What is Genshin Impact?

What is Genshin Impact? ; in 2020 Genshin impact swept the video game industry by storm, attracting a huge player base and generating nearly $400 million in revenue in its first two months on the market. In terms of context, that was more than Pokémon GO, which generated $238 million in revenue over the same period.

At first glance, Genshin impact It may look like any other anime open world game, but there are a lot of interesting things that set it apart. Why has it become so popular? What is the game like? How do all their systems work? What platforms is it available on? How is Genshin Impact Gameplay?

In this guide, we'll explain everything you need to know about Genshin Impact, an overview of its gameplay, how monetization works, how the multiplayer mode works, and more.

What is Genshin Impact?

What is Genshin Impact?
What is Genshin Impact?

Genshin impact is an open world action RPG with "gacha" (we'll get to that later) mechanics. Developed and published by the Chinese studio miHoYo. In it, players control an array of party members, each with different abilities, weapons, gear, and personalities. Combat is played in real time, allowing players to take advantage of ranged, melee and basic attacks against a wide variety of enemies in the game's open world and dungeons.

Genshin Impact is an online-only adventure that focuses heavily on story and multiplayer gameplay with many of the features you'd see as a service in popular games (like daily quests, rewards, loot, and other things to let you check).

Many critics and gamers have compared Genshin Impact to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with an anime twist. This is a fair comparison as most environments and locales are similar. The biggest similarity is that you can climb almost any surface, and the amount you can climb is determined by an stamina meter, just like in Breath of the Wild. Once you reach the top of your destination, you can slide away, another similarity that allows you to travel quickly off the map.

Still, calling it a "Breath of the Wild clone" is reductive, because Genshin Impact does so much to stand up for itself.

Let's move on to the "gacha" features, which are a big part of the game. The "gacha" element is used to describe the game's monetization, which can be compared to random loot boxes or a slot machine. The way it works is that you can spend in-game currency (or real money) on character packs, loot, and gear – all of which are random with varying degrees of rarity.

You might get the specific character you're looking for on your first try, or it can take hundreds of hours (and dollars) to finally get them. The characters and loot you receive all have a different drop probability, giving it a "draw chance" feel. However, you can definitely gain characters by playing the game normally. But certain gear pieces or characters are highly sought after, causing players to spend hundreds of dollars in currency to finally get them.

What platforms is Genshin Impact available on?

What is Genshin Impact?
What is Genshin Impact?

In its current form Genshin impactIt's available on PC, Android, iOS, and PS4 (playable on PS5), and will have a PS5 and Nintendo Switch special edition at some point in the future. Part of the reason for the game's success is that it's available on so many platforms - allowing the community to play with each other regardless of whether they're on PS4, PC or mobile. As popular as console games are, mobile games are still home to millions of players, and with Genshin Impact you get the best of both worlds.

You won't have access to Genshin Impact if you're an Xbox gamer, though, and developer miHoYo says it has no plans to bring the game to those platforms.

When the game was first launched, you could tell it was designed primarily with mobile in mind, as the controls on the console sometimes tend to feel a bit risky. Having to go through multiple screens to get to the map, a complex menu system, and non-mapable controls (on console, at least) made it clear that the game was designed with touchscreens first. As such, the community has high hopes for a Nintendo Switch version that can implement touchscreen controls and even gyro support.

Is Genshin Impact Multiplayer?

In short, yes, Genshin Impact supports online cooperative multiplayer (again, with cross-platform play on PS4, PC and mobile). In it, you can play with up to three friends for teams of four players total. You can explore the vast, sprawling open world, complete certain missions or participate in the game's various dungeons. Most of the domains have powerful creatures that will definitely be easier to take down with friends.

Even so, Adventure Tier 16 before you can play with friendsYou have to reach , which can be a kind of grind if you don't play often. When you do, you'll be able to join or host a game with three other players. You can still play with less than a four-man squad. While playing co-op, you cannot participate in story missions and interact with chests or collect collectibles – only the server can. So it has limitations.

How is Genshin Impact Gameplay?

What is Genshin Impact?
What is Genshin Impact?

Instant play in Genshin Impact allows you to navigate the large map, fast travel It throws you into various quests that require you to unlock points, complete dungeons, and of course, fight enemies. In terms of combat, players can switch between party members on the fly – allowing a variety of attacks to be used against enemies. Some characters excel in close combat, while others are better at long-range combat.

You are encouraged to explore and unlock the entire map with fast travel points, better gear, collectibles, and eventually join the game's dungeons. These dungeons give you rewards upon completion – this rarely changes depending on the difficulty. Dungeons have specific requirements for starting and owning a wide variety of enemies and small puzzles.

One of its interesting mechanics lets you stack basic attacks (called Elemental Reactions in-game), giving you a new effect depending on the combination. For example, combine Hydro and Cryo to freeze your enemy in place. Or use Pyro and Dendro (like some kind of nature-based element) to deal incendiary damage. Players are encouraged to try these different elements to achieve different results.

As you gather resources, you are encouraged to craft gear that can help you complete quests. You also have the opportunity to purchase various items from food, crafting materials, weapons, equipment and more. It has pretty much everything you would expect from a massive open world RPG.

It has heavy JRPG mechanics like the party system, complex element-based combat, and a huge world to explore. You'll need to master changing your party members quickly, as you can use them in a row to perform combos on your enemies. That's why it's important to be aware of the types of enemies you will face so you can choose your party members accordingly – whether it's a dungeon crafting or an open-world story mission.

Is Genshin Impact Free?

We mentioned the game's loot box-style gacha mechanics, which would normally be a cause for concern, but Genshin Impact is free. In fact, you can play and have a totally good time without spending a dime. Unlike many free games that really force spending real money, Genshin Impact does a great job of offering in-game purchases as an option without making you feel like you have to spend money.

Does Genshin Impact have DLC?

Genshin Impact has loads of extra downloadable content ranging from currency to characters and gear. Again, all these pieces of content are completely optional and in no way forced or required. However, as a game as a service, it offers regular updates with free extra content. This includes new areas to explore, additional missions and limited time events. It has all the ingredients of a truly successful service-based game, offering both free and paid content for players to enjoy.

In terms of updates, Genshin Impact typically sees new content every five to six weeks. In fact, on February 2, 2021, players will get access to update 1.3, which includes a new Five Flushes of Fortune event, rewards, and a new character named Xiao. So if you're planning to get started right away, now is a great time as it aligns with a new batch of content.

What is Battle Pass?

Finally, let's talk about Genshin Impact's battle pass because it is an important part of obtaining in-game gear. Fortnite or Call of Duty: Warzone, you should be at least vaguely familiar with how a battle pass works. Essentially, it's a temporary leveling system that offers rewards at each tier and resets at the beginning of each season. Each level of the battle pass gives you a reward, whether it's cosmetics, weapons or other equipment.

There are actually two types of battle passes in Genshin: One is Sojourner's Battle Pass, which is free and gives you a reward every 10 levels. The other, the Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass, costs $10 but gives you extra upgrade materials, better rewards like Hero's Wit, Mora, and Mystic Enchantment Ores, plus all the content of the Sojourner's Battle Pass. MiHoYo once again shows signs of focusing on consumer-friendly apps by offering a free battle pass along with a paid counterpart. As a service in many games, battle passes are not free, so gamers commended Genshin for offering a variety of options to the community.

Battle passes in Genshin are unlocked at Adventure Rank 20, so you'll have to play around a bit before using it. But once you do, you can reap the rewards. You only get levels in a certain battle pass during the season, after which your rank is reset (however, you keep all the rewards you collect). Because the game is still fairly new, it's possible that seasonal content will change over time, as with many similar games.