Nina Forneloza 
Genshin Impact update 5.0 will see players meet the Natlan characters Mualani, Kinich, and Kachina, and their release date is now confirmed.
Genshin Impact has a solid track record for releasing visually striking characters with fun playstyles, and it doesn’t look like that’s stopping anytime soon. In July 2024, Genshin Impact dropped the Natlan teaser, which not only featured the Pyro Archon, but the rest of the upcoming Natlan characters as well. Among them are Kinich, Mualani, and Kachina, who will be the first Natlan characters to join the game.
Though attention turned from Natlan to the new character Emilie shortly thereafter, the region takes center stage. During the Genshin Impact Version 5.0 Special Program, HoYoverse unveiled the wish banners for the next six-week cycle. Besides the three Natlan characters, two of the most popular units in the game, Raiden Shogun and Kazuha will also join the fray. Here are the first and second phase banners for Genshin Impact version 5.0.
Genshin Impact 5.0 update release date confirmed
Genshin Impact’s upcoming version 5.0 will go live on Wednesday, August 28, 2024.
As with past updates, version 5.0 will be split across multiple parts. The release date for Genshin Impact 5.0’s first phase is August 28, while the second phase begins September 17 and runs until October 8.
Do note that there will be a five-hour maintenance prior to the new version hitting live servers. On the bright side, players can pre-install the update to download some of the new content in advance, and start exploring Natlan as quickly as possible.
All Genshin Impact 5.0 Wish Banners for the first and second phases
Genshin Impact’s 5.0’s first phase will include Mualani and Kazuha.
Mualani hails from People of the Strings tribes of Natlan, and is confirmed to be a 5-star Hydro Catalyst DPS who deals damage based on her max HP, like Hutao, Yelan and Neuvillette. Her elemental skill is the bread-and-butter of her kit, allowing her to hop on her Sharky Surfboard to strike her enemies or to glide across both land and water.
Accompanying her is the wandering samurai of Inazuma, Kazuha. With impressive crowd control and buffing abilities, it’s no wonder this five-star Anemo Sword support has remained a fan favorite. Kazuha has been a staple in many strong team compositions, that rely on elemental reactions.
The new four-star Geo polearm unit, Kachina will also enter the lineup in Genshin Impact 5.0’s first phase. She can summon Turbo Twirly, which she can ride to quickly move from one spot to another and even climb walls. On top of that, she serves as a sub-DPS with a knack for ground slam attacks.
Meanwhile, the second phase will feature Kinich and Raiden Shogun.
Kinich is the second 5-star unit from Natlan. Much like Mualani, Kinich fills the main DPS slot. He comes with a special grappling hook that lets him latch onto enemies and deal Dendro damage. With his heavy reliance to burning and burgeon reaction, he is expected to have good synergy with upcoming Pyro characters from Natlan.
The Electro Archon, Raiden Shogun, is also scheduled to have her fifth rerun. Owing to her unparalleled off-field Electro application and powerful burst, Raiden Shogun barely struggles when slotting herself into different team comps. Be it for taser, overload, superconduct, or the quicken reaction, she does it all. She also fills many roles, from being the team’s battery, on-field DPS, off-field sub-DPS, to an Electro trigger.
