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Genshin Impact is a phenomenal game. I gave it a glowing review, wrote extensive early guides on it, and it snagged this site's game of the year award for 2020. Since I first started playing a year ago, I don't think I've gone a single day without logging in and enjoying myself, and I've been able to do so without paying any money whatsoever.

As of this writing, though, the community as a whole is not satisfied with the game. Much of this has come to a head around the game's anniversary. It is common for gacha games like Genshin Impact to celebrate anniversaries and other milestones by giving out rewards to players or holding special events. The only problem is Genshin Impact isn't doing that. Aside from a few community contests and other, largely promotional, marketing events, miHoYo basically hasn't said they are doing anything to commemorate the 1st anniversary of what is far and away the most successful (read: profitable) game they've ever released.

We were obviously big fans of Genshin Impact when it launched last year, so much so that it grabbed our Game of the Year award. Since that time, though, the game (and our enthusiasm fo it) had gone somewhat quiet.

You see, Genshin Impact is a service game, but since last winter there had been precious little added to the experience. Post-Dragonspine, a couple of story quests showed up and a trickle of new characters came and went, but there was nothing really new and exciting for players to latch onto--regardless of whether they played daily or dropped off months ago. This summer showed a glimpse of excitement with a temporary archipelago being added to the game, but the whole experience felt like stopgap effort designed to prevent more of the player base moving on to something else.

Six months ago this week, Genshin Impact released on multiple platforms, promising a vast open world of adventure and element-based combat. The only catch was that all of this action would be monetized via virtual slot machines known colloquially as "gacha."

Gacha games have their advantages in that they have a low barrier to entry, allowing players to hop into an experience without having to spend any money. The dark side of this design is that all of the most desirable game items and characters are locked inside a storefront that uses myriad psychological tricks to convince you that spending money for more chances to use this slot machine is a good idea (it's not).

It's no secret that Genshin Impact's gacha system is designed to make you want to spend money. You absolutely don't need to do this, though. Since launch, I've been enjoying the game without spending a dime (I should also say I'm not part of any of miHoYo's content creator programs that deal out free currency to content creators).

I've managed to do this all while building out a roster with all the characters I want. How, you might ask? Well, the short answer is math, a pessimistic attitude, and discerning taste. You can also read on below to understand exactly what I mean by this.

It's Lantern Rite season in Genshin Impact! The latest update to the game adds a whole bunch of new stuff to see and do to commemorate this in-game holiday, which is presumably a reflection of Chinese New Year. Celebrated primarily in Liyue Harbor, the bustling merchant city has transformed into a festive market where merchants sell their wares to raise funds for the construction of Xiao Lanterns.

As part of this celebration, game designer Ruijin has set up her game, Theater Mechanicus, in the harbor, which you can spend Xiao Lanterns to play to earn sweet rewards while playing a cool tower defense mode in the process. Check out some video above to see how the mode works, and read on below to learn what you should know about Theater Mechanicus, including some tips on how to make you a Mechanicus Master.

As the Albedo banner and freshness of the new Dragonspine region begin to wane, a new event rears its head in Genshin Impact that promises an extremely rare reward. This event, known as Lost Riches, has you playing treasure hunter, collecting Iron Coins all across Teyvat which you can then exchange in a special shop for Primogems, Mora, and--believe it or not--your own pet Seelie.

Anyone who talks to me about games knows that I haven't been able to shut up about Genshin Impact since its launch this past fall. It's a game with a lot of faults--namely its predatory monetization scheme--but it also provides a vast (and interesting!) open world, a novel and nuanced combat system, and a surprisingly compelling story, all of which you can experience without spending a dime.

Since my initial burst of playing in September, though, my excitement to log in every day was beginning to wane. New events and characters were nice new additions, but they weren't entirely well-conceived or received. That is, until miHoYo pushed their 1.2 update which unveiled a new region of Teyvat: Dragonspine Mountain.

Update: Shortly before this piece was posted, miHoYo released an official response to the community feedback around Zhongli. You can read it here.

The official statement acknowledges the feedback and some specific bugs with Zhongli’s abilities , but makes no promises about fundamentally changing the character beyond that. As a result, the contents of this post remain relevant to the current community conversation around Genshin Impact.

There's no getting around the fact that gacha games are predatory. Their entire design is contingent upon luring as many people as possible into an experience that will tempt them to spend money over and over again. This makes Genshin Impact--despite all of its other positive qualities--a predatory game, but is it too predatory? Does such a distinction matter? And, if so, who gets to draw the line of demarcation?

These are the kinds of questions that have risen to the top of the Genshin Impact community over the past week, ever since a new banner event allowed players to feed the in-game slot machine for a new playable character: Zhongli. In the lead up to his release, players awaited anxiously, poring over his teaser trailer, investigating leaked footage, and analyzing his strength based on his importance to Genshin Impact's story, only to face disappointment once they finally got their hands on him.

As you get deeper and deeper into Genshin Impact, the more you have to prepare and think about what your next moves are in terms of progression, particularly if you're not spending money on the game. As your world level increases, so does the toughness of the enemies you face, and so you'll need to make sure you can still take them down, whether that's with friends or by yourself.

At Adventure Rank 35, the game should still be pretty manageable in terms of difficulty no matter what characters you are using, which makes it a perfect time to start preparing for World Level 6 and getting ever closer to maxing out your characters. Read on below to figure out the best way to do this.

Genshin Impact's 1.1 update has brought a ton of new content to the game, and one of these things is a brand new event: Unreconciled Stars. This event kicked off yesterday and is running through the end of the month. There are sweet rewards and some cool world-building that happens across the event, so make sure you hop in and start it as soon as possible.

Just keep in mind that Unreconciled Stars is only available to players who are Adventure Rank 20 or higher. If you need tips on how to advance up to that rank quickly, check out our progression guide here before reading on about how to get involved in this event.

The time is almost here for Genshin Impact to get its first significant update since launch. There's a lot to look forward to once the game hits 1.1, and we've got you covered on what to expect out of it.

Read on below to learn a bit more about what is coming to Genshin Impact when it updates this week.

While exploring Teyvat in Genshin Impact, you might find yourself stumbling across an abyssal domain that is seemingly inaccessible. When you first discover Taishan Mansion, it is completely submerged underwater. To unlock it, you'll need to do some puzzle-solving, which the video above can walk you through. Or, if you'd prefer, read on below about how to unlock Taishan Mansion.

Once you get up to around Adventure Rank 25, Genshin Impact starts to turn into a different thing. What was once a story-driven affair evolves into something more like a traditional MMO.

This isn't to say there isn't anything to do, though there are fewer novel things to uncover at this stage in the game. That being said, this is where you really need to start focusing your energy in the right direction, particularly if you're a non-paying player. Read on below to get a sense of what to expect in Genshin Impact's mid-game.

Hello and well met, fellow adventurers of Teyvat! Check out our all-in-one resource for all things Genshin Impact. We'll be sure to add more as we keep playing the game, so be sure to come back here to check for updates!

Before You Play:

• Should you play Genshin Impact?
• The 5 Best Mobile Games Like Genshin Impact
• Genshin Impact Review
• Six months into Genshin Impact and it's still a free-to-play wonderland

Beginner's Tips:

• How to Build a Quality Team
• Progression Guide (Up to Adventure Rank 25)
• Progression Guide (Adventure Ranks 25-35)
• Progression Guide (Adventure Ranks 35-45)
• Progression Guide (Adventure Ranks 45-50)
• Currency Guide - What's Important and How to Spend It
• Gacha Strategy: When to Spend and When to Save
• Gacha Strategy: When to Spend and When to Save (Part 2)
• What to do When You Feel Stuck

Adventuring

• How to Unlock Taishan Mansion
• Bounties Explained
• Dragonspine - Where to find a hidden Crimson Agate

Special Events:

• Elemental Crucible Event Explained
• Marvelous Merchant Event Explained
• Unreconciled Stars Event Guide - (Fallen Stars Challenge Guide)

Boss Fight Guides:

• Stormterror
• Pyro Regisvine
• Tartaglia (Childe)
• Geo Hypostasis
• Oceanid
• Anemo Hypostasis
• Primo Geovishap

Updates:

• 1.1 Update Guide
  
• 1.2 Update Overview