Genshin Impact 2026 lantern rite leaks: Characters, skins, and more

Lantern Rite is a special event that takes place every January in the Liyue region of Genshin Impact. Based on HoYoverse's previous patterns, fans expect a new character from the Liyue region to be released during the upcoming Lantern Rite event in January 2026.

Early leaks about this Lantern Rite event imply that we might be introduced to two new characters, with one of them supposedly being the White Horse Adeptus. Other leakers, such as DK2, have claimed that new skins for Neuvillette and Chongyun would be released during this event.

This article lists all the new leaks about the rumored Lantern Rite 2026 event in Genshin Impact.

Note: The information in this article is based on early leaks and is subject to change. Readers are advised to take this information with a grain of salt.

Lantern Rite 2026 leaks hint at White Horse Adeptus debut and new character skins in Genshin Impact

Recently, a prominent leaker, known as Hxg Diluc, has claimed that a new character, known as the White Horse Adeptus, is rumored to be released as a playable character during the Luna IV version. They have also claimed that she is rumored to be an Anemo support.

Yanfei's "Oh, horns..." character anecdote references the White Horse Adeptus. She is also known as the Gold-Eyed Celdaon Mare and was mentioned during the Lantern Rite event in version 5.3. Some fans also speculate that she might be the same character mentioned in the Moonlit Bamboo Forest book.

Another leaker, DK2, has claimed that a new 4-star character could be released during the next Lantern Rite update. Most Lantern Rite events in the title usually take place during January. Based on the release schedule of each version, we can expect the Luna IV update to be released around January 14, 2026.

Also read: Genshin Impact Durin skill, burst, passives, and weapon leaks

So, fans speculate that the Lantern Rite event might be released during the Luna IV update, based on the release schedule of the Genshin Impact updates. Leaks about this version indicate that we might be introduced to two new characters, the White Horse Adeptus and a mysterious 4-star character, in this update.

However, we do not have much information regarding these characters. We will have to wait for official announcements by the developers to learn more about them.

Looking at some previous patterns for the Lantern Rite event, some players speculate that we might get a Liyue 4-star character selector in the upcoming Lantern Rite event. Furthermore, some also expect the mysterious 4-star character to be included in this selector.

DK2 has also claimed that new skins for Neuvillette and Chongyun might be released during the Luna IV update. Surprisingly, it seems that Neuvillette might receive a new outfit during the Lantern Rite update, instead of other Liyue characters.

Also read: Genshin Impact UGC leak hints at possible games you might be able to play

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Edited by Eswar Keshav