A major shake-up has landed for Ifa, the new Anemo four-star in Genshin Impact’s Version 5.6. And unfortunately, it’s not the kind that got fans excited. According to calculations and firsthand impressions from Flip on YouTube, Ifa’s Constellation 6 has been reworked in a way that turns what was once a promising hybrid DPS playstyle into a watered-down, barely impactful effect.

What Changed in Ifa’s Kit?

At face value, it looked like Ifa got buffs in his Version 3 beta:

His C2 (Constellation 2) had its reaction damage bonus strengthened.
It was clarified that his healing is teamwide.
Nothing in the English client looked like a nerf.

But if you check the Chinese beta server, the truth emerges: C6 was reworked.

Old C6 (Version 1 & 2):

Ifa’s C6 had a 50% chance to shoot an additional bullet when holding his normal attack. This extra bullet dealt 120% of the original damage. Since Ifa fires 12 bullets, the average result was about 6 additional shots — and those bullets were stronger than the regular ones.

In total? A pretty decent +60% DPS gain.

New C6 (Version 3):

Now, each of those extra bullets just scales off 120% of Ifa’s ATK, not the normal attack damage. The problem? This motion value is worse than Ifa’s base normal attacks.

Flip ran the numbers:

Old C6 bullets did 1.2x normal attack damage
New C6 bullets deal ~0.5x normal attack damage

In raw terms, that’s more than a 50% reduction in effectiveness. And since Ifa already had low base attack and lacked burst scaling like Wanderer or Neuvillette, this was a core part of his hybrid potential — now removed.

Why This Nerf Matters

Ifa was never going to dominate the meta. But what he did have was a unique niche:

He was the only Anemo driver who could deal respectable personal damage at C6.
His hybrid builds with Crit/ATK stats were viable, especially with teammates like Bennett, Yansan, or Faruzan.
You could play Ifa in a dual-role style: triggering reactions like Electro-Charged or Swirl and contributing decent DPS.

But now, those builds are effectively dead.

“Ifa lost 10,000 DPS,” Flip explains. “He’s gone from having a real niche, to being just another swirl bot.”

What’s Left for Ifa Now?

Let’s be clear — Ifa isn’t unplayable. He still works in Taser teams, Hyperbloom, and Swirl-based comps, where he applies Anemo frequently and boosts reaction damage. And his healing gives him a bit of defensive utility.

But here’s the problem:

C6 Ifa is now less fun, less flexible, and less rewarding.
Driving teams scale poorly over time, while hybrid teams offered vertical investment.
Other 4-stars like Gaming, Xilonen, and Chevreuse are wildly outperforming him in design and payoff.

In Flip’s own words:

“This is the single biggest nerf I’ve seen in a Genshin beta. It’s not even a balancing issue — it’s just a gutting of creativity.”

Comparisons With Other Characters

Flip points out that Mauulika, Gaming, Auroron, Yansan, and Chevreuse all have impactful constellations that let them:

Scale into endgame content
Contribute strong personal DPS
Enable new comps or archetypes

Ifa’s C6 nerf kills his ability to keep up with them. It doesn’t make his swirl or support role better. It simply erases one of his most exciting playstyles.

Was It Miscommunication?

There are some who say this was always what C6 was “meant” to do — that players simply misinterpreted the original effect. Flip strongly disagrees, noting:

The language used in the beta was consistent with other characters who have multiplicative passives.
It never mentioned attack scaling or motion value prior to Version 3.
If the effect was never meant to scale with normal attacks, the text should have said so.

He also points out that if they just wanted to buff his healing or application, they could have done that without nuking his hybrid viability.

Final Verdict: A Disappointing Step Back

Ifa was shaping up to be a uniquely fun and creative 4-star — a driver with vertical investment potential and hybrid flexibility. But the C6 nerf removes all of that.

“Now Ifa has one team,” Flip says. “Hope you enjoy playing it.”

In a patch where Escoffier is redefining Cryo supports and characters like Skirk are on the horizon, this feels like a sad regression. And it highlights a bigger problem: design inconsistency in 4-star kits. While some 4-stars are treated like mini-5-stars, others are capped before they can even shine.

And for more detailed analysis on every Genshin Impact character — builds, teams, updates — check out ExploreGenshin.gg.