Genshin Impact: Everything You Need To Know – February 2023

Genshin Impact is the smash hit open-world RPG from HoYoverse that everyone needs to play, even if only once. And as a free-to-play game, Genshin Impact is super easy to get into. It’s one of a very small number of free-to-play mobile games that is not only very good, but it won’t nickel and dime you with micro transactions.

Though Genshin Impact is definitely a game that everyone should play, there’s a lot to it that can maybe feel overwhelming for some. So we’ve decided to put together this post. It breaks down all the important stuff about the game so you can become more acquainted with it.

From characters to available platforms, and nearly everything else in between. If you want to play Genshin Impact, it’s definitely useful to read up on the game a little bit. Though it is by no means required or necessary. It’s a game that’s a lot of fun and you can spend hours upon hours playing it. Even if you’re going into it blindly knowing absolutely nothing about it.

Should you want to learn more about the game though, you’ll find a lot of details here. You can also find details about the latest patch here.

What exactly is Genshin Impact and why should I play it?

Genshin Impact is an open-world RPG with anime-style graphics and a heavy emphasis on party combat. There’s multiple playable characters, and each one provides something a little unique to your party.

The game is filled to the brim with all kinds of things to explore. Including major cities that are teeming with life as you walk through the streets. You’ll complete side quests, advance the story through main quests, level up your characters and acquire better gear, and search for hidden treasure chests throughout the world of Teyvat.

As for why you should play Genshin Impact, there’s really only one main reason. Because it’s extremely fun. Then of course there’s the fact that it remains fun even after many hours of game time, it’s free, and continues to add new content for players to keep things fresh.

What platforms can I play Genshin Impact on?

Genshin Impact is available for Android, iOS, PS4, PS5, and PC. Right now there are no plans to bring the game to Xbox or Nintendo consoles. You can also access Genshin Impact through the cloud using GeForce NOW. Which means you can play it wherever you can use the GeForce NOW service.

Is there cross-play?

There is cross-play available for the game but there are a few caveats to this. First, for cross-play to work you need to first unlock the multiplayer capabilities. Which you can’t do until you reach Adventure rank 16. The person you want to play with also has to be at Adventure rank 16.

If you meet those requirements, then you can play with any friend no matter what platform they’re on. The only other requirement is that you and the friend you want to play with are in the same region. As each region has its own servers.

So if you’re playing in the US, then you aren’t going to be able to play with someone in Japan for example.

What about cross-progression/cross-save?

Genshin Impact does support cross-progression so you can play it on multiple platforms. When the game initially launched, cross-progression was only available for Android, iOS, and PC players. The game was available in PS4 and PS5 but cross-progression was not available for these platforms.

However, HoYoverse expanded cross-progression to support PS4 and PS5 players as of the massive 2.0 update last year.

It’s free-to-play, so does that mean there’s micro transactions?

Yes. Micro transactions is how HoYoverse monetizes this game’s development. The good news is that they’re not too heavy-handed. If there is one drawback to them, it’s that you may find it a challenge to acquire new characters without spending money if you don’t play very often.

Most of the game’s different currencies can be acquired simply by playing. So if you play pretty frequently it’s easy to stack up and come by the currencies needed to do Wish pulls, which is the game’s gacha mechanic that gives you a chance at new characters, weapons and items.

You can also buy a $5 pass that lasts a month, which gives you a certain amount of one of the currencies (Primogems) each day you log in. If you log in every day of the pass, it more than makes up for the $5 you spent. And it’s a great way to stack them up if you play less often. Then all you have to do is log in for a few minutes on the days you can’t really play.

How many different currencies does Genshin Impact have?

Enough to be confused by things. So we’re breaking things down. The main currency you’ll probably use most often is called Primogems. These can easily be acquired through gameplay and they pop up often. You can also get the $5 pass that gives you 90 Primogems every day just for logging in.

Then there’s Masterless Stardust and Masterless Starglitter. Which are both used for purchasing rare resources from the shop. You can acquire these from simply playing too. However, you’re rewarded with this much more rarely. So spend it wisely, or save it up for something really good.

You then have Intertwined Fate and Aquaint Fate. Both of which are the main currency used for Wish pulls. You can buy these with Primogems. Wish pulls again, are how you will most acquire new characters. Then there’s Genesis Crystals, which are used to buy gifts from the Gift Shop. Lastly there’s Mora, which is used for upgrading things for your characters as well as buying items from in-game vendor NPCs.

How many playable characters are there?

In short? A lot. But specifically, there are now 62 playable characters in the game after the launch of patch 3.2 if you don’t count the Traveler. 63 if you do. And there will be a ton more added over the course of the game’s life cycle. In fact the playable character number just jumped to 57 with the launch of patch 3.2.

You can learn more about all currently available 4-star playable characters and 5-star playable characters through our character guides. Which break down skills, special abilities, passives and more.

These characters are all divided up into different elemental attunements to things like fire, ice, water, geo, lightning and more. Officially the different elements are Pyro, Hydro, Electro, Geo, Cryo, Anemo, and the final element, Dendro. So they have different attacks, powers, and special abilities. Some characters are also more about healing and supporting your party than dealing out raw damage.

Whereas other characters are perfect for doing dps. These characters are your heavy hitters as they can really rip through enemies with little effort. Some playable characters are also ranged where others are melee. It’s a good idea to have a mix of both ranged and melee classes, while also trying to spread out your elements.

You can however change characters on the fly so long as you’re not already in battle or in a dungeon. So if you come across a particular puzzle that needs a specific element, you can always switch characters if needed. Then switch back if you want to move back to your main party setup.

How big is the world of Genshin Impact?

It’s huge. Really, frickin’ huge. The world of Teyvat has 7 nations. But right now there are only four nations and four major cities available in the game. These include Mondstadt, Liyue (Liyue Harbor), Inazuma (Inazuma City), and Sumeru (Sumer City). More will be added in future major content updates. These are also just the major cities. You’ll find loads of small settlements here and there throughout the landscapes surrounding them.

The newest major nation that was added into the game was Sumeru, a nation and zone that takes on a tropical rain forest look. This became available in the game as part of the 3.0 update that released in early November. Along with it, there are tons of new areas to explore, and there’s even quite a few new characters to pick up.

Are there events to participate in?

The game does usually have a few ongoing events for players to take part in. At current there are a few going. And there’s usually a big event that comes along with every major content patch. These also usually include new characters being introduced to the game.

So it’s worth keeping an eye out for them as it could afford you new opportunities to get powerful characters. Like Zhongli, the game’s most recent 5-Star character.

You can find events in the main menu by hitting or clicking on the Paimon icon in the top left corner of the screen.

Update: February 18, 2022

As of February 16, Genshin Impact’s 2.5 patch update is live, complete with a new event and new playable characters.

Update: November 4, 2022

HoYoverse launched patch 3.2 on November 2, adding in new wish events, the “grand finale” of the Sumeru Archon quest, the third Fatui Harbinger boss and more. Players can also participate in the ‘Fabulous Fungus Frenzy’ event.

Update: January 18, 2023

Genshin Impact’s big 3.4 update has just landed for players and is available to dive into. This brings in a new desert region of Sumeru along with a new playable character event wish, new quests based around the main story and more.

What’s the level cap for characters?

The current level cap in Genshin Impact for each character is 90. At this stage, your characters will be at their absolute most powerful, and you’ll finally be able to max out your characters weapons and abilities.

You can then further empower your character through Ascension, though this requires the use of a lot of hard to get materials. So you will have to play a lot to gather them all up.

How do I level my characters up?

You can level your characters up by simply playing the game, but this only rewards a small amount of experience. The more efficient way to level them is to use tomes (an in-game resource acquired through gameplay) on their own personal character screen in the menu.

Once you go to the character screen, you can highlight each character and there will be a Level Up button you press to complete this action.

You can acquire three different types of tomes in the game, with each one giving you different amounts of experience. The green tomes, called Wanderer’s Advice, give the least. The blue tomes are called Adventurer’s Experience and give a medium amount. Then there’s the Hero’s Wit, which gives the most but is also the hardest to come by.

How do I level up my Adventure Rank?

When you get to Mondstadt, the first main city, you’ll eventually meet an NPC that describes the Adventure Rank system to you by way of explaining the Adventurer’s Guild. After which you can then take on quests for the Adventurer’s Guild.

Completing these quests is one way you can level up your Adventure rank. You can also complete specific tasks from the Adventurer’s Handbook, complete main story quests, open treasure chests (there are hundreds of them to find), complete dungeons, worship at Statues of The Seven, and complete Shrine Of The Depths.

How do I level up weapons?

Much like leveling up the characters, you can level up weapons to make them even stronger. You can then even level them up through Ascension once the level cap on weapons is achieved.

To level up your weapons, you need to basically break down other weapons in your inventory and infuse them into your currently equipped weapon. Weapons of higher grade will afford you more experience. But these, like the high end tomes, will be harder to come by.

You can also level up weapons by using enhancement ore, which also comes in varying degrees of quality. Higher quality enhancement ore will give you more experience per ore. The game also has a feature that lets you auto select upgrade materials. Or you can add materials one by one.

Does Genshin Impact support gamepads on mobile and PC?

It sure does. The game has supported controllers on PC and console since the initial launch. And with version 1.3, miHoYo added controller support to mobile devices as well. Which means you can use excellent controllers like the Razer Kishi or Gamesur X2.

Of course you can also use the DualShock 4 or DualSense controllers if you use an Android phone. So your possibilities are endless here.

For PC users, DualSense support is coming with Patch 2.2. So while it’s not here yet, it won’t be long as the patch drops next week.

Are there adjustable graphics settings?

There are more than a few graphics settings available to tweak. Even on mobile devices. Though you may want to consider leaving them where they are based on which type of device you play on. If you’re playing on mobile, you can play on a wide array of different Android phones. But not all Android phones are created equal. Just like with PCs, some devices will have more powerful hardware and support the higher graphics settings.

Tuning these up on a less powerful phone can result in the device getting warmer, as well as the game running with low frame rates. So keep that in mind when considering adjustments. If you think your device is powerful enough to turn things up, give things a try and see how the game plays. And if you don’t feel there’s much of a decrease, then you’re good to go.