Which character should you invite in Genshin Impact’s The Exquisite Night Chimes event?

Genshin Impact’s Lantern Rite event is a perfect chance to relax and have some fun in Liyue, but it’s also a rare opportunity to add a new character to your roster without having to brave the randomness of the banner system. Through participating in the event’s mini-games, you’ll be able to amass Festive Fever, which will earn you rewards at certain milestones. Once you acquire 800 Festive Fever, you’ll have the chance to choose one of nine characters to add to your lineup. You only get one shot, though, so if you’re wondering who the best bet is, read on.

Which character to choose in Genshin Impact The Exquisite Night Chimes

Character or constellation?

The first choice you should make is whether you want a new character or a Constellation upgrade material for one you already have. If none of the characters on offer are really doing it for you, a Constellation upgrade for one of your current favorites could be the way to go instead. They can level up Talents and add new effects to attacks, so it’s always worth considering what’s in your best interest considering how you play the game.

An extra wrinkle to consider in this decision is which characters are currently available in the banners. The big banner names during the Lantern Rite event are Alhaitham and Xiao, but Xinyan, Yun Jin, and Yaoyao all get a boost in the special character Wishes too, so it’s worth considering if you’d rather roll the dice for them there if you don’t already have them. Similarly, Xiangling is already available for free by clearing the first few levels of the Spiral Abyss, so unless you’re looking to power up her constellation you may wish to consider someone else.

What does your team need?

Everyone has their own way of playing Genshin Impact, and even individual characters can fill multiple roles in any party depending on how they’re built. If your style is to prioritize elemental reactions, you need a team that allows you to do that, while if you’re missing a really solid DPS in your line up you should seek out opportunities to plug that gap.

That said, some characters in this event offer a little more than others. Xingqiu is almost universally revered as a strong Hydro support who can set off a number of Hydro-related elemental reactions with his Elemental Skill and Burst. He’s also the only Hydro character on offer in the event, so if you’re missing a particularly powerful Hydro character in your lineup, he could be the one.

Similarly, Ningguang can be a good choice if you don’t have a strong Geo character yet. When well-equipped she can start dealing a lot of damage, and her Elemental Skill can help block some damage to your characters, but her constellation arguably needs a bit of beefing up before she truly proves indispensable. Beidou, meanwhile, is a bit of a dark horse — difficult to get the hang of, but capable of dealing huge amounts of damage if built right and if you can get the timing of her Elemental Skill down.

Who isn’t worth it?

Ultimately, which character you want to invite is a matter of personal preference. If you already have a solid team, you might just want to invite a new face to the party for the sake of completion or to try out a different playstyle. However, if you’re focused on the meta, it’s best to avoid a few of the friendly faces here.

Xinyan is a fun addition, but is easily outclassed by other Pyro users, while Chongyun is difficult to fit into the right team, despite his potential for some good synergy. Similarly, Yun Jin loses out to Ningguang as the Geo character of choice — she’s a solid support but only really benefits those running teams which focus on Normal Attacks.