In the release of Genshin Impact’s 3.1 update, players now have access to the vast deserts southwest of Sumeru. As far as the eye can see are sandy dunes and towering mountain landscapes that are filled with wondrous scenery. Footprints trail the player’s character and the sand gives way to the weight that sinks into it with each movement and action taken. It makes for beautiful immersion and is only one of the amazing things to discover in this desert along with all manners of strange creatures and tombs full of dark secrets. And with the arrival of the desert also debut two new characters available for the roster, Cyno and Candace.
Candace
A resident born and raised in Aaru village, Candace acts as a guardian to uphold the rules of the village, caring for all those that stay there and guiding all those that stumble upon the area in need of assistance. She is protective of her fellow villagers and is not afraid to raise her weapon against those that would disturb the peace of her home. Though, there is more to her than meets the eye, specifically her own eye as she sports a different colored amber left eye and is said to be the descendant of the late Scarlet King, Deshret. Candace is an easy-going person however with a very peaceful and amicable personality. Her true goal is only to be of help to any of those that need it.
Candace is a polearm wielder while specializing in Hydro, with her shield she is able to deflect damage off herself, and once ascended to a high enough stage, is able to reflect it back onto enemies. Players can either tap her skill to dash forward with a hydro attack or hold to defend with her shield that will turn into her attacking with an AOE once the duration is up, enough damage is taken or automatically once she is high enough level. Candace’s burst deals Hydro damage around her and changes all physical attacks to Hydro for both herself and her party for a certain amount of time. She scales primarily off of HP so it is advised to focus on these stats when building her because it will reflect both in her damage absorption as well as her team’s damage output.
Cyno
After having first been introduced in Genshin Impact’s web novel several years back, Cyno has been a character rumored to dwell in Sumeru for many months and has been highly expected throughout the summer. Whether you are reuniting with him after many years or greeting him for the first time, Cyno is the general of the Mahamatra, a group of people who oversee the studies of the academy in Sumeru. Due to the many students that roam its halls, the Mahamatra keep track of those who would delve too deep to study forbidden topics or go about unsightly tactics to gather more information. He is feared among the scholars for his intimidating and unforgiving nature to the academy. But it is said he is someone who advocates for justice and believes that knowledge and the pursuit of such is a delicate balance in which curiosity is healthy, but greed can extend to even that of seeking more knowledge.
True to Hoyoverse’s theme of recently releasing similar weaponed characters, Cyno also uses a polearm but instead uses Electro as his Vision element. His skill deals Electro damage as he lunges forward with his spear but alters once he’s entered his burst mode. Summoning a spirit to him, all his attacks become charged with electro and more aggressive as he rakes and claws at his enemies. Occasionally, the screen changes as an eye motif takes over; timing this with Cyno’s skill, the player can increase the damage dealt when using the skill during the burst and extend the duration that Cyno is in that state. To be built like a DPS, Cyno requires attack and crit stats so that he can perform well. Elemental mastery will also increase his damage since this unit makes for a great addition to any team that has mixed elements within it. The more diverse the characters are, the more damage he will deal.
Which character were you most excited for? And who did you pull for? Let us know down in the comments.
Jordan is a student studying Digital and Print Journalism at the University of North Texas. After discovering how much fun gaming journalism can be, she hopes to make a career in it once she graduates. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys playing games such as Genshin Impact, Ace Attorney, and Fire Emblem or watching Murder, She Wrote late at night on weekdays.
