According to a Japanese research study, only 2-5% of players spend money in gacha games like Genshin Impact. This means that the vast majority of players are subsisting on free gacha rolls from various in-game activities. With a little bit of persistence, you can improve your odds and save a pretty significant number of wishes (GI’s rolls) to use on the limited-time character banners of your choice. Not all of these methods are grinding mobs, either.
Banners are in-game storefronts where you can redeem your currency for randomised character rolls. There are two kinds of banners: limited and standard. To “wish” on a banner, a Genshin player has to spend an item called a Fate. The most common way to obtain them is by exchanging 160 primogems (Genshin’s free in-game currency) through the in-game shop. Most players will have their “primos” converted automatically when they wish on a banner, but you can also convert them by going into the “Shop” menu, clicking on the “Paimon’s Bargains” tab, and going into “Purchase With Primogems.” Primos can be exchanged for either the Acquaint Fates or the Intertwined Fates, both of which cost the same amount. So remember: it costs 160 primos to make one wish, or 1,600 primos for a ten-roll.
Be careful: the blue Acquaint Fates can only be used on the permanent standard banner. If you want a limited-time character (the ones heavily advertised during events), then you have to exchange for the pink-blue Intertwined Fates. They cost the same, but the pink-blue ones are much harder to obtain.
Several methods for obtaining free primogems include grinding, but not all of them. Here are some of the common ways to earn primogems, a currency that can be converted to Fates.
Daily and permanent quests
The easiest and most consistent way to earn primogems is completing up to four “Daily Commission” quests every day. You can obtain 10 primogems per quest, and then a lump sum of 20 primogems once you turn your completed assignments to the “Adventurers’ Guild” in any city. That adds up to around 11 Fates every month.
You can also obtain varying amounts of primogems for:
Event minigames
Almost every major event has some minigame with free primogems attached to it, including the current Lantern Rite Festival. While you can get varying rewards depending on your score, the developers changed events a while back so that you don’t have to be a very skilled minigames player in order to earn some primogems. Some minigames are combat oriented, while others are more puzzle-based. The number of obtainable Fates varies depending on the number and type of minigame.
Treasure chests
You’re awarded around 3-40 primogems by opening chests in the open world. Some of these chests are tucked away in hard-to-find corners, while the ones surrounded by a reddish ring require you to defeat the surrounding enemies in order to open them. Some chests only appear if you solve a puzzle nearby. If something seems a bit off, try attacking it and seeing if it will spawn a treasure chest!
Sacred Sakura
Once you reach the Inazuma region, the Electro Sigils that you obtain from opening chests can be exchanged for rewards at the Sacred Sakura tree, which also includes a few fates. You can earn up to 20 Acquaint Fates and 10 Intertwined Fates by finishing the Sacred Sakura. It takes 1,250 Electro Sigils to obtain all the free Fates.
Achievements
Completing combat challenges or finishing quests can sometimes net you an achievement. You can obtain 5-20 primogems per achievement.
Spiral Abyss
The Spiral Abyss is Genshin’s endgame challenge mode, and it awards primogems if you can clear all the enemies within a certain amount of time. The rewards for floors 1-8 are only obtainable once. The rewards for floors 9-12 reset on the 1st and 16th of every month. This challenge mode is a hard DPS check, and casual players will struggle to clear all 12 floors. Come prepared with a strategy and a well-built team for each floor. You can obtain a one-time total of 15 Fates for clearing the permanent floors, and 7.5 Fates every month by clearing levels 9-12.
Official livestreams
Every time the developers announce major game updates on their official Twitch or YouTube livestream, they provide viewers with free primogem codes. To redeem them, go to “Settings,” then “Account,” and then “Redeem Code.” These codes are valid for a day, so be sure to activate them as soon as possible.
Stardust Exchange
Whenever you wish on a banner, you get a small amount of Stardust or Starglitter currency. Every month, you can buy up to five Acquaint Fates and five Intertwined Fates from the Starglitter shop. There’s no limit to how many Fates you can buy from the Stardust shop, but I would advise you to spend carefully. Despite the similar names, Stardust is harder to obtain than Starglitter.
Frostbearing Tree
There’s a white tree located near the entrance of Dragonspine, which is the wintery region near Mondstadt. The tree rewards you with items such as Fates whenever you turn in enough Crimson Agates (which can be found around Dragonspine). Once you reach Offering Level 8, you can take on weekly quests to earn Agates. You can get up to four Acquaint Fates and two Intertwined Fates from the tree.
Login events
Login events are extremely rare, usually around twice a year. There’s always one during the Lantern Rite Festival (Lunar New Year), but they’re otherwise unpredictable. Fortunately, all you need to do is click on your daily login rewards in the “Events” menu for seven non-consecutive days. A total of 10 Intertwined Fates can be obtained per login event.
Battle Pass
The Battle Pass is a metre that tracks how many tasks you’ve finished every season. A season is roughly five weeks. You can obtain up to five Acquaint Fates every season if you don’t pay for the BP.
Levelling Characters
You can obtain up to three Acquaint Fates for levelling each character that you have. An Acquaint Fate is awarded at level 20, 50, and 70.
Aside from major seasonal events, there’s no fast and easy way to obtain piles of wishes for free. But if you log in regularly and attempt the challenges, you can build up a respectable stash of Fates by the time that your favourite character becomes available again. Remember: playing Genshin Impact is not a sprint, but a light jog. That applies to obtaining the rarest characters too.
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