Genshin Impact Hexerei Explained: Witch's Homework and the Secret Rite Buffs

Genshin Impact rarely goes back and buffs its oldest characters, which is exactly why Hexerei turned heads. Rather than a balance patch, HoYoverse wrapped the upgrades in story: the Hexenzirkel — the coven of immensely powerful mages that includes Klee's mother Alice — has homework for its own, and finishing it makes a character measurably stronger.

The Hexenzirkel and the Witch's Homework

The Hexenzirkel are not a Mondstadt institution so much as its shadow: a circle of mages bound to the city by an old pact under which they help protect it, in which the Knights of Favonius place a great deal of quiet trust. Alice formalized the upgrades as the Witch's Homework — a series of tasks assigned to each connected character. Complete a character's homework and they gain the Hexerei designation, a new passive called Witch's Eve Rite, and improvements threaded through their talents and constellations.

There is one firm condition. The upgrades are dormant unless the party runs at least two Hexerei characters, which activates Hexerei: Secret Rite. Think of it as a resonance with lore attached: the witches' magic only fully wakes when two of their students stand together.

The Eight Hexerei Characters

Building Around Secret Rite

The two-Hexerei condition shapes team building in a way ordinary elemental resonance never did. Pairing is natural at the top of the list — Venti and Sucrose both feed Anemo teams, Albedo slots beside almost anyone, and Fischl's Oz has been enabling teammates for years — but the condition does mean a lone Hexerei character brings their old kit and nothing more. It also quietly rewards account age: long-time players tend to own several of the eight and can field a full Secret Rite team without pulling anyone new, while newer players may need to plan banner spending around completing a pair. Either way, check the Homework tab before assuming a buff is live; until the tasks are done and a partner is fielded, the Rite stays dormant.

The design intent is easy to read: these are Mondstadt's founding generation — Venti, Albedo, Klee, Mona, Sucrose, Razor, Fischl — plus Durin, the little dragon the Hexenzirkel's story made family. A dedicated artifact set, Celestial Gift, was built around the group as well. If your account is old enough to have these characters gathering dust at C0, the Homework is HoYoverse's way of telling you to dust them off — in pairs.