Genshin Impact Version 6.3 forces a critical choice: Columbina (new Hydro Catalyst) or Ineffa (returning Electro Polearm). This guide analyzes both characters' kits, meta positioning, and pull value across F2P, low-spender, and whale accounts for Phase 1 (January 14 - February 3, 2026).
Version 6.3 Banner Overview (January 14 – February 3, 2026)
Phase 1 runs January 14 - February 3, 2026 (20 days) featuring:
5-Stars: Columbina (Hydro Catalyst), Ineffa (Electro Polearm rerun)
4-Stars: Fischl, Sethos, Ifa (Electro-heavy lineup)
Weapons: Nocturne's Curtain Call (Columbina), Fractured Halo (Ineffa)
Phase 2 follows February 3-24, 2026 with Zibai (Geo Sword) and Neuvillette (Hydro rerun).
Livestream codes (300 Primogems total): ComeNightorDay, Zibai0515, GallopYeah
For pulls, Genshin Impact Genesis Crystals top up via BitTopup offers competitive pricing and instant delivery.
Pity System Mechanics
Character hard pity: 90 pulls (14,400 Primogems)
Soft pity: Starts pull 74, average 5-star at pull 80 (12,800 Primogems)
50/50 system: Worst-case 180 pulls (28,800 Primogems) for guarantee
Weapon hard pity: 80 pulls, Epitomized Path guarantees after 240 pulls (38,400 Primogems)
Primogems Available in 6.3
F2P total: 14,540 Primogems (107 pulls)
Daily Commissions: 2,520 (60×42 days)
Spiral Abyss: 1,600 (2 resets, 36-star)
Lantern Rite 2026: 1,600 + 10 Fates
Archon Quests VII-VIII: 590 + 2 Fates
Livestream codes: 300
Welkin Moon: +3,780 = 18,320 total (131 pulls) Welkin + BP: ~19,000 total (139 pulls)
Columbina Complete Analysis
Role: Semi-hypercarry Hydro DPS with Gravity mechanic
Kit Breakdown
Normal Attack: 3-hit Hydro combo
Elemental Skill: Summons Gravity Ripple generating 20 Gravity/2s (max 60)
Elemental Burst: Moonlit Melancholy creates 12s Lunar Domain (15s CD, 60 Energy), boosts Lunar Reaction damage based on Max HP
Passives: A1 improves Gravity generation; A4 converts excess Gravity to CRIT Rate
Field time: 10-12s per 20s rotation
Optimal Rotation
Deploy Skill (start Gravity generation)
3-4 Normal Attack sequences (6-8s)
Burst at 60 Gravity
Switch to supports for reactions
Return for Skill reactivation
Constellation Value
C0: Fully functional
C1 (highest value): Kuuvahki Interference recovers 6 Energy every 15s, reduces ER needs 20-30%
C2: Extends Skill duration, improves reaction consistency
C4: CRIT DMG scaling from Max HP, +15-25% damage
C6: +40-50% total damage vs C0, hypercarry potential unlocked
Signature Weapon vs 4-Star Options
Nocturne's Curtain Call (5-star)
Base ATK 542, CRIT DMG 88.2%
Passive: Max HP +10-18%, recovers 12-16 Energy after Lunar reactions (18s CD), then +14-22% HP and +60-140% CRIT DMG for 12s
Outperforms best 4-star by 25-30%
4-Star alternatives:
Prototype Amber: HP% + Energy recovery
Sacrificial Fragments: EM + Skill reset
The Widsith: CRIT DMG + random buffs (best 4-star option)
Recommendation: C1 Columbina > signature weapon for low-spenders
Artifacts
Main stats:
Sands: HP% (ER if no C1 + solo Hydro)
Goblet: HP% or Hydro DMG% (HP% better with signature + C4+)
Circlet: CRIT Rate/DMG (70/140 minimum)
Sets:
4pc Nymph's Dream: BiS for Hydro teams
4pc Heart of Depth: Competitive alternative
2pc combos: Mix Nymph's/Heart/HP% sets
Substats: CRIT > HP% > ER (to threshold) > EM > Flat HP Target: 20,000+ Max HP
Ineffa Deep Dive
Role: Off-field Electro sub-DPS with burst damage
Kit Analysis
Normal Attack: 4-hit polearm combo (minimal use)
Elemental Skill: 16s CD, persistent off-field Electro application
Elemental Burst: 60 Energy, 15s CD, frontloaded AoE Electro damage with snapshot mechanics
Passives: Team Energy generation + Electro reaction damage boost
Field time: 3-5s per rotation
Support vs Sub-DPS Role
Higher burst damage than Fischl but needs more field time/Energy
Excels in Electro-Charged (with Hydro carries), Aggravate (Dendro carries), Hyperbloom
Competes with Fischl's longer off-field duration and lower setup requirements
Constellation Breakpoints
C0: Fully functional
C1: -2s Skill CD, +duration (comfort, not essential)
C2: Burst damage scales with team Energy consumption, +20-35% burst damage (best value)
C4: Electro RES shred on Skill hit
C6: Transforms burst to sustained DPS mode, +45-55% total damage vs C0
Recommendation: Stop at C0 or C2 for most players
Weapon Choices
Fractured Halo (5-star)
Base ATK 608, CRIT DMG 88.2%
Passive: +24-48% ATK for 20s after Skill/Burst, +40-80% Lunar-Charged DMG when shielded
Outperforms The Catch by 20-25% with shields, 15-20% without
4-Star alternatives:
The Catch: Free, ER + burst damage (F2P BiS)
Deathmatch: BP, CRIT Rate + ATK/DEF
Favonius Lance: ER + particle generation
Columbina vs Ineffa: Direct Comparison
DPS Output (C0, 4-star weapons)
Columbina: 30-40% higher personal DPS, 45,000-55,000 team DPS (single-target)
Ineffa: 35,000-45,000 team DPS, better AoE coverage
Gap narrows in multi-target scenarios
Field Time & Flexibility
Columbina: 10-12s/20s rotation (moderate field time)
Ineffa: 3-5s/rotation (high flexibility)
Team Versatility
Columbina teams:
Vaporize: Xiangling/Bennett/Kazuha
Hyperbloom: Nahida/Kuki/Xingqiu
Electro-Charged: Fischl/Beidou/Kazuha
Freeze: Ganyu/Kazuha/Diona
Ineffa teams:
Aggravate: Alhaitham/Nahida/Zhongli
Hyperbloom: Nahida/Xingqiu/Dendro flex
Electro-Charged: Neuvillette/Kazuha/Zhongli
Physical: Eula/Rosaria/Zhongli
Spiral Abyss Performance
Columbina: 75-90s/chamber, excels single-target
Ineffa: 80-95s/chamber, consistent across layouts
Both comfortably meet 36-star requirements with proper investment.
Pull Recommendations by Player Type
F2P Priority (14,540 Primogems)
Pull Columbina if:
Lack strong Hydro DPS (no Neuvillette/Tartaglia/Ayato)
Enjoy semi-hypercarry playstyles
Have strong off-field supports (Xiangling/Fischl/Nahida)
Pull Ineffa if:
Need Electro sub-DPS for quickswap teams
Own strong carries needing off-field Electro
Prefer low field-time characters
Skip both if:
Already own well-built alternatives
Primogems <10,000 without guaranteed pity
Version 6.4+ has higher priorities
Low-Spender Strategy (Welkin + BP: 19,000 Primogems)
Options:
C1 Columbina: +15-20% damage, better than signature weapon
Dual acquisition: Both C0 if favorable pity (40+ pulls in, guaranteed)
C0 + save: Secure one, bank rest for 6.4
Avoid: Weapon banner (inefficient for low-spenders)
Whale Investment (C6 + R5)
Columbina: ~1,320 pulls worst-case (211,200 Primogems / $2,800-$3,200)
+40-50% damage vs C0
Complete Energy independence
Top-tier all content
Ineffa: Similar cost
+45-55% damage vs C0
Sub-DPS to main DPS transformation
Recommendation: Columbina for hypercarry ceiling, Ineffa for versatile sub-DPS
New Players
Columbina advantages: Functions as main DPS, teaches rotation management Columbina disadvantages: Requires HP% artifacts with CRIT, needs built supports
Ineffa advantages: Off-field flexibility, pairs with future carries Ineffa disadvantages: Sub-DPS role needs strong main carry
General advice: Versatile main DPS (Neuvillette/Arlecchino) > both options
Endgame Accounts
Columbina value: Alternative Hydro carry, unique Lunar Reaction scaling, C1 improves speedruns Ineffa value: Electro sub-DPS slot, quickswap enabler, C2 boosts burst teams
Evaluate opportunity cost vs future archons/meta characters.
Roster Gap Analysis
Element Coverage
Hydro: Most valuable (Vaporize 2x, Dendro reactions). Pull Columbina if lacking Neuvillette/Tartaglia/Ayato/Yelan/Xingqiu.
Electro: More common (Lisa/Kuki/Fischl/Beidou/Raiden/Yae). Pull Ineffa only if lacking off-field Electro.
Role Redundancy
High redundancy (skip):
Columbina: Own Neuvillette/Tartaglia/Ayato C0+ at 80/90
Ineffa: Own Raiden C2+, Fischl C6, or Yae with strong builds
Low redundancy (pull):
Columbina: Only Barbara/Candace for Hydro
Ineffa: Only Lisa/Kuki for Electro
DPS vs Support Priority
Pull DPS (Columbina) if: <2 built DPS, struggle with Abyss DPS checks Pull sub-DPS (Ineffa) if: 2+ strong DPS, need support optimization
Future-Proofing
Columbina's Lunar Reaction focus may gain value if 6.4+ expands this mechanic. Ineffa's traditional design remains stable but unlikely to spike in value.
Best Team Compositions
Columbina Optimal Teams
Vaporize Hypercarry: Xiangling/Bennett/Kazuha (highest single-target DPS) Hyperbloom: Nahida/Kuki/Xingqiu (strong AoE) Electro-Charged: Fischl/Beidou/Kazuha (benefits from banner Fischl) Freeze: Ganyu/Kazuha/Diona (crowd control)
Ineffa Optimal Teams
Aggravate: Alhaitham/Nahida/Zhongli (high sustained DPS) Hyperbloom: Nahida/Xingqiu/Dendro flex (consistent triggers) Electro-Charged: Neuvillette/Kazuha/Zhongli (leverages top-tier DPS) Physical: Eula/Rosaria/Zhongli (Superconduct support)
Budget 4-Star Teams
Columbina: Xiangling/Bennett/Sucrose (70-80% optimal DPS) Ineffa: Traveler (Dendro)/Fischl/Sucrose (65-75% optimal DPS)
Primogem Management
Pull Requirements
Guaranteed: 28,800 Primogems (180 pulls)
High probability (90%): 20,000 Primogems
Moderate (70%): 15,000 Primogems
Genesis Crystal Top-Up
Buy Genshin Genesis Crystals instant recharge through BitTopup for:
Competitive pricing vs official channels
Instant delivery (minutes)
Secure payment processing
First-time purchase bonuses (double value)
Starglitter Strategy
Priority: Buy 5 Intertwined Fates monthly (25 Starglitter)
Characters: Only for critical constellations (Fischl C6, Bennett C1, Xingqiu C6)
Common Mistakes
Constellation Trap
C0 is sufficient for both characters. C1 Columbina and C2 Ineffa offer value but aren't essential. Prioritize new characters over constellations unless excess resources exist.
Weapon Banner Pitfalls
Low-spenders/F2P should avoid weapon banners. 240-pull worst-case (38,400 Primogems) rarely justifies 25-30% damage increase when resources could fund new characters.
FOMO vs Strategic Skipping
Characters rerun within 6-12 months. Skip if:
Primogems <10,000 without guarantee
6.4+ leaks show higher priorities
Existing roster meets content requirements
Final Verdict
Decision Matrix
Pull Columbina: Lack Hydro DPS, need semi-hypercarry, building Vaporize/Bloom teams Pull Ineffa: Need Electro sub-DPS, own strong carries, prefer quickswap Pull both: Welkin/BP with 25,000+ Primogems + favorable pity Skip both: Both elements covered, primogems <10,000, 6.4+ priorities
Pre-Farming Checklist
Columbina: Varunada Lazurite, regional specialty, talent books, Nymph's Dream/Heart of Depth (HP%/Hydro/CRIT) Ineffa: Vajrada Amethyst, regional specialty, talent books, Thundering Fury/Emblem (ATK%/Electro/CRIT)
Target: Level 80+, talents 8/8/8 minimum
FAQ
Who should I pull? Columbina if lacking Hydro DPS; Ineffa if needing Electro sub-DPS. F2P prioritize bigger roster gap.
Is Columbina better than Ineffa? Columbina has 30-40% higher personal DPS but needs field time. Ineffa excels as versatile sub-DPS. Choice depends on roster needs.
Primogems for guaranteed Columbina? 28,800 worst-case (180 pulls). Average 12,800-16,000 (80-100 pulls). F2P get 14,540 in 6.3; Welkin 18,320.
Pull signature weapon? No for F2P/low-spenders. Prioritize C1 Columbina instead. Weapon needs 240 pulls worst-case (38,400 Primogems).
Best F2P Columbina teams? Vaporize (Xiangling/Bennett/Sucrose) or Hyperbloom (Collei/Kuki/Xingqiu). Achieve 70-80% optimal performance.
Ineffa worth it with Fischl C6? Only if needing higher burst damage or running separate Abyss teams. Fischl's off-field duration often superior for quickswap.