Varesa vs Xianyun in Genshin Impact 5.5: Who should you pull for?

Version 5.5 for Genshin Impact will be released soon, along with two banners. Varesa, a new 5-star Electro DPS, will make her debut, while Xianyun, a 5-star Anemo support, will have her first rerun since version 4.4. These banners for Phase 1 will be available from March 26, 2025, to April 15, 2025.

Additionally, their signature weapons will be featured on the weapon banner, Epitome Invocation, which will stay for the same duration. Xianyun is an Anemo support for plunge teams. Varesa is looking to be one of the best electro-DPS characters in Genshin Impact. As a result, players may be confused about which banner to pull for.

So, this article will discuss Varesa and Xianyun's skills and advantages to help you decide which character would be the best to pull for in Genshin Impact 5.5 Phase 1 banners. You must also remember that the choice depends on what your account needs.

Note: Some parts of this article are subjective and solely depend on the writer's opinions.

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Varesa vs Xianyun: Who should you pull for in Genshin Impact 5.5?

These two characters have distinct playstyles and serve different roles in a team. Their value ultimately depends on your account's needs. The following section will discuss the character's kit and advantages in detail, which should help you decide who to pull for in the Genshin Impact 5.5 version.

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Varesa

Screenshot of Varesa (Image via HoYoverse)

Varesa is the new 5-star Electro character from the Collective of Plenty tribe in Natlan and will be released during the first phase of Genshin Impact 5.5. As a Natlan character, she can utilize the Nightsoul mechanics.

She specializes in plunge attacks, with her kit revolving around dealing more damage. Her charged attack hurls you into the air, letting you launch a plunge attack, and both attacks deal Nightsoul-aligned damage.

When she does a plunge attack on an enemy, she restores Nightsoul points. She enters the Fiery Passion state upon reaching the maximum number of Nightsoul points. In this state, her plunge damage increases significantly and consumes all of her Nightsoul points.

Additionally, her elemental skill restores her Nightsoul points and has two modes. The tap skill deals damage after rushing for a small distance. The hold skill can be used for exploration, as it is a unique run with increased speed and will consume Nightsoul points.

Varesa's ultimate deals Nightsoul-aligned damage and has a different mode. She can ignore the skill cooldown in this state and do a special ultimate with lesser energy requirements.

Overall, Varesa is one of the best Electro-DPS characters in Genshin Impact. If you are looking for a good Electro DPS, she is a solid choice. However, the only drawback is that her rotations can be complicated.

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Xianyun

Screenshot of Xianyun (Image via HoYoverse)

Xianyun, also known as Cloud Retainer, is the only 5-star Anemo plunge support in Genshin Impact and has some unique team comps.

Her elemental skill is great for exploration, as she can use it thrice and leap forward with each use. She also enters the Cloud Transmogrification state and won't take fall damage. At the end of the three charges, she can deal one instance of Skyladder damage to enemies.

Xianyun's elemental burst heals all party members based on her attack and summons a mechanism called Starwicker. This mechanism follows the active character and heals them periodically. Starwicker also has eight charges of Adeptal Assistance, increasing the active character's jump height. After the character deals plunging damage, one stack is consumed.

The Ascension one Passive for Xianyun increases the crit rate of her team by 4-10 percent depending on how many enemies you hit with her elemental skill. Her other passive adds base damage for plunging attacks when the character uses the Adeptal Assistance.

Most of her constellations are not that significant, except for the C2, which is a good stopping point. Her C2 doubles the damage of her passive, which increases the plunging attack of characters.

Overall, Xianyun is easy to build since she is a support character. Still, she could have energy issues, depending on your team. She is the only plunge support for characters like Xiao, Gaming, and Varesa, which means her team comps are slightly restrictive.

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Conclusion

Since both characters have different roles and team comps, choosing between them depends on your preferences.

Varesa would be significant for accounts that don't have Electro DPS characters like Shogun, Yae Miko, or Clorinde. She deals a lot of damage and does not need to depend on elemental reactions. This means that she has no restrictive team comps, and her best support, Iansan, is also on Varesa's banner.

Xianyun is great for players who want plunge support for Xiao, Gaming, or maybe Diluc. Coincidentally, she is also one of the best support characters for Varesa. Lastly, you can pull for both characters if you want a great team comp in Genshin Impact.