Summary
- Arlecchino, the new 5-star unit in Genshin Impact, is a Harbinger whose leaked abilities claim she will be very powerful.
- Her kit includes the Blood-Debt Directive ability and Bond of Life mechanic, allowing her to deal damage, heal, and dominate as a Pyro DPS.
- Arlecchino's alternate sprint ability adds to her travel skills, positioning her as a potential top-tier hypercarry unit in the game's meta.
Genshin Impact is due for an update at the end of April. Version 4.6 will add many new features and, perhaps most notably, Arlecchino as a 5-star playable unit. Arlecchino is the Fourth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers who serve Snezhnaya's calculating Tsaritsa. The three Harbingers above her in the organization (Colombina, Il Dottore, and Pierro) are said to have powers that surpass those of the gods themselves. This means that Arlecchino is one of the most powerful foes that players have ever faced. She promises to be such a powerful unit that she may shake up Genshin Impact's meta with her Pyro powers.
Leaks about Arlecchino's kit suggest that she will have incredible abilities on and off the battlefield. If this leaked kit proves true, her Blood-Debt Directive ability and Bond of Life mechanic will make her an extremely powerful DPS, perhaps taking Hu Tao's place as the most powerful Pyro DPS unit. Off the battlefield, rumors suggest that Arlecchino will have a unique exploration skill that will make overworld travel a breeze.
Arlecchino's Kit Is Seriously Powerful
The Genshin Impact community is debating whether Arlecchino's leaked kit is actually too powerful. That said, it is fitting that a character with a canonical reputation like The Knave's would have significant powers, building off each other to both heal her and cause damage to her enemies. Her Blood-Debt Directive synergizes with Bond of Life.
Bond of Life
Bond of Life is an effect that other Fatui characters have activated in the game. This mechanic blocks the character from being healed and instead releases all the healing points at one time when a certain condition is met. In Arlecchino's case, leaks say she builds Bonds of Life, which can stack, when:
- Defeating enemies marked by Arlecchino's skills
- Using her Elemental Burst, All Is Ash
- Using weapons that apply a Bond of Life passively
Creating the bond is step one, and clearing the bond is the next goal. Once cleared, the bond will release the HP all at once. This means that Arlecchino keeps herself alive and healed by dealing damage and collecting kills. Bonds of Life can be cleared by the following:
- The Elemental Burst All Is Ash grants Arlecchino a Bond of Life worth 15% of her maximum HP, and clears all stacked Bonds of Life
- Arlecchino's Normal Attack, Bidden Beheading, consumes part of a Bond of Life. Because of the Bond of Life, her normal attacks become infused with Pyro DMG
Blood-Debt Directive
A Blood-Debt Directive is applied to enemies when Arlecchino uses her Elemental Skill, All Is Ash. Each Directive lasts 30 seconds and causes Pyro DMG every three seconds. When she uses Charged Attacks, Arlecchino will absorb a Directive and in turn grants her a Bond of Life worth 20% of her maximum HP. Basically, as long as Arlecchino is attacking, she will heal. It's a kind of high-risk, high-reward play style. Arlecchino promises to be a high damage DPS without the need of a healer; this combined with her high damage potential makes her a hypercarry.
Arlecchino's Alternate Sprint
Arlecchino's alternate sprint ability was leaked via footage posted to the Genshin Impact Leaks subreddit. The animation shows her summoning a giant, crimson-flamed wing that allows her to float over the ground. This is comparable to Mona or Ayaka, although Arlecchino remains visible. Leakers have indicated that this sprint cannot pull Arlecchino up cliffs, however. Furthermore, it's unclear if this ability will be capped to just a few seconds or if it will last until Arlecchino's stamina meter reaches zero. If the latter is the case, Arlecchino players can hover over the map like a one-winged angel.
Given Arlecchino's possible hypercarry potential and her travel abilities, this Fatui Harbinger looks like she will premiere as an SS quality unit. She has been referred to as a more powerful version of Hu Tao, who remains one of the best DPS units in Genshin Impact. Her existence will shake up the meta in the sense that she will likely soar to the top tier of the game's most powerful characters and become a new favorite DPS.
Genshin Impact
- Released
- September 28, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Step into Teyvat, a vast world teeming with life and flowing with elemental energy.
You and your sibling arrived here from another world. Separated by an unknown god, stripped of your powers, and cast into a deep slumber, you now awake to a world very different from when you first arrived.
Thus begins your journey across Teyvat to seek answers from The Seven — the gods of each element. Along the way, prepare to explore every inch of this wondrous world, join forces with a diverse range of characters, and unravel the countless mysteries that Teyvat holds...
MASSIVE OPEN WORLD
Climb any mountain, swim across any river, and glide over the world below, taking in the jaw-dropping scenery each step of the way. And if you stop to investigate a wandering Seelie or strange mechanism, who knows what you might discover?
ELEMENTAL COMBAT SYSTEM
Harness the seven elements to unleash elemental reactions. Anemo, Electro, Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, Dendro, and Geo interact in all sorts of ways, and Vision wielders have the power to turn this to their advantage.
Will you vaporize Hydro with Pyro, electro-charge it with Electro, or freeze it with Cryo? Your mastery of the elements will give you the upper hand in battle and exploration.
BEAUTIFUL VISUALS
Feast your eyes on the world around you, with a stunning art style, real-time rendering, and finely tuned character animations delivering you a truly immersive visual experience. Lighting and weather all change naturally over time, bringing every detail of this world to life.
SOOTHING SOUNDTRACK
Let the beautiful sounds of Teyvat draw you in as you explore the expansive world around you. Performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the soundtrack changes seamlessly with the time and gameplay to match the mood.
BUILD YOUR DREAM TEAM
Team up with a diverse cast of characters in Teyvat, each with their own unique personalities, stories, and abilities. Discover your favorite party combinations and level up your characters to help you conquer even the most daunting of enemies and domains.
JOURNEY WITH FRIENDS
Team up with friends across various platforms to trigger more elemental action, tackle tricky boss fights, and conquer challenging domains together to reap rich rewards.
As you stand atop the peaks of Jueyun Karst and take in the rolling clouds and vast terrain stretching out before you, you may wish to stay in Teyvat a little longer... But until you are reunited with your lost sibling, how can you rest? Go forth, Traveler, and begin your adventure!
- ESRB
- Teen / Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Engine
- Unity
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, iOS, Android
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action, Adventure, Gacha, Open-World
- Metascore
- 86
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- Mobile, PC, PS4 & PS5
