The Great Rift was introduced in patch 2.6 in Genshin Impact. However, you need to complete a few tasks before you can dive into the depths of the dark mines of the area. We at MeinMMO will tell you exactly what you need to do.
When do you unlock the required quest? To descend into the mines in the lower area of the Great Rift, you must have reached adventure level 28.
Additionally, you must have completed the Archon quest “A Rising Star” and the world quest “Secret Mission to Dissolve the Qixing Formation”.
Where do you find the world quest? The world quest is also located directly in the new area, which you can only accept since patch 2.6. Teleport to the Qingxu Pool in Liyue and glide west into the unexplored area and walk to the NPC “Yuehui”, who is marked with a blue exclamation point on the map.
If you have trouble finding the NPC Yuehui, it may help to speak with Katheryn from the Adventurers’ Guild in Liyue to start the main quest “Unexpected Reunion in the Depths” in the Great Rift. She will send you to another NPC who is clearly marked on the map. Nearby, Yuehui for the world quest is also present.
Complete the “Secret Mission to Dissolve the Qixing Formation”
Once you’ve found the NPC Yuehui, you need to speak with “Xiqiong,” who is standing just a few meters away. She will send you to a worker camp, which will be marked on your map. There, you need to defeat some treasure looters and take the Lumenstone Catalyst from the hut.
After that, you need to return to Xiqiong, who will assign you a new quest: “Find a way to destroy the rock keys”.
To complete the quest, you first need to bring down a larger stone pillar so it shatters. You can do this by destroying the glowing rock. A small star-like crystal will emerge from the stone, which will circle around you once you collect it.
You must bring the crystal to the nearest vessel. After that, you can attack the vessel with normal attacks and it will shoot a type of Geo energy at the larger stone pillar, bringing it down. Make sure to stand in the correct position in front of the vessels, as you will only shoot in the direction you direct your strikes.
What happens next? The first stone pillar was just a warm-up exercise. After that, 3 more pillars will be marked on the map that you need to find.
2 of the pillars are relatively obvious on the map, while the stone pillar in the north is somewhat hidden in a cave. The cave is directly below the huge Geo stone, which even triggers a dialogue with Paimon when you approach it.
What happens after destroying the stone pillars? After destroying them, you need to return to Xiqiong and subsequently start a new quest called “Beginning of Exploration of the Great Rift”. A point will be marked on the map that brings you to a wooden elevator.
When you ride the elevator, you will be taken directly into the deep mines of the rift and can explore there from now on. If you also want to use the Lumenstone to create light in the mines, you will need to complete the subsequent world quests. However, you can also wander through the mines without it.
What do you think about the area around the Great Rift? Do you like it and have you already explored it, or do you not like the setting there very much? How do you find patch 2.6 so far? Feel free to write it to us in the comments.
