Genshin Impact 6.6 Phase 1 — Nicole, Durin, and the Four-Star Companions Worth Pulling For

Genshin Impact 6.6 Phase 1 — Nicole, Durin, and the Four-Star Companions Worth Pulling For

The Luna VII update goes live on May 20, 2026, and the Phase 1 companion list dropped right before the patch. Two five-stars on the headline (Nicole debut and Durin rerun), three four-stars riding along, and a weapon banner that splits opinions hard. Below is a working pull-priority guide that respects what the kits actually do, with no pretending every reroll is necessary.

What Version 6.6 Phase 1 Actually Contains

Phase 1 runs from May 20, 2026 at 8:00am to June 9, 2026 at 8:00am — about three weeks before Lohen and Mavuika take over on Phase 2. The Hexerei theme dominates the entire patch, and that bleeds straight into the companion roster.

The headline five-stars are Nicole, a brand-new Pyro Catalyst, and Durin, the Pyro rerun. Alongside them sit three four-stars: Prune (the new Anemo Catalyst), Razor (Electro Claymore), and Fischl (Electro Bow). All three of the four-stars are Hexerei-affiliated, which is the only reason this lineup matters in a way that ordinary reruns don't. Hexerei synergy multipliers are the entire reason Razor and Fischl have anything new to say in 2026.

Primogem income across the version sits at roughly 9,010 for full free-to-play (about 63 pulls), 13,240 with Welkin (about 90 pulls), and 13,920 with Welkin plus Battle Pass (about 98 pulls). That budget matters because the "should I" answer for Durin shifts entirely based on whether you can afford a clean 0/0 of Nicole afterward. If you can't, the calculus stops being about kits and starts being about which guarantee you most regret missing.

Daily commissions over the 42-day patch contribute 2,520 Primogems, Spiral Abyss plus Imaginarium Theatre add another 1,800, and event income is split across Fantastical Gala (910), Chromatic Chase (420), Brave & Brilliant Trial Records (420), Shadowy Hustle (450), Starward Kaleidoscope (270), the Thousand Melodies Collection (60), the Lohen Story Quest (60), and an Archon Quest chapter (560). It adds up, but it doesn't add up to two unconditional five-star pulls.

Razor Is Genuinely Back

The version-six Hexerei rework finally gave Razor what every Wolvendom main wanted: the talent kit converts him from Physical-superconduct DPS into a hybrid where Electro damage scales above Physical. The subtitle author summarised it bluntly — Genshin's physical archetype doesn't carry, so the moment Razor's Electro number outpaces his Physical number, he stops being a niche pick.

Unlocking the Witch's Lesson talent significantly boosts Lightning Wolf damage, and adding a second Hexerei teammate stacks extra energy regeneration plus bonus damage on top. The constellation curve is what makes this a real conversation though. C6 reworks how Razor gains Electro Sigils and on top of that hands him +10 CRIT Rate and +50 CRIT DMG, which is the part that breaks the math — pair that with the 20 CRIT Rate from the Hexerei set bonus and the 10 CRIT Rate that C2 throws in unreliably, and a 60–70 base CRIT Rate substat profile is enough for a maxed face panel.

The practical takeaway: a fresh account can field C0 Razor as a primary DPS using only his Hexerei talent and the new set, because the kit no longer demands a deep investment in Wolf's Gravestone or Pale Flame stacking to function. Veteran players already running an Overload comp should aim for C6, because in a fully built Overload team C6 Razor is competitive with most five-star main DPS options at parity. He's not pretending to outscale Arlecchino, but he is the only four-star claymore where the constellation gap is worth burning Acquaint Fates on.

Optimal gear hasn't changed structurally — Song of Skyward Pines or Wolf's Gravestone remain the ceiling, Skyrider Greatsword is the F2P answer, and 4-piece Pale Flame is the artifact target (with 2+2 Pale Flame plus Gladiator's Finale or Bloodstained Chivalry as the transition build). Stat priority is ATK / CRIT DMG / CRIT Rate / Physical DMG — yes, Physical DMG, because the goblet still rolls best for the hybrid scaling.

Fischl Got The Best Hexerei Buff On The Roster

Fischl is already the most versatile Electro off-field sub-DPS in the game, full stop. Iansan is strong but she does not have the universal team coverage Fischl has — every team that wants off-field Electro application has run Oz at some point in its life, from the original Thundering Fury setups, to Dendro-Electro Quicken, to current Hyperbloom and Aggravate variants, to the Viridescent Venerer flex slot where she can stand in if you're willing to weave a normal attack.

The Hexerei addition is what flipped her ceiling. When the team holds two Hexerei characters, an Overload reaction triggered by allies hands the active fighter and Fischl 22.5% ATK for 10 seconds, and an Electro-Charged or moon-Electro-Charged trigger hands them 90 Elemental Mastery for the same window. C6 doubles both numbers — 45% ATK and 180 EM — and the two buffs stack on the same character at the same time. That is a stupid amount of stat budget for a four-star to broadcast to an Arlecchino or a Furina hypercarry.

Concrete example from the subtitles: an Arlecchino + Fischl + Charlotte + Nicole composition pushing a Hydro target. Charlotte resists shred and ATK buffs, Nicole adds her shield and ATK aura, and Fischl quietly delivers 45% ATK and 180 EM to the on-field Arlecchino through Overload and Electro-Charged stacking. C6 Fischl also adds a +2 second Oz duration extension and lets Oz issue coordinated attacks dealing 30% ATK as Electro damage, so the off-field damage piles on top of the buff role.

If you already own her — and if you've played long enough to have any Mondstadt account history you do — C6 is the only meaningful pull goal here. Best weapons remain Skyward Harp, The Stringless, and Polar Star, with 4-piece Thundering Fury or 4-piece Golden Troupe as the artifact targets. Stat priority is ATK% / Electro DMG / CRIT DMG, swapping CRIT DMG for Energy Recharge if her Burst rotation feels gated.

Prune Is The New Hexerei Anemo

Prune is the patch's debut four-star. She's an Anemo Catalyst built as a sub-DPS / buffer, native to Nod-Krai, and the lore frame is that she walked to Mondstadt looking for Alice with revenge on the brain — which is funny because she is friends with Klee. The childish personality framing is canon, not a fan read.

In team building she's currently best paired with Varka. The subtitle creator was direct about this: not because only Varka extracts her buffs, but because Varka's two-element damage profile lines up with her contribution best. Faruzan still has higher peak buff numbers, but Faruzan doesn't play nicely with a dual-element main DPS — Faruzan still wants Wanderer or another pure Anemo DPS as her dance partner. Prune is the one slotting into Varka's specific shape.

At C0 with her Hexerei kit fully unlocked, Prune broadcasts 50% damage bonus to the whole team and an additional 30% ATK boost to Anemo Hexerei teammates. C6 adds 350 flat ATK on top, but it's a smaller proportional jump than Faruzan's or Charlotte's C6 gains. That's framed as a positive — most of her budget is already in C0, so the completion build is the entry build, and you can stop spending pulls early.

C0 Prune paired with Varka already beats C0 Venti or C0 Sucrose for that team. The realistic stretch target is C1, which cuts her Energy Recharge requirement significantly. Whether you actually land a C1 on this banner is luck — the subtitles cite a personal anecdote of needing 110 pulls for a C1 Iansan, which sets expectations honestly.

Nicole — Why She's The Default Pick Between The Two

Nicole is the new five-star Pyro Catalyst and the universal Hexerei support of the patch. The kit fills three jobs at once: Pyro shielder, Hexerei healer, and Varka teammate / hypercarry enabler. She is voiced by Amber Connor in English and Toyoguchi Megumi in Japanese, and her in-world identity is a Hexenzirkel mage codenamed "N" — a mute prophetess who communicates through telepathy.

The mechanical pitch: an on-self attack aura plus a shield, both following the active character, with up to 20 seconds of full coverage per rotation. That covers anti-interrupt, survival, and an ATK% buff in one button. Bennett has been called the six-star support of Genshin for years for a reason — high attack-buff numbers plus team healing — but his Burst circle gates the team to a fixed spot, and uptime stops if you step outside it. Nicole's coverage solves both of those.

In raw buff-stat-on-paper, Nicole at 0/0 can still lose to a C6 Bennett in single-core single-Hexerei comps. That doesn't mean Nicole is weak. A C0 Nicole keeps moving with the active character, keeps the shield up, keeps the ATK aura active for 20 seconds, and adds the Hexerei healing layer that Bennett doesn't have. For players without a high-constellation Bennett — or for players who simply don't want to commit to standing still — she's the practical upgrade.

Recommendations on whether to pull:

• Owns Varka — pull, kit fully extracts her buffs
• Owns Wanderer (Scaramouche) — Durin pairs better here, Nicole still helps but is not the priority
• Owns Clorinde or Razor, or planning Phase 2 Lohen — pull, all three benefit
• Owns Arlecchino or Kinich — pull, beta-tested gains are large, Overload at low investment or Melt at higher investment
• Owns Hu Tao, Yoimiya, Navia — depends on whether the team can sustain dual-Hexerei; if not, Durin is the better partner

The signature catalyst Dustlight Septenary carries 741 Base ATK and a Guiding Light effect granting up to 26% damage on shield generation (with half effect transferred to off-field Hexerei members). That weapon mostly chases the 4,000 ATK breakpoint on Nicole's panel and adds the damage and energy regen tag — useful, not mandatory.

Durin — The Rerun That Needs A Plan

Durin is a 5-star Pyro rerun. The subtitle author's stance is clear: pull him only if you need Pyro application or if you need to round out a dual-Hexerei team. If your roster is Arlecchino-centric, you do not need Durin — Arlecchino's own application is enough. If your account leans on Wanderer, the Pyro side of his swirl resonance gets more out of Durin than out of Nicole, so the priority flips.

The phrasing in the subtitles to remember is "XP suits yourself" for character preference, but on pure power, Nicole wins because team-wide ATK aura plus shield are more universally relevant than another Pyro applicator. That is a stance, not a fact — but it's an informed one given how many compositions in the current patch want shielding more than they want a second Pyro slot.

The Weapon Banner Is The Weakest Part

The weapon banner is honest middle ground — not bad, not exciting. Nicole and Durin both fall in the 2/0 efficiency bracket, meaning two copies of the character pay more than refinement-stacking the signature. So a four-five-star budget breaks down cleanly: 0/0 Durin plus 2/0 Nicole, or 2/0 Durin plus 0/0 Nicole, depending on which side of the banner you actually want.

Nicole's Dustlight Septenary helps her panel push past 4,000 ATK and adds the damage-bonus and energy-restore line. If you already mis-pulled an off-banner standard catalyst — Skyward Atlas, a shielding catalyst, or a previous healer signature — those all work as substitutes. Healer signatures in particular trade base ATK for damage bonus, and they pair well with single-core comps.

For four-star catalyst options, the previous event weapon that gave ATK and energy regen works, and the Fontaine craftable healer catalyst is the fallback. Durin's signature is described as a front-line ATK pusher and is flagged as low priority — skip unless you specifically want it. Among the four-star companions on the weapon banner, only The Stringless is broadly useful (it's Fischl's physical-bow build and cosmetic-cap option). The Burst-damage weapon among the four-stars works for Burst-focused users like Skirk, and works for Durin only partially (he doesn't extract the full effect). The sword option there has the running joke that 500 years pass between characters who can actually use it.

Pull Priority Summary

Fresh and budget accounts should treat Razor as the main DPS draw of the patch — he is genuinely playable as a C0 starter now. Players with established Varka or Wanderer rosters should target Nicole first, then Lohen on Phase 2 if Cryo Melt with Durin's Pyro application interests them. Anyone whose box already covers Pyro application through Arlecchino can comfortably skip Durin and save for Phase 2.