Looking back from 2026, Genshin Impact's patch 5.3 first phase still stands out as one of the most loaded banner windows in recent memory. From November 11 to December 2, 2025, players could pull for Arlecchino's 'The Hearth's Ashen Shadow' and Zhongli's 'Gentry of Hermitage' at the same time, with the 'Epitome Invocation' weapon banner offering two featured polearms. Add in a boosted four-star roster of Lan Yan, Rosaria, and Yun Jin, and the rotation clearly catered to very different kinds of accounts. So was it actually worth the Intertwined Fates? The honest answer depended on what an account already had, but many players walked away with meaningful upgrades.
What made this window unusual was its pairing of a newer, high-risk Pyro carry with one of the oldest defensive anchors in the game. Arlecchino arrived as a Fatui Harbinger and immediately pushed the Pyro damage conversation toward single-target and overload-friendly setups. Her risk-reward mechanics reward players who manage her life-drain style and snapshot buff rotations well. Zhongli, by contrast, has been a stability pick since the early patches: his shield, resistance shred, and universal flexibility have rarely gone out of style. Having both available in the same character-event pity pool was a deliberate move by Hoyoverse to make the banner attractive for veterans and newcomers alike.
Banner quick facts
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Featured five-stars: Arlecchino (Pyro) and Zhongli (Geo)
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Boosted four-stars: Lan Yan (Anemo), Rosaria (Cryo), Yun Jin (Geo)
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Weapon banner highlights: Crimson Moon's Semblance and Vortex Vanquisher
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Shared pity: both character banners used the same five-star guarantee
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Test Run event: temporary trials with enhancement materials
For free-to-play and low-spend players, budgeting Intertwined Fates mattered more than usual because pity carried across both character banners. A newcomer could aim for Zhongli and comfortably build a first-clear team for Spiral Abyss progression, while a more confident player might chase Arlecchino for a top-tier Pyro DPS with a steeper learning curve. Neither five-star appeared on the Standard Banner, so skipping the limited window meant waiting for an unknown rerun. Was Zhongli the safer pick? Absolutely. Did that make Arlecchino a bad choice? Not at all, especially for players who prefer aggressive rotations and already own a reliable shielder or healer.
A simple way to frame the decision looked like this:
| Pick | Best for | Main risk |
|---|---|---|
| Arlecchino | High-ceiling Pyro damage, Overload and mono-Pyro teams | Requires HP management and careful buff timing |
| Zhongli | Newer players, mobile play, nearly any team as a shield support | Low personal damage if over-relied on |
| Lan Yan | Anemo support value and constellation progress | Limited payoff without enough constellations |
| Rosaria | Freeze and crit-support roles | Very replaceable in some modern team archetypes |
| Yun Jin | Normal-attack buffers and physical/hybrid compositions | Niche outside specific carries |
Advanced accounts had a different calculation. If Zhongli was already owned, pursuing Arlecchino or her best-in-slot polearm, Crimson Moon's Semblance, often made sense. The weapon banner also featured Vortex Vanquisher, a more niche option that looked better for Zhongli collectors than for raw meta efficiency. Players were warned repeatedly that weapon banners are luck-dependent, and the Epitomized Path system can make chasing a specific polearm expensive. Would a veteran pull on the weapon banner? Only if they accepted that cost ahead of time.
Team-building logic reinforced the split. Arlecchino thrived in quick snapshot rotations where buffs from casting an ability persist even if the field state changes. That made her particularly interesting for Pyro support and Overload setups, and community theorycrafting kept pointing to future Pyro synergy possibilities. Zhongli fit into double-Geo cores or served as an off-field universal shield for Xiao, Itto, and more experimental charged-attack teams. The four-star lineup added small but real value: Rosaria continued to be effective in freeze teams, while Yun Jin remained a situational normal-attack buffer. Lan Yan being new to the event pool gave players another shot at her debut or constellations.
Even the banner artwork fed into the appeal. Arlecchino's stormy palette matched her burning ambitions, while Zhongli's stoic pose reinforced his role as the contract keeper. Some observers argued that featuring two polearms on the weapon banner signaled a coming wave of polearm-wielding units, though that remained speculative. Others pointed to the repeated inclusion of Rosaria and Yun Jin as a possible hint of more physical or reaction-flexible Abyss cycles ahead. None of these theories were officially confirmed, but they added to the buzz around the first phase of patch 5.3.
From a 2026 perspective, the rotation aged quite well. Players who pulled Zhongli secured a comfort pick that still functions in plenty of endgame teams. Players who invested in Arlecchino gained a strong Pyro DPS whose value has only become clearer as new elemental supports and artifact options appeared. The Test Run events offered a low-stakes way to feel each rotation before committing, which was especially useful for anyone torn between safety and upside. If there was one lasting lesson, it was that high-value banners are rarely about a single character. They are about how the featured units, four-stars, and weapon options fit into an account's existing puzzle. For many travelers, this was one of those rare windows where almost every piece had a place.