Varesa just stopped being a now-or-never character. Her free selector closes on 3 November 2026, and HoYoverse has confirmed that she will be on a Chronicled Wish in Version 7.2 Phase 2, the first time she has appeared on one. So the old advice, take her free or lose her, no longer holds.
This is the full Varesa build, plus the two questions that matter this week: whether she deserves your free pick, and which of her teams survive November's Imaginarium Theater.
It is current as of 31 October 2026, in the last days of Version 7.1, "A Rekviem for the Underworld". It also applies to Version 7.2, "Hour of Ruin", which launches on 4 November. As of today, HoYoverse has published no Varesa changes for 7.2.
What is the best Varesa build?
Quick answer: build Varesa with an ATK% sands, Electro DMG Bonus goblet and CRIT circlet in 4-piece Long Night's Oath or 4-piece Obsidian Codex. Her best weapon by a wide margin is her signature, Vivid Notions. Keqing Mains' talent priority is Normal Attack, then Burst, then Skill. Her most recommended teams are Overloaded, but their Pyro members can't enter November's Hydro, Electro and Geo Imaginarium Theater.
- Substats: Energy Recharge to your team's target, then CRIT, then ATK%.
- Energy Recharge target: 120 to 145% with a second Electro unit like Iansan, for two short Bursts per rotation. As the only Electro, skip ER entirely. These are Keqing Mains calculations last updated for Version 5.5.
- Ascension to Level 90: 420,000 Mora, 46 Sparkless Statue Core, 168 Skysplit Gembloom and 84 Fang-tier drops.
- One talent from 1 to 10: 1,652,500 Mora, 6 Eroded Scale-Feather and 1 Crown of Insight.
- Free selector: ends 3 November 2026 at 14:59 server time and covers ascension materials to Level 60.
- Next banner: the Natlan Chronicled Wish in 7.2 Phase 2, date unpublished. See the banner schedule.
What does Varesa actually do?
HoYoverse's character introduction describes her in one line: she "specializes in Plunging Attacks and possesses high-speed movement." That line is the whole build.
Her kit runs on Nightsoul points. A Plunging Attack grants 25 points. Her Elemental Skill, Riding the Night-Rainbow, grants 20 and has two charges. When a plunge fills the gauge she enters Fiery Passion, which increases her damage and gives one extra Skill charge, for up to 15 seconds.
Her Elemental Burst, Guardian Vent!, refills Nightsoul and puts her straight into Fiery Passion. During Fiery Passion, a Plunging Attack briefly activates Apex Drive. That lets her fire the special Burst "Guardian Vent: Volcano Kablam", which costs 30 Energy instead of 70 and has no cooldown. Its plunge, "Thunderous Tornado Eruption", counts as Plunging Attack damage and benefits from all Plunge buffs, and that one fact decides her artifacts.
Two passives stack on top:
- Tag-Team Triple Jump! After her Skill, Rainbow Crash lasts 5 seconds. It adds 50% of ATK to her plunge ground impact, or 180% of ATK in Fiery Passion.
- The Hero Twice-Returned! When a nearby party member triggers a Nightsoul Burst, she gains ATK +35% for 12 seconds, up to 2 stacks.
Her basic combo is Skill, Charged Attack, Plunge. Keqing Mains calls it "the building block of Varesa's rotations": each Skill use gives you one, and you add a short Burst after the Fiery Passion plunge whenever Energy allows.
Should you take Varesa from the free selector or wait for 7.2?
Take her free if you have her supports or want constellations. A free Varesa also saves the wishes one copy would cost you in 7.2. Spend the pick elsewhere only if another selector character fills a real gap on your account and you would still pull her anyway.
The event is Tabletop Troupe: A Gathering on Adventure's Eve. The in-game notice, Announcement 21924, lists six choices: Tartaglia, Nilou, Baizhu, Chiori, Clorinde and Varesa. It requires "Adventure Rank 18 or above" and completion of Archon Quest Chapter VII: Act IV, and it closes on 2026/11/03 14:59 server time. That is 06:59 UTC on Asia, 13:59 UTC on Europe and 19:59 UTC on America.
What changed is the Version 7.2 banner lineup. HoYoverse's 7.2 press release says the second phase brings "a new Chronicled Wish featuring certain Natlan characters", and its Special Program recap names the five: Varesa, Chasca, Xilonen, Mualani and Kinich. Vivid Notions is on the same wish's weapon list.
| Your situation | Best move |
|---|---|
| You own Iansan, Chevreuse or Durin and won't pull in 7.2 | Take Varesa free |
| You will pull her in 7.2 regardless, and another pick fills a real gap | Take that character instead |
| You want C1 or C2 | Take her free, then pull. Each 7.2 copy adds a constellation |
| You have none of Iansan, Chevreuse or Durin | Pick someone else. Keqing Mains lists "Reliance on Chevreuse and Iansan for her best teams" as a con |
The constellation route is the one players are already discussing. One reply in an r/GenshinImpactTips selector thread recommended "C1 Varesa into C2 from the incoming banner" for an account that already owned her. A reply in another thread was colder: "not up to par with modern DPS units." Both are fair. She is strong inside her teams, and she isn't a free upgrade for every account.
Two limits apply to the free copy. Its bundled ascension materials only reach Level 60, a figure from our 12 September capture of Announcement 21923, which is now image-only. She also isn't on the community wiki's Stella Fortuna list for To Temper Thyself and Journey Far, and Announcement 21892, the next cycle's notice, names no additions.
How the Chronicled Wish works. You choose a designated Chronicled Path before wishing. According to the community wiki's rules summary, a missed 5-star gives one Fate Point, the next 5-star is then your pick, and switching your choice, or the wish ending, resets Fate Points to 0. A character path can only give characters, so Varesa and Vivid Notions need two separate paths. Our pity guide explains how that counter differs from the Character Event Wish.
When does it start? HoYoverse hasn't published a Phase 2 date. Our banner page projects around 24 to 25 November from the 7.1 rhythm, and that is only a projection.
What are the best Varesa artifacts?
Two sets lead, and your team decides between them.
4-piece Long Night's Oath gives +25% Plunging Attack DMG at 2 pieces. At 4 pieces, Plunging Attacks, Charged Attacks and Elemental Skills that hit grant 1, 2 and 2 stacks of Radiance Everlasting. Each stack is +15% Plunging Attack DMG for 6 seconds, up to 5 stacks, for +100% Plunging Attack DMG in total. Keqing Mains says it pulls ahead "with CRIT Rate weapons, in teams lacking DMG% buffs, or with Plunge-specific buffing."
4-piece Obsidian Codex gives +15% DMG on-field in Nightsoul's Blessing at 2 pieces, and +40% CRIT Rate for 6 seconds after she consumes a Nightsoul point at 4 pieces. Varesa also ascends with CRIT Rate, so it is easy to overcap. Avoid pairing it with a CRIT Rate weapon. Starting with a held Skill spends a few Nightsoul points and activates the 4-piece earlier.
4-piece Marechaussee Hunter is a distant third. Keqing Mains says it "only works reliably with Furina". Use 2-piece mixes of Long Night's Oath, Obsidian Codex or Thundering Fury as placeholders.
| Slot | Best main stat |
|---|---|
| Sands | ATK% |
| Goblet | Electro DMG Bonus, or ATK% with heavy DMG% buffs |
| Circlet | CRIT Rate or CRIT DMG |
How much Energy Recharge does Varesa need? Keqing Mains states that "Varesa doesn't necessarily need to build ER", and gives these targets, assuming Favonius weapons on her supports:
| Team shape | Two short Bursts per rotation | One short Burst per rotation |
|---|---|---|
| Second Electro: Iansan or Ororon | 120 to 145% | 100% |
| Second Electro: Fischl | 115 to 120% | 100% |
| Only Electro unit | 195 to 200% | 100 to 105% |
If your artifacts have almost no ER, don't chase it. Fire one short Burst every two or three rotations instead. In Solo Electro teams, such as Varesa, Durin, Nicole and Chevreuse, Keqing Mains says she "should forgo any ER investment and use Burst when available." At Level 90 her base stats are 12,699 HP, 356 ATK and 782 DEF, and her ascension stat gives +19.2% CRIT Rate. Some sites quote 24.2%, which includes the 5% CRIT Rate every character starts with.
What is the best Varesa weapon?
Vivid Notions is best in slot, and Keqing Mains lists the "large performance gap between her signature weapon and available alternatives" as a con. At Level 90 it has 674 base ATK and 44.1% CRIT DMG. Its passive adds +28% ATK at R1, plus +28% and +40% Plunging Attack CRIT DMG from plunging and from using a Skill or Burst. Both CRIT DMG buffs last 15 seconds, so she can run +68% together, and they end 0.1 seconds after the ground impact hits a target.
From there, an abridged version of Keqing Mains' 7.1 list runs:
- Reliquary of Truth, a strong stat stick even without the Lunar-Bloom half of its passive.
- Kagura's Verity, which she stacks fully by the middle of her first rotation.
- Crane's Echoing Call, though it is better on Xianyun if you own her.
- The Widsith at high refinement, close to Kagura's Verity, but its random passive makes it inconsistent.
- Clash of Kings, a Battle Pass option and Keqing Mains' top 4-star at R5.
- Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds, consistent, though its CRIT Rate clashes with Obsidian Codex.
- Flowing Purity, the free forged option. It needs a healer on the team because its passive grants a Bond of Life.
Is Starsealed Edict good on Varesa? It's untested, so don't pull it for her yet. The new 5-star Catalyst reaches the Epitome Invocation Wish on 4 November with 542 base ATK, 88.2% CRIT DMG and a further 24% CRIT DMG from its passive. That makes it a plausible stat stick, but the rest of the passive pays out in Elemental Mastery and Stellar-Conduct CRIT DMG. This is our pre-release read, and Keqing Mains hasn't rated it.
What are the best Varesa teams?
Overloaded is her most recommended archetype, and general Plunge teams are the fallback. All of the teams below come from Keqing Mains' Varesa guide, updated for Version 7.1. The Theater column is our own check against November's rules.
| Team | Archetype | November Theater? |
|---|---|---|
| Varesa, Chevreuse, Mavuika, Iansan or Ororon | Overloaded | No, Pyro |
| Varesa, Durin, Nicole, Iansan or Chevreuse | Overloaded | No, Pyro |
| Varesa, Chevreuse, Bennett or Pyro Traveler, Iansan | Overloaded, 4-star budget | No, Pyro |
| Varesa, Iansan, Furina, Xianyun | Plunge hypercarry | No, Xianyun is Anemo |
| Varesa, Iansan, Durin, Xilonen | Plunge hypercarry | No, Pyro |
| Varesa, Columbina, Ineffa, Xilonen | Lunar-Charged | Yes |
| Varesa, Iansan or Xilonen, Odette, Yae Miko | Stellar-Conduct | Yes, with Odette |
Why Overloaded leads. Chevreuse brings RES Shred and an ATK buff, but only in a party of Pyro and Electro characters. Mavuika adds high personal damage and extra Nightsoul Bursts for Varesa's ATK passive. If you don't own her, Durin is the runner-up, and Durin with Nicole forms a full core of its own, with Nicole on Celestial Gift and Durin on Rising Winds. In the Mavuika team, Iansan or Ororon holds 4-piece Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City.
Natlan supports aren't mandatory. Varesa, Durin, Nicole and Chevreuse has no other Natlan character in it. Xianyun remains the premium Plunge buffer, because she adds flat Plunge damage and can hold 4-piece Viridescent Venerer for Electro RES Shred.
What about November's Imaginarium Theater? Season 29 runs 1 November to 1 December on Hydro, Electro and Geo, per the Version 7.1 update notice. Varesa is eligible, but Chevreuse, Durin, Nicole, Mavuika and Bennett are not, so every Overloaded team is out. Your options:
- Varesa, Columbina, Ineffa, Xilonen is the cleanest fit. All four are eligible. Ineffa also receives a new Thespian Trick from 1 November.
- Varesa, Iansan or Xilonen, Odette, Yae Miko works because Odette is a Special Guest Star this season, if you own or borrow her. Keqing Mains notes that "Varesa herself does not benefit much from Stellar-Conduct", so most of the damage comes from off-field.
- Varesa, Iansan, Furina, Xilonen is our own swap of Xilonen for Xianyun in the hypercarry team. Keqing Mains doesn't list this exact four, so treat it as a suggestion. It suits you if you pull Furina in 7.2 Phase 1.
Will Mitya or Valeriy fit Varesa? Unknown until their kits are testable. Both arrive on 4 November, and the press release pitches them at Stellar-Conduct teams, though Valeriy also shields and boosts Electro DMG.
What materials does Varesa need?
This is the full ascension and talent bill, not counting character EXP books and the Mora they cost.
Ascension, Level 1 to 90:
- 420,000 Mora
- 1 Vajrada Amethyst Sliver, 9 Fragments, 9 Chunks, 6 Gemstones
- 46 Sparkless Statue Core, dropped by the Lv. 30+ Lava Dragon Statue world boss
- 168 Skysplit Gembloom, a Natlan local specialty found in Atocpan
- 18 Juvenile Fang, 30 Seasoned Fang, 36 Tyrant's Fang
One talent, Level 1 to 10:
- 1,652,500 Mora
- 6 Juvenile Fang, 22 Seasoned Fang, 31 Tyrant's Fang
- 3 Teachings of Conflict, 21 Guides, 38 Philosophies, from Blazing Ruins on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday
- 6 Eroded Scale-Feather, from the weekly Lv. 70+ Lord of Eroded Primal Fire
- 1 Crown of Insight
Maxing all three talents takes three Crowns, which is usually the real bottleneck. Our Crown of Insight guide lists every source. Since Sparkless Statue Core and Skysplit Gembloom both come from Natlan, a new selector claimer will hit a wall right after Level 60.
What is the Varesa talent priority?
Normal Attack, then Burst, then character level, then Skill, which is Keqing Mains' order. Normal Attack levels her regular plunges, and they land several times per rotation. Burst levels her short Burst. Some sites list Burst first, so if you only have materials for one talent, follow the order above. The Skill can stay low.
Which Varesa constellations are worth it?
With a selector copy plus Chronicled pulls, this is now a real decision.
- C1, Undying Passion. Her Rainbow Crash bonus is always 180% of ATK, in or out of Fiery Passion, and her special Burst plunge also grants Rainbow Crash. A clean upgrade.
- C2, Beyond the Edge of Light. She enters Apex Drive after any Plunging Attack and restores 11.5 Energy when a plunge's ground impact hits. Keqing Mains counts "2-3 more short Bursts per rotation". This is the big jump.
- C4, The Courage to Press On. Her Burst deals 100% more DMG during Fiery Passion or Apex Drive. Used outside them, it adds 500% of ATK to her next plunge ground impact.
- C6, A Hero of Justice's Triumph. Adds +10% CRIT Rate and +100% CRIT DMG on plunges and Burst, plus 30 Energy on entering Apex Drive.
C3 and C5 are talent-level bumps, and Keqing Mains rates both as low impact. Stop at C2 unless you are a dedicated Varesa main. Keqing Mains publishes no direct comparison of C2 and Vivid Notions: C2 fixes her Energy and rotation, while Vivid Notions adds raw Plunge damage. To fund either, see how to get Primogems fast.
Varesa banner history
Varesa debuted on 26 March 2025 on the "Cornucopia of Contention" Event Wish, which ran to 15 April 2025. It returned from 23 December 2025 to 13 January 2026. The wiki's Chronicled Wish rules say event-exclusive characters need at least two Character Event Wish appearances to qualify, which she now has. Version 7.2 Phase 2 is her first Chronicled appearance.
FAQ
Is Varesa worth building in Version 7.2? Yes, if you own her team. With Iansan or Chevreuse and a Pyro core she is a strong on-field DPS, but she isn't the automatic pick she was at launch. Without those supports, her damage falls well behind her reputation.
Is Varesa getting a rerun? Yes. HoYoverse's 7.2 recap lists her on the Natlan Chronicled Wish, and the press release places that wish in Phase 2. No exact date is published yet.
Can I get Varesa to Level 90 with the selector materials? No. The bundled ascension materials reach Level 60. After that you need the rest of her 46 Sparkless Statue Core, 168 Skysplit Gembloom and Fang-tier drops, and they don't cover talents.
What is the best free weapon for Varesa? Flowing Purity, because it is forged and needs no gacha, as long as she has a healer on the team. The Widsith and Clash of Kings at R5 are better if you already own high refinements.
Should I use Long Night's Oath or Obsidian Codex? Use Long Night's Oath with a CRIT Rate weapon or a team short on DMG% buffs. Use Obsidian Codex when you want the CRIT Rate from the set instead of from substats. Keqing Mains rates Long Night's Oath as better or about equal, depending on buffs, weapons and teams.
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