A set of new leaks from Genshin Impact 5.7 has emerged, and despite the focus on Skirk as a rumored new Cryo DPS, it seems like Wriothesley’s role and status as one of the best Cryo DPS characters in the game isn’t threatened by the release. Developer HoYoverse’s action RPG is currently entering the second half of Version 5.5 and has yet to go through the entirety of Version 5.6, so Version 5.7 is still many weeks away from arriving if the game sticks to its regular six-week schedule. Even so, there have been some leaks about Version 5.7.

The more concrete leaks are about Version 5.6 because of the ongoing beta tests, but Version 5.7 leaks are emerging, revealing details about what players may expect from the future patch. The most recent set of Version 5.7 leaks highlight Skirk’s gameplay kit in Genshin Impact. The leaks indicate that the legendary swordswoman and Childe’s master will be a 5-star sword who deals Cryo DMG in combat. The leaks also show that she will have a unique system to fuel her Elemental Burst and, therefore, will not be reliant on Energy (or the Energy Recharge stat for that matter).

Click here to view the new Version 5.7 leaks.

Skirk's Kit In Genshin Impact 5.7 May Limit Her Tremendously

The Character May Only Work In Teams With Hydro & Cryo Characters, Exclusively

Another aspect of Skirk’s rumored kit is how she may be limited to a specific type of team comp. According to the aforementioned leaks, Skirk’s ive Talent gains a stack of a buff called Fallen Grace when other party deal Hydro or Cryo DMG to enemies. Fallen Grace increases her Normal Attack and Elemental Burst DMG. Up to three stacks can be obtained, have independent durations, and only one stack can be provided from each party member. If this is true, Skirk may be limited to Freeze teams, aided exclusively by Hydro and Cryo characters in Genshin Impact.

Under these circumstances, if players were to run characters of other elements in Skirk’s team comp, they would have to sacrifice a portion of the possible buff to Normal Attack and Elemental Burst DMG. Based on a more recent leak from Textmap, which was shared in a post tagged as “Questionable” on Reddit, the Normal Attack DMG buff is 10%/20%/70%, while the Burst DMG buff is 5%/15%/60% based on 1/2/3 stacks of Fallen Grace; in this leak, the stacks are called Styx Severance and each of them lasts 18 seconds. They are still only triggered by Hydro and Cryo characters.

Wriothesley Should Still Be The Best Cryo DPS In Genshin Impact

Skirk May Not Make Wriothesley Obsolete, As Previously Speculated

The same leak also provides an update to one of Skirk’s previously leaked Burst abilities. When the team triggers Freeze, Superconduct, Cryo Swirl, or Cryo Crystallize reactions, a Phantasmal Rift is created – only three can exist on the field at a time. When absorbing these Rifts through Skirk’s enhanced Charged Attacks, her Elemental Burst’s unique Energy system restores points. These Rifts were previously referred to as Spheres. Even with the possibility of using Electro, Anemo, and Geo to trigger Superconduct, Swirl, and Crystallize, respectively, players using Skirk may still be limited to Freeze team comps in Genshin Impact.

The rumored Normal Attack and Burst DMG buffs provided by the stacks are too high to disregard, forcing players to run her in Freeze teams. Ultimately, this also means Wriothesley may retain his position as the best Cryo DPS in the game, dispelling the previous speculation that Skirk would make Wriothesley obsolete as a Cryo DPS. Unlike Skirk’s rumored gameplay kit, Wriothesley’s abilities don’t limit him to a single type of team comp. The 5-star character from Fontaine is one of the most reliable Cryo DPS units, thanks to his ability to deal Cryo DMG with his Normal Attacks.

Coincidentally, Normal Attacks are the core of Wriothesley’s build in Genshin Impact.

Because of Skirk’s rumored team limitations, it’s unlikely she will replace Wriothesley anytime soon. She may become a better unit to run in Freeze teams when compared to Wriothesley, mainly because of the leaked buffs she can get from Hydro and Cryo allies dealing damage to opponents, but she will likely fail when aided by characters of other elements, even if they help trigger reactions. Skirk may not even work with Pyro, as shown by the absence of Melt creating Rifts in the recent leak, which quells dreams of running her along with a sub-DPS Mavuika build in Genshin Impact.

Wriothesley Can Trigger Various Cryo-Related Reactions In Genshin Impact

Wriothesley Isn’t Limited To A Single Reaction

Comparatively, Wriothesley works with all sorts of Cryo-related reactions, as long as he has the proper teammates. Wriothesley can be paired up with Mavuika or other Pyro units with off-field capabilities to focus on triggering Melt reactions consistently, for example. He can also work alongside Electro sub-DPS characters for quick Superconduct Elemental Reactions. While Cryo Swirl isn’t all that powerful, he could still work with Anemo characters on his team without getting capped. Even Cryo Crystallize would work with him, depending on his allies. The possibility of building teams around different reactions is great, however, it’s not the entire point.

Wriothesley doesn’t have limitations to his team , so players can still use him in Freeze teams, much like what is rumored for Skirk, but run Xilonen or Kazuha in the team to inflict RES shred or deal extra Elemental DMG to enemies without getting his kit nerfed because they are Geo or Anemo, respectively. Xilonen is one of the best s nowadays because of her RES shred. Running Wriothesley with Kazuha in Genshin Impact, on the other hand, is great because of Kazuha’s ability to absorb Wriothesley’s Cryo and then trigger Cryo Swirl reactions with his own Anemo abilities.

Based on the leaks so far, Skirk doesn’t have that option. She will have to seemingly rely exclusively on Hydro and Cryo characters if players want to take full advantage of her kit. While she will still likely be a powerful Cryo DPS, her limitation to Freeze teams will make her impossible to run in certain combat scenarios, significantly reducing her overall value as a Cryo DPS. In an activity with a modifier that buffs Melt, for example, Skirk would be at a disadvantage compared to Wriothesley, whereas he would remain a viable option were the modifier applied to Freeze.

For now, these leaks should be taken with a grain of salt, as they may be incorrect, incomplete, or subject to change. Furthermore, the wording shared in the leak may substantially change Skirk’s kit – if her buff stacks can be gathered more than once by the same character, for example, she could run alongside a character like Xilonen or Kazuha, even if she would still remain somewhat limited to Freeze team comps. More concrete details about Skirk should arise during the next few weeks, once Version 5.5 reaches its end and the Genshin Impact 5.7 beta tests start.

Source: Reddit