Genshin Impact 5.6 first phase banners announced: Characters and weapons revealed

Genshin Impact version 5.6 will be released on May 7, 2025, and the first Phase banners will start on the same day. However, details regarding the 5-star units for the Phase 1 and 2 banners were revealed during the 5.6 special program on April 25, 2025. The devs disclosed more information about Ifa, the new 4-star, in the same live stream.

The Phase 1 banners will feature a new Cryo 5-star character, Escoffier, and the second re-run of a 5-star Geo unit, Navia. Moreover, they will also feature the brand new 4-star Anemo character, Ifa.

This article will list the release date, all characters, and weapons during Phase 1 of version 5.6 in Genshin Impact.

---

5.6 Phase 1 banners in Genshin Impact

The banners for Phase 1 in version 5.6 will go live from May 7, 2025, till May 27, 2025. They will contain two 5-star characters and three different 4-star characters. The weapon banner will feature the best-in-slot weapons of these 5-star characters, along with some other 4-star weapons.

HoYoverse officially revealed the information about the 4-star units for both banners on their X account.

Phase 1 Character banners

Phase 1 character banners for version 5.6 (Image via HoYoverse)

The following characters will be featured in the Phase 1 banners of version 5.6:

• Escoffier (5-star Cryo Polearm)
• Navia (5-star Geo Claymore)
• Ifa (4-star Anemo Catalyst)
• Ororon (4-star Electro Bow)
• Layla (4-star Cryo Sword)

During Phase 1, two new characters will be released, one of them being the 5-star off-field Cryo DPS Escoffier from Fontaine. The second character is a Saurian vet from Natlan, called Ifa, from the Flower-Feather clan. Moreover, he is a 4-star Anemo DPS who mostly fits into the same team comps as Yumemizuki Mizuki.

HoYoverse released the official kits for both characters on their X account. The ascension materials for the new units can also be viewed on their YouTube or X account. Lastly, Navia will have her second re-run during this Phase.

---

Phase 1 Weapon banner

Phase 1 weapon banner for version 5.6 (Image via HoYoverse)

The weapons listed below will be featured on the weapon banner, Epitome Invocation, during the first Phase of version 5.6:

• Symphonist of Scents (5-star Polearm)
• Verdict (5-star Claymore)
• Range Gauge (4-star Bow)
• The Dockhand's Assistant (4-star Sword)
• The Widsith (4-star Catalyst)
• Prospector's Drill (4-star Polearm)
• Portable Power Saw (4-star Claymore)

Players looking forward to Escoffier or Navia could also pull their signature weapons, which would benefit them greatly. Moreover, these weapons could also be utilized by other characters in Genshin.