The enchanting world of Genshin Impact is vast and can be overwhelming for new players. But fear not!
We are here to help you explore Teyvat's ever-expanding landscapes and guide you through its gameplay mechanics and character systems.
From understanding elemental interactions to mastering character upgrades to navigating the complexities of this action-packed RPG, here’s our ultimate Genshin Impact beginner’s guide that will help you thrive in this immersive universe.
What is Genshin Impact?
First, understand the game. Genshin Impact is a free-to-play open-world RPG that is constantly updated, typically every six weeks or 42 days, to add new characters, regions, stories, limited-time events, gameplay features, and more.
The game also features a gacha system, allowing players to spend in-game currency to obtain new characters and weapons. While this aspect is optional, it is one of the most appealing features that makes the game as popular as it is today.
Understanding the Basics
- Character Selection: The game begins by requiring players to choose between the twin characters, Lumine or Aether. Although their choice does not significantly affect gameplay, it influences the story based on the chosen main character.
Lumine (female) has stronger charge attacks, making her the optimal choice for players with a more aggressive gameplay style. Alternatively, Aether (male) is faster than Lumine, which enhances his sprinting, climbing, and swimming abilities. This makes him ideal for players focusing on exploration and mobility within the game.
- Gacha System: Genshin Impact's gacha system is called “Wishes,” where players can spend their Primogems or Fates to obtain characters and weapons. To maximize their chances of acquiring the desired characters, they must understand the banners: permanent Standard Wish, aka Wanderlust Invocation, and limited-time Event Wishes.
Exploring the World of Teyvat
- Map Progression: The world of Teyvat is divided into seven regions: Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan, and Snezhnaya. Each area can be unlocked through story progression, so it’s highly advisable to play through as much of the story as you can, called the Archon Quest, and get to at least Adventure Rank 12 to unlock the Daily Commissions.
Commissions are your daily source of Primogems, the primary currency in Genshin Impact used to buy Fate, which can be used to roll new characters or weapons in the gacha system.
Daily Commissions are also a great source of Adventure EXP, which helps increase your Adventure Ranks so that you can participate in story missions and limited-time events.
- Collect Everything: When we say collect everything, we mean to be diligent about collecting every piece of material you see from defeated enemies and the environment. Open any chests you encounter and activate Teleport Waypoints, as these two can give you Primogems. Teleport Waypoints also make traveling much easier. These resources play important roles in crafting, cooking, and upgrading your characters and weapons.
- Statues of the Seven: Statues of the Seven are structures around Teyvat. Each region has its corresponding Statue. In addition to Teleport Waypoints, Statues of the Seven serve as fast travel points and healing locations. You can also offer Anemoculus or Geoculus to these statues to increase your stamina, which can help you with exploration.
Character Development
- Leveling Up Characters: Though there are several ways that you can level up your characters in Genshin Impact, you should only stick to one.
While you can raise your characters’ EXP by defeating enemies and bosses and completing certain quests, the increase is relatively small compared to using EXP books called Wanderer’s Advice (1,000 EXP), Adventurer’s Experience (5,000 EXP), and Hero’s Wit (20,000 EXP). For comparison, defeating a regular enemy only gives you 14 EXP.
The EXP books usually come as a reward in limited-time events, but you can also get them by completing quests, opening chests, and participating in the Blossom of Revelation Leyline recurring event. Once you have them, you can level up your character through the character menu.
- Talent Leveling: Each character has talents that can be leveled up to enhance their abilities. To level up, you need three materials: Character Talent Materials, Common Materials, and Weekly Boss Materials. You also need Mora, the in-game currency you can earn by completing Battle Pass Missions, ranging from logging in to making wishes.
You can check which Talents to prioritize by selecting the “Talent Preference” button. But it’s good to note that not every talent needs to be leveled up. For example, many characters, like the supporting ones, will never use their Normal Attack, so it can just be ignored.
- Artifacts: Artifacts help boost your characters’ stats, but they also come with bonus effects if you equip them as two-piece and four-piece sets. These can help increase your attack, health, critical hit, Elemental Recharge, and Elemental Mastery capabilities.
While you can just ignore Artifacts at the beginning of the game, you should aim to get better Artifacts when you play more and enemies become tougher.
You can get more Artifacts by opening chests, buying them from main cities, completing quests, and achieving tasks from the Adventurer’s Handbook. However, completing Domains and Boss Domains is the best way to do so.
Combat Strategies
- Team Composition: A balanced team is the key to succeeding at Genshin Impact. A team is usually made up of four characters that you can switch between to use their abilities in combat and exploration. The best team comprises the Main DPS, which deals the most damage; Sub DPS, which supports the main DPS; and Support, which supports the team.
You can swap the number of Sub DPS and support characters, but you should never have two main DPS on the same team, as this reduces the overall damage output. For example, you can pair Xiangling (Pyro) with Xingqiu (Hydro) for Vaporize effects.
- The Importance of Cooking Meals: Cooking meals not only helps restore health but also provides buffs that increase attack or defense. Hence, it’s better to prioritize cooking instead of buying food from vendors. This way, you can also save Mora.
- Participate in Events: You can also participate in limited-time events to obtain unique rewards, like free characters or weapons. These events also give away valuable resources that can help your progression.
- Elements and Reactions: Each character in Genshin Impact has one of seven elements: Anemo (Wind), Geo (Earth), Electro (Lightning), Hydro (Water), Pyro (Fire), Cryo (Ice), and Dendro (Nature). Mastering elemental reactions, such as Melt or Vaporize, can help maximize damage during combat. For example, Pyro and Electro (Overloaded) can create an AoE explosion, and Hydro and Pyro can amplify damage.
Pairing characters with complementary elements can also enhance your effectiveness in battles like the one mentioned above.
Advanced Tips
- Manage Your Resources: Be mindful when you use your Original Resin to claim rewards from bosses and domains. Instead, prioritize using it on items that help develop your characters.
- Explore Daily Commissions: Complete Daily Commissions in Genshin Impact to earn more Primogems and other rewards to help you progress in the game.
- Use HoYoLab Tools: Use the HoYoLab app or website to track your daily activities, manage inventory, and stay updated on events and banners.
We hope this guide can help you advance in the game and build a solid foundation as you begin your journey in Teyvat.