Right Now, You Can Pull A Free 5-Star Character From Genshin Impact (original) (raw)

A man with dark bunny ears and a large green bow.

Screenshot: HoYoverse / Kotaku

Genshin Impact is celebrating some huge milestones as its expansive 5.0 update coincides with its fourth anniversary. While the highlights for Version 5.0 include the long-awaited introduction of the Natlan nation (albeit with some controversy) and some new characters, one notable anniversary event is offering a free 5-star character to acquire.

Called A Quest to Kindle Ancient Flames, this event allows you to choose one of seven 5-star characters to add for free. These seven are the same that you can receive from the standard Wanderlust Invocation banner if the low odds are in your favor. While each has value, there are some that most will want to prioritize. Here’s a breakdown of what makes each character worth it.

How to unlock a free 5-star character in Genshin Impact

The Events Overview Menu, highlighting seven different characters.

Screenshot: HoYoverse / Kotaku

Thankfully, it’s not too difficult to access the A Quest to Kindle Ancient Flames event. The sole requirement is to finish the first act of the prologue and unlock the Wish system. That means you’re all set if you’re a seasoned player, and just need to play through the first hour if you’re new.

Picking the character only takes a few seconds. Simply head to the Events Overview menu and scroll to the event’s tab. Click on Invite Character and then select and confirm who you want on the next screen. It’s that easy! But who to choose?! Click Next for a summary of each.

Dehya points a very big sword toward the camera.

Screenshot: HoYoverse

We’re starting this list with the poorest choice first, so fans shouldn’t be surprised to see Dehya here. It always hurts to say it, because she’s one of the coolest-looking and most badass characters in the game, but she just plain sucks. Her damage isn’t great, she doesn’t combo well with most other characters, and some elements of her kit don’t feel fun. She’s not even unique on this list as there’s the more consistent Pyro Claymore character worth playing with.

That’s not to say everyone should avoid her like the plague. If you don’t care about the meta and choosing the absolute best, there’s nothing wrong Dehya. She does get better the more you build up her Constellations, and more importantly, she still looks cool as hell.

Qiqi has a dilemma over her zombie status, on a nice green hill.

Screenshot: HoYoverse / Kotaku

Next on the list is Qiqi. Healers are pretty invaluable in this game, and Qiqi is capable of outputting some big healing numbers. However, she’s arguably outperformed by others in the same role due to her long cooldowns and majority focus on healing. There’s a much more dependable and versatile healer to choose later on this list.

The right team can support Qiqi well enough though, and it’s easy for her to save the team right back when they’re on the brink of death. To top it all off, this short zombie girl is cute as a button and she’s the only Cryo user on this list. Those who enjoy Cryo elemental reactions, or simply like the character, will benefit from adding her to their teams.

The character screen shows Diluc, a red-haired man with a hawk perched on his wrist.

Screenshot: HoYoverse / Kotaku

If a Pyro user with a big sword is what you’re looking for, but you want someone more dependable than Dehya, you can’t go wrong with Diluc. He can pile on damage super easily, especially when his skill can be used three times in a row before cooldown and his Elemental Burst requires little energy to use.

I’ve found him to be a lot of fun to explore with too. His claymore breaks items down quickly, and the uptime of his skill makes it great for puzzles. There have certainly been stronger Pyro DPS introduced during the game’s lifetime, but Diluc is reliable and effective. You can’t go wrong with him.

Kequing stands in front of a building, a dog sat on the steps behind her.

Screenshot: HoYoverse

In contrast to the slow and heavy claymore DPS so far, Keqing is a refreshingly quick Electro Sword character. Her attacks come in fast and with wide range, meshing well with AoE-based skill and burst moves. Pair her with a Dendro team to make great use of their plethora of Elemental Reactions.

I’d be remiss to not mention the practicality of her skill as well. Keqing can teleport to the mark left behind by the ability, making it great for combat in addition to exploring. I’m always tempted to keep her on my team solely to avoid some of the monotonous climbing.

Mona casts some magic from beneath her very fetching hat.

Image: HoYoverse / Kotaku

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as seeing massive damage numbers over your enemies. Mona excels at making this happen thanks to an Elemental Burst that can drastically buff a follow-up attack. As a Hydro Catalyst character, she can constantly barrage with element damage and inflict the Wet status on enemies.

Her unique sprint that moves quicker over water is notably useful too. For those like me who love exploring but hate having to cross long stretches of water, Mona helps a lot. Just remember that she needs to start sprinting on land first before transitioning to the water.

The character screen showing Jean, a blonde woman with a dandelion in her hand.

Screenshot: HoYoverse / Kotaku

Remember when I said there was a better healer on this list? That title belongs to Jean. Not only does her Elemental Burst heal the entire party, but her first passive gives her normal attacks a 50 percent chance to heal the party as well. She can also easily slot into a DPS role thanks to her huge Anemo damage. Being able to launch enemies into the air for some impressive fall damage is the cherry on top.

Not many characters, much less healers, can match her versatility. There’s a good reason why Jean has remained a prominent healer choice in the community. If you’re a new player, this is actually who I recommend choosing. Even though I’m about to argue she’s not the best on this list, I do believe newcomers will benefit the most from having her on their teams. She’s great enough to carry you through the initial chapters to the more challenging endgame content like Spiral Abyss.

The character screen shows Tighnari, who is holding one of his bunny ears.

Screenshot: HoYoverse / Kotaku

The Dendro element and its elemental reactions are pretty highly favored by the fan base, which already gives Tighnari an advantage. What cements him at the number one spot here is that he’s the best DPS from the Standard banner. He can set up elemental reactions quickly, and help dish out damage just as fast. Dendro-related puzzles are also made easy since you only need to charge up a bow attack to trigger them.

Tighnari might not be a great pick for you if you’re not a fan of bow weapons. I certainly hate using them whenever I decide to play Genshin Impact with a controller. What helps in Tighnari’s case is that his Elemental Skill distracts enemies and reduces the charge time for his next three shots. Even better is that his Elemental Burst, while dealing low damage, auto-targets and requires little energy to fill. It can’t be understated how effortless he makes dealing damage with other characters.

These are great choices. Even the most mid of 5-star characters will have something that helps them shine compared to others. Whether you’re a newcomer looking for a proper DPS or a long-time player interested in the one character you don’t have yet, any of these will be a fine addition.

Just make sure to confirm your choice sooner rather than later. A Quest to Kindle Ancient Flames lasts until October 8, 2024. I suggest adding the free character ASAP, especially if you plan on playing Genshin Impact on Xbox the following month.