A whole new world: Genshin Impact’s COVID-free travel offer

Following its initial release, Genshin Impact has (and probably will) keep on appearing in Twitter’s trending topics in the coming months, or even years. Set in the open world of Teyvat where “elements flow and converge”, the free-to-play game features you as the Traveler embarking on a quest to find your missing sibling. 

Brought to you by the same creators of Honkai Impact, miHoYo takes you across different nations to meet colorful characters—a perfect getaway for those itching to travel despite the quarantine. 

Into the Unknown 

A common conversation between gamers was how Genshin Impact looks similar to Nintendo’s famous The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and where they draw the line. While both may share certain similarities in visuals and play-style, they still vary in terms of gameplay and characterization where they deliver a unique experience for the players.

Genshin Impact’s plot starts out simple enough: we have you, the Traveller, fighting off an Unknown God with your twin. No one knows why you’re fighting or what happened before that. All we know is that we have to pick who to play as, and whoever you chose will be your character for the rest of the game. 

Fast-forward and you wake up to the world of Teyvat, unsure of what happened after the fight. Your twin is missing and your sole guide is a floating child by the name of Paimon.

 

Mondtsadt.

You’ll begin to feel the weight of the search once you realize how vast the world is. Genshin banks on an open-world exploration featuring the seven nations of Teyvat, each inspired by real-world countries and their culture. You can immerse yourself in the game through interacting with non-playable characters (NPCs), engaging in world quests, solving area puzzles, and collecting tons of treasures. Additionally, you can do daily commission tasks to advance your rank, or play with others to defeat difficult domains all while accomplishing achievements at your own pace, so if you feel like exploring the world before building your characters, then you can ignore those quest pop-ups until you’re ready. 

 

Liyue Harbor, Night. 

The game operates under a gacha system where you can summon new weapons and characters at random when you make a wish. This is where in-game purchases mostly happen, as people consume primogems in exchange of Acquaint and Intertwined Fates for wishes. 

Exploring the wonders of Teyvat

There’s a reason why you can see Genshin Impact screenshots floating around social media, and it’s not just to boast the currently coveted character or a meme for laughs. Mondtsadt and Liyue, two of Teyvat’s currently explorable nations grants sceneries you’d definitely stay up all night for, from the lush greeneries of Windrise, the snow-covered peaks of Dragonspine, to the enigmatic Dunyu Ruins and Lingjiu Pass. 

 

Starfell Lake, Mondstadt

If you’ve never seen a sunrise at Qingyun Peak, then you’re definitely missing out. Even rainy days are quite the sight too. Thanks to the unpredictable weather system, travellers can get struck by lightning, and earn an achievement (yes, there’s an achievement for that, because that’s some luck you got there).  

Not only do they give you the opportunity to “freeze” your enemies with Cryo, the element of ice, it could also serve as the perfect brooding time with the right place and right music as the game also has a remarkable soundtrack.

 

Mt. Hulao, Liyue

These soundtracks also vary per location and draw inspiration from each nation. Being an open-world, more nations will be available over time through patch updates as the plot unfolds and more characters are introduced. 

 

Entombed City, Dragonspine

See you later in Co-Op

Genshin Impact may never be short of interesting characters to interact with, but nothing beats a good game with a close friend or a loved one, especially in the grueling battles against bosses and domains. 

The Co-Op mode, which allows you to enter your friend’s world and vice versa, maximizes the game’s online setup and connects you with other players within the same server, from that one Diluc main that carried your team through Forsaken Rift (and left the world as soon as you finished), to your classmate that’s been left behind in Adventure Rank (AR) 20, and random strangers kind enough to help you progress. 

In Co-Op, you can also forage materials through your friend’s worlds if you ever run out on your own, help them out with their daily commissions, or simply tag along for the ride when you get bored. And yes, let’s not forget the boss fights where Co-Op allows your maxed-out level friend to help you crush a higher level boss, which you, a level 50, have been crying about for weeks now.  

Additionally, the wonders of Co-Op are not limited to leveling-up itself, as there are many ways to enjoy the company of others within the game.  Many people also use the Co-Op to have a photoshoot with the characters, capturing the time-limited five stars they weren’t able to get and pairing characters that normally don’t get along and would rather die than work side-by-side, at least according to lore. 

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Staying at home for months might have hindered us from the many face-to-face interactions we’re due, but nobody said we can’t make a world without a virus, and play in it too. Genshin Impact awakens the inner Traveler in you as you dive into a whole new world without the risk of going outside amid a pandemic, letting you enjoy the feeling of exploration within the safety of your phones, or whichever gadget you downloaded Genshin on.   

Have fun experiencing Teyvat, travellers! Don’t forget to enjoy this month’s Lantern festival (after the finals), and may a certain Yaksha come home.