Version 7.1 is live, and I have spent the better part of a morning staring at two new five-star portraits the way a lighthouse keeper studies two ships approaching from opposite horizons — knowing that only one of them is likely to reach my harbor. The patch brings Vesna (Anemo) and Vodyanitsa (Hydro) to the character event wishes, plus two brand-new five-star weapons, Beyond the Chrysalis (Sword) and Hymn of the Maelstrom (Catalyst), in Epitome Invocation. Everything runs until 2026-10-13 17:59, so I have a deadline to make a decision I will probably second-guess anyway.
The Banner at a Glance
Here is the layout I have been scribbling into a notebook, because my memory is a colander and Primogems are water.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Patch | Version 7.1 |
| Duration | After the 7.1 update – 2026-10-13 17:59 |
| New 5★ Characters | Vesna (Anemo, "Snowy Banquet's Sharp Blade"), Vodyanitsa (Hydro, "Lingering Siren-Song") |
| Rate-Up 4★ Characters | Diona (Cryo), Faruzan (Anemo), Chongyun (Cryo) |
| New 5★ Weapons | Beyond the Chrysalis (Sword), Hymn of the Maelstrom (Catalyst) |
| Rate-Up 4★ Weapons | New Bough (Sword), Winter's Heavy Heart (Catalyst), Breezeborne Refrain (Bow), Favonius Greatsword (Claymore), Dragon's Bane (Polearm) |
Both character banners share the same four-star lineup and run concurrently. More importantly for anyone counting pulls, pity is shared between Character Event Wish and Character Event Wish-2. That single mechanic is the closest thing this patch offers to mercy.
Vesna: An Anemo Blade With No Manual
Vesna carries the title "Snowy Banquet's Sharp Blade," and as an Anemo unit she almost certainly leans on Swirl reactions and crowd control. That is where my confidence ends. Official materials do not detail her kit, which means I am effectively buying a ticket to a play whose script has not been printed.
What I do know is that Faruzan is rate-up on this very banner, and Faruzan is the closest thing Anemo has to a dedicated hype woman. If Vesna turns out to be a main DPS, a core of Vesna + Faruzan + Bennett + Zhongli feels like the default guess. If she is a support, she slots into almost anything as a Viridescent Venerer holder. Speculation is cheap; testing is not.
Vodyanitsa: The Siren I Cannot Quite Hear Yet
Vodyanitsa, "Lingering Siren-Song," is a Hydro five-star. Hydro remains the backbone of Vaporize and Freeze, so her floor is reasonably high simply by existing. Players without a premium Hydro carry — think Neuvillette or Furina — may find her tempting on element alone.
Possible homes include Vaporize shells with Xiangling and Bennett, Freeze setups with Ayaka and Shenhe, or, if she is a support, a straight swap for Xingqiu or Yelan in select teams. That is three different futures for one character, and I am not going to pretend I know which one arrives.
The Weapon Banner Is a Trap, and I Say That With Affection
Beyond the Chrysalis and Hymn of the Maelstrom arrive with no published stats or passives. The Epitomized Path system is available, so I can chart a course toward one of them, but charting a course is not the same as guaranteeing I will not run aground. The four-star pool is genuinely strong, though — Favonius Greatsword for energy and Dragon's Bane for reaction damage are evergreen picks.
My rule for this banner: only pull if I want both five-stars or I am hunting a specific four-star. Otherwise I stay away.
How I Am Actually Planning My Pulls
With two new five-stars and two new five-star weapons, 7.1 is a Primogem sink shaped like a patch. The 6.x and 7.x cycles have kept the pressure on with very little downtime, and my reserves are feeling the squeeze.
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🎯 Free-to-play: pick exactly one target. If I lack a strong Anemo or Hydro DPS, I choose the element my account actually needs and let the other banner pass.
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💧 Low spenders: Welkin Moon or Battle Pass can top up pulls, but spreading resources across both characters and the weapon banner is how accounts end up with four half-finished projects.
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🔁 Pity flexibility: because the two character banners share pity, I can build count on one and switch later without losing progress.
I keep reminding myself that pity carries over between banners the way a borrowed umbrella follows me between storms — useful, but never quite where I left it.
Test Run First, Regret Later
The Test Run trial event is open for the duration of this wish period. Fixed lineups let me try Vesna and Vodyanitsa in dedicated stages, and completing the challenges pays out Primogems and materials. It is a risk-free audition, and given how little kit information exists right now, it is the only responsible first step.
What I Am Waiting For
Community theorycrafting will decide this patch for me, not the marketing copy. Anemo and Hydro are both crowded elements, and "new" is not the same as "necessary." My plan is simple: run the trials, read the math, and then commit to one target before 2026-10-13 17:59.
Two five-stars at once is like being handed two lifeboats and told the ocean is optional. I only need one — I just have to be sure it floats.
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