Genshin Impact is the latest JRPG taking the world by storm. While its gacha-based microtransactions system has turned a lot of people off, there’s still plenty to love about the game. Despite comparisons to Breath of the Wild and criticisms for being a free-to-play title, Genshin Impact has defied expectations to become a surprise hit. It’s fun, very pretty and filled with loveable characters.
If you’re looking to get into the game, there are a few things you’ll need to know before you get started. The game is fairly good at explaining its narrative and gameplay but there are also some systems you’ll need to figure out for yourself.
Here’s everything you should know about Genshin Impact to enjoy the game to its fullest extent.
Forget the comparisons to Breath of the Wild
Genshin Impact first made headlines after its reveal at ChinaJoy 2019, with fans decrying it as a straight Breath of the Wild clone. While its landscapes and some elements of gameplay take inspiration from the award-winning Zelda game, direct comparisons are unfair.
Outside of Genshin Impact‘s wide open world and climbing mechanics, it’s very much its own game. The robust narrative, anime art style and quest-based system is also worlds away from Breath of the Wild. Even if its marketing leaned heavily into Zelda, the game looks and feels completely original.
The game’s microtransactions are unnecessary
Despite Genshin Impact operating on a free-to-play model, its microtransactions aren’t intrusive or needed to play the entire game. If you want, you can dip into your wallet to purchase ‘Fates’ which operate the weapon and character gacha system, but all you’ll get is slightly better items, new characters and some handy objects. None of them are crucial to the game.
You can find out more about the game’s gacha system here:
You’ll need to stock up on cooked meals
Your first priority in Genshin Impact should be foraging for food and cooking meals. These meals restore your HP and they’re super fun to cook, too.
If you come across a campfire in your travels, you’ll be able to create extravagant meals on it. For the first few times you cook a meal, you’ll play a fun reaction-based cooking mini-game. After that, you can auto-cook food and stock up on supplies for your journey. Sometimes you’ll go a long way without meeting a healing statue, so stock up on food when you can.
Level up your characters and weapons ASAP
As you journey in Genshin Impact, you’ll gain experience from fighting and exploring. The game won’t tell you when you can level up, though. Instead, you’ll need to periodically check on your characters and see if you can advance them to the next level.
To see if your characters can level up, do the following:
- Head to the main menu
- Select ‘Characters’ and and click into your chosen character’s menu
- Navigate to ‘Attributes’ then select ‘Level Up’
- Add as many items as you’re able to level up your character
To level up your weapons, follow a similar process:
- Head to the main menu
- Select ‘Characters’ and and click into your chosen character’s menu
- Navigate to ‘Weapons’ and select ‘Enhance’
- Add as many items as you’re able to level up your character
Check this frequently to make sure your EXP isn’t going to waste.
Equip artifacts for greater fighting power
As you explore the world (or open Fates) you’ll discover special items known as artifacts. These can be equipped to your player for added attack, defence and ranged stats. Each character will have five unique slots, with only one artifact from each category being equippable per character.
Make sure you remember to equip these artifacts when you stumble upon them. Some of them are very powerful and can make a massive difference during battles.
To equip artefacts, head to the character menu and attach them to your chosen character.
Collect everything you see
There’s plenty to find in the world of Genshin Impact, whether it’s just fruit from a nearby tree or slime from a wandering goo enemy. Each item is used in some kind of recipe or for strengthening your equipment so if you see something shiny, your best bet is to grab it. Your inventory is massive, so you’ll be able to store nearly everything you see — and you should.
Focus on building your Adventurer’s Rank
Your Adventurer’s Rank is built as you explore the world of Genshin Impact, take on quests and uncover new treasures. It marks how much experience you have and also prevents you from accessing certain higher quality items and weaponry. If you want to get the best upgrades and unlock more items in the shop, you’ll have to focus on exploring new turf, completing quests and building your rank.
This rank also unlocks a secondary feature for Genshin Impact: co-op. To earn it, you’ll need to spend several hours exploring the game.
You’ll need to grind to unlock co-op
![Screenshot: Genshin Impact](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/10/01/odfcbgpsoh5cbqky9r7g.png)
While the first 5-10 hours of Genshin Impact are a fairly lonely solo experience, the game does actually contain multiplayer co-op (2-4 players). First, you’ll need to be a significant way into the story and be at Adventurer’s Rank Level 16.
Once you’ve hit that magic number, you can jump into the story with friends. They won’t be able to collect rewards from the game unless they’re the host, but you’ll all be able to explore and fight creatures together.
It’s a fun (if a little limited) way to waste a few hours with mates and it’s well worth unlocking even if you have to grind to do it.
Have any tips for your fellow Kotaku Australia readers? Want to share your experiences with Genshin Impact so far? Pop on down to the comments below and share your best advice.
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