Genshin Impact Candace Demo Introduces the Blessed Shield

The latest update for Genshin Impact goes live this week, and HoYoVerse shared the latest about Candace, one of the update’s marquee characters alongside Cyno. The Genshin Impact Candace character demo video gives players insight into her role in Sumeru’s society. HoYoVerse also detailed her skills and attributes in a blog post on its community site, HoYoLab.

Check out the video below.

Titled “Candace: Shield of Sworn Protection”, the Genshin Impact Candace demo draws attention to Candace’s combat style. Though she’s a 4-Star Hydro-element polearm-wielder, Candace is better known as the Blessed Shield, sworn defender of Aaru Village. She’s also a descendant of King Deshret, a legendary figure among the Desertfolk of Sumeru’s arid subregion. Candace also has heterochromia, a condition in which her eyes are two different colors. During the video, she implies that her amber-colored eye can see into the future, remarking that she’d like to look at the Traveler’s future through it. She’s voiced in English by Shara Kirby (Bea in Pokémon Masters, Lucky in Tokyo 24th Ward), and in Japanese by Ryota Yuzuki (Kayo from Horimiya, Shizuka in My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU).

In combat, Candace provides offensive support capabilities to the party. She can raise her shield with her elemental skill to absorb incoming damage. Tapping the skill button causes Candace to leap forward and slam opponents with Hydro damage. Holding the button causes her to keep her shield up, absorbing damage based on her Max HP stat. After the skill expires or the player releases it, she performs a leaping strike to deal Hydro damage to enemies in front of her. Candace’s elemental burst deals AOE Hydro damage that scales with her Max HP. The burst also confers a buff, “Prayer of the Crimson Crown” on the active character. This buff enhances elemental damage and infuses the normal attacks of Sword, Claymore, and Polearm-wielding characters with Hydro. Swapping characters while under its effect also causes a Hydro damage shockwave.

Candace debuts in Genshin Impact with the 3.1 Update. The update opens on September 28, 2022. The game is available on PS4, PS5, PC, and mobile devices.