Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner Value Guide: Best Characters to Pull

The Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner is about to be one of those patches that bullies your Primogem stash. We’re looking at three new units tied to the new Lunar reaction system (Columbina, Zibai, Illuga) plus high-value reruns like Neuvillette and Ineffa, all hitting around January 14, 2026 with the Luna IV update.

This patch is also a big Nod-Krai moment: Lunar reactions get pushed even harder, Geo finally gets some love via Lunar Crystallize, and the devs are clearly nudging players toward new team archetypes. That’s great for meta enjoyers… and terrible for anyone sitting on 12k primos and a dream.

So instead of just listing banners, this breakdown focuses on one thing: Which Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner characters are actually worth pulling for you, based on what we currently know from official previews plus stable beta/leak info. Exact numbers and details can still change before release, so treat anything leak-based as flexible, not gospel.

Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner Overview: Luna IV at a Glance

Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner: Release Timing and Structure

• Version: 6.3 “Luna IV”
  
• Planned release: January 14, 2026, right after 6.2 Phase 2 ends (global rollout across regions as usual).
  
• New characters:
  
  • Columbina – 5-Star Hydro Catalyst
    
  • Zibai – 5-Star Geo Sword
    
  • Illuga – 4-Star Geo Polearm
• Strong reruns (based on current info/leaks):
  
  • Neuvillette – 5-Star Hydro Catalyst
    
  • Ineffa – 5-Star Electro Polearm

HoYoverse has already started pushing 6.3 Luna IV marketing and livestream teasers, and multiple banner-tracker sites + official partners line up on that Jan 14 date and this cast of characters, though exact pairings and 4-Star line-ups are still technically subject to last-minute changes.

See Also: Durin Genshin Impact Kit Guide – Two Forms, One Dragon

Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner Phases: Who Releases When?

Based on current official info + converging leaks:

Phase 1 – Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner

• Columbina (new 5-Star Hydro Catalyst)
  
• Neuvillette (5-Star Hydro Catalyst rerun)
  
• Illuga (new 4-Star Geo Polearm, likely rate-up here or across both phases)

Phase 2 – Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner

• Zibai (new 5-Star Geo Sword)
  
• Ineffa (5-Star Electro Polearm rerun)
  
• Illuga (again as a 4-Star rate-up, according to current banner charts)

The short version: both halves are stacked. If you care about Lunar reactions or Geo at all, this patch is dangerous for your primos.

Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner New Characters: Who’s Worth Pulling?

Columbina on the Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner: Revolutionary or Too Niche?

Role snapshot (current beta/leak picture):

• 5-Star Hydro Catalyst support / sub-DPS.
  
• Core focus: Lunar Reactions – she boosts Lunar reaction damage and interacts heavily with Nod-Krai mechanics.
  
• Scales mainly with HP and buffs the damage of Lunar reactions for the whole team.

Why Columbina is worth pulling:

• She’s essentially the “Nahida of the Lunar system”: a central piece that makes Lunar teams (Nefer, Lauma, Flins, future Lunar units) feel complete instead of half-finished gimmicks.
  
• Strong synergy with new Geo toys like Zibai and Illuga, plus older Geo / Lunar setups via updated Geo resonance and Lunar Crystallize interactions.
  
• If you plan to live in Nod-Krai content and enjoy building around new reaction systems, she’s almost core-roster material.

Why you might skip Columbina:

• A lot of her value is locked behind Lunar / Nod-Krai rosters. If you don’t own or care about those units, she can feel like an overpriced luxury support. Reddit testing and early impressions already show some frustration that she’s weaker outside very specific teams.
  
• She doesn’t suddenly turn every random team into a Lunar monster, she still needs the right teammates to shine.

Verdict:

• High priority if you’re all-in on Lunar reactions and Nod-Krai and already own Nefer/Lauma/Flins or plan to build them.
  
• Medium / luxury pick if your account is more “classic Teyvat” with standard Vape / Freeze / Hyperbloom teams and you’re not desperate to chase the newest reaction gimmick.

Zibai on the Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner: Geo’s Lunar Hypercarry

Role snapshot:

• 5-Star Geo Sword main DPS.
  
• Built around the new Lunar Crystallize reaction: turns what used to be a defensive reaction into real damage.
  
• Wants DEF + Elemental Mastery plus strong Geo support (Illuga, Zhongli, other Geo units).

Why Zibai is worth pulling:

• She’s one of the first characters to make Geo feel aggressively modern again, instead of just “the shield element.”
  
• In optimized Lunar Crystallize teams with Illuga and other supports, her reaction hits can reach very high damage numbers according to current beta calculations.
  
• If you’re a Geo enjoyer who’s been waiting for something fresh after Navia/Itto, Zibai is basically your banner.

Why you might skip Zibai:

• Just like Columbina, she’s betting hard on the Lunar Crystallize meta actually sticking. If Lunar ends up feeling too restrictive or awkward, her niche shrinks.
  
• Requires team investment: Illuga, solid Geo supports, and ideally Columbina or other Luna-centric enablers. If you’re short on those, she won’t feel as impressive.

Verdict:

• High priority if you love Geo and want to play the new reaction system from day one.
  
• Lower priority than Neuvillette/Columbina for most general-purpose accounts that just want flexible clears.

Illuga on the Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner: Four-Star Lunar Cheater

Role snapshot:

• 4-Star Geo Polearm support.
  
• Burst creates a long buff state with stacks that boost Geo & reaction damage based on his Elemental Mastery, with extra juice when hits trigger Lunar Crystallize.
  
• Provides Crit stats and EM to Geo teammates via passives; cannot create Lunar Crystallize alone, but heavily buffs it.

Why Illuga is worth pulling:

• Designed to be the glue for Zibai + Columbina + Geo teams and even to re-enable older Geo carries like Itto, Noelle, Albedo in Lunar setups.
  
• As a 4-Star, you’ll naturally pick up copies while rolling for other characters—he’s low-cost high-upside if you’re interested in anything Lunar/Geo.

Why you might skip building him (not necessarily pulling, because 4-Star are random):

• He cannot enable Lunar reactions by himself; he just buffs them. If you don’t have Columbina/Zibai or other Lunar units, he turns into a more generic Geo buffer and loses a lot of his unique value.

Verdict:

• Auto-build if you pull Zibai or lean into Geo/Lunar teams.
  
• Nice-to-have support for older Geo rosters, but not a reason to roll a banner on his own.

Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner Reruns: Are Neuvillette and Ineffa Still Worth It?

Neuvillette: Safest Primogem Investment

Even in late 2025, Neuvillette is still widely considered one of the game’s best Hydro hypercarries with simple gameplay and absurd scaling on his charged attacks. He continues to dominate Abyss and late-game combat in current rotations.

Why Neuvillette is 100% worth pulling (if you don’t own him):

• Hyper-consistent single-target and AoE damage, minimal mechanical difficulty.
  
• Works incredibly well with older supports (Furina, Kazuha, Kokomi, etc.) and slots into team archetypes that don’t care about Lunar systems at all.
  
• Getting a new skin in 6.3, which usually comes paired with a rerun and makes him even more attractive to collectors.

Verdict:
If you lack a top-tier Hydro DPS, Neuvillette might be the single best value pick on the entire Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner, especially if you aren’t planning to go all-in on Lunar reactions.

Ineffa on the Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner: Lunar-Charged Utility Queen

Ineffa is the Electro polearm unit who helped introduce the Lunar-Charged reaction and has become steadily more important as Nod-Krai content evolves.

Why Ineffa is worth pulling (in 6.3 context):

• Strong off-field Electro application and synergy with Lunar mechanics, especially teams built around Columbina and future Lunar units.
  
• Future-proof if HoYoverse keeps doubling down on Nod-Krai and Lunar interactions. Each new patch has been making her look better, not worse.

Verdict:

• High value if you’re building a Lunar-centric account or already own many Nod-Krai units.
  
• For “classic” accounts: still good, but she loses to Neuvillette in raw plug-and-play impact.

See Also: Best Jahoda Build for High Reaction Damage in Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner Pull Guide: Which Character Is Best for You?

Let’s zoom in on actual decision-making. Remember: a guaranteed 5-Star can cost up to 180 pulls = 28,800 Primogems, and most players realistically get one, maybe two big wins per patch.

If You’re a Newer or Returning Player

Priority: flexible damage & timeless value.

• #1 Pick: Neuvillette covers tons of content, doesn’t need fancy Lunar comps, easy to build and pilot.
  
• #2 Pick: Columbina only if you plan to grow into Lunar/Nod-Krai later.
  
• Skip for now: Zibai + heavy Lunar setups unless you’re okay with a steeper learning curve and more specialized teams.

If You’re a Meta Chaser

Priority: strongest meta impact vs Primogem cost.

• Neuvillette remains the safest long-term pull, with strong uptime in Abyss and little dependency on new gimmicks.
  
• Columbina + Illuga + Zibai is a high-risk, high-reward package: if Lunar Crystallize and Lunar reactions age like Dendro did, you’ll be very ahead of the curve; if they flop, you’ll have invested in a niche.

Rough meta-oriented priority list:

1. Neuvillette
2. Columbina (if you own or will build Lunar cores)
3. Zibai (if you’re committed to Geo/Lunar)
4. Ineffa (pair her with Columbina / future Luna units)
5. Illuga (comes along naturally while rolling others)

If You’re a Geo Enjoyer or Lunar Enthusiast

• Aim for a Zibai + Illuga core, then decide if you want Columbina to supercharge Lunar interactions.
  
• Also consider old Geo favorites (Navia, Itto, Zhongli, Albedo) that can lean into Lunar Crystallize with the new systems and artifact sets introduced around this patch.

If You’re Free-to-Play or Very Low Spender

• Expect roughly 5,000+ Primogems per month with consistent play; that’s not enough to chase multiple 5-Star safely in one patch.
  
• Hard rule: commit to one banner, maybe two at most.
  
• Ask yourself:
  
  • “Which hole in my account hurts the most?” (Hydro DPS, strong support, main carry element?)
    
  • “Do I actually want to build Lunar teams, or am I just scared of missing out?”

In most F2P cases, the honest answer ends up being:

“Grab Neuvillette if you don’t have him. If you do, pick either Columbina or Zibai, not both.”

Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner vs Future Updates: Should You Save?

One last thing before you slam your Intertwined Fates into the void: future patches are also stacked.

• 6.4 is heavily rumored to bring Varka, the long-awaited Mondstadt Grandmaster (Anemo Claymore main DPS), alongside strong reruns.
  
• Leaks also mention more Hexenal / Mondstadt-linked supports and future Geo or reaction-oriented characters beyond 6.3–6.5.

If your heart is set on Varka or other upcoming favorites, it’s perfectly reasonable to:

• Pull only Neuvillette (if you’re missing him), then hard-save.
  
• Or skip 6.3 entirely if your account is already stacked and you don’t care about Lunar systems.

Remember: no patch is truly “last chance” in Genshin. Reruns come back. Your Primogems don’t.

See Also: Genshin Impact All Female Characters List: Kit & Builds

Final Thoughts on the Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner (and How to Prep)

The Genshin Impact 6.3 Banner is basically a Primogem stress test:

• Columbina defines Lunar teams but is niche without them.
  
• Zibai + Illuga finally give Geo a shiny new toy in Lunar Crystallize comps.
  
• Neuvillette remains the safest overall pick and a monster Hydro carry.
  
• Ineffa quietly keeps gaining value the more Lunar content we get.

If you take nothing else from this: pick one clear priority based on your account and playstyle, then commit. Splitting pity across too many banners is how you end up with C1 Illuga and emotional damage.

And when you’re done planning your pulls and farming those last-minute mats, don’t forget to top up Genshin Impact on Joytify so you’re actually ready if you high-roll early and decide to go for constellations too.