Thanks to recent Genshin Impact leaks, we finally have early details about a long-awaited character: Skirk. Here is a first look at her abilities, passives, and unique mechanics! As always, keep in mind that this information comes from unofficial leaks and may change before Skirk’s official release.
Who Is Skirk
Skirk is one of the most mysterious characters in Genshin Impact. She officially appeared only once during the main story — when Neuvillette and the Traveler descended into the Primordial Sea to face the All-Devouring Narwhal during the Fontaine storyline. Skirk was later teased as part of a lineup of upcoming characters.
She is Tartaglia‘s master, the one who trained him after he fell into the Abyss at the age of fourteen.
As a disciple of Surtalogi (one of the Five Sinners of Khaenri’ah), Skirk spends most of her time inside the Abyss and is known for “not speaking to the weak.” She only acknowledges those she considers her equals.
Skirk — Kit Overview
According to the leaks, Skirk is a Cryo Sword character. With Escoffier arriving in the next patch and new Artifact sets introduced in version 5.5, this heavily hints at Skirk being a hypercarry designed for Freeze teams. Escoffier seems like a perfect support for her, and as we will see, her early kit reinforces this synergy — especially through a passive ability that directly involves Hydro and Cryo characters.
Elemental Skill — Sevenfold Flash
Skirk gains 40 Serpent’s Cunning and entering an empowered state: Sevenfold Flash. While in this mode, her Normal Attacks are enhanced, dealing increased damage:
- Serpent’s Cunning decays over time.
- When it reaches zero, Sevenfold Flash ends.
This mechanic encourages aggressive play, keeping Skirk active on the field to maximize her empowered attacks before the meter runs out.
Elemental Burst — Ultimate Malice: Obliteration
In a unique twist, Skirk’s Elemental Burst does not use Energy. Instead, it consumes Serpent’s Cunning:
- Requires at least 50 Cunning to activate.
- Consumes all remaining Cunning upon use.
- The more Cunning consumed, the greater the Burst’s damage.
This makes resource management essential, rewarding players who carefully time her Skill uptime and Burst activation.
Passive Talents
- Passive Talent 1: Styx Severance
- Whenever a Hydro character deals Hydro DMG or a Cryo character (excluding Skirk) deals Cryo DMG, Skirk gains a stack of Styx Severance:
- Lasts 18 seconds (max 3 stacks, tracked individually)
- Each stack increases:
- Normal Attack DMG in Sevenfold Flash: +10% / +20% / +70%
- Elemental Burst DMG: +5% / +15% / +60%
- Whenever a Hydro character deals Hydro DMG or a Cryo character (excluding Skirk) deals Cryo DMG, Skirk gains a stack of Styx Severance:
These bonuses are additive and stack separately from standard DMG bonus modifiers, functioning similarly to how Xingqiu’s C4 works.
- Passive Talent 2: Phantom Rift
- When nearby allies trigger Freeze, Superconduct, Cryo Swirl, or Cryo Crystallize, Skirk spawns a Phantom Rift near enemies (CD: 2.5s, max 3 active).
- While in Sevenfold Flash, Skirk’s Charged Attacks can absorb nearby Rifts.
- Each Rift absorbed grants 8 Serpent’s Cunning.
This design makes her a perfect Cryo hypercarry for Freeze comps. Her passives practically require one Hydro character and at least one other Cryo unit (like Escoffier or Citlali). The fourth team slot is more flexible, but an Anemo unit would likely be ideal to trigger Swirls and generate additional Phantom Rifts.
While Skirk’s leaked kit already shows incredible potential, it is important to remember that this information is from leaks. Final stats, mechanics, and interactions could change before her official release.
