Summary
- Effie's kit in Genshin Impact focuses on reducing Hydro and Cryo resistance by up to 45%.
- Effie encourages a pure Freeze team, improving Cryo party setups by applying elemental shred.
- Skirk and Effie may herald a new era for the Cryo element, potentially addressing Freeze issues in Version 5.6.
A recent Genshin Impact leak has given players a first look at the ability kit of Effie, the upcoming Fontaine character from Version 5.6. While Version 5.5 will see the debut of Varesa and Iansan to Genshin Impact, it could be argued that most fans are already looking forward to one character in particular: the disciple of Surtalogi herself, Skirk. Initially introduced in Fontaine, Skirk's playable status was confirmed in a roadmap during the live stream for Version 5.3.
While her release date still remains a subject of much speculation, it is understood that Skirk will have an important teammate in Effie (also known as Akkefi). As such, the Fontaine chef has gotten a significant amount of hype by association, especially since she will improve upon the most neglected element in Genshin Impact.
As reposted by Seele Leaks, Effie's Elemental Skill will reduce the Hydro and Cryo resistance of enemies by up to 45%. These values will scale based on the combined number of Hydro and Cryo characters in the party. While this effectively closes off the ability to pair Effie with Xilonen or Kazuha in a Neuvillette and Furina team, it does set the stage for what Skirk is meant to be: the modern take on a Freeze hypercarry. While Ayaka in Genshin Impact has long been a champion of Freeze, it could be argued that Freeze itself was left behind since the Sumeru era.
Genshin Impact: Effie's Rumored Ascension Passive
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If the combined number of Cryo and Hydro characters in the party is 1/2/3/4, and there is at least one Cryo character and one Hydro character:
- When Effie's Elemental Skill's Ice Cream Bomb hits an enemy, that enemy's Cryo and Hydro RES is decreased by 5%/10%/15%/45%.
An important takeaway is that Effie seems to encourage a pure Freeze team, as the elemental shred difference between the third and final tier of her passive is 30%. Whereas Citlali in Genshin Impact buffs the Hydro hypercarry in a Freeze team, Effie doesn't discriminate. As such, she should be a desired teammate for not just Skirk, but other Cryo characters as well (like Ayaka). However, it remains to be seen if the developers will use Effie to address the fundamental problems of Freeze in the modern meta: its lack of effectiveness against bosses.
Should Effie provide a way to apply Freeze on bosses, it could potentially move the Cryo element in Genshin Impact to a favorable place. If this role ends up given to Skirk instead, then it will elevate Skirk above other Cryo hypercarries in a way that's arguably unfair, but not entirely unprecedented. After all, Mavuika is a step above other Pyro hypercarries. With Snezhnaya and Nod-Krai coming to Genshin Impact, Skirk and Effie could end up heralding a new era for Cryo. Version 5.6 is expected to launch on May 7, 2025.
Genshin Impact
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- September 28, 2020
- ESRB
- Teen / Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action, Adventure, Gacha, Open-World
