Genshin Impact certainly has a lot to offer for avid RPG enthusiasts especially those who enjoy exploration in an open world that offers breathtaking sights and sceneries, brimming with content and secrets waiting to be discovered. There are hardly any limitations as to how much time you can spend adventuring within the world of Genshin Impact but still, a quick immersion in Tevyat can tell you how much longer you have to spend in it to fully explore its every corner.
One factor to consider in Genshin Impact is that while it contains a lot of features and mechanics, it is still relatively easy for total beginners in the genre to pick up and play. If you have just decided to download and play it, though, we highly recommend reading our Genshin Impact beginner’s guide first as it provides all the basic tips and strategies you need to jumpstart your adventure.
In this guide, we will be focusing more on advanced strategies that require a bit more familiarity with the basic features and mechanics of Genshin Impact. Although you can still readily apply the concepts we will discuss, it is still best to stick with the simpler strategies we provided in our first guide.
1. Form Different Teams
Genshin Impact plays very much like a single-character game but provides for a full team of 4 characters for you to take in your adventure. With a core feature that lets you almost instantly switch to the 3 other characters in your party, or 4 in the case of guest characters for specific missions, various battle strategies can be made based on the combination of elements of the heroes in the party.
Beyond elemental combinations, each team can also earn different buffs from the elemental resonance that activates based on the elements represented in the team and although some areas in the game will not allow you to readily change the members of your party, you are very much free to do so in the world map.
Beyond quickly being able to switch party members at the team menu, Genshin Impact also makes it so that you can prepare 4 distinct teams to play around with. Given that certain puzzles and scenarios in the open world make it necessary to use each of the 7 available elements, a more efficient way of utilizing more than 4 characters is readying alternative team rosters.
We mentioned in our beginner’s guide that your focus ought to be centered around 4 main characters given that various resources are needed to upgrade and enhance heroes as well as their gears. It should not, however, prevent you from utilizing other heroes, especially those with elements not present in your main party. Some quests will require you to have a specific element represented in your team and while it is possible for the most part to still make all the way through, it will be a lot more challenging to stray from the recommended elements.
Another practical application of taking advantage of creating multiple party setups is the effect of some elemental resonance buffs that apply outside of combat. Having 2 characters with anemo (wind) element, for example, will decrease stamina consumption of the party by 15% as well as increase movement speed by 10% and reduce skill cooldown by 5%. While these perks can be of great help to the party in battle as well, they are the best combination to have when you are out exploring the land. In this sense, you do not even need to invest heavily in a team setup built for exploration as you can easily switch parties for tougher battles.
2. Master Elemental Reactions
Elemental combinations and reactions are at the core of Genshin Impact’s battle system. You can often still deal damage even without much knowledge of how each element works against all others as well as the corresponding combinations resulting from exposure to each one. However, knowing how each elemental reaction can be initiated and utilized in combat can tremendously increase your performance in each fight.
To start off, some elements already have effects that trigger as soon as they are afflicted on the target. Cryo, for one slows down enemy movement. Pyro causes a burn DoT effect on the target and can burn down wooden objects, including wooden shields of enemies. Hydro imposes a wet status, which does nothing on its own but is a preparatory status for various elemental effects.
The burn DoT effect of pyro can further be boosted with dendro (life). A target afflicted with burn status will to a target afflicted with cryo and vice versa. If cryo is the triggering element, each cryo attack will deal 1.5x damage while a freezing target struck with pyro attacks take 2x damage. Pyro almost works the same way combined with hydro with the vaporize status. Pyro and electro combined causes AoE pyro damage, perfect for triggering explosive barrels close to the enemy or further spreading burn effects across them.
Combining hydro and electro effects result in electro-charged status, which is a lightning type DoT that works much like burning. The more popular combination of hydro and cryo will temporarily freeze the target on top of the slowdown effect that comes from cryo. Cryo and electro mixed together results in superconduct, which deals AoE cryo damage and also reduces the target’s defense.
Geo and Anemo elemental reactions are much easier to master as both essentially impact cryo, electro, hydro, and pyro the same way. Geo combined with any of the aforementioned elements will result in crystalize. Crystalize extracts the elemental energy on its target and produces crystals that can be used by characters to earn an elemental shield. These shields protect the user and reduce damage taken from elemental attacks.
Naturally the elemental shield type will have more effective damage reduction against the same element. Anemo, in tandem with the given elements, will result in a swirl. The swirl effect boosts the elemental effect as well as causes its effect to spread farther.
Mastering the elements go beyond having a decent level of familiarity with each one’s outright effect and combination reactions. To further boost your proficiency in combat, familiarize yourself as well with each character, their skills, and respective elemental affinity as switching to right element in combat becomes a critical aspect of your performance in the game.
3. Accomplish All Commissions Daily
Progressing through Genshin Impact’s story and archon quests on top of exploring the huge open world can certainly fill up each player’s daily dose of adventure. Once you reach adventure rank 12, though, you will unlock the commissions from the adventurer’s guild. Players receive 4 commissions at random each day, which are quests accomplishable in different areas of the map that players have unlocked.
Accomplishing each commission grants a set of rewards and completing all 4 earns you extra rewards. Some commissions are repeatable while others will only be experienced once based on the players progression in the game. Some quests involve simple errands, while others will immerse you in different battles, solve a variety of puzzles, or both.
Taking on commissions are not just important because of the various rewards you earn from it. As these missions will be situated in various locations on the map, it will also introduce you to different features of Genshin Impact you might not have little or no knowledge about. It also provides an avenue for more exploration that may help you collect unique resources as well as amenoculi you need to upgrade statues of the seven.
Once you unlock commissions, be sure to make an effort to accomplish each one of them as you will constantly need the primogems they reward you with, as well as the adventure rank XP you need to unlock more quests and game modes.
4. Use Markers On Important Spots In The Map
As you continue to explore the world of Genshin Impact, you will certainly be in a lot of situations where a discovery provides a puzzle you cannot solve for the moment. It maybe because you still lack the ability to take on the challenge or perhaps crunched for time as you are engaged in a quest you would want to pursue outright. In such cases, it is best to take note of these locations and not just a mental note, but one with a marker that tells you exactly where these spots are.
Once you open the map through the mini map icon at the upper left side of the screen, and tap on any area within it other than statues of the seven, teleport waypoints, and other significant icons, you will be able to add a pin on it. There are 6 unique pins you can use based on your discretion and can mark a total of 90 different spots.
Amenoculi locations are a perfect example of spots to mark on the map. They may appear as stars on the mini map when you get close enough to one in your exploration. Sometimes, however, they will be situated in areas that are impossible to reach unless you relocate to higher grounds and glide towards them. As such, you have the option of marking them on the map if you cannot pursue obtaining them at the moment.
Another common instance in the world map that you may not be readily able to take on are mysterious seelie or the blue spirits that lurk about. You need to guide them towards their destination and often, this will unlock a treasure for you. In some occasions, however, it will take more than one blue spirit to unlock the rewards that await. Not all blue spirits can be easily spotted as well as some maybe behind a huge chunk of rock. Some may seem imprisoned as well inside an elemental barrier just like some treasure chests and you need to glide down at its center to free them.
The locations you can mark on the map should not be limited to unsolved puzzles that you will revisit later on. In some occasions, there are areas worth revisiting because of the resources you can gather within them and if you have stumbled upon an area rich in resources you may not readily find anywhere, then you should also mark it as such as well.
5. Expend Original Resin On Ley Line Outcrops
While vieweing the map in the world of Genshin Impact, you may notice numbers at its upper right corner symbolized by a moon icon. These are Original Resins that work very much like in-game stamina in other RPGs, but applies only to Ley Line Outcrops. The amount of original resin you can stack has a limit and replenishes over time when you consume it. As opening Ley Line Outcrops consume original resin, but grants you adventure rank EXP on top of other valuable rewards, it is best to consume them as much as you can regularly.
There are 2 types of Ley Line Outcrops you can see on the world map. The Blossom of Revelation, indicated by a blue sphere appears once you reach adventurer rank 3 while the Blossom of Wealth, symbolized by a yellow sphere on the map, appears once you reach adventurer rank 12. Both outcrops offer the same level of challenge based on your adventurer rank. Blossoms of Revelation reward you with adventure EXP, Companionship EXP, adventurer’s experience, and wanderer’s advice. Blossoms of wealth, on the other hand, earn you adventure EXP, companionship EXP, and mora.
Once you approach and interact with the spheres on the world map, a mob of enemies will be summoned and you will need to defeat all of them to reveal the Ley Line Blossom. After expending original resin on the Ley Line Blossom, you will earn the rewards. Note that there will always be a Blossom of Revelation and a Blossom of Wealth on the world map. As soon as you activate and beat one, another will spawn in a random location.
As you will occasionally be prevented from continuing on some quests due to the minimum adventure level requirements, engaging in Ley Line Outcrops is among the best ways to rack up some adventure EXP. Traveling to different areas on the map, even with teleport waypoints and other landmarks you can instantly move to, will still help you explore zones better. Consider it as an added incentive to activate teleport waypoints you may have missed before or revisit some marked areas that you can now pursue.
6. Spend Time To Explore Each Shop’s Offerings
Genshin Impact makes it so that venturing outside of Mondstadt can become a little too exciting in that you hardly spend time within the town unless your current quest requires you to do so. Although you may visit the shops and other establishments within Mondstadt in passing as required by some quests, your eagerness to accomplish quests outside the city as well as venture out to explore may prevent you from taking time to check each of the shops out, particularly what they have to offer. Before you go on your next adventure, take time to look into each shop as they may provide you with something to make the next quest easier.
There is a shop that is unique in Genshin Impact as it can be accessed from the main menu rather than be physically seen on the map. Initially, some items for sale require real world cash or genesis crystals that can only be obtained through spending real money as well. Beyond all that, your attention should be directed towards Paimon’s Bargains, which is the third tab of the shop.
There are Intertwined Fates amd Acquaint Fates that can be purchased using primogems although you can buy them directly at the wish feature if you lack fates for summoning from the gacha. What you might need to explore further are the starglitter exchange and stardust exchange within Paimon’s Bargains. You can earn masterless stardust with every wish you make, regardless of the pull’s outcome. Masterless starglitter, on the other hand, can only be earned if you pulled a hero that you already have. Both these resources serve as extra incentives from wishes, given that you luck with every subsequent pull grows if you fail to secure the best possible rewards.
Masterless starglitter can be exchanged for intertwined fates, acquaint fates, heroes, weapons, and various other items. Masterless stardust can likewise be exchanged for intertwined fates, masterless fates, and a plethora of other resources.
The Good Hunter shop in Mondstadt is one of the basic shops you need to visit. You can purchase ready-to-eat food items from the shop, as well as ingredients and recipes for your own cooking. As items for sale here only consume mora, you would want to stock up on some food regularly as you would rather have an excess amount of food in your bag than run out of it during critical battles.
There is even a cooking area beside this shop where you can prepare some extra meals from the ingredients you have gathered. Note that some recipes will unlock based on your adventure level but you only need to purchase each new ingredient once.
With Winds Come Glory is a souvenir shop that holds various character ascension materials as well as weapon ascension materials, weapon crafting materials, and even Memory of Roving Gales needed to unlock constellation nodes. You need Anemo Sigils to purchase any item and this rare currency can be obtained from expeditions.
Another shop where you can spend mora is the general goods shop, which holds various food ingredients. As each one is fairly cheap, you may want to stock up on some items that you cannot gather from the field. Note that there will be some commissions that may require using some of these basic ingredients as well.
Timaerus’ crafting bench is not a shop at all but provides you with the means of crafting potions and other items from the materials you gather in your adventure. Before you start engaging in the activity, be sure to read through the description of the item you want to craft. More items will become available for crafting as you increase your adventure level but due to limitations on some of the raw materials needed, it is best to know exactly what you want to produce beforehand.
An important establishment to familiarize yourself with is the forge. The blacksmith offers some basic weapons for mora but the more important aspect of the forge comes with creating items. Iron and crystal chunks that you gather from across the land can be used to create enhancement ores. These enhancement ores are needed to upgrade the level of your weapons. Beyond that, the forge can also be utilized to craft 4-star weapons for your heroes.
Angel’s Share, the bar inside Mondstadt that you will be visiting early on as part of your quest. You might not have guessed it but the bar actually sells different drinks that you can consume in battle to temporarily grant your party different buffs.
There are numerous other shops available in the game that will provide you even more items to spend your currencies on. As the city of Mondstadt is only the starting region, making it a habit to know what each shop can offer can go a long way relative to your adventures. As such, do not shy away from visiting each one and checking out the products they offer.
Genshin Impact still holds a lot of content and secrets awaiting discovery. For now, though, this is where we will end our Genshin Impact advanced guide. Although there are more game modes that we have yet to cover, we are confident that the tips and strategies we shared here, along with the ones we discussed in our beginner’s guide will suffice to take you through every challenge that comes your way. If you have spent hours in the world of Genshin Impact and have chanced upon a unique trick or strategy that slipped us, we very much appreciate hearing from you about it so do not hesitate to tell us about it and drop us one in the comments down below!