Genshin Impact was released on September 28, 2020, and has received plenty of content since then. We show you the current state of the action RPG and give an outlook for the near future.
How was the launch? Genshin Impact is one of the few positive surprises from 2020. The free-to-play game released in September last year and took the world by storm.
Many players were surprised that a free-to-play game can be of such high quality and delivers many hours of gameplay. They praised the beautiful design of Genshin Impact, inspired by Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the fun combat system based on elemental combos.
It was nominated for several gaming awards, some of which it won. The readers of MeinMMO were also impressed by the action RPG:
- In our opinion poll about Genshin Impact, over 50% of you rated the game positively
- Genshin Impact also ranked 2nd among the best multiplayer games and add-ons of 2020
In your comments, you mentioned that Genshin Impact offers large amounts of content without requiring payment. Although in the late endgame the grind and the gacha system become more noticeable, it is still worth giving the game a chance.
[…] For a free-to-play game, it’s really good. Some developers could take a page from this. Free-to-play, single and/or co-op, and runs very well on high settings. I even play it in 4K, absolutely amazing.
MeinMMO reader Tronic48
Many of you have also gladly invested your money in Genshin Impact, because the free game has brought you a lot of joy.
More story, more characters, more everything
Since its release, a lot has happened in Genshin Impact. The developers have established their own rhythm for updates in the game, which they have been following for over 3 months now.
The game provides a steady sequence of smaller events, login bonuses, daily content, and larger updates that advance the story and bring new areas.
What has happened in the last few months? Genshin Impact transitioned directly into live service mode after launch. Here’s the content the game has received since release:
- The first major update was released in November, bringing new story quests and boss battles
- The big December update provided players with a new area, Dragonspine
- A whole range of new playable 4- and 5-star characters such as Zhongli, Klee, or Ganyu
- Free-to-play players could earn popular characters like Barbara or Fischl through special events outside the Gacha mechanic
- New story quests, character quests, and more
The smaller updates and quests smoothly complemented the larger story chunks. They told more about the characters, provided new information about the world, and organically fit into the game.
The events, on the other hand, provided players with useful items like the important original resin, Mora, or EXP materials. Even if they did not offer a special challenge or fantastic variety, they were still worthwhile for players due to their rewards.
The developer miHoYo uses a pattern in updates that has already brought a lot of success and a large fan community to their previous game, Honkai Impact 3rd.
Criticism of Genshin Impact: The past months were not without problems and criticism. Especially the resin system is far too limited for many players. Many actions in Genshin Impact require original resin, which is only available in limited quantities.
Once you’ve used up your supply of resin, you either have to wait for it to refill slowly or spend original resin. Many players in the community criticized this, prompting miHoYo to increase the maximum amount of resin from 120 to 160.
There was also a lot of discontent regarding Zhongli. Many players were eager for the 5-star character even before release, and the disappointment was significant when he turned out to be comparatively weak.
Although miHoYo claimed that Zhongli is good enough as a support, they eventually relented. Currently, a buff for Zhongli is being tested on the beta servers of Genshin Impact and if all goes well, he will go live with update 1.3 in February.
Additionally, the controversial anti-cheat measure was turned off, which was active even when Genshin Impact was not running on the PC. Players protested against this and managed to have the tool deactivated after logging out of the game.
In general, the developer responded quickly to player feedback with responses on their official blog.
Several years of content planned?
What are the prospects? On January 16, the next event “Symphony of the Hypostases” began, where players can master challenges and snag useful items and currencies.
In February, according to miHoYo’s roadmap, the next major update for Genshin Impact is scheduled. While it is not yet known what exactly the content of the update will be and when it will go online, there are some leaks.
The recently released banner for the character Ganyu is rumored to be replaced by the next character, Xiao. Several other characters have also been leaked, though it is still unknown when exactly they will come to the game.
But even the distant future promises a steady flow of updates. The developers have already announced a housing system in an interview. Genshin Impact aims to continue providing players with content for years to come, as already shown in one of the first trailers for the game. The “Footprints” trailer teased several chapters of the story, of which only a fraction has been released so far.
What about multiplayer? A question that especially interests us at MeinMMO is the development of Genshin Impact’s multiplayer. Although the game offers a co-op mode for up to 4 players, it is not particularly rewarding.
In co-op mode, only the host of the session receives loot from treasure chests or can interact unrestrictedly with the Statues of The Seven. Other players are not able to do so, which takes away much of the appeal of Genshin Impact’s multiplayer.
I’m really disappointed with the co-op mode. My wife and I play almost all games together. The co-op mode could at least be like in Destiny.
MeinMMO reader Luphan
In our interview, the developers of miHoYo stated that they do not yet consider the game “an MMO.” However, they said:
“We are currently still gathering opinions from players and the community on this, while continuing to optimize the overall concept of multiplayer and working to provide our players with more multiplayer features and actions.”
Fans can generally expect that the free action game will provide them with many hours of content, even if the exact details are not yet known.
What about you? Are you still actively playing Genshin Impact? Do you like miHoYo’s update structure, or do you wish for something different? Let us know in the comments.
By the way, there are already leaks for update 1.3 in February.
