Everything you need to know about Genshin Impact 3.1

We’re not done with Sumeru yet. Genshin Impact 3.0 is coming to a close, but Genshin Impact 3.1 is just over the horizon. More of the Dendro nation will be available for exploration, which also means more quests to complete, even if you’re still catching up with the ones from the 3.0 update. Some information about Genshin Impact 3.1 like the new characters, regions, and weapons are already available through both official and leaked sources, all of which we’ve gathered into this guide.

Expect to see long-awaited faces from trailers in the flesh. Here’s what we know about Genshin Impact 3.1 so far.

What is the Genshin Impact version 3.1 release date?

Genshin Impact 3.1 will release on September 28, 2022. However, if it’s anything like past updates, it will actually release the night before on September 27, 2022 for those in the Eastern time zone.

HoYoverse confirmed the date in a blog post about release dates for Genshin Impact 3.0 to 3.3, which run on a five-week schedule instead of the six-week one that fans are used to.

These are the estimated release dates for the remainder of the year:

• Version 3.1 - expected to be updated on September 28, 2022
• Version 3.2 - expected to be updated on November 2, 2022
• Version 3.3 - expected to be updated on December 7, 2022

Fun fact: Genshin Impact 3.1 is scheduled to coincide with the Genshin Impact 2022 anniversary. Let's hope this anniversary is better than the last.

What are the Genshin Impact version 3.1 character banners?

The Genshin Impact 3.1 character banners feature Cyno and Nilou, two new 5-star characters from Sumeru. These details were confirmed in the latest livestream:

• Genshin Impact 3.1 First Half: Cyno and Venti rerun, Candace
• Genshin Impact 3.1 Second Half: Nilou and Albedo rerun

Cyno is an Electro polearm user with a fighting style rumored to be similar to Xiao’s. How his Electro element balances with Dendro will also be interesting to see, considering he’s the first Electro DPS to debut since the introduction of Dendro. Meanwhile, Nilou is a Hydro sword user who’s expected to be the embodiment of the Bloom, the Dendro plus Hydro elemental reaction. Candace, another character revealed before the Genshin Impact 3.1 livestream, will run as a 4-star character on Cyno and Venti’s banners.

Venti and Albedo still rank highly in the game’s meta depending on what your team needs. We advise reading our guides about whether or not they would be a good fit for you.

Is there a new region coming in Genshin Impact version 3.1?

Sumeru only has its rainforest regions open to Travelers in Genshin Impact version 3.0. Genshin Impact 3.1 will reveal the rest of the nation, including the desert portion of the map. One of the locations should be Aaru Village, where Candace is the local guardian.

What new weapons are coming in Genshin Impact version 3.1?

Cyno and Nilou will each have a signature weapon tailored to their abilities running at the same time as them on a limited-time weapon banner. Staff of the Scarlet Sands, Cyno’s polearm, raises Crit Rate as its main substat and also boosts Elemental Mastery. Nilou’s Key of Khaj-Nisut, previously known as Key of Hierophany, feeds her HP-based Bloom-enabling skills and abilities.

These are the descriptions from Honey Hunter right now:

• Staff of the Scarlet Sands (Crit Rate%) — The equipping character gains 52 percent of their Elemental Mastery as bonus ATK. When an Elemental Skill hits opponents, the Dream of the Scarlet Sands effect will be gained for 10 seconds: The equipping character will gain 28 percent of their Elemental Mastery as bonus ATK. Max 3 stacks.
• Key of Khaj-Nisut (HP%) — HP increased by 20 percent. When an Elemental Skill hits opponents, you gain the Grand Hymn effect for 20 seconds. This effect increases the equipping character’s Elemental Mastery by 0.12 percent of their Max HP. This effect can trigger once every 0.3 seconds. Max 3 stacks. When this effect gains 3 stacks, or when the third stack’s duration is refreshed, the Elemental Mastery of all nearby party members will be increased by 0.2 percent of the equipping character’s max HP for 20 seconds.

Three Elemental Mastery-based weapons are also on the way: Xiphos' Moonlight Sword, Wandering Evenstar Catalyst, and Mahara Aquamarine Claymore (a.k.a. Makhaira Aquamarine). The exact details have been already uploaded to Genshin Impact databases, Honey Hunter and Project Amber.

• Xiphos’ Moonlight (Elemental Mastery) — The following effect will trigger every 10 seconds: The equipping character will gain 0.036 percent Energy Recharge for each point of Elemental Mastery they possess for 12 seconds, with nearby party members gaining 30 percent of this buff for the same duration. Multiple instances of this weapon can allow this buff to stack. This effect will still trigger even if the character is not on the field.
• Wandering Evenstar (Elemental Mastery) — The following effect will trigger every 10 seconds: The equipping character will gain 24 percent of their Elemental Mastery as bonus ATK for 12 seconds, with nearby party members gaining 30 percent of this buff for the same duration. Multiple instances of this weapon can allow this buff to stack. This effect will still trigger even if the character is not on the field.
• Mahara Aquamarine (Elemental Mastery) — The following effect will trigger every 10 seconds: The equipping character will gain 24 percent of their Elemental Mastery as bonus ATK for 12 seconds, with nearby party members gaining 30 percent of this buff for the same duration. Multiple instances of this weapon can allow this buff to stack. This effect will still trigger even if the character is not on the field.

Last but not least, multiple leakers have mentioned a free weapon reward for a Springvale decorating event called Weinlesefest. Genshin Mains, who listed it as the “Shifting Windblade,” lists it as a ATK% polearm that raises ATK and Elemental Mastery after an Elemental Reaction within a set time. The exact ATK% and EM boost changes with each refinement.

• Shifting Windblade (ATK%) — Within 10s after an Elemental Reaction is triggered, ATK is increased by 10% and Elemental Mastery is increased by 40. (base info from Genshin Mains)

What new bosses are coming in Genshin Impact version 3.1?

New characters sometimes come with new bosses. In this case, Nilou and Candace each have new bosses associated with them so far. Genshin Mains shared the Blightdrake boss for Nilou and the Control Matrix boss for Candace. As seen in the Genshin Impact 3.1 livestream, the Blightdrake boss seems to have shifting attack patterns like the Jadeplume Terrorshroom.

What else is coming in the Genshin Impact version 3.1?

Every update comes with an itinerary of new weapons, quests, and events to look forward to. Most of this information will be officially detailed in the Genshin Impact 3.1 livestream. Leakers like Genshin Intel have at least a vague outline of what to expect, though.

One of the highlights is the “Path of the Gleaming Jade” login event, which could be similar to the login event featured last year for the Genshin Impact anniversary. If it matches last year’s anniversary, then it should offer at least 10 free pulls for longtime players.

Or it could just be another login event. We’ll update you with more information as it’s available.

Genshin Impact is available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android.