The Genshin Impact 4.8 livestream is approaching and, with it, confirmation on several rumors and leaks about the upcoming patch, as well as a deep-dive into the gameplay kit for Emilie, a character that has already been confirmed by developer HoYoverse. Livestreams are special events held by HoYoverse ahead of the release of a patch with the intention to showcase most of the new playable content arriving in the update, as well as other fixes to the game – and even teases, like the one showcasing details about the release of Natlan in Genshin Impact’s 4.7 livestream, for instance.

Version 4.8 should be the final patch before Version 5.0, which is expected to add Natlan to the game later this year. So far, HoYoverse has confirmed that the Dendro character Emilie will be the only new addition in the patch, but several leaks about the update have detailed other pieces of content, like new events, a limited-time map, teasers for a gameplay mechanic in Natlan, and even the character banner structure. While a lot of this has yet to be confirmed, such confirmation will likely come with the Genshin Impact 4.8 livestream, which will likely happen very soon.

Genshin Impact 4.8 Livestream – Date & Time

The Special Event Should Occur In Early July If There Are No Delays To The Game’s Update Schedule

Because the game follows a regular six-week schedule, it is possible to predict when the next patch will arrive and, with it, its respective livestream. Because Version 4.7 was released on June 5, Version 4.8 should be released on July 17. Version livestreams tend to happen two weeks prior, on Fridays, meaning the Genshin Impact 4.8 livestream will likely occur on July 5. As per usual, it is likely that the livestream will be broadcasted on the official Genshin Impact channel on Twitch. This is, of course, assuming there will be no delays to the standard schedule.

What To Expect From Genshin Impact 4.8 Livestream – New Characters & Leaked Banners

Emilie Is Expected To Be The Only New Character In The Patch

For now, Emilie is expected to be the only new character in the patch. While HoYoverse has only confirmed her Dendro element, some leaks have pointed out that Emilie will be a 5-star polearm user. According to the Emilie leaks in Genshin Impact 4.8, she will be an off-field sub-DPS that will enhance Burning, currently one of the weakest Elemental Reactions in the game. As such, she is expected to pair well with Pyro DPS like Arlecchino, Hu Tao, and Lyney, for example. The leaks also mention she reduces incoming Burning DMG while augmenting the effect on enemies.

While she is the only 5-star to debut in the update, three other banners need to be occupied during the patch’s run. According to some rumored information, Navia, Nilou, and Yelan and expected to rerun during the update. As seen in the leaked character banners in Genshin Impact 4.8, Navia and Nilou should star the Phase 1 banners, which are expected to run from July 17 to August 7. Alternatively, Yelan should rerun alongside the debut of Emilie in Phase 2 banners, from August 7 to August 28, if there are no delays to the game’s update schedule.

Of course, as is the case with any leak, this information should be taken with a grain of salt. Character banner structures and the selected 5-star reruns are highly subject to change ahead of the patch’s release, so the rerun characters mentioned in the leaks may be altered. At the moment, the leaks highlight the worrying lack of a Wriothesley rerun, though there is still a chance for him to be incorporated into Genshin Impact 4.8’s banners. The Version 4.8 livestream will confirm all 5-star character banners and to which Phase they belong.

What To Expect From Genshin Impact 4.8 Livestream – Leaked Flagship Event, Natlan Mechanics, Character Trails, & More

There Are Rumors Of An Event With A Free Character Distribution

Aside from the new character Emilie, it is expected that the new update will also bring forth some playable content and a portion of that has already allegedly leaked. As seen in an old Genshin Impact 4.8 limited-time map leak, the next patch will bring forth a limited location, like most late-year patches before the arrival of a new Nation. Last year, players visited the Veluriyam Mirage in Sumeru and had teasers of a part of the story being told in Fontaine, which was released in the subsequent patch.

This is expected to be the main flagship event in the patch, though other events are bound to occur, as one update usually contains multiple activities. Not many details are known about this flagship event, but there are rumors that there will be a free character in Genshin Impact 4.8’s flagship event. The criteria to obtain the character for free is unknown, but it likely involves progression through the event’s activities and the gathering of points through mini-games and event-related story quests.

Additionally, the Imaginarium Theater, which was first introduced in Version 4.7, is expected to undergo its first rotation, which will change the characters that players can use and some other modifiers to the activity. In addition to that, there are rumors of a new set of rewards that players will be able to conquer by participating in the Imaginarium Theater. According to the leaks, players will be able to unlock character trails in Genshin Impact 4.8, though for some wildly underused characters instead of all of them. This includes characters like Diluc, Qiqi, and Kirara.

No other event has been heavily leaked so far, but there have also been mentions of quality-of-life (QoL) updates with Version 4.8. Rumors point toward a Hide UI function, that should allow players to get clean UIs during conversations with NPCs in the story, as well as a Dialogue History feature that allows them to read all that was said during an interaction. There have also been leaks about a boss update that will remove the cooldown time for world boss challenges in Genshin Impact.

For now, all these leaks should be considered with caution, as the information may be incorrect, subject to change, or postponed. Nevertheless, if they are true, they will likely be confirmed during the upcoming livestream. The game seems to be slowing down significantly as it changes gears in preparation for Natlan’s release in Genshin Impact in late August, which should be accompanied by a massive update.

Source: Twitch/Genshin Impact