Genshin Impact Lantern Rite 2026: Best Free 4 Star Characters

Every year, Genshin Impact releases the Lantern Rite festival, where you get to obtain a 4 star character from Liyue. The best part is that it’s completely free and all you have to do is join the festival and it’s fun events. But which character would be the best for you to get? That’s what we’ll take a look at so let’s get started.

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Available Characters in Lantern Rite 2026

The event gives you eleven Liyue characters to pick from. Take a look at who they are:

Best Characters to Choose

If you want the strongest character, pick Xingqiu or Xiangling. These two have been top picks since the game started. They still work really well today. They fit into almost any team and make you deal way more damage.

Xingqiu

Xingqiu is one of the best helpers in the whole game. He uses water to hit enemies even when he is not on the field. This means your main fighter can keep making big reactions like Vaporize and Bloom. His special move makes rain swords that attack with your active character. These swords also protect you from damage and heal you a little bit.

Why Xingqiu is Great:

• Works in almost every team you can build
• Perfect for Pyro fighters who want Vaporize reactions
• Great for Bloom teams and Electro-Charged teams
• Puts water on enemies all the time without switching characters
• Gets even better when you get more copies of him

Xiangling

Xiangling is the best fire character who attacks from the background. Her special move makes a spinning panda called Guoba that shoots fire at enemies. This keeps going even when you switch to another character. She does huge damage and makes powerful Vaporize reactions when you use her with water characters.

She needs some Energy Recharge to use her move more often. But she is worth building. Xiangling works great with characters like Xingqiu, Childe, and Neuvillette. Her damage stays good even in hard late game fights. If you play Spiral Abyss or Imaginarium Theater, Xiangling will help your team win tough battles.

Why Xiangling is Great:

• Deals massive fire damage from off the field
• Works perfectly with water characters
• Stays useful in all game modes
• Strong in Spiral Abyss and Imaginarium Theater
• Easy to build and very powerful

Other Strong Options

Not everyone needs Xingqiu or Xiangling. If you already have these characters and made them stronger, try these other good picks.

Gaming

Gaming is a strong fighter who jumps up and smashes down on enemies with fire damage. His special skill lets him leap into the air and crash down hard. This is fun to play and works really well. Gaming is great as your main damage dealer in teams that use Vaporize or Melt reactions.

Why Gaming is Good:

• High fire damage with jumping attacks
• Fun and easy to play
• Works well with Vaporize and Melt reactions
• Gets much stronger at higher constellations
• Good for Imaginarium Theater this month

Lan Yan

Lan Yan is a newer wind character who makes strong shields. She protects your team just as well as the best shielders in the game. Her shields keep your team safe while she uses wind for Swirl reactions. If you need someone to protect your team, Lan Yan is a smart pick.

Why Lan Yan is Good:

• Makes very strong shields to protect you
• Uses wind element for Swirl reactions
• Fits into many different teams
• Helps control crowds of enemies
• Good defensive option for harder content

Beidou

Beidou is best when you fight lots of enemies at once. Her special move makes an electric field that jumps between nearby enemies. She works best in Electro-Charged teams where she can make lots of reactions. Right now, Spiral Abyss likes Electro-Charged reactions, so Beidou is extra useful.

Why Beidou is Good:

• Amazing against groups of enemies
• Electric damage bounces between targets
• Strong in Electro-Charged teams
• Gets way better at constellation 2
• Works well in Imaginarium Theater

Yaoyao

Yaoyao is a plant healer who helps make Bloom and Burgeon reactions. She throws radishes that heal your team and put plant element on enemies. If you play plant reaction teams and need healing, Yaoyao does both jobs well. Her first constellation gives a plant damage boost to your active character. This helps your whole team do more damage.

Why Yaoyao is Good:

• Heals your team while applying plant element
• Perfect for Bloom and Burgeon teams
• Does two jobs at once
• Easy to use and build
• Good if you need a plant healer

How to Decide

Do you need a strong water helper? Pick Xingqiu. Need someone who attacks with fire from the background? Choose Xiangling. Already have the best characters? Make your favorites stronger or try someone new.

Look at which elements you do not have many characters for. Check your team and see what is missing. Do you have enough healers? Do you need more characters who attack when not on the field? Your answers will help you pick.

Also think about the game modes you play. Imaginarium Theater only lets you use certain elements each month. Having strong characters in fire, water, and electric helps you win in January 2026. The Spiral Abyss this month also likes Bloom and Electro-Charged reactions.

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