Baizhu or Ganyu? Genshin Impact 3.6 second half banner evaluation

If you're not cheating on it with HoYoverse's latest game, Honkai: Star Rail, you might remember that Genshin Impact version 3.6 is now at its second half.

The character banners feature the debuts of two new Dendro characters, the 5-star catalyst user Baizhu and 4-star claymore wielder Kaveh, as well as another rerun for 5-star Cryo bow user Ganyu.

With how Dendro and its myriad elemental reactions have been dominating the metagame, should you get the new Dendro characters to keep up with the meta? Is it worth it to keep rolling with Cryo and get Ganyu instead? What about their signature weapons? Read on and we’ll help you decide.

Need a Dendro healer AND shielder? Get Baizhu

Baizhu will be the game’s first 5-star Dendro healer, which already makes him a worthwhile pick for the defensive utility and versatility he will bring to your Dendro teams. Not only does he provide reliable healing with his skill, he can also summon a shield with his ultimate and boost the damage dealt by Dendro-related elemental reactions.

Baizhu’s skill summons a spirit that attacks nearby enemies and then heals his teammates after dealing 3 attacks or if there are no enemies nearby. With a cooldown of 10 seconds, you can use this skill at the beginning and end of your rotation to make sure your party remains healthy throughout battle.

Meanwhile, Baizhu’s ultimate provides a shield, healing, and off-field Dendro application when used. It generates a new shield every 2.5 seconds, heals the active character, and deals Dendro damage to nearby enemies to help drive elemental reactions.

As if all that defensive utility wasn’t enough, Baizhu also helps the team offensively by boosting the damage of all Dendro-related elemental reactions based on his Max HP thanks to his A4 passive.

Baizhu will be a great addition to any Dendro team, as he consolidates all defensive utility and allows you to run more offense-oriented characters in your party.

For example, a Hyperbloom Alhaitham team typically includes the likes of Kuki Shinobu or Sangonomiya Kokomi to provide a measure of healing at the expense of some damage. You can replace them with Baizhu and run more offensive supports like Fischl or Yelan instead.

And while Baizhu will generally remain off-field, he can also be a good on-field driver for reactions as his normal attacks deal Dendro DMG by virtue of being a catalyst user.

Baizhu is very easy to build too as his entire kit scales of his Max HP. He can carry the 4-piece Deepwood Memories artifact set to help boost the party’s damage while stacking as much HP as possible to boost his healing and shielding capabilities.

So if you’re struggling to keep your Dendro teams alive in battle, then Baizhu will be a great addition. Not only will he keep his teammates healthy, he’ll also give a significant boost to their damage while easing teambuilding restrictions.

Don’t have a Cryo DPS yet? Get Ganyu

Ganyu has been one of the best DPS characters in Genshin Impact since her release, and she remains a strong pick even if Dendro has been dominating the meta. And while the beloved Cocogoat is mainly played as an on-field Main DPS, her kit is versatile enough that she can also be played as an off-field burst support.

Ganyu’s bread-and-butter is her Charged Attack, which has an extra charge level that fires off a Frostflake Arrow.

After a Frostflake Arrow hits its initial target, it will bloom (not to be confused with the Dendro elemental reaction) and deal additional Cryo DMG in the surrounding area. Ganyu’s A1 passive further boosts her Frostlake Arrows by increasing their Crit Rate by a whopping 20% for 5 seconds.

Ganyu’s skill summons an Ice Lotus that taunts nearby enemies, letting her freely unleash Frostflake Arrows from a distance. Meanwhile, her burst unleashes a blizzard in a huge area that inflicts massive Cryo DMG to enemies.

Ganyu’s A4 passive empowers her burst by granting a 20% Cryo DMG bonus to any active party members within its area-of-effect.

As mentioned before, there are two main ways to play Ganyu: first is as the on-field Main DPS that primarily relies on her Frostflake Arrows while the second is as an off-field burst support that plays around her burst.

One of Ganyu’s biggest strengths as a Main DPS is how easier it is to build her relative to other DPS characters. She can easily get ideal Crit ratios thanks to her passives and the Cryo Resonance, easing the Crit hunt when getting her artifacts as you only need to look for more Crit DMG.

As a burst support, she deals a ton of damage on her own while also buffing her allies’ Cryo DMG thanks to her A4 passive.

Ganyu remains one of the strongest characters in the game, so if you don’t have a strong Cryo character yet, then she’s a worthwhile addition to your account.

Should you get Baizhu and Ganyu’s signature weapons?

Unlike other 5-star characters, you don’t really need to get Baizhu and Ganyu’s signature weapons in order to make good use of them.

In Baizhu’s case, you already have two great weapon options without spending any Primogems in the form of the craftable 4-star Prototype Amber and the 3-star Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers.

The Prototype Amber gives Baizhu a hefty amount of HP while also helping him generate more energy after using his burst, which significantly helps with his energy requirements. Meanwhile, the Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers also provides good HP substats while also providing a huge ATK boost to the character you switch to once you switch out Baizhu.

Of course, if you have Primogems to spare, then feel free to get Baizhu’s signature weapon, the Jadefall Splendor. It provides a massive HP substat while also giving him energy and Elemental DMG bonus after using his burst or creating a shield.

Meanwhile, Amos’ Bow is considered as Ganyu’s signature weapon. It makes sense as it gives a lot of ATK while boosting the damage of her Charged Attacks. However, we don’t recommend going out of your way to get it in this weapon banner.

While Amos’ Bow was Ganyu’s best weapon when she was released, it has since been outpaced by other 5-star bows. The Polar Star, Aqua Simulacra, and Thundering Pulse are all better options. So, if you have those, it’s better to give them to Ganyu instead of pulling for a worse weapon.

In addition, Amos’ Bow can be acquired through the Standard Banner, so there’s a good chance that you already have one if you’ve played the game long enough.

If not, 4-star bows like Mouun’s Moon and Prototype Crescent are also competitive and less-expensive options. The latter is especially good since it’s freely craftable.

What about Kaveh?

If you’re pulling for Baizhu or Ganyu, then you’re also likely to get Kaveh. He’s basically a 4-star version of Nilou, boosting the damage of the Bloom reaction and making Dendro Cores explode instantly.

While his Bloom damage boost is a step below Nilou’s, he isn’t restricted to having only Dendro and Hydro characters on his team.

Kaveh can use both his skill and burst to make any nearby Dendro Cores explode instantly, with his burst also giving his attacks a Dendro infusion to help create more Dendro Cores. Kaveh will have to remain as the on-field driver though, as unlike Nilou his damage bonuses will go away when he leaves the field.

Kaveh’s Bloom damage boosts also scale off his Elemental Mastery, so it’s a bit harder to optimize his build unlike Nilou. And while his A2 passive heals him whenever he is damaged by an exploding Dendro Core, you still need to bring along a healer.

Of course, Kaveh does have the edge over Nilou in that he can have teammates that aren’t Dendro or Hydro. For example, you can have an Anemo character in your Kaveh teams to help with grouping up enemies.

Genshin Impact version 3.6 is slated to run from 12 April to 21 May. After version 3.6 comes version 3.7, which will see the debut of new character Kirara and is expected to be released in late May.

Yan Ku is a full-time dog parent, part-time (gacha) gamer, and part-time writer.

If you like Genshin Impact and would like to know more about the game, the characters, the mechanics, and even the lore, check our our Genshin Impact page. From character builds and weapon recommendations, to the inner workings of the pity system, to an in-depth look into the story of the Genshin Impact universe, we've got you covered.

For more gaming news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooGamingSEA. Also follow us on Twitter, as well as our Gaming channel on YouTube, and check out Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia’s Facebook page!