The Dark Side of Genshin Impact's Expanding Map
Genshin Impact's expanding map can be overwhelming for new players, especially with the character ascension process becoming increasingly challenging with each major update A solution is needed to make the game more accessible to newcomers
Many players are eagerly anticipating Genshin Impact’s upcoming 4.0 Update, which promises new characters and areas to discover. However, the update is also likely to attract new players to the game. While Genshin Impact offers plenty of content for newcomers to enjoy, the game's character ascension system could prove frustrating for those who invest in new characters from limited banners, only to discover that they require materials that can only be obtained through hours of story content and exploration. This issue needs to be addressed to prevent new players from feeling locked out of the characters they have acquired.
The Ever-Expanding World of Teyvat
Genshin Impact's live-service model continually expands the playable map with each update, introducing new regions, characters, and bosses for players to explore and challenge. Recent updates, such as Version 2.0 and Version 3.0, have added massive new areas to the game for players to explore. Even smaller updates, like the recent Version 3.6 release, often introduce new areas to existing regions, like the Gavireh Lajavard and Realm of Farakhert areas in the northwestern region of the Sumeru Desert. These updates also often introduce new bosses, like the one required to unlock the brand-new playable characters Baizhu and Kirara. However, the introduction of new bosses often creates a problem for players, as they are required to ascend characters introduced on banners following the release of the boss. Seven overworld bosses have been added to the game since Version 3.0, usually tied to the new region or subregion introduced in that update.
Genshin Impact's Character Ascension Struggle
Players starting Genshin Impact may encounter a significant challenge if they opt to use their wishes on limited character banners. For instance, they may be drawn to characters like Raiden Shogun after testing her in the Trail Run and being impressed with her playstyle and design. However, what they may not realize is that ascending her requires regional-specific items from Inazuma and materials from an inaccessible boss. Furthermore, players must complete a lengthy world quest to unlock Seirai Island, where the boss is located. As a result, the player may find themselves stuck at ascension level 2 until they complete the first two major arcs of the Genshin Impact campaign. While Raiden Shogun is the most extreme example of this, any Inazuma characters face similar challenges. To access Inazuma, players must complete the Liyue story arc, and some boss materials may be even more challenging to obtain. For example, characters like Yae Miko and Shenhe require boss materials from Enkanomiya, which is locked behind Act 2: Chapter 3 of the main storyline and a lengthy side quest that begins on Watatsumi Island.
Reaching the Iniquitous Baptist world boss in the newly added Sumeru region can be a challenging task for new players. It is situated at the opposite end of the region from where players enter, which means they would have to travel all the way from Mondstadt through Liyue and Sumeru to reach the boss. This could be frustrating for players who may not yet be ready for such a journey, especially if they had spent their primogems or actual money to acquire a character that requires this boss to be ascended. Until they progress further in the game, such characters become unusable, leaving players disappointed.
A Solvent Solution for Genshin Impact
One possible solution to address this issue is to introduce a mechanism similar to Dream Solvent. Currently, Dream Solvent is utilized to convert Trounce Domain boss materials. These bosses have the potential to drop three different types of materials, and each character requires a Trounce Domain material to upgrade their talents to Level 7 or higher. Dream Solvent enables players to convert a boss material from one type to another within the same loot pool, which could potentially be applied to the artifact domain as well.
To address the issue of new players struggling to ascend their characters without rushing through the game, there needs to be a solution that doesn't require sacrificing the story or exploration. While Trounce Domains offer limited sources for new players, a potential solution could be creating a new material, similar to Dream Solvent, specifically for World Boss materials. However, careful consideration must be given to balancing the conversion rate to prevent abuse by high-level players. It could be reasonable for early ascension levels but costly for higher levels, where up to 20 boss materials may be required. As more regions are added and new players join, finding a solution to this problem will only become more pressing.
Genshin Impact is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Mobile. A Switch version is in development.
