In the videogame Genshin Impact, released by miHoYo game development, the most recent update (often referred to as update 1.3) has provided new and veteran players with a more developed experience through enhancing and adding to previous features found within the game.

Genshin Impact is a combat-based game that takes place in the mystical world of Teyvat. To summarize the basic story, the player begins their journey as the Traveler. The Traveler has been cast onto Teyvat by one of the seven gods, occasionally referred to as archons, of this world. This is due to their inter-dimensional traveling habit which seems to have upset this celestial being. However, during this event, the Traveler’s twin brother or sister (depending on which twin the player chooses to play as) has been kidnapped by said god since they journeyed alongside one another. So far, only two acts of the story have been released. The Prologue is centered around the Europe-inspired Monstadt while Act One follows the Traveler as they explore Liyue, a region heavily influenced by Chinese culture, architecture, and geography. Throughout the duration of the story, the Traveler searches for their long-lost sibling and, along the way, encounters oddities ranging from the despicable to the divine.

Utilizing a gacha-mechanic, Genshin Impact enables players to collect playable characters through limited-time banners. By gathering Primogems by means of completing quests and errands, the player may purchase Fates. These Fates allow players to “roll” on one of the banners, leaving whatever character they will receive up to chance. The player may receive a five-star character (the highest-ranked character) or a four-star character (the lower rank). After collecting these characters, the player may choose to play as them rather than the Traveler. With each rotation of the banners, additional events may be implemented into the game. These events provide chances for players to earn Primogems, Fates, or other forms of in-game currency. The 1.3 update marked a significant rotation in events and character banners, resulting in a large amount of interest being directed and revitalized towards the game.
One of the first of these additions a player may interact with upon logging in includes the Kamera and Marvelous Merchandise events. Both of these events provided players with extensive opportunities to inflate their Primogem funds and were reasonably enjoyable. The Marvelous Merchandise event proved to be convenient and was practically a quick errand. Since this event focused on trading in common items for all sorts of delightful goods including Primogems, ascension materials, and enhancement ores, it felt like a steal. During this event’s duration, players everywhere relished in the wonderful rewards they received. Soon after, the Kamera event began its course. The goal of this event was to take photos of objects of a specified color and, in return, receive films. While at first it was difficult to figure out how to use the Kamera, this event was a generally pleasant experience. Hunting down each item to photograph was something to look forward to, and exchanging the films received for goodies upon goodies was certainly not something to complain about. Outside of these two notable events, a daily login event has been implemented (starting February 11th) and ending on February 26th. According to what we have seen so far, the rewards for this event are by-far some of the best rewards in such an event thus far, proving to be yet another example of how miHoYo has decided to spoil its patrons.

Another notable event that has occurred during the 1.3 update was that of the Theater Mechanicus. In this event, the objective is to prevent a certain number of enemies from crossing a given area. While this sounds easy, there is one major aspect of this challenge that results in the need for a more strategized approach: the player is not allowed to physically deal any damage through attacks. In order to accommodate this handicap, the player will construct turrets that are powered by certain elements to strike enemies down. In addition to this, characters are still allowed to use any abilities that may construct obstacles, such as Zhongli’s geo pillars or the Traveler’s plateaus. By climbing through the levels of the Theater Mechanicus, the player will be able to unlock a single Liyue-based playable character of their choice because of the Stand By Me event. With the already fun and involved layout of the Theater Mechanicus event alongside the added incentives provided by Stand By Me, this event has proved to be one of the most entertaining events miHoYo development has provided in Genshin Impact.

Furthermore, one of the most interesting parts of this update was the introduction of the enhanced effectiveness of characters who use Geo-vision. After the release of the character Zhongli, the resident geo-archon and god of the Liyue region, there was an obvious sigh of disappointment once this archon did not live up to the power demonstrated in his demo. However, the geo-buffs introduced in 1.3 seemed to fulfill any wishes left empty. Once one of the weakest elements (if not the weakest), geo has become what it was meant to be all along. This has left many geo-biased players thoroughly satisfied.

Outside of these aforementioned changes, the 1.3 update introduced us to another boss: the Primo Geovishap alongside several other new enemies aligned with the Geovishap. As stated in a summary of update 1.3’s patch notes published by Forbes, “New monsters include Geovishap and Primo Geovishap, with presumably more elemental versions of the Vishap to come later.” Overall, the boss is relatively easy to beat. In fact, if Noelle, the charismatic wannabe-knight and maid hailing from Monstadt, is a member of your party, defeating this new boss will be a piece of cake. While this boss isn’t the most electrifying addition to the game to come out of the 1.3 update, the moment you finally take down this beast is a satisfying memory.

One of the most spoken about and exciting aspects of update 1.3 has to be the character banner introduced once it was first released. As a result, when discussing the 1.3 update, it is not only expected, but required to talk about Xiao: the vigilant Yaksha, conqueror of demons, and protector of Liyue. A highly anticipated playable character ever since his release was teased during 2020, Xiao has proved himself to be well worth the wait. His basic strike, elemental skill, and elemental burst attacks are thoroughly effective towards most bosses and may easily cause enemies to fall in a few blows. However, one annoyance with his skills can be found in his elemental burst attack. While dealing a massive amount of damage, easily killing weaker enemies in one strike, this attack also distributes some damage to Xiao’s health. Without a healer in your party, the effects taken on Xiao’s health may sabotage any player’s original plans. However, through healers, such as Barbara and Qiqi, and healing potions and dishes, this damage can be easily undone. Outside of his elemental burst attack, Xiao’s elemental skills prove handy when taking down more difficult enemies, such as members of the Geovishap family and automatons. Furthermore, while he is easily one of the most fun characters to play as. This is no better seen in the story-quest that accompanied his release. Xiao’s introduction provides the region of Liyue with a more rich story, painting a picture of the infamous Archon war, possibly setting up further expansion upon this bygone event that still haunts Teyvat once the story we are familiar with begins. This quest has been made available for lower-level players for a limited time, but once this time has been completed, Xiao’s story-quest will only be made accessible to higher-ranked players.

All in all, this was a truly noteworthy update. With new characters introduced (and more to come), Genshin Impact has provided its audience with new and exhilarating experiences. Setting up future expansion off of the story elements introduced in quests such as the Lantern Rite and other 1.3-adjacent events, version 1.3 has built the foundation of further development of the beloved traveler’s story as they continue their quest to find their long-lost sibling.

While 1.3 has beckoned in all sorts of new and exciting additions, there is still much more yet to come. One of these instances includes the Lantern Rite festival (which, in order to access this event, one must complete Xiao’s story quest). Each act of this festival will be released in stages. According to news outlet HITC, “[s]tage one will happen on February 10th, stage 2 will occur on February 14th, and stage 3 will happen on February 18th.” At the time of writing this, the Lantern Rite festival had only seen the release of stage two. In order to avoid spoiling these parts for players who may not have been able to play through this quest yet, the given summary and review will remain short. This event follows the Traveler as they celebrate the period of the Lantern Rite alongside the residents of Liyue and will involve further expansion into Xiao’s character. Because of this, access to the Lantern Rite event will only be granted to players who have completed Xiao’s story quest. Through performing errands and tasks, the intricacies of Liyue’s history and traditions are slowly unveiled. These occasions are enjoyable and immersive, one player of this game stating that “I really enjoyed playing through the Lantern Event’s quests. They were fun and I felt happy doing them.” It is, quite simply, a lovely experience. Liyue Harbor illuminated by lanterns is a sight to behold and learning even more of Teyvat and its brutal origins is always a thrill. Some other features of Genshin Impact that are rumored to be released further on include two playable characters: the cryo-vision wielding Rosaria, a nun hailing from Monstadt, and the highly anticipated Hu Tao, owner of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor found in Liyue Harbor and user of pyro-vision.

To conclude, this update has proven that Genshin Impact has no intentions of slowing down its releases of lively new content. With the expansion to the main story that this update offers alongside the promises of more to come, update 1.3 has already left a significant impact upon Genshin Impact despite it being early its lifespan.