Genshin Impact 4.0 Update: Two free characters, 12 new weapons, Fontaine artifacts, and more news

The big Genshin Impact 4.0 update revealed much content about it in the recent official Special Program. That livestream showed off two free characters, several new weapons to get, two new sets of artifacts, and much more. This article will cover some of the essential parts of that livestream. A video will be provided at the bottom if you haven't seen the Special Program yet.

One major part of Genshin Impact 4.0 to look forward to is the debut of Fontaine. Several new characters were displayed, and a hint of the new storyline was featured. Let's look at the characters that players could get for free and the multitude of new weapons and artifacts.

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Genshin Impact 4.0 news: Free characters, several new weapons and artifacts, and other additions

Lynette is one of the free characters (Image via HoYoverse)

There are two free characters available in Genshin Impact 4.0. Lynette will be available to Adventure Rank 25 or higher people via The Curtain Never Falls on Magic event. Thankfully, this event is permanent, meaning anybody can get a free copy of her in future Version Updates if they're Adventure Rank 25 or higher.

Bennett is the other free unit (Image via HoYoverse)

Bennett will also be available as a free character, but only in the Mega Meka Melee event in Genshin Impact 4.0. Mega Meka Melee will be the big event in this upcoming update, although the exact criteria for unlocking Bennett are yet to be revealed.

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Banners

In related news, Lyney and Yelan will be the 5-star characters on the first banner. That means the release date for their Wishes is August 16, 2023. Lynette will be one of the featured 4-stars on their banners. Zhongli and Tartaglia will be the featured 5-stars for the second half of the update, with Freminet being one of the promoted 4-stars.

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12 new weapons

There is a total of 12 new weapons in Genshin Impact 4.0. The First Great Magic is Lyney's signature weapon and will be available on the first Epitome Invocation. Here are the forgeable weapons:

• Finale of the Deep (4-star Sword)
• Flowing Purity (4-star Catalyst)
• Rightful Reward (4-star Polearm)
• Song of Stillness (4-star Bow)
• Tidal Shadow (4-star Claymore)

Fleuve Cendre Ferryman is a 4-star Sword obtained from the Fontaine Fishing Association.

These are the Battle Pass weapons (Image via HoYoverse)

People who want to spend real-life money on Battle Passes could also get one of the following choices:

• Ballad of the Fjords (4-star Polearm).
• Sacrificial Jade (4-star Catalyst).
• Scion of the Blazing Sun (4-star Bow).
• Talking Stick (4-star Claymore).
• Wolf-Fang (4-star Sword).

If you purchased each Battle Pass since Version 1.0, you should have R5'd all original Battle Pass weapons by now.

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New artifacts

There are two new artifact sets (Image via HoYoverse)

The two new artifact sets to be introduced in Genshin Impact 4.0 are as follows:

• Golden Troupe
• Marechaussee Hunter

Not much was revealed about them, except that the new artifacts are obtainable from a Domain of Blessing called Denouement of Sin.

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Genshin Impact 4.0 release date

The big Fontaine update will launch at 11:00 am (UTC+8) on August 16, 2023. Anybody interested in checking out the complete Special Program for this patch can find the full livestream in the above video embed. Plenty of miscellaneous content, like new character animations in menus, diving underwater, and new enemies in the above broadcast to witness.