Lantern Rite returns as Genshin Impact Luna IV arrives on January 14th

For those who are acquainted with the Chinese Zodiac, 2026 is going to be the year of the horse and in the world of Genshin Impact, Liyue’s Lantern Rite is an analogue to Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year. So it’s apt that Genshin Impact’s Luna IV version is set to introduce a Horse Adeptus, Zibai into the game when its newest iteration arrives on January 14th.

The annual festival will have travelers return to the second region revealed for the title for various activities that will yield in game rewards. 

However I’m really burying the lede here as version Luna IV will move our journey through Nod -Krai closer to its conclusion as the Fatui Harbinger, Il Dottore has harnessed the power of the Moon Marrows to a point where it puts him at odds with not just the Traveler, but his fellow Harbingers Columbina and Arlecchino! 

The characters which will be joining the title in this version are Columbia Hyposelenia, aka the Moon Maiden which if you have been diligent in playing the Archon Quest someone you’ll be very familiar with. The second is Illuga, a four star Geo polearm user who is aligned with the Lightkeeper faction which has been at odds with the Wild Hunt. Finally the 3rd new character is Zibai, who will play a pivotal role during this year’s Lantern Rite.

For existing characters, players will be able to recruit the automaton, Ineffa during the first half of the update and Neuvillette during the second half. The Chief Judge of Fontaine will also be getting a new premium costume that will be discounted during this version. Dutiful players will also be able to recruit a Four-Star Liyue based character and receive a costume for Yaoyao if they participate in Lantern Rite.

Genshin Impact Version Luna IV will go live on January 14th on PC, Android, iOS, Xbox and PlayStation.

Version “Luna IV” “A Traveler on a Winter’s Night” Trailer | Genshin Impact #NewVersion #Columbina