Genshin Impact (原神) is a fun free-to-play open-world role-playing game by Chinese developer miHoYo that has hit #1 on the PS4, iOS and Android app stores for the "Adventure" category, and has over ten million registrations worldwide. Heavily inspired by some of the mechanics of Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , Genshin Impact takes some of the basic systems of BOTW and expands on it, from adding elemental reactions to allowing for multiplayer and multi-character play and faster gameplay. This wikiHow will show you how to get started to play the game.
Steps
Part 1
Part 1 of 3:
Getting Started
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Download Genshin Impact. The game is available worldwide to all users. You can download this game on Windows, PS4, iOS, or Android. The game currently does not work on Mac, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch. To do so, follow this link and click on the button for your appropriate platform.
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Create an account. You can log in with your email address, Apple, Google, Facebook, or Twitter. If you already have an account, enter your credentials into the login screen. Otherwise, follow the prompts to create an account for the game.Advertisement
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Tap the screen to start. The first time you play Genshin Impact, the game will need to download additional resources. After every launch, the game will only need to download and upload your game data.
- This game requires an Internet connection. If you do not want to use cellular data, be sure to turn it off on your phone or PC before connecting.
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Choose a gender for the main character. The prologue gives you an opportunity to choose a character that you like. Note that once you choose a gender, you will not be able to change it later on . The character on the left is female, while the character on the right is male.
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Enter a name. The game will address you with the name you choose. This can be changed in the Paimon menu.Advertisement
Part 2
Part 2 of 3:
Basic Controls
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Use WASD or the joystick to move around. Like many games, you can use WASD on your keyboard or the digital joystick onscreen to move.
- Press space or tap the "Jump" button to jump.
- Hold the shift key to run. Press shift to dash once.
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Move your mouse or drag the screen to change field of view. This will allow you to see behind you, ahead of you, and to the side of you.
- Hold the Alt key to enable the cursor, and hold the tab key followed by moving your mouse to quickly open a menu.
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Click (or tap the sword/arrow button) to attack. This will activate the current character's current weapon. This may have elemental abilities attached to it.
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Press E to use elemental skill. This will activate the current character's element-related ability. For the main character, this is usually Anemo (wind) but it varies depending on the character you choose. You can also tap on the small button in the right corner to use this.
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Press Q to use elemental burst. This will activate the current character's element burst. This is far more powerful and can deal a lot of damage to enemies.
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Press F or tap the screen to pick up an item or talk to other characters. If there are multiple actions available, use the scroll wheel or your mouse to select the appropriate action.
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Press the number keys to switch your character. Note that you cannot switch characters while taking/dealing damage, climbing, or swimming. You can also switch characters by tapping on the character to switch to.
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Press the escape key or the Paimon button to pause. This will also bring up Paimon's menu. You can control the world time and access additional options in this menu.
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Know how to teleport. This will be extremely handy. Click on the map in the corner, then click on the waypoint to teleport to. Note that you have to interact with the waypoint first before you can use it to teleport.
- The Statues of the Sevens serve many purposes: they are one way to level up your adventure rank, they can increase maximum stamina, they heal characters, they serve as teleportation waypoints, and they expand your map.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:
Other Important Information
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Note the bar on the bottom of the screen is your character health. This can be replenished by eating. If that bar reaches zero, then that character dies. You can revive them with specific food items or by visiting a Statue of the Seven.
- Ways to lose health include falling, taking damage from enemies, burning, freezing, going out of bounds, drowning, and detonating explosives in close range. If you drown or end up out of bounds, you will automatically respawn with less health at the last location either on solid ground or before your stamina started draining. You can also lose health if exposed to extreme weather (such as the sheer cold in Dragonspine) for a prolonged period of time.
- Ways to gain health include eating food, having certain buffs as the result of your equipment, and being in close range of a Statue of the Seven.
- If all your characters die, then one of many things may happen:
- If you are in a domain, then you will get a limited number of retries to finish the level. If you use all those retries, you will be teleported out of the level.
- If you are exploring, you will be teleported to the last waypoint that you used. This could be a domain entrance, a teleportation waypoint, or a Statue of the Seven. You will also notice some of your progress, including defeated enemies, rolled back.
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Know the bar to the right of your character is stamina. If your stamina bar runs out, you will not be able to climb, swim, glide, or sprint. If you are climbing or gliding, you will fall, and if you are swimming, you will drown.
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Understand the different elements. In the game, there are several different elements that react with each other. These will be important when playing throughout the game. Note that attacks against enemies using identical elements (like Pyro on Pyro) will likely not succeed, especially if that character is a slime.
- Anemo - wind. Characters with this element will have air-related powers.
- Pyro - fire. This neutralizes Cyro and can set off explosives.
- Cryo - frost. This neutralizes Pyro and freezes anything that is wet. It will also slow down characters. If you end up frozen during combat, spam the spacebar or the red link to unfreeze.
- Geo - earth. Characters with this ability will be able to drop rocks or manipulate the soil environment around them.
- Hydro - water. This can make characters wet.
- Electro - electricity. This can shock anyone that is wet, dealing additional damage.
- Dendro - nature. This is flammable and Pyro can burn it. This is usually in the form of wood shields, but Dendro slimes do exist.
- When making character parties, the maximum number of characters you can have is four, so you should try to include characters from four of the seven elements.
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Understand how to combine character elements to deal additional damage.
- Electro + Hydro = Electrocharged. Deals continuous damage in bursts to affected enemies. Nearby wet enemies can also take Electro DMG if close to an Electrocharged enemy.
- Electro + Pyro = Overloaded. The enemy in question will suffer a lot more Pyro damage.
- Electro + Cryo = Super-conduct. The enemy will move slower and suffer a lot more Cyro damage.
- Pyro/Electro/Hydro/Cryo then Anemo = Swirl. The first effect will spread across a wider distance through the air.
- Dendro + Pyro = Burning. The enemy will take continuous Pyro DMG for several seconds.
- Dendro + Hydro = Bloom. Spawns a Dendro core which then explodes after a short time dealing Dendro damage. If the Dendro core is destroyed by Pyro it will violently explode in the Burgeon reaction dealing Dendro DMG. If the Dendro core is destroyed by Electro it will transform into a homing shot through the Hyperbloom reaction that deals Dendro DMG to a nearby enemy or player.
- Hydro + Cryo = Frozen. The enemy in question will be unable to move for a short period of time. If you end up frozen, spam the spacebar to unfreeze. If you deal additional damage to an enemy when they are frozen, the enemy will Shatter and deal additional damage.
- Pyro + Cryo = Melt. The effects cancel out. If Pyro is played first, 1.5x Cryo damage is dealt. If Cryo is played first, 2x Pyro damage is dealt.
- Hydro + Pyro = Vaporize. The effects cancel out. If Hydro is played first, 1.5x Pyro damage is dealt. If Pyro is played first, 2x Hydro damage is dealt.
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Know how to level up. Leveling up is the only way to unlock more content in the game. You can level up your Adventure level, your characters, and your weapons.
- Adventure level: Open chests, complete domains, finish quests, activating teleport waypoints, visiting Statues of the Seven, and spending Original Resin.
- Characters: Open the character screen by clicking on the person at the top of the screen. Select "Level up". Your character level may be capped until you Ascend, which requires certain materials, a quest, and/or a certain adventure level.
- Weapons: Open the character screen and choose "Weapons". Click on the weapon, click "Enhance", click "Autofill" and click "Level up".
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Community Q&A
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QuestionWhy don't I have an element attached to my traveler or access the Paimon menu?AasimTop AnswererThe Paimon menu unlocks at Adventure Rank 2, and you unlock elemental skills/bursts after completing "Bird's Eye View".
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Tips
- In Mondstadt and Liyue, there are a variety of shops that you can use to get necessary resources for quests and adventures.Thanks
- If there is no way to evade death, then teleport out of the situation.Thanks
- Look for chests; some are largely inaccessible or hidden in high places, others are invisible and revealed by following blue orbs to their base or by using elemental powers to activate switches. They are the quickest and easiest way to level up.Thanks
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