Ganyu will be released through the new event wish: "Adrift in the Harbor". Getting a five star when you summon on this banner will have a 50% chance of it being Ganyu. Through the game's pity system, if your last five star that you got was not the banner character, the next 5 star is guaranteed to be the banner character. The rates of getting Xiangling, Xingqiu, and Noelle are also increased!
No new weapons are released with Ganyu's banner. Instead, the weapon banner features existing weapons: Amos' Bow, and Skyward Pride. Several 4 star weapons also have increased rates, with the notable one being Sacrificial Sword.
Increases Normal Attack and Aimed Shot DMG by 12%. Increases DMG from arrows shot by a further 8% for every 0.1s that the arrow is in flight, up to 0.5s. Stacks up to 5 times on each arrow.
Increases all DMG by 8%. After using an Elemental Burst, Normal or Charged Attack, on hit, creates a vacuum blade that does 80% of ATK as DMG to enemies along its path. Lasts for 20s or 8 vacuum blades.
Ganyu is the secretary at the Yuehai Pavillion, and an emissary of the Liyue Qixing, a group of merchants and business leaders who govern Liyue. She is half human, and half adeptus, who is also a devout follower of Rex Lapis. The first encounter with Ganyu is when she personally approached the traveler (from the rooftops), on behalf of Ningguang, to invite the traveler to the Jade Palace.
The community (playerbase) often refers to her as "Cocogoat" due to her goat-like horns. This is a reference to one of the story missions in Liyue, where we are asked by Qiqi to hunt "Cocogoat" in exchange for an Everlasting Incense.
Sinae Unicornis Chapter Story Quest
Coming with the release of Ganyu's update is her story content. Play through her story if you want to know more about her to get interested. Available at Adventure Rank 40 or above and after you complete the Archon Quest, Chapter I: Act III - "A New Star Approaches".
Is Ganyu good?
Ganyu can work as your main damage dealer, or a support that provides utility for your team. Her main damage dealing ability comes from her charged shot. It has an additional level of charge that deals Cryo damage, followed up with a high damage AoE Cryo attack after the initial hit. Her elemental skill and burst are quite useful in many situations, and deals decent damage in general.
As a support, she can apply Cryo somewhat frequently through the skill and burst, and she doesn't have to stay on the field. The elemental skill can also help take the enemy's attention so you don't get overwhelmed, or divert their attention from targets that you need to protect, like the device in Spiral Abyss floor 11.
Test Run
The test run that comes with Ganyu's banner only features 2 of the characters. This is because Noelle and Xiangling are guaranteed characters that most players have.
As always, it's highly recommended to try out the characters through these test runs to see if you like their playstyle or not before investing too heavily on your summons. Be sure to check their equipment/constellations as well, to see what effect they have on the test run.
Should you pull?
As of her release, she is currently one of the top damage dealers in the game, and she doesn't require heavy investments on her gear too. If you like her playstyle of bow charge shot to deal high damage, then you can consider summoning for her. Otherwise, see if you have a spot in your team for Ganyu if you want to use her as a support. She works best if you can take advantage of Cryo elemental reactions.
She can potentially be a good support for DPS characters like Fischl, Razor, Tartaglia, Amber, Bennett, Diluc, or Klee. Something to consider if you happen to be using any of them as your main DPS.
On the bright side, the banner also comes with good 4 star options. Xiangling is a pretty good physical DPS, or a strong Pyro support, and can take advantage of a f2p craftable weapon: Crescent Pike's effect to good use. Xingqiu is a powerful support carry, even at constellation level 0, and becomes a monster of a support at max constellations. Noelle starts out as a good support tank for your team, but many youtube videos have showcased her to be a powerhouse at max constellation levels.