Highlights
- Genshin Impact introduces new character Wriothesley, a five-star Cryo catalyst user, in their latest character demo.
- Wriothesley showcases his combat abilities in the demo and is revealed to have once been a prisoner at the Fortress of Meropide.
- As the first character in the game to apply Cryo damage solely through Normal Attacks, Wriothesley's unique kit may bring Cryo users back into the meta.
Genshin Impact has released a new character demo featuring the upcoming five-star Cryo catalyst user Wriothesley. He was officially announced back in August even before the whole Fontaine region arrived. The first part of the ongoing update 4.1 has already introduced a new set of limited characters which included the fearless Chief Justice known as Neuvillette.
The Neuvillette and Hu Tao double banner is coming to an end which means that it's time for a new limited lineup to take the stage. The live stream event for Genshin Impact 4.1 has confirmed that the second part of the update will feature Wriothesley and Venti as the limited five-star characters.
Genshin Impact has a pattern of releasing multiple promotional videos featuring their upcoming characters. That's why their most recent character demo named "Art of Improvisation" features the new Cryo catalyst character named Wriothesley. In the video, the character showcases his exceptional combat abilities by defeating one powerful enemy after another. There is not a lot of information about Wriothesley other than he was once a prisoner at the Fortress of Meropide, which can be considered Fontaine's main prison. However, since then he's become the prison's Administrator and who made many changes to the way the facility operates.
Even though many of Fontaine's citizens are frightened by Wriothesley's appearance, he is genuinely a serene character who tries to treat everyone with fairness. He even acquired a noble title from the Palais Mermonia which is considered a special privilege in the Hydro nation. When it comes to his power on the field, the video demonstrates that Wriothesley prefers close combat, even though he is a catalyst user, similar to the previously released Shikanoin Heizou.
Wriothesley will be a Cryo catalyst user which will make him the first character in Genshin Impact with the ability to apply Cryo damage only by using his Normal Attacks. This means that he could become the go-to DPS unit for many Genshin Impact team compositions that rely on this element. Many fans claim that the Cryo element has been slowly pushed out of the meta as HoYoverse introduced the new Dendro elemental reactions.
However, releasing characters with unique kits such as Wriothesley could mean that Cryo users could become much more popular in the upcoming weeks. Over the last couple of months, leaks have suggested that Wriothesley will join the Standard Banner after his Limited Banner expires, but in the absence of official confirmation, he remains part of the limited lineup for now.
Genshin Impact is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and mobile devices. A Switch version is in development.
