Developer HoYoVerse has officially unveiled the ability kit details for Skirk, an upcoming 5-Star Genshin Impact character. Originally mentioned as early as Genshin Impact version 1.1, Skirk made an appearance in version 4.2, and is set to debut in the playable roster in update 5.7.
For veteran Genshin Impact players, Skirk has been a long time coming. She was originally mentioned in passing as a teacher of Tartaglia (a.k.a. Childe), a Fatui Harbinger. However, she was only seen for the first time years later, when the Traveler journeyed to Fontaine and helped wrap up its crisis. Hints and leaks about Skirk and her origin indicate that she has deep ties to hidden history, and may not even be native to the Genshin Impact world of Teyvat, making her a potential game-changer in both a narrative and mechanical sense.
Genshin Impact Leak Reveals Skirk's Signature Weapon
A new Genshin Impact leak reveals the signature weapon for the upcoming five-star character Skirk, who is expected to arrive in update 5.7.
Now HoYoVerse has dropped the official details about Skirk's ability kit in the form of a customary character profile posted on the official HoYoLab community site and the official Reddit board. The reveal of Skirk's skills and ability data confirms that the official release of Skirk during Genshin Impact 5.7 will align closely to her beta test version, indicating that, for the moment, HoYoVerse has settled on how she'll play and her potential impact on the in-game meta.
Genshin Impact: Skirk's Kit Explained
- Normal Attacks: Havoc: Sunder - 5 consecutive attacks
- Charge Attack: Havoc: Sunder - Hurls a crystal spear to damage opponents in front
- Elemental Skill (Tap): Havoc: Warp - Gains Serpent's Subtlety and enters Seven-Phase Flash mode, which adds Cryo infusion to normal attacks, increasing damage, range, and enhancing interruption resist
- Elemental Skill (Hold): Havoc: Warp - Absorbs nearby Void Rifts to gain Serpent's Subtlety and move at high speed (including over water)
- Elemental Burst (Normal): Havoc: Ruin - Spends Serpent's Subtlety to deal AoE Cryo damage with rapid slashes
- Elemental Burst (Seven-Phase Flash): Havoc: Extinction - Absorbs Void Rifts and boosts normal attack damage
- Talent: Reason Beyond Reason - Creates Void Rifts when party members trigger Frozen, Superconduct, Cryo Swirl, or Cryo Crystallize (each absorbed Void Rift grants 8 Serpent's Subtlety)
- Talent: Return to Oblivion - Gains Death Crossing buff when Hydro and Cryo party members hit with elemental attacks, increasing normal attack damage in Seven-Phase Flash mode and damage of Havoc: Rui
- Passive: Mutual Weapons Mentorship - +1 to all party members' Elemental Skill level when there is at least 1 Hydro and 1 Cryo character and all party members are Hydro/Cryo
Skirk is characterized as a "flexible" 5-Star Cryo sword-wielding character that focuses on dealing damage, but can be used for both on-field and quick-swap roles, depending on a player's preference and roster. As players level up and ascend Skirk and improve her talents, they'll want to team Skirk up with party members capable of triggering Cryo reactions like Freeze and Superconduct, as she builds and spends a special energy called Serpent's Subtlety from them. Her elemental skill, Havoc: Warp, can change depending on whether a player taps or holds the skill button. Tapping switches her combat style to Seven-Phase Flash mode, suitable for dealing continuous Cryo damage. Holding the button increases Skirk's interruption resistance and allows her to move at extreme speed, even walking on water.
Skirk also generates power-ups called Void Rifts in combat, which add to her Serpent's Subtlety and allow her to maintain her combat modes. Her Elemental Burst, Havoc: Ruin, does high AoE Cryo damage almost instantaneously. Skirk's Elemental Burst can even change if she's in Seven-Phase Flash mode when it's used, turning into Havoc: Extinction and absorbing all nearby Void Rifts to vastly increase her normal attack damage.
The versatility and potentially high damage output of Skirk could help Genshin Impact return Cryo to primacy as a top-tier element, considering that she reportedly has high synergy with popular characters like Furina and the recently released Escoffier. Considering that Skirk's teasing has lasted for much of Genshin Impact's existence so far, it's easy to see why she's so highly anticipated among fans.
Genshin Impact
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- September 28, 2020
- ESRB
- Teen / Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
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!
- Engine
- Unity
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Cross Save
- All platforms
- PC Release Date
- September 28, 2020
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- November 20, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- April 28, 2021
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action, Adventure, Gacha, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, iOS, Android
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
- X|S Optimized
- yes
