miHoYo held on May 28 the Genshin Impact 1.6 livestream, officially revealing the release date for the Midsummer Island Adventure update with the Klee and Kazuha banners - we have all the details below, including the boat system and costumes (skins) pricing.

Genshin Impact 1.6 release date, trailer

The 1.6 update of Genshin Impact, Midsummer Island Adventure, will be launching on June 9, 2021 (June 8 ET). The specific maintenance schedule and launch time will, as always, be revealed a few days before June 9.

  • NEW CODES - Primogem codes from the 1.6 livestream

New character - Kaedehara Kazuha banner, support role

Kazuha is a Sword and Anemo 5* character from Inazuma. He is wanted by the Shogunate for an unknown reason. An intro trailer and screenshots from Kazuha's Story Quest were shared. Klee's banner will launch on June 9 with 1.6, and Kazuha's banner, Leaves in the Wind, will be coming three weeks after it on June 30.

In the official press release, Kazuha is described as a Support character by miHoYo. Explaining how with his Elemental Skill and Burst. Kazuha can buff party members, and crowd control hordes of enemies.

Kazuha has a passive skill that decreases Stamina spent when sprinting, like Kaeya and Razor.

Kazuha's skills, like Venti or Sucrose's Anemo Skills, deal additional Elemental damage if they come into contact with Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, or Electro. By triggering a Swirl reaction, Kazuha can further buff his teammates with an Elemental Damage Bonus for their corresponding Element. Kazuha can also use his Elemental Skill in mid-air, and has a special Plunging Attack.

Kazuha will appear in a new Archon quest (main story quest). He is traveling with Beidou and her Crux Fleet, and will give the Traveler clues about the way to the sealed-off Inazuma.

Kaedehara Kazuha voice actor

In Japanese, Kazuha is voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki (Yuki in Fruits Basket remake). In English, Kazuha is voiced by Mark Whitten.

New weapons banner

The new weapons are the five star Claymore Freedom-Sworn, and the four star Bow Mitternachts Waltz.

New boss Maguu Kenki

Maguu Kenki uses Cryo and Anemo attacks, and can summon phantoms of itself. miHoYo stated in the press release that "it can only be taken down while in close-range combat". The mask of Maguu Kenki actually automatically blocks long-ranged attacks.

  • INAZUMA - All the artwork and official hints so far

How to get the new Costumes (Skins) for Barbara and Jean, Price

The Barbara summer costume, Summertime Sparkle, will be available for free as you clear its event, Echoing Tales. Once the Echoing Tales event ends, Summertime Sparkle will then be available in the Shop for 1680 Genesis Crystals.

The Jean summer skin, Sea Breeze Dandelion, will only be available through the Shop, for 1350 Genesis Crystals for a limited time during 1.6, and then permanently for 1680 Genesis Crystals. All of this was confirmed by the Japanese official Genshin Twitter:

New events and free 4* Catalyst weapon

Midsummer Island Adventure's main event story begins with Klee receiving a mysterious letter from "Dodo-King" threatening to take her doll Dodoco away from her. Searching for Dodo-King, players will explore a new, secluded achipelago using boats called Waverider, in search of the mysterious "Dodoland."

We'll be able to do the event in co-op, witch each player summoning their own Waverider.

By completing all the events, we'll get a brand-new four-star catalyst, Dodoco Tales, and all the materials to fully refine it.

Genshin Impact 1.6 - All upcoming events

Here's the gameplay trailer for most of the new events, including naval battles and races with the Waverider (boat), the Bom Bom tennis mini-game with Klee, and a new event similar to the Contending Tides battle event.

It looks like the Waverider / boat system is an event-only time limited addition.

Genshin Impact 1.6 - System optimizations trailer

Version 1.6 will make a lot of things smoother. Most notably, leaving a Domain without completing it won't display the Challenge Failed screen anymore, making the teleportation faster. The monsters included in a Domain will also be listed before you enter said Domain. New shortcuts will be added to the PC version. Tracking and navigating to enemies through the Adventurer Handbook will be faster too.

Serenitea Pot update - Place characters in Housing

Genshin Impact 1.6 will let players place their characters inside the Serenitea Pot. miHoYo has previously stated this is only available for characters you actually own.

Characters in your realm will gradually accumulate Character Companionship Experience over time. The increase rate depends of your Adeptal Energy Rank.

Moreover, each character will have their own favorite Furniture Set. Once you complete and place the set in your realm, the character will give you a gift, which include Primogems. This will unlock additional dialogues with the character as well.

That's all the details from the 1.6 livestream. Most of it had leaked beforehand, but I'm personally still looking forward to the boat event. How do you feel about the update so far? You can always reach out to me directly to chat on Twitter @A_iyane07.

Genshin Impact is available on PS4, PS5, PC, iOS, and Android.