Genshin Impact 6.3 Columbina Guide: Materials & Primos

Version 6.3 Luna IV drops January 14, 2026, featuring Columbina (5-star Hydro Catalyst) in Phase 1 through February 3. You'll need 46 Radiant Antler from Frostnight Herras boss, 168 Winter Icelea from Nod-Krai, and 28,800 Primogems for guaranteed pulls. Phase 2 brings Neuvillette and Zibai reruns until February 24. F2P players earn ~14,540 Primogems this cycle.

Banner Schedule and Release Date

Phase 1: January 14 - February 3, 2026

• Columbina (5-star Hydro Catalyst)

• Illuga (4-star Geo Polearm, new)

Phase 2: February 3 - February 24, 2026

• Zibai (5-star Geo Sword)

• Neuvillette (5-star Hydro Catalyst rerun)

• Illuga (continued rate-up)

Maintenance Windows

• North America: Jan 13, 6:00-11:00 PM UTC-5

• Europe: Jan 14, 12:00-5:00 AM UTC+1

• Asia: Jan 14, 7:00 AM-12:00 PM UTC+8

300 Primogems compensation for 5-hour downtime.

Neuvillette's rerun includes new skin. For early pulls, Genshin Impact Genesis Crystals top up via BitTopup offers instant delivery.

Complete Ascension Materials (Level 1-90)

Character Ascension

Varunada Lazurite (Hydro gems):

• 1 Sliver, 9 Fragment, 9 Chunk, 6 Gemstone

• Farm: Hydro Hypostasis, Rhodeia, Hydro Tulpa

Slime Materials:

• 18 Condensate, 30 Secretions, 36 Concentrate

Radiant Antler: 46 total (Frostnight Herras boss exclusive)

• 40 Resin per claim, 2-3 drops per run

• Requires 15-18 runs (600-720 Resin)

Winter Icelea: 168 total (Nod-Krai local specialty)

• 48-hour respawn, 60-70 nodes per route

• Complete 3 farming cycles (6 days)

Talent Materials (All Talents to Level 10)

• 3 Crown of Insight

• 114 Philosophies of Moonlight (38 per talent)

• 18 Slime Condensate, 66 Slime Concentrate

• 18 weekly boss drops (6 per talent from The Doctor or Lord of Hidden Depths)

• 4,957,500 Mora

Philosophies of Moonlight: Tuesday/Friday/Sunday domains, 20 Resin per run, 2-3 drops. Needs 38-57 runs.

Weekly Bosses: 30 Resin per claim (first 3 weekly clears). Budget 6 weeks for 18 drops. Use Dream Solvent to convert unwanted materials.

Frostnight Herras Boss Strategy

Location: Nod-Krai northern caverns (unlock via Archon/World Quest)

Requirements: Adventure Rank 30+

Optimal Teams

• Pyro Hypercarry: Hu Tao + Yelan + Zhongli + Albedo

• Melt Ganyu: Ganyu + Bennett + Xiangling + Kazuha

• Mono Pyro: Arlecchino + Bennett + Kazuha + Chevreuse

Drop Rates: 2-3 Radiant Antler per 40 Resin claim. Use Condensed Resin (doubles rewards) for efficiency.

Target sub-30-second clears with optimized builds to minimize farming tedium.

Pre-Farming Timeline

4-Week Schedule

Week 1 (Pre-Launch):

• Farm Varunada Lazurite from Hydro bosses

• Stockpile Slime materials

• Collect Philosophies of Moonlight

Week 2 (Launch):

• Start Winter Icelea collection

• First weekly boss run

• Begin Frostnight Herras farming with Condensed Resin

Week 3 (Phase 1):

• Continue Radiant Antler until 46 total

• Second weekly boss run

• Artifact farming if materials secured

Week 4 (Post-Pull):

• Finish talent books

• Third weekly boss run

• Artifact optimization

Daily Resin Allocation (240 total)

• 80 Resin: Frostnight Herras (2 Condensed runs)

• 60 Resin: Talent domain (3 runs)

• 60 Resin: Mora Ley Lines

• 40 Resin: Artifacts/weapon materials

Priority Ranking

1. Radiant Antler (can't pre-farm)

2. Winter Icelea (respawn-gated)

3. Philosophies of Moonlight (day-gated)

4. Weekly boss materials (weekly lockout)

5. Varunada Lazurite (convertible anytime)

6. Slime materials (abundant)

Primogem Budget Calculator

Pity System

• Hard Pity: 90 pulls guaranteed 5-star

• Soft Pity: Starts pull 74, ~6% rate per pull (vs 0.6% base)

• 50/50: 50% chance for featured character; losing guarantees next 5-star

Guaranteed Pull Cost: 180 pulls × 160 Primogems = 28,800 Primogems

F2P Income (Version 6.3): ~14,540 Primogems

• Daily Commissions: 2,520 (60 × 42 days)

• Spiral Abyss: 1,800 (600 × 3 cycles)

• Events/Quests: 6,000-7,000

• Maintenance: 300

• Livestream Codes: 300

• HoYoLAB Check-In: 60

• Stardust Exchange: 800 (5 Fates)

Total: ~107 pulls during version cycle

Dual Banner Strategy

Both Characters Cost

• Columbina: 28,800 Primogems

• Neuvillette: 28,800 Primogems

• Combined: 57,600 Primogems (360 pulls)

F2P income covers only 25%. Need 40,000+ saved Primogems or supplement via Welkin/BP/Genesis Crystals.

For Genesis Crystals recharge, BitTopup provides secure transactions with instant delivery.

Priority Framework

Choose Columbina if:

• Need Hydro DPS/reaction dealer

• Want new Lunar Reaction mechanics

• Have strong Electro/Dendro/Geo supports

• Collecting Fatui Harbingers

Choose Neuvillette if:

• Need proven meta Hydro DPS

• Lack single-target damage

• Prefer forgiving playstyle (self-healing)

• Want new skin

Constellation vs New Character

Columbina C1 costs additional 28,800 Primogems (57,600 total). Two different 5-stars provide more account value than C1 for most players.

C1: Kuuvahki Interference every 15s (increased Lunar Reaction frequency) C2: +34% Gravity accumulation, +30% Max HP for 8s during Lunar Brilliance

Kit Analysis and Meta Position

Abilities

Eternal Tides (Skill): AoE Hydro damage, summons Gravity Ripple accumulating 20 Gravity/2s (cap 60). At 60 Gravity, triggers Kuuvahki Interference converting reactions to Lunar variants:

• Lunar-Charged: Enhanced Electro-Charged (increased AoE Electro)

• Lunar-Bloom: Enhanced Bloom (5 Dendro sigils vs standard cores)

• Lunar-Crystallize: Enhanced Crystallize (Geo AoE + shield)

Moonlit Melancholy (Burst): Creates Lunar Domain granting +0.2% Lunar Reaction DMG per 1,000 Max HP (7% cap at 35,000 HP). Increases party Moonsign level +1.

Scaling Stats

• Primary: Max HP, Elemental Mastery

• Targets: 35,000+ HP, 800+ EM, 60/120 CRIT, 180%+ ER

Signature Weapon: Nocturne's Curtain Call (542 Base ATK, 88.2% CRIT DMG)

• Passive: +10-18% Max HP, recovers 12-16 Energy/18s off-field

Optimal Teams

Lunar-Charged: Columbina + Fischl + Beidou + Kazuha

Lunar-Bloom: Columbina + Nahida + Dendro Traveler + Kuki Shinobu

Lunar-Crystallize: Columbina + Albedo + Zhongli + Navia

vs Other Hydro Characters

• Neuvillette: Higher personal damage, self-sufficient; Columbina enables team reactions

• Yelan: Better off-field application/buffing; lacks reaction transformation

• Kokomi: Provides healing; Columbina trades healing for offensive reactions

Best Artifacts and Weapons

Artifact Sets

1. Aubade of Morningstar and Moon (4pc) - BiS

• 2pc: +80 EM

• 4pc: +20% off-field Lunar Reaction DMG (+40% at Ascendant Gleam Moonsign)

• Farm: New Nod-Krai domain

• Stats: HP% sands, Hydro DMG goblet, CRIT circlet

2. Gilded Dreams (4pc)

• 2pc: +180 EM

• 4pc: Additional EM/ATK% based on team

3. Noblesse Oblige (4pc)

• 2pc: +20% Burst DMG

• 4pc: +20% ATK to party for 12s

Weapons

5-Star:

1. Nocturne's Curtain Call (signature)

2. A Thousand Floating Dreams (EM + team buffs)

3. Kagura's Verity (Skill DMG + CRIT DMG)

4-Star:

1. The Widsith (CRIT DMG + rotating buffs)

2. Sacrificial Fragments (EM + skill reset)

3. Hakushin Ring (EM + reaction bonus, craftable)

Sample Rotation (Lunar-Charged Hyperbloom)

Columbina + Nahida + Fischl + Kuki Shinobu

Nahida Skill → Fischl Skill → Kuki Skill → Columbina Skill → Columbina Burst → Columbina Normal Attacks → Repeat

Talent Priority

1. Burst (Moonlit Melancholy) - Level 9 minimum

2. Skill (Eternal Tides) - Level 8 minimum

3. Normal Attack - Level 6 (unless on-field DPS)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Pity Misconceptions

Myth: Stop at pull 74 to avoid wasting pulls Reality: Soft pity (74-89) increases rates to ~6%. Continue pulling for efficiency.

Myth: Pity resets to zero after 5-star Reality: Pity resets, but guarantee status persists across banners.

Myth: Weapon banner builds character banner pity Reality: Separate pity counters. Never pull weapon banner for character pity.

Resin Wastage

Don't over-farm character-specific materials before securing the character. Balance:

• Conservative: Farm universal materials only until pull success

• Aggressive: Pre-farm everything if guaranteed + sufficient Primogems

Impulse Pulling

Avoid:

• Building pity on unwanted banners (risks early 5-star)

• Chasing 4-stars (16.7% chance per 4-star pull)

• Weapon banner without 240 pulls saved

Maximizing Primogem Income

Spiral Abyss

• 600 Primogems per cycle (1,800 in v6.3)

• Floor 12 full clear: 450 Primogems

• Practice rotations, optimize for current buffs

Daily Commissions

• 60 Primogems daily (2,520 over 42 days)

• Set region to Mondstadt for compact routes

• Prioritize achievement-linked commissions

Events

1. Major combat events: 420 Primogems + 4 Fates

2. Exploration events: 420 Primogems

3. Minor events: 180-240 Primogems each

4. Web events (HoYoLAB): 40-120 Primogems

Efficient Top-Up

BitTopup offers competitive Genesis Crystal pricing with instant delivery. Maximize value:

• First-time buyer bonuses (double crystals)

• Welkin Moon: $4.99 for 2,700 Primogems/30 days (best ratio)

• Time purchases with banner launches

FAQ

When does Columbina banner release? January 14, 2026 (Phase 1 through February 3). Maintenance starts January 13, 6:00 PM UTC-5 for NA.

What materials does Columbina need? 46 Radiant Antler (Frostnight Herras), 168 Winter Icelea (Nod-Krai), Varunada Lazurite (1/9/9/6), Slime materials (18/30/36), 420,000 Mora.

How many primogems for guaranteed Columbina? 28,800 Primogems (180 pulls) worst-case. Less if you have existing pity/guarantee.

Columbina or Neuvillette? Columbina: Unique Lunar Reactions, needs Electro/Dendro supports. Neuvillette: Proven meta DPS, self-healing, straightforward. Choose based on account needs.

Where to farm boss materials? Radiant Antler: Frostnight Herras (Nod-Krai north). Winter Icelea: Throughout Nod-Krai, 48h respawn. Both available January 14 only.

Can F2P get both characters? F2P earns 14,540 Primogems (107 pulls). Both characters need 57,600 Primogems (360 pulls) worst-case. Requires 40,000+ saved Primogems or exceptional luck.