HoYoverse has officially revealed the Phase 2 banners for the current Genshin Impact update, bringing back two Cryo-focused characters that also turn out to be perfect for each other! We are obviously talking about Skirk and Escoffier.
Both character event wishes will run from March 17 to April 7, giving you another chance to obtain the two 5-star characters.
As usual with two reruns, the two banners share the same pity counter, meaning progress toward a guaranteed 5-star carries over between them. Alongside the character banners, the Epitome Invocation weapon banner will also feature the signature weapons of both characters:
- Azurelight (Skirk’s Sword)
- Symphonist of Scents (Escoffier’s Polearm)
A Cryo and Hydro-Focused 4-Star Lineup
The supporting 4-star characters are all Hydro or Cryo characters as well. If you are pulling on either banner, you have increased drop rates for:
After Varka, the focus seems to go back to Freeze teams! This might fit upcoming bosses in the next engame content rotations.
Why Escoffier Is One of Skirk’s Best Partners
The pairing of Skirk and Escoffier is not random. In fact, you can definitely consider Escoffier one of the best supports for Skirk. Basically, Escoffier functions as a Cryo sub-DPS and buffer. She can reduce enemy resistance to both Cryo and Hydro, and that directly benefits Skirk’s damage.
Her Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst apply a Cryo and Hydro resistance shred that scales depending on how many Cryo or Hydro characters are in the team:
- 1 Cryo/Hydro character: 5% RES reduction
- 2 characters: 10% RES reduction
- 3 characters: 15% RES reduction
- 4 characters: 55% RES reduction
Because both Skirk and Escoffier perform best in teams built around Cryo and Hydro, the two characters naturally complement each other. This does not necessarily mean players must run a full Cryo and Hydro team, but doing so allows both characters to reach their highest damage potential.
Another advantage is that Escoffier’s Elemental Skill has effectively 100% uptime, meaning her resistance shred can be maintained consistently during combat rotations. For players interested in building a Freeze-focused team around Skirk, this banner phase offers one of the easiest opportunities to obtain both the main DPS and one of her strongest supports at the same time.
That, of course, also involves having enough pulls to get both at the same time.
Test Runs Available During the Banner
As usual, the Test Run event will be available during the banner period. You can try the featured characters using fixed teams in special trial stages, this way you can test their abilities before deciding to spend your Primogems on two banners.
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