It’ll be a few days until Genshin Impact’s version 1.3 update comes out; it’s essentially a Lunar New Year festival in the game’s universe featuring a new character named Xiao, a way to score top-tier 4-star characters for free, and a Pokemon Snap-style minigame to go along. Oh, and a tower defense minigame too. Fun!

But those aren’t the only highlights. It seems that some weak characters are getting the buffs they need. Like the 5-star Geo support hero Zhongli. Basically, his Geo Shields will be more useful and viable. In fact, all Elemental shields will be getting a buff.

Let’s break down the general mechanics update (thank Kumikones!):

• Geo Shields will now have “150% Physical DMG and Elemental DMG Absorption”, instead of the previous “250% Geo DMG Absorption. This not only affects Zhongli but also others like Noelle and whoever picks up a Geovishap Hatchling Geo Crystal.
• Shield for everyone will be strengthened by 15%. Additionally, characters protected by a shield will have the following special characteristics:

Now, let’s talk about Zhongli’s improved kit.

• Zhongli’s Dominus Lapidus is getting a buff. Basically it will cause nearby Geo energy to explode that also creates a Stone Stele, in addition to a nifty Jade Shield. Said shield can now decrease Elemental and Physical RES of enemies in a small AoE by 20%. The effect doesn’t stack though.
• Zhongli’s Dominance of Earth Ascension Talent now buffs up his normal attack, charged attack, and plunging attack DMG by 1.39% of his max HP. His Stone Stele, resonance, and hold DMG is also increased by 1.9% of his max HP, in addition to the original talent’s Planet Befall DMG buff.

That’s a pretty big deal, considering a lot of folks have complained about the lack of progress regarding Zhongli. Oh, and top-tier 5-Star Hydro penniless astrologist Mona also gets a tweak:

• Mona’s Talent “Illusory Torrent” gets optimized: When Mona is hit, she can use Illusory Torrent more quickly, as is the case with sprinting for other characters.

Other notable updates include:

• Controller support added for devices running iOS 14 or above. Currently, the following controllers are supported: Xbox Wireless Controller (Bluetooth Version), Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, PlayStation DualShock 4 Wireless Controller, some other Bluetooth Wireless Controllers designed for iOS.
• A quick delete function has been added to the mailbox. Does not delete unread mail or mail with unclaimed attachments.
• New photography method added for the PS4 version. Take a photo and save it to the PS4’s local storage in one single action.

The full updates list can be read here. For more on update 1.3, head here.