Genshin Impact’s Durin is finally playable — but Venti’s surprise buff is the real story

Genshin Impact’s December 3 update doesn’t just add a flashy new 5-star – it quietly rewires the game’s power curve. Version Luna III, Song of the Welkin Moon: Interlude – “A Nocturne of the Far North” brings Durin as a playable 5-star Pyro sword user with dual combat forms, sure. But the real meta-shifter is a new “Hexerei characters” system that gives Mondstadt veterans quest-based upgrades, even altering Constellations. For a game that almost never hands out permanent reworks, that’s huge.

Key Takeaways

• Hexerei characters are quest-driven power-ups for Durin, Venti, Klee, Albedo, Mona, Razor, Fischl, and Sucrose – with a party-wide “Hexerei: Secret Rite” if you run two or more.
• Venti gets a notable kit enhancement: when Stormeye is active, his Normal Attacks become piercing “Windsunder Arrows” that can extend Stormeye’s duration — a real shot at restoring his crowd-control dominance.
• Durin’s dual stances let him flex as support (AoE Pyro and enemy RES shred) or single-target DPS (boosting his own Vaporize/Melt reactions), opening new team routes with Hydro and Cryo cores.
• There’s real value here: 500 limited-time Primogems for finishing the new Archon Quest, a free 4-star event bow, and free invitations for Razor, Fischl, or Sucrose after prerequisites.

Breaking Down the Update

The Nod-Krai storyline continues with “Moon-Prayer Night,” a festival that doubles as the Dameselette’s final night before her lunar journey. The celebration gets interrupted by serious lore developments: the Hexenzirkel arrives in person — including Alice (yes, Klee’s mom) and Nicole Reeyn — warning that Teyvat’s borders are destabilizing and “phantoms” are appearing across Nod-Krai. You’ll team up with Albedo, Durin, and the Wanderer to sort it out. Finish the Archon Quest and you’ll pocket 500 Primogems for a limited time.

Durin, once tied to Dragonspine’s tragedy and now alchemically granted a human form, is a 5-star Pyro sword with two distinct modes. His Simulanka-leaning form supports teams by reducing enemy Elemental Resistance and dishing out AoE Pyro. Flip the switch and his Abyssal side turns him into a single-target menace that amplifies his own Vaporize/Melt output. His Story Quest digs deeper into both the Hexenzirkel and his unusual origin — and grants a Durin-specific reward.

The new Hexerei system lets you complete Alice’s “Witch’s Homework” to tune up certain characters — Durin, Venti, Klee, Albedo, Mona, Razor, Fischl, and Sucrose. These quests grant special abilities and actually change Constellation effects. If your party runs at least two Hexerei characters, you unlock a team buff called “Hexerei: Secret Rite.” There’s even a gadget, The Little Witch’s Dictionary, to track all the details. Crucially, you’ll be able to freely invite Razor, Fischl, or Sucrose once you meet the prerequisites — a welcome nod to newer players and team builders.

On the banner front: Phase 1 features Durin’s debut alongside the new 4-star Anemo bow user Jahoda and a Venti rerun; Phase 2 brings back Varesa and Xilonen. Jahoda’s kit mixes team healing with Elemental absorption for matching damage — an unusual niche that could make her a flexible slot in Anemo-focused or reaction-heavy teams.

Events-wise, “Soulblazers’ Snowbound Journey” sends us back to Dragonspine for winter minigames and rewards, including a new exclusive 4-star “Rainbow Serpent’s Rain Bow,” plus Primogems and more. Over in Nod-Krai, Silvermoon Hall expands with new Dameselette interactions, and Envisage Echoes adds Klee and Albedo rewards. The UGC module Miliastra Wonderland gets a “Wonderland Resource Center” so creators can share assets directly through the editor, with fresh emotes, actions, and free pulls up for grabs. Cross-progression and Co-Op continue across PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Android, and iOS.

Why This Matters Now

Genshin doesn’t usually give permanent mid-life upgrades to older characters. Outside of artifact sets and the occasional system tweak, your kit is your kit. Hexerei breaks that norm. Tuning Constellations via quests could breathe new life into Mondstadt staples without forcing players into new banner traps. That alone makes this one of the more player-friendly systems HoYoverse has floated in a while — assuming the upgrades are permanent and not time-limited event buffs.

Venti’s upgrade in particular is a big statement. For a long stretch after Mondstadt, he fell off in content with heavier enemies and boss resistances to crowd control. Transforming his Normal Attacks into piercing arrows during Stormeye — with a chance to extend it — is exactly the kind of change that can restore his identity as the king of grouping and deletion. It’s not a numbers reveal, but the design intent is clear: make Venti matter again.

There’s also a meta angle: tying the “Hexerei: Secret Rite” buff to running two Hexerei characters nudges players toward specific cores (hello, Venti + Fischl or Sucrose + Klee). It’s smart design if the bonuses feel like a perk, not a mandate. The open question is how “changing Constellation effects” works in practice — will C0 owners feel uplifted, and will C6 whales see a shift in value? We’ll need patch notes to judge the balance, but philosophically, quest-based empowerment beats raw gacha power creep.

The Gamer’s Perspective: Teams, Value, Red Flags

Durin’s duality screams flexibility. In support mode, pair him with Xiangling/Bennett cores for wide Pyro coverage and easier RES shred snapshots. In his Abyssal DPS mode, he’s begging for Hydro or Cryo enablers: Furina or Yelan/Xingqiu to Vaporize, or Rosaria/Ganyu for Melt routes. If his self-boosting reaction multipliers are strong, he could fill that elusive single-target Pyro carry slot without relying on Xiangling’s burst uptime.

Jahoda intrigues me because Anemo healers are rare — Jean and Sayu have been carrying that banner. If her Elemental absorption-based damage scales decently, she could function as both sustain and an enabler in Swirl-heavy teams, especially if you’re leaning into VV shred plus off-field DPS.

Value check: 500 Primogems for the Archon Quest is a tidy bonus, the free 4-star event bow could be a niche win for support archers (we’ll see its stat line), and free invitations for Razor/Fischl/Sucrose are a boon to early accounts and theorycrafters who want to unlock Hexerei synergies fast. The UGC “Resource Center” is a smart long-tail play — creator tools keep communities engaged between banner cycles, and this is HoYoverse leaning into the Fortnite/Mario Maker lesson without abandoning core RPG systems.

Red flags? Only one: if Hexerei upgrades or the Secret Rite end up feeling mandatory for late-game content — or are gated behind limited-time quests — the goodwill evaporates. The press info reads like these are quest-unlocked and viewable in a permanent gadget, which is encouraging. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Looking Ahead

This update hits the sweet spot: big lore swings (Alice finally steps on stage), a headline 5-star with genuine build flexibility, and a systemic change that could re-energize classic characters. If Hexerei expands beyond Mondstadt and becomes a recurring “Witches’ homework” across regions, Genshin may have found its answer to aging kits without power-creep fatigue.

TL;DR

Durin’s playable at last, but the Hexerei system — with Venti’s standout buff — is the real game-changer. Clear the new Archon Quest for 500 Primogems, snag a free event bow, and try the fresh UGC tools. Watch how those Constellation changes shake out before you lock in team plans.