A recent leak circulating from the Telegram channel “Team Mew” suggests that Genshin Impact‘s upcoming Version 5.8 will not include any new playable characters. If true, this would make it one of the few recent updates without any debut characters, instead potentially focusing entirely on rerun banners.
This kind of gap between character releases could be a blessing in disguise for many players. With Natlan’s final stretch approaching, HoYoverse is expected to soon begin teasing the first characters from Nod Krai, Genshin’s next major expansion. That means 5.8 could serve as a perfect savings patch for players looking to build up their Primogem reserves ahead of an entirely new roster of characters expected in 6.0 and beyond.
While 5.8 might lack fresh faces on the banners, leaks also point to it being a substantial map expansion update-introducing the Mare Jivari region located to the west of Natlan. This hidden lore-rich area has been hinted at multiple times in-game. Mare Jivari is likely the small, barely textured landmass which can be seen in-game. That being said, players are expecting this to simply be the entrace to a much larger map expansion.
With no new 5-stars scheduled, the banners will likely consist of reruns, with characters like Chasca, Mualani, and other recent additions being strong candidates. That could make 5.8 a solid catch-up patch for newer players who missed these limited-time banners the first time around.
Whether you’re planning to skip the banners or pull for anyone you’ve missed, 5.8 is shaping up to be more of a transitional patch-quiet on the banner front, but potentially loud in terms of story and exploration.
