Genshin Impact 6.4 Banner Guide: Should You Pull for Skirk or Save?

Skirk finally arrives, but is she worth your Primogems?

After years of lore teases and brief story appearances, Skirk, the Abyss-dwelling swordswoman who trained Tartaglia, is finally playable in Genshin Impact Version 6.4. She's a 5-star Hydro claymore user, and her kit is unlike anything we've seen in the game before. But with a stacked lineup of upcoming banners, the question isn't whether Skirk is good. It's whether she's good enough to justify the pull.

Skirk's Kit Breakdown

Normal Attack: Abyssal Severance

Skirk's normal attack chain is a five-hit claymore combo with surprisingly fast animations. Unlike most claymore users, her attack speed is closer to a sword character, which already sets her apart. Her charged attack is a wide sweeping slash that applies Hydro in an AoE, useful for breaking elemental shields and triggering reactions across multiple enemies.

Elemental Skill: Rift Cleave

This is where Skirk gets interesting. Rift Cleave has two modes:

• Tap: A quick forward dash that deals Hydro damage and leaves behind an Abyssal Mark on hit enemies. Marked enemies take increased damage from Skirk for 8 seconds. 6-second cooldown.
• Hold: Skirk enters an Abyssal Stance for up to 10 seconds, during which her normal attacks deal increased Hydro damage and gain interruption resistance. While in this stance, hitting marked enemies triggers a secondary Hydro slash. 15-second cooldown after the stance ends.

The Hold version is her primary damage mode. The Abyssal Stance transforms her into a sustained on-field DPS, and the mark mechanic rewards you for setting up your rotations properly.

Elemental Burst: All-Devouring Narwhale

Skirk summons a massive Abyssal entity that crashes down in a large AoE, dealing heavy Hydro damage. Enemies hit by the burst have their Hydro resistance reduced by 30% for 12 seconds. The burst also refreshes all Abyssal Marks currently on the field, effectively resetting your skill rotation.

The Hydro resistance shred is substantial and stacks with other sources like Viridescent Venerer, making Skirk's burst a critical setup tool even if you're using her as a sub-DPS.

Passive Talents

• A1: When Skirk triggers a Vaporize or Bloom reaction, her ATK increases by 25% for 10 seconds.
• A4: During Abyssal Stance, every third hit against a marked enemy creates a small AoE Hydro explosion dealing 60% of her ATK as additional damage.

How Good Is She, Really?

Skirk occupies a unique niche. She's a sustained Hydro DPS who can also function as a burst sub-DPS thanks to her resistance shred. Her closest comparisons are Neuvillette and Tartaglia, but she plays differently from both.

Compared to Neuvillette: Neuvillette is still the king of Hydro damage ceiling. His charged attack scaling is absurd, and his self-sufficiency makes him the easier character to build around. Skirk requires more team investment to reach her peak but offers something Neuvillette doesn't: consistent AoE Hydro application with claymore attacks, making her better for breaking shields and triggering reactions for teammates.

Compared to Tartaglia: Skirk is essentially what Tartaglia players have been asking for: a Hydro melee character without the cooldown management headache. Her Abyssal Stance has a shorter effective cooldown and doesn't punish you for staying in it too long.

Best teams: Skirk slots naturally into Vaporize teams with Xiangling or a Pyro applier, Bloom teams with Dendro supports like Nahida, and Freeze teams where her consistent Hydro application keeps enemies locked down.

Should You Pull?

Here's the honest assessment:

Pull if:

• You don't have Neuvillette and need a strong Hydro DPS
• You enjoy claymore gameplay and want a fast-attacking alternative
• You run Vaporize or Bloom teams and want a more active on-field driver
• You're a lore fan who's been waiting for Skirk since the Childe story quest

Skip if:

• You already have a well-built Neuvillette, since he still outdamages Skirk in most scenarios
• You're saving for the rumored Dainsleif banner in Version 6.5 or 6.6
• Your Primogem budget is tight and you need a character who provides more universal utility

Primogem Budgeting for Version 6.4 and Beyond

Let's talk numbers. Soft pity starts at pull 74, and guaranteed comes at 90. If you lost your last 50/50, you need at most 90 pulls (14,400 Primogems) for a guaranteed Skirk. If you're on a fresh pity counter, budget for 160 pulls (25,600 Primogems) to be safe.

Here's what's coming that might compete for your Primogems:

• Version 6.4 second half: A rerun banner featuring a highly sought-after Dendro support. If you're missing key Dendro characters, this might be more impactful for your account.
• Version 6.5: Leaks suggest a new Pyro character with strong support capabilities, which could shake up team compositions.
• Version 6.6: Persistent rumors about a Dainsleif banner. If this is real, it would be the most anticipated banner in Genshin history.

If you're a Welkin Moon and Battle Pass buyer, you can expect roughly 60-70 pulls per patch from all sources combined. Free-to-play players average around 40-50 pulls per patch. Plan accordingly.

Final Verdict

Skirk is a strong, well-designed character who fills a genuine role in the current meta. She's not a must-pull on the level of characters like Neuvillette or Furina who fundamentally changed team building, but she's a meaningful upgrade for anyone running Hydro-centric teams without those top-tier options.

The real question is your Primogem reserves and what's coming next. If you've been saving and have a comfortable buffer, Skirk is a satisfying pull. If you're running lean, the safe play is to wait and see what 6.5 and 6.6 bring before committing.