Genshin Impact’s ‘When the Sakura Bloom’ patch launches Feb. 16 with a new character

polygon.com:

Genshin Impact’s latest update, dubbed “When the Sakura Bloom,” is on its way. The game’s 2.5 update will hit servers later this month, on Feb. 16, and include plenty of fun activities to keep players busy. miHoYo officially revealed the patch in a livestream and trailer early Thursday morning.

In Genshin 2.5, players will be able to explore the mysterious depths of Enkanomiya — the game’s newest region — and unravel the mystery of the glowing tower covered in darkness. In a new event called “Three Realms Gateway Offerings,” players will be able to battle their way through the darkness, using a new item to cleanse themselves and help resist the evil corruption.

“When the Sakura Bloom” brings new story quests as well, which follows the Raiden Shogun and Yae Miko, a new five-star character for players to unlock. Yae Miko is a pink-haired mage who uses lightning strikes to burst enemies in front of them and looks to be quite good at blowing up enemies from afar.

After the livestream, miHoYo tweeted out details for a highly anticipated character looking to make his way into the roulette sometime soon: Thoma. Thoma is a sword-wielding Hyrdo character who can attack with a katana made out of water. It’s unclear if he’s coming to the game with the 2.5 update or at a later date. We’ve reached out to miHoYo for clarification and will update this post if we hear back.

Players can also create and share their own domains in “When the Sakura Bloom” — like MarioMaker for Genshin dungeons. This new system includes the ability to build traps and set completion criteria, which players can use to challenge their friends.

Finally, the studio teased a new map in the Liyue region, coming in patch 2.6 later this year.