Genshin Impact Guide#

Genshin Impact is an open-world action RPG developed by miHoYo/HoYoverse — the Traveler crosses the continent of Teyvat in search of a lost family member, exploring the lands of the Seven Archons. From Mondstadt to Liyue, from Inazuma to Sumeru, from Fontaine to Natlan — every nation has its own landscapes, cultures, and secrets. This guide covers beginner fundamentals, exploration of every region of Teyvat, character building and team composition, and a complete weapons-and-artifacts walkthrough.

Platforms: PS5, PS4, PC, iOS, Android | Release date: September 28, 2020

Game Overview#

Current Version Info#

Core Features#

Getting-Started Tips#

The Seven Elements#

The table above tracks each element’s color; how the seven elements combine into reactions — the real core of combat — is covered under Core Features and in the Advanced Elemental Reactions section below.

Adventure Rank Roadmap#

Primogem Sources#

FAQ#

Quick Reference#

Practical Tips#

Version History#

Advanced Elemental Reactions: From “Triggering” to “Mastering”#

Elemental reactions are the backbone of Genshin’s combat system, but most players stop at the shallow understanding of “Pyro on Hydro vaporizes, Cryo on Hydro freezes.” This section breaks down the hidden rules that actually shape your damage in real fights, across three dimensions: reaction priority, elemental attachment, and reaction damage multipliers.

Core rule of elemental attachment: every attachment is either “weak” or “strong” (weak attachments fade in about 9.5 seconds, strong ones in about 12). In practice, if you apply a weak Cryo base first and then trigger Melt with strong Pyro, Cryo remains on the target afterward — so you can apply Pyro again for a second Melt. That is the underlying logic of the “double melt” playstyle.

Practical Priority Checklist#

• Make sure the target already carries the right base element before your main DPS’s skill lands (for example, Ganyu applies Cryo, then you swap to Bennett to ignite it)
• Use weak-element skills to trigger the reaction, preserving strong attachments as the base for the next round
• Against groups, open with Electro-Charged or Overload for area poise damage, then finish weakened enemies with Vaporize or Melt
• On freeze teams, apply Hydro before Cryo — the freeze lasts about 1.5 seconds longer than the reverse order
• Against shielded enemies, Overload (Pyro + Electro) or Shatter (charged claymore attacks) breaks rock shields far faster than pure elemental damage

Elemental Mastery Diminishing Returns (Key Reference)#

Note: Vaporize/Melt bonuses get diluted by ATK, while Overload/Electro-Charged scale with nothing but Mastery and level. So if your main DPS’s ATK is already above 2,000, stacking Elemental Mastery pays off more than stacking more ATK.

The “Hidden Gap” in Energy Recharge#

Many players focus only on burst damage and ignore how insufficient Energy Recharge wrecks rotation rhythm. Common ER thresholds by role:

Practical tip: in the Abyss or high-difficulty domains, if energy runs short, prioritize “Favonius” or “Sacrificial” series weapons — their particle generation beats brute-forcing ER substats. Also exploit the “swap in to catch particles” mechanic: letting the character with the highest ER requirement pick up the elemental particles on-field raises effective energy gain by about 20%.

The Abyss Team “Three Axes” Check#

• Damage axis: the total time of the main DPS’s full skill rotation (e.g. Ganyu’s charged shot fires about every 2.5 seconds; Hu Tao’s E lasts 9 seconds)
• Buff axis: how long support buffs last (e.g. Bennett’s burst 12 seconds; Kazuha’s damage buff 8 seconds)
• Survival axis: how long shields/healing keep the team alive (e.g. Zhongli’s shield 20 seconds; Kokomi’s jellyfish 15 seconds)

A lineup is sound when the buff axis overlaps the damage axis by 80% or more and the survival axis covers the damage axis from start to finish. If the damage axis runs longer than the buff axis, shorten the main DPS’s field time or swap in a different buffer.

Related Games#

• Wuthering Waves — an open-world anime action RPG built on the same fast-swap combat and exploration loop
• Zenless Zone Zero — HoYoverse’s urban action RPG with the same polished combat feel
• Where Winds Meet — a sprawling open-world action RPG centered on exploration and martial arts combat
• Marvel Rivals — a team hero shooter with the same pick-a-roster, play-your-role appeal
• Elden Ring — the benchmark open-world action RPG about exploring a handcrafted world at your own pace

Related Rankings#

Best RPGs · Best Open World Games · Best Co-Op Games

Full Guides#

In-depth sub-guides — beginner basics, world and exploration, characters and builds, quests and events, weapons and artifacts, and endgame content — are available in Chinese on NTGame’s Genshin Impact section.

If you read Chinese, that section also carries dedicated pages for achievements, boss strategies, combat, lore, secrets, updates, and the full walkthrough.