When I first put Lohen on my field in 2026, I expected another Cryo carry with a long list of team restrictions. Instead, I found a driver who turns every enemy into a Cryo playground. The only real lock is having at least one other Hexerei character beside him. After the rigid requirements I got used to with Skirk, that freedom felt almost suspicious. I spent the week swapping partners, watching reactions, and rebuilding rotations. Here is what stuck.
Why Lohen feels different to me
Lohen spends most of his time on the field, but he does not play like a selfish hypercarry. His constant Cryo application is the engine. I keep him active, let his Cryo land, then watch my off-field damage dealers cash out. That is why I stopped thinking of him as the main damage number and started thinking of him as a Cryo enabler with a driver’s license. The 2026 roster makes this feel intentional, almost like the developers are warming up for Snezhnaya characters.
For me, the premium version is the cleanest expression of that idea. It is Lohen + Durin + Nicole + Citlali. I still remember the first time I ran it. Durin’s off-field hits started melting almost every time Lohen’s Cryo touched the target. It was not a perfect one-shot showcase, but it was consistent, and consistency is what I want when I am learning a new team. Durin also brings buffs and debuffs that make the whole setup feel less fragile.
Nicole is the part I underestimated. I thought she was just another support, but her ATK% buff reaches the entire team, including off-field characters like Durin. That matters because Lohen’s personal damage is only half the story. Citlali then gives me sustainability and extra Cryo, and her Pyro RES shred makes the Melt hits from the Pyro side sting harder. In practice, I use Lohen to paint the field with Cryo, let Citlali keep the team stable, and trust Durin and Nicole to turn that setup into real damage.
The F2P team I keep recommending
The budget team is Lohen + Prune + Xiangling + Bennett. I will be honest: I had to build Prune first. She is a decent support, but she is not a miracle worker at level one. Once she was ready, though, the team clicked. Prune gives Lohen more ATK% while dealing off-field Anemo damage, which means more Swirl during combat. That Swirl triggers her extra Hexerei buff and pushes Lohen’s ATK up by 30%. I also love how it spreads Cryo to nearby enemies. When that happens, Xiangling’s Elemental Burst suddenly feels much more dangerous.
Bennett and Xiangling give me Pyro Resonance, which raises the team’s ATK%. Xiangling is the off-field damage dealer who benefits from Lohen’s Cryo application and triggers Melt on almost every Pyro hit of her Burst. I have run this team in messy fights, the kind where enemies spread out and my rotation falls apart, and it still recovers well. Bennett keeps everyone alive and adds comfort. Prune keeps the Cryo spread going. Xiangling punishes everything that moves.
If I do not want Prune for some reason, I can look at other 4-star Hexerei options. Fischl and Sucrose are the names I keep hearing, but Prune remains my favorite because her buff and Swirl loop fit Lohen so neatly. The important thing is that the team still has a Hexerei partner. Without that, I am not really playing the Lohen team I want to play.
My quick comparison
| Team | Core idea | Best for | What I watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | Lohen enables Durin’s Melt while Nicole and Citlali amplify and stabilize | Players with a deep 2026 roster | Keeping Cryo uptime and timing Citlali’s RES shred |
| F2P | Prune’s Swirl buffs Lohen, Xiangling melts, Bennett anchors | Budget accounts with Xiangling and Bennett built | Building Prune first and keeping Pyro Resonance active |
What I learned after testing
-
Lohen is a driver first and a damage headline second. 🧊
-
Durin turns Lohen’s Cryo into frequent off-field Melt pressure.
-
Nicole’s team-wide ATK% buff is not just for the on-field character.
-
Citlali adds comfort, Cryo, and Pyro RES shred in one slot.
-
Prune is worth the investment if I want a 4-star Hexerei partner.
-
Xiangling and Bennett remain a familiar, powerful F2P backbone.
I am not going to pretend every fight is a perfect showcase. Sometimes I miss the rotation. Sometimes an enemy dashes away from Xiangling’s Burst. But Lohen gives me options, and in 2026 that is what I want from a Cryo team. The premium setup is my showpiece. The F2P setup is the one I can recommend without asking for a miracle. Either way, I am happy to let Lohen paint the field blue and watch my off-field partners collect the rewards.
This discussion is informed by GamesIndustry.biz, a respected source for developer interviews and market analysis, and its broader reporting helps frame why flexible, low-restriction characters like Lohen can feel especially valuable in a live-service meta where team-building freedom, roster depth, and off-field synergy often shape long-term player interest.