Genshin Impact 2.0 just released earlier this week, allowing fans to go exploring the new islands of Inazuma. New characters have been added to the roster like Kamisato Ayaka, and more are on their way with Genshin Impact 2.1. However, there was recently a new announcement for an unsuspected new arrival in a collaboration event with PlayStation.
This new arrival is Horizon Zero Dawn's Aloy. It was announced that Aloy would be crossing over into the Genshin Impact universe as a limited PS4 and PS5 exclusive character. Players that log in on their PlayStation will receive 5-Star Cryo elemental Aloy for free after the 2.1 Genshin Impact update. As a bonus, players will also receive a 4-star Predator Bow, which can be equipped to Aloy to give her 66 bonus damage - similar to how the Sword of Descension can give the Traveler bonus damage. For anyone playing on PC or mobile, they’ll have to wait until Genshim Impact 2.2 is released to obtain Aloy.
Given Aloy’s expert use of a bow in Horizon Zero Dawn, it’s no wonder that she was given a bow in Genshin Impact, but this could have a bit of a downside depending on how her unannounced abilities compare to others. Currently, Aloy is a Cryo bow user, of which there are two other Cryo bow users in the game already - Ganyu and Diona. Luckily, Ganyu and Diona have very different playstyles with Ganyu being a DPS character, and Diona being more of a support healer (although she does have DPS builds).
How Horizon's Aloy Compares To Other Cryo Users In Genshin Impact
Many Cryo users within Genshin Impact have an AoE type of attack to allow for elemental reactions in a large radius, but with Aloy’s abilities still up in the air, it’s hard to say how she’ll fit into the Cryo Character category. Basing her skills off Horizon Zero Dawn, Aloy could likely have some sort of Cryo trap for her enemies to walk into like her tripwires, or a throwable object like the slingshot bombs. She could also have the ability to charge her bow with Cryo and stack in 2 bonus Cryo arrows similar to how she can fire 3 arrows at once in Horizon. As for an Elemental Burst, it’s hard to say what it could be. Maybe she can call in a Cryo Robo-dino who spits exploding Cryo balls and taunts enemies similar to Ganyu’s Ice Lotus, giving Aloy plenty of time to pick them off with her bow while they’re distracted.
Looking at Aloy’s skillset in Horizon Zero Dawn, along with her fearless approach to fighting enemies, and the bonus ability of the Predator Bow, it’s probably a safe bet that Aloy won’t be a support or healer type like Qiqi or Diona, but rather a DPS main like Ganyu or Eula. Ganyu is arguably Genshin Impact's best Cryo user at the moment with Eula, Qiqi, Diona, and Rosaria following closely behind. Each Cryo user has something they’re better at, and with Superconduct being one of the strongest Elemental Reactions in the game, a good Cryo user is a great asset to any team.
Players will have to wait for miHoYo to release more information on the upcoming Genshin Impact character to know more. As a 5-Star Cryo user, Aloy should end up being quite the valuable asset, and may even take Ganyu’s spot as the best DPS Cryo character. It all depends on how miHoYo deals with Aloy’s abilities. As a free character, though, she could be very useful for those who have a hard time pulling characters with Primogems, and she’ll undoubtedly beat out Kaeya in a free-to-play party.