What’s new in Genshin Impact 5.0
The tourist guide to Genshin Impact's Natlan
The Genshin Impact 5.0 release date is just around the corner, and Natlan is only part of HoYoverse’s big plans for the RPG. Story quests are getting a regional overhaul in an effort to tie important characters more closely with the world around them, there’s a new World Level, a confusing new change to how 50/50 chances work on featured banners, and best of all, a new way to customize Artifacts so you actually get the stat you want. Literally a game changer.
We've outlined everything new coming to Genshin Impact 5.0 below, including the free 5-star character you can claim for the game's anniversary. If you're wondering what limited-time characters are making an appearance, head over to our Genshin Impact 5.0 banners list.
What's new in Genshin Impact 5.0
Genshin Impact 5.0 release date
Genshin Impact 5.0 goes live on August 28, 2024 – or later in the evening on August 27, 2024 if you’re on Eastern or Pacific time. As always, the version will last for six weeks, with events sprinkled throughout and a banner refresh happening halfway through.
Genshin Impact 5.0 anniversary rewards and free 5-star
HoYoverse is celebrating Genshin’s fourth anniversary rather differently than usual. In addition to the typical free 10 pulls, you can pick one standard 5-star character and claim them for free. Standard characters are the permanent ones – the ones who live on the permanent banner and who show up when you lose your 50/50. You can pick:
Picking a character who you already have will unlock their next Constellation node. HoYoverse also said you can expect this free grab to pop up every year from now on.
Other anniversary rewards include:
- 1,600 Primogems (the free 10-pull mentioned)
- 1 Sanctifying Elixir
- 2 Fragile Resin
- 1 Kaboombox
- 1 Firstborn Firesprite
Those last two are gadgets, but the Sanctifying Elixir is tied to another new system going live in 5.0.
Genshin Impact 5.0 Artifact customization and Sanctifying Elixir
Sanctifying Elixir is Genshin’s equivalent of Honkai Star Rail’s Self-Modeling Resin, an item that lets you pick what stats your chosen Artifact will have. Unlike in HSR, Genshin’s Sanctifying Elixir actually lets you set the main stat and the minor stat, so it seems like it removes the random element entirely.
The downside is that you need quite a bit of the stuff, depending on which Artifact you’re modifying. The livestream showed that Sands pieces cost two Elixir, while Goblet pieces cost four.
You’ll get Sanctifying Elixir from progressing the battle pass, and you can get a limited number by extracting high-level or leveled-up Artifacts, though it takes a lot. Extracting 100 Artifacts gets you one Sanctifying Elixir.
Genshin Impact 5.0 events
Since version 5.0 is the first time we step into Natlan, several of the update’s events are designed to get you familiar with Natlan. First up is Traces of Artistry, the version’s flagship event, which sends you around Natlan on a series of quests, with Primogems, regional upgrade materials, and an event-exclusive catalyst weapon.
Of Thorns and Crowns is next, a battle event that’s meant to tie in with Natlan’s love of competition and combat and has the usual spread of Primogems and upgrade materials on offer. Mementos of Teyvat sees you trace your journey backward and take photographs of important places you visited along the way, with Primogems, XP books, and Mora up for grabs.
Dodoco’s Boom-Bastic Escapades brings back the old tabletop mini-game from a while ago, and there’s the usual Leyline Overflow events toward the end of the patch, with chances to earn double XP books and Mora without having to use Condensed Resin.
Genshin Impact 5.0 new Artifacts
Two new Artifact sets show up in Genshin 5.0, both of which are centered on new Natlan playstyles.
Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City restores energy when the equipping character triggers a Nightsoul Burst – a Natlan-specific mechanic – and increases the user’s and party’s elemental damage under certain conditions. The second set, Obsidian Codex, increases damage in general and, when the user consumes Nightsoul Burst points, it increases their crit rate by 40 percent.
Nightsoul Burst and its associated Nightsoul Blessing mechanic work as long as you have at least one Natlan character in your party.
Genshin Impact 5.0 quests
Version 5.0 introduces the first two Natlan Archon quests and three of Natlan’s six tribes. Story quests – previously tied to specific characters – in Natlan are called Tribal Chronicles. Each tribe has a three-act quest chain that, HoYoverse says, should help explain more about the region, its people, and the problems they face.
If you're saving up Primogems and materials for future Genshin Impact banners, check out our up-do-date list of Genshin Impact codes for some free Primogems.