Genshin Impact officially reveals Nicole's release date

Genshin Impact has officially launched its drip marketing for Nicole, revealed new Voiceless Angel lore, and confirmed a release date for the first half of version 6.6. With upcoming version 6.5 Genshin Impact players sank their teeth into Dornman Harbor and the Temple of Space, two zones that introduced a much-needed expansion to Mondstadt – the game's oldest region. Version 6.5 also saw the debut of Linnea, a Fae with ties to the Adventurer's Guild, and a 5-star Geo Bow that serves as a highlight for Lunar-Crystallize teams. Version 6.6, on the other hand, promises to turn in a completely different direction.

There will be no map expansion in version 6.6, but the upcoming patch is expected to bring three new characters Genshin Impact starring: Nicole, Lohen and Prune. As a 5-star Pyro Catalyst, Nicole will fill the role of a versatile support option for Hexenzirkel, with Varka benefiting the most from her skill set. In contrast, Lohen is expected to be a 5-star Cryo Polarm with a hypercarry playstyle, while Prune is expected to be a dedicated Swirl support character as a 4-star Anemo Catalyst.

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Genshin Impact: Nicole will be playable in version 6.6

Nicole was the first to be revealed Genshin Impact through its drip marketing, HoYovere has set a release date of: May 20, 2026. He'll make his playable debut in the first half of 6.6, joining Event Banners alongside Durin – who also happens to be a notable option for Vark's teams in Genshin Impact. The 4-stars that will accompany them are still unknown, but many players are hoping that Prune will be among them due to her synergy with Varka.

In traditional terms, Nicole's character profile reveals that the Silent Mage of the Hexenzirkel met Alice as a child when the bright young witch offered Nicole company in a time when she really needed it. This friendship blossomed over the years and formed the basis of Hexenzirkel. As an angel, Nicole is one of the oldest living characters among the playable cast Genshin Impacteven Zhongli and Zibai are easily matched in age.

From a gaming perspective, Nicole v Genshin Impact is a support character that provides ATK buffs, a shield, and coordinated attacks that adapt to the element type of the currently active character. She has been compared to Bennett, but with a wider skill set, at the cost of needing at least one Hexerei teammate to get the most out of it. While Nicole is largely intended to provide Vark with his ideal support option, she is perfectly viable for others Genshin Impact hypercarries like Navia or Lyney only showing incompatibility with certain characters like Mavuika due to the delayed timing of Nicole's ATK buffs.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)

There are a few things to consider for players looking to get Nicole in 6.6. A number of Primogems in the upcoming Genshin Impact patch will be extremely rare as free-to-play accounts will only be able to get about 60 Intertwined Wishes in total. The new map expansion added in version 6.5 should help Nicole fans stock up on their lures, but Genshin Impact likely won't have another high Primogem update until July 2026. Version 6.6 is scheduled for release on May 20, 2026, with Nicole and Durin appearing on the first set of banners.