Genshin Impact Xiao Banner update: Genshin 1.3 includes Xiao but no Hu Tao expected

Genshin Impact 1.3 is being released in early February, and the main draw will be the Xiao Banner.

Offering gamers a chance at adding a new five-star character, fans will be quick to jump back in after patching their game.

This will be after Genshin update 1.3 update has been released, and there will likely be additional maintenance downtime.

Developers MiHoYo hasn’t shared its official schedule yet but you can expect that we’ll find out more in the coming days.

The Genshin Impact Xiao Banner has a release date set for Wednesday, February 3, across PS4 PC and Mobile platforms.

This will coincide with the Lantern Rite event, which will allow gamers to unlock a four-star character, with MiHoYo confirming:

“Suffice to say, Lantern Rite is a golden opportunity to experience the richness of life and culture in Liyue. Travelers who manage to accomplish all the seasonal events mentioned can earn plenty of resources and over 1,600 Primogems.

“We’ve prepared some extra little surprises to thank everyone for your ongoing support and to help you get ready for a busy year of adventuring ahead: a daily login event, in which you can claim a total of 10 free Intertwined Fate, and an event challenge offering the chance to win a four-star Liyue character of your choice.

“The grand finale of the festive period comes on the final night, when countless lanterns are released into the sky, carrying with them the wishes of Liyue’s citizens.

“With your help, it is sure to be an even more spectacular sight this year — maybe even one that the Vigilant Yaksha, Xiao, will pause to take in. Either way, if you use an HDR screen with your PS4 or PS5, we highly recommend that you take this opportunity to put our HDR Display function to the test.”

But one thing we do know isn’t being planned for Genshin Impact 1.3 is the release of Hu Tao.

Earlier rumours suggested that Hu Tao would be released after Xiao, but this doesn’t appear to be the plan for February or March.

It has now been confirmed that Keqing will be featured after Xiao, meaning we don’t know when Hu Tao will go live.

From what has been shared so far, Keqing’s Dance of Lanterns banner is expected to go live on February 17.

Not only have developers MiHoYo confirmed that they plan to release new characters, but they will also be improving the game for mobile fans.

This will be happening in the lead up to the launch of Genshin Impact 1.3. With the update itself adding new controller support for those who want to use it on iOS.

Speaking about the upcoming changes, MiHoYo told fans this week: “ We will be releasing pre-installation on mobile devices before the Version 1.3 update. This will reduce the amount of time needed to update game resources.

“You can obtain the resource package from the latest version of the game from the login menu or Other > Pre-Install Resource Package.

“You will still have to use the App Store or Google Play Store to download the latest game installation package, and the pre-installed resources will take effect automatically once the previous installation has been overwritten. We will provide more detailed instructions regarding this function soon.”

And on the new controller support, the dev team added: “The developers have heard your cries — from Version 1.3 onwards, devices that have had their operating systems upgraded to iOS 14 or higher will now support the Xbox Wireless Controller (Bluetooth Version), Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, PlayStation DualShock 4 Wireless Controller, and iOS-specialized Bluetooth controllers (partial support).”