A practical guide to Genshin Impact Version Luna IV and the 2026 Lantern Rite: how Columbina and Zibai work, what Lunar and Lunar‑Crystallize actually do in combat, how this year’s festival structure stacks up to past Lantern Rites, and every active livestream and redemption code you should claim this week.
Luna IV At A Glance
Version “Luna IV – A Traveler on a Winter’s Night” lands on January 14, 2026, as Genshin Impact’s first major patch of the year. It pushes the Nod‑Krai story toward a showdown with Il Dottore, opens the Lightkeeper base of Piramida, and brings back Lantern Rite in mainland Liyue alongside three new playable characters: Columbina, Zibai, and Illuga.
From a gameplay perspective the update revolves around two big pillars: the new Lunar system of reactions (especially Lunar‑Crystallize) and the reward‑stuffed Lantern Rite 2026 event.
Columbina: Off‑Field Lunar Engine And Safety Net
Columbina Hyposelenia, the Moon Maiden, is a 5★ Hydro catalyst who functions as an off‑field enabler for the new Lunar reactions. Her kit reads like a mix between an elemental buffer, reaction driver, and emergency support.
In practical terms Columbina wants to set up Hydro auras and then transform standard reactions into enhanced Lunar variants while she stays off the field. Her signature Lunar Domain state boosts all Lunar Reaction damage for the team and adds extra thundercloud hits to Lunar‑Charged effects, which behave like empowered Electro‑Charged follow‑ups.
The standout twist is conversion. Columbina can take Electro‑Charged, Bloom, and Hydro‑Crystallize and convert them into Lunar reactions, letting her plug into existing Electro‑Charged or Bloom teams without throwing away established synergies. On top of that she has a rare utility button: a kit talent that can revive fallen party members under specific conditions, putting her in a very small club of hard safety tools alongside things like Barbara’s old‑event revive card or limited food effects, but built directly into a character.
Team roles and best fits
Columbina is most comfortable as a flex slot support who never needs to hog field time. You rotate her in to apply Hydro, establish Lunar Domain, then swap to your main drivers.
She pairs cleanly with:
Hydro‑Electro cores, where Electro‑Charged procs are automatically upgraded into Lunar reactions and gain extra thundercloud hits. Think Raiden, Yae Miko, Fischl, or Cyno as drivers, backed by an off‑field Electro like Fischl or Yae and a defensive slot such as Zhongli or Diona.
Bloom‑oriented teams, especially those already using Nahida or other Dendro cores. Here, Bloom no longer just becomes Dendro explosions; Columbina’s conversions add a second layer of Lunar damage on top of the usual seed detonation gameplay.
New Geo‑Hydro setups dedicated to Lunar‑Crystallize. While Zibai is the face of that reaction, Columbina can help ensure there is always a Hydro source available to trigger Lunar‑Crystallize reliably.
Because she can revive, Columbina also has natural synergy in harder content where mistakes are punished, such as Spiral Abyss cycles with brutal one‑shot mechanics. Her presence lets you build slightly greedier offensive teams without feeling completely exposed.
Zibai: Geo Sword Carry For Lunar‑Crystallize
Zibai is a 5★ Geo sword Adeptus from Liyue who is purpose‑built to make the new Lunar‑Crystallize reaction the centerpiece of your team. Rather than being a quick‑swap support, Zibai wants repeated uptime and sustained fights.
His kit revolves around entering a powered‑up stance, building energy, then unleashing an Elemental Skill that deals Lunar‑Crystallize damage. The more Lunar‑Crystallize reactions you trigger over time, the stronger and more frequent his Skill hits become. Unlike classic Geo carries that lean on straight Geo scaling and Crystallize shields, Zibai’s ceiling is tied directly to how aggressively you can trigger Geo + Hydro interactions.
Team roles and best fits
Zibai is a main on‑field damage dealer who demands you shape the team around his reaction.
He wants:
Consistent Hydro application to guarantee Lunar‑Crystallize uptime. Characters like Neuvillette, Furina, Xingqiu, Yelan, and Columbina herself can all maintain a stable Hydro aura on enemies.
Geo supports who can both buff Geo damage and contribute to reaction triggers. Albedo, Zhongli, and the new 4★ Geo polearm Illuga fit naturally; Geo resonance adds extra damage and interruption resistance on top of Zibai’s scaling.
Flex slots that keep enemies grouped or protected so Zibai can stay on the field as long as possible. Anemo crowd controllers like Kazuha or Sucrose do not directly interact with Lunar‑Crystallize but still improve real‑world DPS by grouping mobs into the Moondrift zones.
If you treat him as a standard Geo hypercarry without building around Hydro, you leave a lot of his potential on the table. Proper Zibai teams are essentially Lunar‑Crystallize comps first, Geo comps second.
New Reactions: Lunar And Lunar‑Crystallize Explained
Luna IV formally introduces the Lunar category of reactions. While the full system touches several elements, for now the headliners are Columbina’s Lunar conversions and the dedicated Geo‑Hydro reaction Lunar‑Crystallize.
Lunar conversions
In teams with Columbina, familiar Hydro reactions can be transformed into Lunar variants:
Electro‑Charged, Bloom, and Hydro‑Crystallize can all be upgraded into Lunar reactions while her kit is active. These enhanced reactions deal additional coordinated damage, are further buffed by her Lunar Domain, and in the case of Lunar‑Charged gain extra thundercloud strikes that behave like follow‑up hits.
Functionally, this means any time you would normally be chaining Hydro into Electro or Dendro, Columbina quietly injects extra damage instances into the rotation without asking for more field time. That makes her particularly attractive for players who already have optimized Electro‑Charged and Bloom teams and want a straight upgrade rather than a full rebuild.
Lunar‑Crystallize (Geo + Hydro)
Separate from the conversions is Lunar‑Crystallize, a brand‑new reaction between Geo and Hydro that forms the backbone of Zibai’s design.
When Geo meets Hydro under the right conditions, Lunar‑Crystallize spawns three Moondrifts near affected enemies. These Moondrifts then set up the larger payoff: after you trigger the reaction three times, they resonate as Moondrift Harmony, unleashing an area‑of‑effect burst of Geo damage around the enemy cluster.
For gameplay this has a few immediate consequences:
Zibai’s Skill benefits directly from repeated Lunar‑Crystallize procs, so extended multi‑wave battles are where he shines most.
Positioning matters more than with standard Crystallize. To cash out Moondrift Harmony effectively you want enemies inside or near the Moondrift cluster, making crowd control and good Geo construct placement more valuable.
Geo is no longer just a defensive Crystallize shield element in mixed‑teams. Proper Hydro support allows Geo teams to play like reaction‑driven DPS comps instead of purely raw stat check squads.
Lantern Rite 2026: A Lanternlit Ode To The Silver Moon
Lantern Rite is back in Liyue for 2026 and this time it is deeply integrated with the Luna IV patch structure rather than feeling like a side festival. The flagship event, commonly referred to as A Lanternlit Ode to the Silver Moon, takes players across Liyue Harbor and surrounding areas for story quests, mini‑games, and festival chores.
The big structural change is that this year’s Lantern Rite is treated as a permanent seasonal hub instead of a one‑off quest chain. Players can return to place Xiao Lanterns around Liyue, write New Year wishes, and interact with other players’ lantern messages even after finishing the main event line. Auspicious Treasure Trees scattered around event zones drop Fortune Coins that can be exchanged for standard festival rewards and some of the new Luna IV ascension materials.
Compared to past Lantern Rites, 2026 leans harder into:
Cross‑event ties. Progress in the festival awards materials tailored for Zibai and other Luna IV characters, plus unlocks a free Lantern Rite outfit for Yaoyao.
Social elements. The Xiao Lantern placement and wish‑sharing features are more persistent, letting you effectively decorate parts of Liyue Harbor with other players throughout the patch window.
Account progression. The event again lets you choose one free 4★ Liyue character, making it a catch‑up opportunity for newer accounts that missed older Lantern Rites while still being valuable for long‑time players who can pick a missing constellation.
In total, between Lantern Rite and patch mail, you can expect:
1,600 Primogems from login and celebration mail.
Up to 10 Intertwined Fates from festival and daily login rewards.
The free Yaoyao skin after completing the main festival quest line.
A substantial pile of weapon billets, talent books, and upgrade materials if you clear all mini‑events.
Current Livestream And Redemption Codes
Alongside the official Luna IV Special Program stream and early‑patch campaigns, several time‑limited codes are live this week. Redeem them either in game through the Paimon menu (Settings → Account → Redeem Code) or on the official site.
Based on the Luna IV reveal coverage and current code roundups, the active codes players should grab right now are:
ComeNightorDay
Zibai0515
GallopYeah
These three are the centerpiece of the Luna IV livestream and patch promotion set. Across them you are looking at roughly 300 Primogems plus a bundle of Hero’s Wit and Mora, depending on your region’s exact reward breakdown.
On top of that, standard January 2026 code lists include several evergreen, non‑stream codes for smaller resource drops such as Mora, low‑tier EXP books, and enchantment ores. Since these change frequently, double‑check an up‑to‑date code tracker if you are reading this later in the week to see which of the minor codes remain active.
To maximize value, redeem the livestream codes first, then sweep through the general monthly list so you do not miss any limited‑duration Primogem bundles.
Should You Pull? Quick Recommendations
If you are drawn to reaction‑driven teams and like playing around with layered elemental interactions, Columbina is one of the safest pulls of Luna IV. She slots into Hydro‑Electro and Bloom squads you may already own and provides extra damage plus emergency revive without demanding large rotation changes.
If you want a new on‑field Geo main DPS and are willing to build a roster around Geo + Hydro, Zibai is the more specialized but potentially higher‑ceiling choice. He finally gives Geo a reaction‑centric playstyle that is more active than just stacking shields and raw multipliers.
Either way, make sure you clear Lantern Rite’s A Lanternlit Ode to the Silver Moon and grab all three current Luna IV codes this week. Between the free Primogems, Fates, a 4★ Liyue character of your choice, and Yaoyao’s new outfit, Luna IV is one of the most generous New Year patches Genshin has had in years.