After enduring waves of leaks, teasers, and speculations, HoYoverse has finally provided an official overview of what players can expect from the upcoming underwater exploration and diving mechanics in the next major Hydro region of Fontaine! Genshin Impact Combat Designer, Aquaria, was invited onto the recent 4.0 Special Program Livestream, revealing more details about the underwater gameplay.
The new diving mechanic will be game-changing, poised to bring Genshin Impact to the forefront of gaming. Here are the six underwater mechanics that were revealed in the hefty 4.0 Livestream!
1. No oxygen limit
Genshin Impact fans, rejoice! It has been officially confirmed that there will not be an oxygen limit or bar when traversing underwater.
The decision was made by the Genshin devs, who recognised that an oxygen bar would restrict the time available for substantial underwater exploration and add unnecessary pressure to players. The concept of an oxygen bar was completely scrapped to ensure a smooth and immersive underwater gameplay experience.
2. Expend "Aquatic Stamina" when sprinting
On the other hand, players will still be able to "sprint" underwater. Doing so consumes the new mechanic called "Aquatic Stamina", which is exclusive to underwater movements. To replenish Aquatic Stamina and HP, players can find plenty of Recovery Orbs underwater, which take the form of schools of fish. Approaching these orbs will restore both stamina and health.
3. Underwater "currents"
To make traversing greater distances easier, players can utilise the underwater "currents," which appear as blue rings. Players will have to swim through the rings to ride the current.
These currents function similarly to the Phase Gates in Inazuma or Four-Leaf Sigils in Sumeru. By using these currents, players can swiftly move towards their destination while freely adjusting their perspective to admire the underwater scenery of Fontaine.
4. Unique underwater character animations
With the addition of this game-changing mechanic, comes a complete rehaul and redesign of character animations that players can look forward to. All Genshin Impact playable characters will receive their very own underwater animations, adding variety and making the exploration of the underwater world of Fontaine a refreshing experience every single time.
5. Underwater combat mechanics
In the 4.0 Livestream, Combat Designer Aquaria confessed that the dev team attempted to transfer land combat to underwater spaces, but their attempts did not yield satisfactory results. Instead, they devised a completely unique set of underwater combat rules that are "independent, simple, and interactive."
One of these gameplay mechanics involves the ability to absorb abilities from specific "Fontemer Aberrants", which look like marine animals made entirely of Hydro. Absorbing their abilities will aid players in fighting opponents and solving puzzles. For instance, absorbing the "Armoured Crab" will grant players a shield to parry and reflect trajectory attacks.
6. Plenty of underwater content
The underwater level design has proved to be one of the more complex challenges for the Genshin dev team. They acknowledge that if the vast underwater areas were sparse and empty, they would risk boring players or even triggering thalassophobia for some!
Thus, they have made it their mission to fill the underwater space with a plethora of interactive activities and challenges, ensuring that players have much to explore and discover.
From what the Livestream has shown, players will be able to accept challenges such as passing through "Accelerated Aquarings", solving innovative puzzles to unlock treasure chests, and more.
That was everything you needed to know about what was revealed in the Fontaine 4.0 Livestream regarding underwater exploration and the new diving mechanics!
Grab your Livestream redeem codes and check out our 4.0 Livestream guide for a comprehensive summary and rundown of everything that transpired during the Livestream.
Fontaine is just on the horizon, bringing a wealth of exciting new content and, of course, a parade of enticing character banners. Interested in learning about everything you need to know about Fontaine? We've got you covered. Dive right into our guide on the 18 new Fontaine characters and deep dive into Fontaine!
Get ahead of the curve and start planning your Primogem savings with our Fontaine character banner schedule here!