Version 1.3 of Genshin Impact will be arriving next week, and an exciting new event allows players to choose a 4-star playable character for free. The game rarely gives out characters for free, so fans are understandably thrilled. This means acquiring a decent character without having to spend Primogems or Fates - and without having to rely on RNG through Genshin Impact's gacha pulls.
The Version 1.3 update of Genshin Impact will focus on the Lantern Rite Festival in Liyue. Xiao will finally become a Banner character, and several new events related to the festival will allow players to get all sorts of rare items, Fates, and even a free character. In order to get a character for free, though, players will have to participate in the Stand By Me Event, which is supposed to launch in-game at the same time the 1.3 update releases.
Giving away free characters is unusual in Genshin Impact, but it isn't unheard of. Several characters, including Xiangling in the Spiral Abyss and Fischl in Unreconciled Stars, have been offered for free in exchange for completing challenges. The upcoming Stand By Me Event works in a similar way, as players must complete challenges related to the Lantern Rite Festival in order to receive a free character.
Genshin Impact 1.3: All Free Characters Explained
The free characters that players can choose from are Xiangling, Xinyan, Beidou, Ningguang, Xingqui, and Chongyun. These are all the 4-star Liyue characters currently available in the game. With the exception of Xiangling, who's been available in the Spiral Abyss, this will be the first time these characters can be acquired without using the gacha-pull Wish system in Genshin Impact.
This is a pretty big deal, especially considering that characters like Xingqui usually rank pretty high on players' tier lists and make great additions to some of Genshin Impact's best team builds. With the exception of Anemo, every Element currently in the game is represented, which means there are lots of options for players to choose from. Picking a character that will complement a player's current team or fill a missing Element slot will be key.
Version 1.3 of Genshin Impact appears to be a fairly small update, but it's still bringing a lot of new content and features to the game. The Stand By Me Event is arguably the most exciting event in the 1.3 update, since it allows players to get a 4-star Liyue character for free. That's incredibly useful - and pretty rare - in Genshin Impact. Unfortunately, players can only choose one free character, so they'll need to decide wisely.