Aloy in Genshin Impact: release date, how to get, skills and more

The Genshin Impact Aloy character reveal was quite the surprise but great news for Horizon Zero Dawn fans: an anime version of Aloy will soon join the game as a playable character. Developer miHoYo managed to surprise both player and dataminer alike by suddenly announcing the crossover in a Tweet on July 22nd. And here’s the best part: this five-star Cryo huntress is 100% free!

As this is the first time Genshin Impact is doing a crossover with another game, and also the first time they give away a five star character for free (with the exception of Traveler, of course), the arrival of Aloy is welcome news to most players. If you can’t wait to learn more about the Aloy release date or her skills in Genshin Impact, take a look at everything we know so far!

Genshin Impact Aloy release date

The Genshin Impact Aloy character will be obtainable at the start of Version 2.1 for players on the PS4 or PS5, which is also when an upcoming Genshin Impact and Horizon Zero Dawn crossover event begins. However, only Genshin Impact players on the PS4 or PS5 will able to get Aloy at that point. Players on other platforms have to wait until Genshin Impact Version 2.2.

PS4/PS5 players: the Aloy release date is September 1. This is the Horizon Zero Dawn crossover event ‘Phase 1’ in Genshin Impact 2.1
All other players: the Aloy release date is October 13th, during the Horizon Zero Dawn crossover event ‘Phase 2’ in Genshin Impact 2.2M

How to get Aloy in Genshin Impact

In case you’re still in doubt; there’s nothing wrong with your eyes. You really don’t have to spend Primogems on an Aloy Wish Banner to get her. However, as Aloy is part of a limited-time Horizon Zero Dawn crossover event, you have to claim her before the event ends. If you make sure to log in shortly after the Aloy release date mentioned above, you should be fine.

There’s one more thing you should know: only Travelers with an Adventure Rank of at least 20 can participate in the Horizon Zero Dawn crossover event. That means you can’t claim Aloy if your level is lower than 20. If you’re fairly new to Genshin Impact, you might want to reach AR 20 before the crossover starts.

Genshin Impact Aloy skills

She was miHoYo’ s best-kept secret for the longest time, but the Aloy leaks are slowly popping up around the internet. As mentioned before, the official information from Genshin Impact already tells us that Aloy is a Bow character equipped with the Cryo Elemental Vision. But thanks to the leaks, we also know quite a lot about her abilities:

Normal/Charged Attack: four rapid shots dealing physical damage. Aloy’s fully charged shot will infuse her arrow with Cryo instead.
Elemental Skill ‘Frozen Wilds’: Aloy throws a Cryo bomb that explodes on impact. After detonation, this Cryo bomb leaves behind several smaller Cryo bombs that explode upon contact with an opponent, or when their timer runs out. If your enemy gets hit with a bomb, their attack damage is decreased and Aloy gains one ‘Coil’ buff, up to a maximum of four.
- The Coil buff: Aloy’s Normal Attack damage increases for every stack of Coil. If she reaches the maximum number of four Coil, she enters the ‘Rushing Ice’ state, which infuses all her normal attacks with Cryo.
- Aloy can’t receive Coil when Rushing Ice is active. The Coil will disappear if she’s been absent from the battlefield for longer than 30 seconds.
Elemental Burst ‘Prophecies of Dawn’: an area-of-effect Cryo attack that throws an icy power cell and detonates it with an arrow.
Aloy’s Passive Skills:
- Animals who can drop meat of fowl aren’t easily scared away. This effect works as long as Aloy is in the party (she doesn’t have to be the huntress).
- If Aloy receives Coil effects, her attack power is increased by 16% and that of party members by 8%.
- If Rushing Ice is active, Aloy’s Cryo Damage bonus increases by 3.5% for every second, up to a maximum of 35%.

So, note down the Aloy release date and make sure you don’t miss this badass Cryo huntress!