Genshin Impact 3.6 is out April 12 – technically late on April 11 for Western players – and it looks like one of the biggest updates of the ongoing Sumeru arc.
The headliner is a new chunk of Sumeru to explore, just in case you thought this region couldn't get any bigger (say a prayer for mobile players). Split between oases and wastelands, this new area was once a battleground in the Khaenri'ahn war that's been looming over Genshin lore. It's home to a new weekly boss, Apep, the Dragon of Verdure, and we'll also encounter Anemo and Hydro Hilichurls as well as a new world boss.
We'll need those boss materials to level up Baizhu and Kaveh, respectively the new five-star and four-star characters of the patch. Baizhu will debut in the second half of the patch alongside a rerun for Ganyu, and Baizhu will be one of the four-stars on their banners. The first half of the update will see reruns for Nahida, who comes in at the top of our Genshin Impact tier list, and Bloom specialist Nilou.
Baizhu is a Dendro catalyst healer who can create temporary shields using his elemental burst. These shields appear periodically along with a burst of healing, and they'll buff certain Dendro reactions on top of giving you some defense. Kaveh is a Dendro claymore user who can infuse his sweeping normal attacks, while his skill and burst buff and expedite dendro core explosions, sort of like Nilou.
Strangely, the new artifacts in this update don't seem to synergize with Baizhu or Kaveh much at all. The Nymph's Dream set boosts Hydro damage on its two-piece, with the four-piece providing additional Hydro damage and attack bonuses when you land different types of attacks (normal, charged, etc.). Vourukasha's Glow, meanwhile, feels tailor-made for Dehya, but it won't stop her being the worst five-star in the game. Its two-piece increases your HP, which could be nice for Nilou or potentially Baizhu, and the four-piece buffs your skill and burst damage by up to 50% when you take damage.
Update 3.6 is also pretty event-heavy, with the Sumeru festival Parade of Providence bringing six minigames under the Interdarshan Championship as well as the Wisdom Gala. Anemo support Faruzan will be a free reward from this event, which is good news for the Wanderer and Xiao fans who haven't pulled her yet. We'll see additional events later in the patch too, so the next six weeks of Genshin are looking pretty stacked.
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