Columbina, the new 5-star Hydro character, has officially arrived on the Genshin Impact banners in January 2026. This character, who acts as a support and sub-DPS, was released in Phase I of the Luna IV update, bringing a unique set of skills that promises to shake up the current game meta. She is relevant now because she has a kit focused on empowering the new Lunar Reactions, a central mechanic of this game phase. Therefore, many players are wondering if it is worth investing their resources and Primogems to obtain her, especially considering long-term team planning.
Columbina’s gameplay is based on her role as an off-field support. Meanwhile, her main contribution is converting classic elemental reactions, such as Electro-Charged and Bloom, into their Lunar versions, in addition to buffing all damage from these new reactions. For this reason, her pull value is considered excellent for players who already own certain units from the current cycle, establishing her as a strategic piece for specific compositions. However, her opportunity cost must be weighed, as her brilliance may be tied to this generation of characters.
For whom is Columbina essential?
Evaluating whether you should pull for Columbina depends directly on your current roster. Furthermore, she becomes an almost mandatory acquisition if you already own characters from the Nod-Krai cycle, such as Ineffa, Lauma, Flins, or Nefer. With these units, Columbina not only increases the team’s DPS considerably but also activates powerful synergies that revitalize older characters. In other words, she acts as a catalyst that maximizes the potential of these main DPS characters, thanks to her damage bonuses and reaction conversion.
On the other hand, if your character collection does not include these specific units, Columbina’s value can drop significantly. Despite this, she is still a solid option as a generic Hydro support, but her impact will not be as revolutionary. Therefore, the final decision involves an analysis of your inventory and your in-game goals. Thus, planning your pulls based on the teams you intend to build is the smartest strategy.
Future in the meta and final considerations
It is important to remember that the Genshin Impact meta is always evolving. Although Columbina promises to dominate the rankings throughout the Luna cycle, her relevance in future Snezhnaya updates is still an unknown. If HoYoverse does not release more characters focused on Lunar Reactions, Columbina’s utility may diminish over time. However, for those playing in the present and wanting to maximize their strength in this year of 2026, she is one of the safest bets. So, the final recommendation is clear: invest in her if you seek to optimize teams with the current key characters, but consider whether you prefer to save resources for future releases.
