Should You Pull for Neuvillette or Wriothesley in Genshin Impact 4.1?

With so many cool and unique characters to choose from, deciding on who you should pull for in Genshin Impact is easier said than done. Sometimes, you instantly know that you have to have a certain character in your roster whereas other times it’s a bit trickier and you need to figure out which characters best belong in your team. In Version 4.1 of Genshin Impact, the second major Fontaine update, the main headlining acts are Neuvillette, the Iudex of the Fontaine judicial court, and Wriothesley, the Lord of Fontaine’s underwater prison the Fortress of Meropide.

These two new 5-Stars are both Catalyst characters but bring vastly different things to the table. The former is a more traditional damage caster focused on Charged Attacks, whereas the latter is a new spin on the CQC Catalyst kits we’ve had before on characters like Heizou. What’s even more interesting is that, after 3 years, we finally have a Cryo Catalyst user in the form of Wriothesley, raising his potential value dramatically. While some players know exactly which one of these characters they’re going for, others are far more divisive and want to know which one is more worthy of their Primogems.

In this article, we’ll do a deep dive into both of the new 5-Star characters releasing in Genshin Impact Version 4.1, Neuvillette and Wriothesley, to determine which one you should choose to spend your hard-earned Primo on. This will include going into both of their individual kit’s strengths and weaknesses as well as a comparison between the two. 

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Should You Pull Neuvillette in Genshin Impact 4.1?

Neuvillette Kit Overview

The first character we’re going over today is Neuvillette, the Ordainer of Judgement in the land of Fontaine. He is one of the rulers of Fontaine’s courthouse, making him one of the strongest figures in the land of Hydro. Befitting his role in the lore, Neuvillette as a playable character is strong, consistent and efficient.

Neuvillette’s entire playstyle revolves around quickly building up his Seal of Arbitration: this Seal is built up steadily over time but can be rapidly accelerated by picking up Sourcewater Droplets. Both his Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst generate these Droplets alongside dealing wide Hydro AoE damage. When the Seal fully forms, Neuvillete unleashes a special version of his Charged Attack called Equitable Judgement: this attack is a surging torrent of Hydro DMG unleashed in a straight line in front of Neuvillette which lasts for 3s and doesn’t consume any Stamina. It will, however, consume HP every 0.5s if Neuvillette’s HP is above 50% when he casts Equitable Judgement.

In essence, Neuvillette is a ranged, main Hydro DPS with an admirable amount of self-sustain. His main gameplay loop involves dumping his Skill and Burst as soon as possible to quickly form Sourcewater Droplets which charge his Seal and allow you to use Equitable Judgement, dealing very high Hydro DMG and lowering Neuvillette’s HP, which you can heal by collecting more Droplets, which also charges his Seal and around and around we go. This tight, self-contained loop is the key to Neuvillette’s strength, allowing him to remain powerful in almost any team: additional support units or Elemental Reactions will only heighten his already apparent strength.

Now that you know how Neuvillette works, here’s why you should or shouldn’t pull for him in Genshin Impact 4.1. 

A Simple Wave of the Cane

Pros

Even though he isn’t the first Hydro Catalyst character – in fact, he’s the fourth after Barbara, Mona and Kokomi – Neuvillette is the first DPS-oriented Hydro Catalyst. Hydro is a really diverse element with access to some of the strongest Reactions in the game, such as Vaporize, and, before now, players had to rely on other means to activate those reactions. Well, with Neuvillette, you now have a character who can instantly apply Hydro and trigger those Reactions while still being a powerhouse in his own right.

Another big appeal of Neuvillette is just how self-contained and reliable his main loop is. Thanks to his reliance on and ability to consistently generate Sourcewater Droplets, Neuvillette has an easy way to heal himself in a pinch which also just happens to charge up his strongest damaging move. Without involving any additional characters or elements, Neuvillette can easily take out foes and keep himself alive without the aid of a healer or shielder. This makes him very friendly for both newer players and older players alike, allowing the former to safely branch out and explore new team compositions with him as the lead while the latter can get creative with their theory crafting. Catalysts have often been come of the most accommodating characters in Genshin Impact and Neuvillette is continuing that trend. 

Equitable Judgement

Cons

While it remains one of his biggest selling points, Neuvillette’s loop also causes one of his largest setbacks. Because he relies so heavily on Sourcewater Droplets to charge up Equitable Judgement, there are going to be moments fairly often where you’re just… waiting. Whether it’s for his Skill or Burst to come back or for his Seal to finish completing, there are going to be consistent moments of downtime. You can obviously fill these spots in with support characters or backup DPS units, but it kind of robs Neuvillette of a lot of his utility and power: why wait around for his big beam to charge when you can just switch and take out the remaining enemies that way? More skilled players will be able to avoid this issue and learn when to properly cast Judgement to maximise timings, but it is something to keep in mind. 

The other major downside with Neuvillette is that his main damage options and his main source of sustainability both rely on something outside of his main kit: the Sourcewater Droplets. Even though the Droplets are generated by both his Burst and Skill, you don’t automatically acquire them. If you forget to pick them up after cycling through his abilities or switch to your secondary characters too early, you’ll miss out on a huge part of what makes Neuvillette special. You need to be ready and cognisant of those Droplets and where they spawn at all times, otherwise Neuvillette feels frail.

Power of Hydro

Final Verdict

Neuvillette is yet another strong, reliable main DPS. As a Hydro unit, he already has a ton of impactful pairings which will drastically raise his potential, whether it be Yae Miko or Shinobu for Electro, Nahida for Dendro or even Hydro Traveler for more consistent Sourcewater Droplets. Alongside that stellar element-weapon combination is an impactful, feature-complete kit which functions perfectly on its own while remaining strong in almost any part of Genshin Impact: open-world exploration, Domain challenges or the endgame Abyss gauntlet, there’s not much that Neuvillette cannot comfortably fit into.

With that said, Neuvillette is certainly not a necessary pick-up. While he’s the first damage-oriented Hydro Catalyst, he’s the fourth character who can instantly apply Hydro and take great advantage of its many Reactions, which does dull his impact somewhat. Additionally, his reliance on Sourcewater Droplets can lead to some complications if you forget to pick them up or mistime your abilities, leading to moments of downtime that can be pretty boring. Neuvillette is easy to pick and easier to understand but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t got hurdles to overcome. 

While he isn’t a must-pull character by any means, Neuvillette’s Charged Attack focus makes him stand out amongst most other Catalyst users. With a unique playstyle and clean gameplay loop which be easily understood and utilised by new and old players alike, Neuvillette still has a lot to offer to those willing to invest in him: just be willing to put up with some periods of extended downtime when generating Droplets and be ready to properly learn his timings to get the most out of him. 

Should You Pull Neuvillette?

Should You Pull Wriothesley in Genshin Impact 4.1?

Wriothesley Kit Overview

Next up we have Wriothesley, warden of the Fortress of Meropide. His biggest claim to fame is that he’s the very first Cryo Catalyst user, an element-weapon combination which many players have been hungry for since Genshin’s early days. That special combination is paired with an even more special manner of fighting. 

Wriothesley is the second Catalyst character who employs a CQC playstyle, using melee-based attacks like Heizou rather than the usual array of elemental magics employed by most other Catalyst characters. However, unlike his fisticuffs companion, Wriothesley’s fighting style is based on that of a boxer, forgoing the large, acrobatic kicks that Heizou is known for in favour of simple, precise blows.

Duke’s Boxing Gloves

His Normal Attack chain is a 5-hit combo which deals Cryo DMG on every hit. One of the most interesting things about his Normal Attacks is that the current combo isn’t cancelled after sprinting, something unique to Wriothesley alone, allowing you to continue right where you left off even after moving. When you activate his Elemental Skill, Wriothesley enters the Chilling Penalty state: this increases Wriothesley’s resistance to interruption and increases the damage of his Normal Attacks at the cost of a small amount of HP per hit. Finally, his Elemental Burst is a massive forward punch that deals multiple instances of Cryo DMG to any foe unlucky enough to be caught in the blast.

In terms of uniqueness, Wriothesley is one of the most interesting additions to Genshin Impact in a long while. His boxer’s fighting style cannot be found anywhere else in the game and allows players to engage with a special kind of play that prioritises single-target duels over the wide-sweeping attacks that most characters now employ (Neuvillette included). In fact, Wriothesley’s playstyle is so distinct that it actually has the potential to massively turn off certain players, even those who were excited about the addition of a Cryo Catalyst. Like Neuvillette, learning how Wriothesley operates and how to most effectively utilise him is going to take a lot of work, pushing away some and enticing others.

With that out of the way, here’s why you should (or should not) pull for Wriothesley when phase 2 of Genshin Impact 4.1 rolls around. 

Chilling Uppercut

Pros

The two most enticing reasons to pull on Wriothesley have to do with his playstyle and his unique combination of his given element and weapon type. Starting with the former, we’ve already spoken at length about Wriothesley’s capabilities as a melee catalyst and how that sets him apart from most other characters in Genshin. On its own, this unique spin is already enough to earn his spot on most accounts, as it’s very rare to find a special, distinct playstyle that you haven’t seen before this far into Genshin’s lifespan. 

The second major selling point of Wriothesley is that he’s Genshin Impact’s very first Cryo Catalyst, a weapon-element combination that Travelers have been waiting for for years. Just like with other Catalysts, Wriothesley can instantly apply Cryo with his punches, allowing things like instant Freeze to become a reality: it opens up team compositions to allow for some more interesting combinations, especially for an element as versatile as Cryo.

Aside from those two factors, it is also worth noting that Wriothesley is a character who, simultaneously, has a low-skill floor and a high-skill ceiling. For example, his ability to continue his Normal Attack chain after moving will allow lesser-skilled players more leniency in getting off his stronger hits, whereas more confident ones will learn the best times to most effectively combo Wrio’s attacks. A lot of Wriothesley’s moves are like this – approachable for newer players but with enough depth to allow skilled ones to show off – and it’s a huge boon in his favour. 

Knockout Blow

Cons

The biggest issue facing Wriothesley is also his biggest strength. While being a close-quarters-combat character is super unique and will make him a must-pull unit for some players, it does require a lot more inherent risk than other Catalyst users: instead of standing in the back, letting bolts of Electro rain down on their foes, Wriothesley has to be up close and personal to do basically anything. What’s even more risky is that Wriothesley’s Chilling Penalty state makes him lose HP in trade for more damage, making him far more likely to be taken out by a stray attack or an unlucky string of hits. While not as inherently risky as, say, Hu Tao, Wriothesley does require some tact and patience to ensure that you aren’t always leading him to his doom.

Another issue facing Wriothesley is that single-target focus of his. While it does feel super satisfying to knock out targets one-by-one with his boxing prowess, it can lead to fights feeling slower on account of his lack of AoE: aside from his Burst, all of his attacks can hit one, maybe two, targets at once. For the last several years, Genshin’s DPS characters haven’t had to deal with this issue – look at everyone from Yelan to Alhaitham to Yae Miko – as they all have sufficient ways to effectively deal damage to single and multi-targets. While Wriothesley will certainly still be effective against groups, having him in the lead may slow encounters down slightly, simply on account of his playstyle.

Finally, Wriothesley is a very “all or nothing” character. He’s one of those DPS who needs everyone else in the team to be supporting him, whether it’s through buffs, debuffs or Reactions: there’s not enough room for a sub-DPS in most compositions, not if you want Wrio to truly shine. He needs to be on the field for as long as possible to execute his full string of attacks, leaving little room for time to switch. 

Fontaine’s Warden

Final Verdict

Wriothesley is a super interesting addition to Genshin Impact. His playstyle is completely unique – a massive rarity now that we’ve hit Fontaine – and invites excitement from just watching him play. With short, sharp punches and a focus on dominating in single duels, Wrio is unlike anyone else and so has a place in many teams, especially with his ability to apply Cryo: instant Melt, instant Freeze, there are so many options available to those who learn how he works. 

Those strengths are also his biggest weaknesses, though. His focus on 1v1 engagements can lead to some battles feeling slow, even when Wriothesley is performing at his best, and his requirement to be close to his opponent inherently leads to a massive amount of risk (especially when he triggers his Skill). In trade for his uniqueness, Wriothesley has given up a lot of what makes Genshin’s top units so strong and desirable. More often than not, Wriothesley is going to be outclassed by many other main DPS characters, units that are safer to play and have a more consistent output of damage. That fact is the biggest thing you need to accept before you summon on Wriothesley. 

Like with Neuvillette, Wriothesley is definitely not a must-pull character. However, if you’re looking for a completely satisfying new playstyle and experience or are looking to broaden your number of options when it comes to team building, Wriothesley is an excellent pick.

Should You Pull Wriothesley?

Neuvillette or Wriothesley?

Realistically, most players will only be able to get either Wriothesley or Neuvillete, not both (unless they’re extremely lucky). As such, who should you prioritise pulling if you can only guarantee one of 4.1’s available 5-Stars?

For newer players, we recommend pulling for Neuvillette over Wriothesley. Neuvillette’s kit is approachable and powerful, capable of easily taking on single-target, multi-target and boss opponents with ease while remaining self-sustainable. That isn’t even mentioning the strength of Hydro and how having someone who can instantly apply it is incredibly worthwhile. In comparison, Wriothesley’s kit is fascinating and unique but it lacks a lot of the comfort that Neuvillette has: while he has a low-skill floor, it doesn’t stop him from needing a lot of investment to feel right. Neuvillette doesn’t need that time, making him more suitable for players starting to fill out their roster.

Meanwhile, lapsed or veteran players are likely to find more value in Wriothesley. Obviously, there’s the fact that he’s the very first Cryo Catalyst, meaning that every single player in the game will be missing someone who fills that niche, and older players are the ones who will have the support units to round him out. However, there are also factors such as his unique playstyle to consider as its uniqueness can help cut through some potential monotony from past characters. Compare that to Nevuillette who, while impressive, is just another ranged Catalyst who can deal big damage.

Two Very Different Catalysts

However, in general, neither Neuvillette nor Wriothesley are must-pull units. Essential, must-have units are much harder to come by in Genshin Impact than in other gacha games like Honkai: Star Rail, largely because of the freedom Genshin’s combat system offers, but characters who fit that description include the likes of Nahida, Zhiongli, Kazuha or even Kokomi. In comparison, the featured 5 stars of 4.1 are just two more DPS units. They’re strong DPS units, for sure, and they’re definitely worth pulling if you have an interest in either of their abilities. On a meta-level, though, they’re nothing game-changing. 

As always, gacha games are about favourites. If you love the look of Neuvillette and think his kit looks exciting and fun to use, go ahead and spend every Primogem you have on him, even if you’re already flush with strong DPS characters. The same goes for Wriothesley. Making your favourite characters the strongest they can be will almost always be more satisfying than pulling a character you dislike simply because they’re meta. However, if the most important to you is the meta, I recommend steering clear of both Neuvillette and Wriothesley. 

That was our breakdown of both Neuvillette and Wriothesley, the headlining 5-Stars of Genshin Impact Ver 4.1. Check back in on KeenGamer once 4.1 releases if you want to learn how to build guides for both Neuvillette and Wriothesley.