patch 2.2 will see the return of two limited-time 5-star characters: Childe and Hu Tao. Rumors of a third Childe banner rerun were previously circulating around the “Genshin Impact” community, which caused a stir among fans who were hoping for an early Xiao or Ganyu reruns instead.

This upcoming Childe banner will be the first one to be featured in the new patch and this will be the character’s third run on the limited-time gacha.

After Childe’s banner will be Hu Tao’s first re-run following her initial release back in March. Those who who failed to get her during her first banner will now have their second chance to get this top-tier Pyro DPS character alongside Thoma, who will serve as one of the featured 4-star characters in her banner.

Thoma, who was first introduced in the Inazuma story quest, will finally be playable soon. This polearm-wielding Pyro user brings a lot of damage and survivability to the table with his unique shield mechanic and AoE flame attacks.

Childe’s banner will go live on Oct. 13 alongside the release of the patch and it’s expected to last for around two weeks, which is the standard banner duration for limited-time characters. Hu Tao’s banner will follow shortly after.

New weapons will also be coming in Patch 2.2 for each character banner. Childe’s re-run will also come with a weapon banner containing completely new weapons, including the 5-star bow Polar Star. Meanwhile the Staff of Homa will once again be available during Hu Tao and Thoma’s banner, perfectly complementing the HP-based kits of the two Pyro users.

The airing of the “Genshin Impact” Special Program also saw the release of the last batch of anniversary goodies that miHoYo started to give away as part of the game’s first anniversary. Fan outrage caused a storm around social media over the past week, one that ultimately culminated in “Genshin Impact” getting review bombed in the Google Play Store over miHoYo’s stinginess over free in-game rewards.