Everything you need to know about Genshin Impact’s Ayaka Banner

Few Genshin Impact characters have more hype than Ayaka. In the first closed beta test back in July 2019, players were introduced to over a dozen characters. Almost all of them were included in the official September 2020 release — except for Ayaka.

Lovers of the five-star Cryo swordswoman have had to wait over a year to play as Ayaka again. However, she has finally returned as the first banner in Genshin Impact Version 2.0 and the introduction to Inazuma.

Should you pull on the Ayaka banner? Was it worth the wait? If you’re a vocal Ayaka supporter, you’ve likely already decided that all your Primogems are going to this ice princess.

If you need a better reason than aesthetic, here’s everything you need to know about the Ayaka banner.

When is the Genshin Impact Ayaka banner end time?

The Ayaka Banner begins on July 20 with the 2.0 update that should begin rolling out around 6 p.m. Eastern. It will conclude on August 10 at 3 p.m. Eastern.

Is there a trailer for the Ayaka banner in Genshin Impact?

Yes, you can watch a demo of her abilities below:

Doesn’t she look ice-cold cool?

What characters are featured on the Genshin Impact Ayaka banner?

The Ayaka Banner stars the five-star Cryo Sword character Ayaka and three four-star characters:

• The Cryo Claymore user, Chongyun
• The Geo Catalyst user, Ningguang
• The Pyro Catalyst wielder, Yanfei

Are you guaranteed to get Ayaka in Genshin Impact?

Not quite. You're not guaranteed to get Ayaka, even if you pull from her banner. Luckily, Genshin Impact does feature a Mercy system. If you conduct 89 attempts without getting a five-star reward, you're guaranteed a five-star item on your ninetieth pull. The guaranteed five-star item has a 50 percent chance to be Ayaka. So if that first pity five-star weren't Ayaka, your next five-star would be. This means, at most, you'll need 180 wishes to get Ayaka.

If you participated in a previous event banner without earning a five-star character, your progress would carry over to the Ayaka banner. Which only means you'll have that much greater chance at drawing her.

Is Ayaka a good character in Genshin Impact?

Ayaka is a great character. She’s a strong Cryo DPS with high attack and speed. By comparing her pre-release stats and the recent gameplay demo, it seems like Ayaka will shake up the Genshn Impact meta. If built correctly, she could likely become one of the best DPS characters in the entire game.

Speed is highly valued in most Genshin Impact characters. The most important in the meta have speed on their side. Xiao, the current strongest DPS in the game, is one of the fastest characters available. Ayaka’s normal attacks hit quickly so that you can land many of them in a short amount of time. Ayaka also touts a high critical hit damage number, which scales with her as a sub-stat as you level her up.

If you can pair her with artifacts that increase the critical hit rate, Ayaka can likely become your ringer. She’ll hit often, and she’ll hit hard when it lands.

Ayaka will prove especially useful during Inazuma. The nation is filled with Electro-type enemies, meaning her Cryo abilities will prove rather useful. Cryo will prompt a supercharge damage effect in any Electro foes you encounter.

Overall, Ayaka is a good DPS that’s made even more valuable due to the circumstances of Inazuma.

Should you pay for the Ayaka Banner in Genshin Impact?

If you have the Primogems to spare, yes, you should pull on Ayaka. She’s a fantastic DPS and will be even more valuable given the foes you’ll fight in the Inazuma region.

Other characters on her banner won’t help you exactly make a cohesive team, but many are rare four-star characters that are seldom featured on banners. For example, Ningguang has been in the game since launch, but this is only her third banner as a rate-up character. The last time she was available was in February 2021. Who knows when she’ll be back?

This is a banner for those who need a boost with a new all-star character and collectors hoping to obtain every four-star. Pay for this banner if you fall into either category.

What Banner comes after Ayaka in Genshin Impact?

We don’t know the full details of the banner following Ayaka just yet. What we do know is that it’ll feature the new five-star Pyro Bow character Yoimiya and she’ll be joined by another new character — a four-star Anemo Claymore character named Sayu. In addition, there will be two additional 4-star characters in the banner, but their identities are currently unknown.

Ayaka is available in Genshin Impact until August 10, 2021.