Genshin Impact – Things I Learned From Playing the Closed Beta Test 2

Genshin Impact wrapped up its second Closed Beta Test in mid-April 2020. This open-world role-playing video game, announced as free-to-play, will release on Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, although with no set release date yet. Featuring gameplay similar to popular open-world RPGs such as Breath of the Wild and The Witcher series, Genshin Impact delivers a massive world to explore with content that replenishes daily. Although the game provides tutorials upon discovering new gameplay elements, the game does not provide any means of reviewing that information. With a third & final Closed Beta coming soon, I have compiled some information to help new players getting started with Genshin Impact for the first time.

Hold off on exploring until you progress the story enough to obtain a full party

The game does not restrict you from detouring off the main quest unless you go way too far from your current region. As tempting as it appears, hold off on exploring. Progress the main story quests until you have a full party. This not only gives you access to four elements, but you will obtain the glider during this time, an important tool for exploring.

Recruit a claymore user ASAP

Your initial party of four will consist of two sword users, a bow user, and a magician. This leaves you without a claymore user. Claymores have higher impact per attack, which does more damage to shields, stones, and any other solid object. Outside of combat, claymores can harvest minerals much faster than other weapons. Most players will recruit Noelle as their first claymore user.

Use Elemental Vision often while exploring

You have access to Elemental Vision the moment you enter the game. Use Elemental Vision while exploring to reveal objects you may miss with regular vision. Refer to your platform’s controls to see how to use Elemental Vision, usually triggered by holding a left shoulder button and pressing left on the right joystick.

If you have max Original Resin, run Domains to use them up

When you open the world map, you may notice a blue orb icon in the top right corner with a number next to it, usually 120/120. This represents Original Resin, which functions like stamina in mobile games. You use resin to complete Domains – completing a Domain consumes 20 resin. Your account will slowly recover resin over time, so make sure you run Domains so that you can keep recovering resin. You can access a level 5 Domain just south of the first Statue of the Seven, the one in the lake. Run east from Mondstadt, then take the path northeast to reach this Domain. This Domain provides EXP tomes, an important resource for leveling up your characters. Lisa will perform very well in this Domain due to her Lightning element because…

The majority of your damage comes from elemental combinations

Party members alone generally cannot take down strong foes on their own without utilizing a different element. You will need to swap members during combat to use another element and deal more damage. Swap characters often, since swapping only has a one-second cooldown. Unless a party member has a skill that makes their attacks deal elemental damage, melee attacks and uncharged arrows deal non-elemental damage. Charged arrows, magician attacks, and all active skills deal elemental damage. Most elements have a combination that deal increased damage. Some foes have a permanent element, such as Slimes or Abyss Mages when they have a shield up. When fighting outdoors in the rain, all targets have Water element, including you.

A list of all known elemental combinations (for simplicity, this list uses generic element names, not the proper names given in Genshin Impact):

• Swirl: Wind + Fire/Water/Ice/Lightning. The wind attack takes the element it combos with and spreads that element based on the effect of the wind attack.
• Crystallize: Earth + Fire/Water/Ice/Lightning. Generates a temporary elemental shield based on the element the earth skill combos with.
• Burning: Fire + Nature. Deals damage over time. (unverified effect) May spread if a Burning enemy touches another nature enemy.
• Vaporize: Fire + Water. Deals a big hit of damage, and removes both elements.
• Overload: Fire + Lightning. Causes a large explosion on the target where the combo takes place, dealing fire damage in a large area. If this occurs close enough to an enemy’s earth-based shields, Overload will destroy those shields.
• Melt: Fire + Ice. Deals a big hit of damage, and removes both elements.
• Electrocharged: Lightning + Water. Deals damage over time. (unverified effect) May spread if an Electrocharged enemy touches another wet enemy.
• Superconduct: Lightning + Ice. Causes a large explosion on the target where the combo takes place, dealing ice damage in a large area. Also temporarily lowers the defense of the enemy this combo takes place on.
• Frozen/Shatter: Water + Ice. Briefly renders the target immobile. Attacking a frozen enemy with a hard-impact attack deals a big hit of physical non-elemental damage and removes freeze. Attacks include many claymore attacks and a handful of earth attacks.

When you hear a pulse sound effect and see a white star in the minimap, you will find an oculus nearby

Oculi represent small collectibles throughout the world of Genshin Impact. Offering these to a Statue of the Seven confers multiple benefits and rewards, but most importantly, these increase your party’s max stamina. The oculus type & appearance depends on your region, and you can only offer these to statues in the same region. You can reach some oculi easily, while others may require climbing, jumping, gliding, solving a nearby puzzle, clearing out nearby foes, or a combination of any of these.

If you see a small turquoise wisp with wings and a white eye, touch it and then follow it

Throughout the world, you will spot small floating turquoise wisps called a Seelie. Luckily you cannot attack it, as these things lead to treasure, or sometimes unlocks something important you need to use nearby. Touch it, and it will start moving towards its home pedestal. Whenever it stops, touch it again. Many Seelies may require climbing or gliding to reach. Repeat this until it reaches its pedestal, which will spawn a treasure chest or generate some other beneficial effect nearby. Occasionally, you will need to do this for more than one Seelie to activate the reward. If you discover a pedestal and cannot find its Seelie, use Elemental Vision near the pedestal, and you will see a trail in the direction of the Seelie.

Unless you grind heavily, you cannot keep every party member upgraded

Once you start to obtain more party members, you will find your resources stretched thin if you try to keep everyone upgraded. Upgrades will consume exponentially more resources the higher you go upgrading, so unless you heavily grinded, you will constantly have low resources. Focus on a core group of four party members to keep up with the world’s foes. As far as upgrading equipment, never upgrade white or green rarity items – focus on blue rarity and above. However, if you did end up upgrading a lot of characters, then consider the next point…

Foes upscale with your Adventure Rank, so do not level your Adventure Rank until you can handle stronger foes

All party members level up independently. However, all actions contribute toward your Adventure Rank, which represents your account level. Try to keep your core party of four around the same level as your Adventure Rank, if not higher. As your Adventure Rank rises, enemy levels will rise more. For example, at Adventure Rank 30, you will encounter level 44-48 foes. If you only focused upgrading a core group of four, that group can handle the increased enemy difficulty.

Cook stamina-replenishing food, and always have some when exploring

At a few locations throughout the world, you will need to glide a long distance, and gliding consumes stamina. To ensure that you survive the trip, you can eat stamina food during the glide.