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Tips and tricks for playing Genshin Impact

These Genshin Impact tips and tricks will make it easier to explore Teyvat.

Genshin Impact is one of the best games to release in 2020. Before I started playing, I had no idea just how huge the map was or just how comprehensive the battle system and character building were. Now that I've put well over 40 hours into this free game, I've got a much better understanding of everything it offers. Some things are a little tricky to understand and take some time to discover.

I figured I'd list the most helpful things I've learned while playing through this game to help any other Genshin Impact fans out there.

Genshin Impact tips and tricks

I've gathered up the most useful tips and tricks that I've learned over the last few weeks for all of you other folks new to the game. Here are 15 Genshin Impact tips and tricks I wish I knew before I started playing.

1. Kaeya and the Traveler's Charge Attacks fling Hurlichurls backward

If you accidentally run into a group of enemies that are way over your current level, you still might just be able to defeat them. The Traveler and Kaeya both attack with swords, and their Charge Attacks send bandits and Hurlichurls flying backward. By timing your attacks appropriately, you can keep enemies down and slowly whittle away at their health without giving them a chance to hurt you.

2. Many lesser enemies drown in deep water or take damage after falling off cliffs

Hurlichurls, bandits, and many other small enemies don't know how to swim. Use that Charge Attack I was telling you about earlier to hurl them into deep waters, and they'll disappear no matter how much health they have. You can also inflict damage by throwing enemies off of cliffs. If you're high enough, this might just kill them outright.

3. Swap characters regularly and take advantage of Elemental Reactions

Every playable character is an elemental master and mixing certain Elements together can result in status effects and extra damages. For instance, if you burn enemies using Xiangling's Pyro attacks and then immediately switch to the Traveler's Anemo attacks, the enemies affected will suffer an Elemental Reaction, and their health will drop significantly. So switching between characters regularly is a really good idea.

Before going into battle, you should make sure that your party is filled with Element types that will have the most effective results against the bosses and enemies you face.

4. Mark discoveries on your map

There are thousands of puzzles, challenges, and rewards around the map. Some of them you'll be able to unlock right away. But there might be times when you don't have the proper character or a high enough level to participate in something. In these situations, you should definitely mark your map with one of the helpful icons.

We recommend keeping track of all of the things you've done with this fan-made Genshin Impact Interactive World Map.

5. Level up your characters

Leveling up characters in Genshin Impact is a rather involved process. As you complete quests, you'll earn various Character Exp Materials. However, your character doesn't automatically level up on their own. You'll need to go into their specific menus and use the gathered Experience on them.

Each character also has a constellation where additional perks and abilities can be unlocked. However, you'll need to acquire special character-specific items to do this. Every time you pull a character you've already gotten while making a Wish, you'll receive one of these special items. Just make sure to go and unlock that character's next constellation as soon as you can.

Your characters will hit a level-up wall at some point and will require special items to ascend to a new leveling tier. You'll want to Ascend as soon as possible so you can get the most EXP out of your gaming sessions.

6. Make sure to upgrade your Weapons and Artifacts too

In addition to leveling up characters, each of the Artifacts and Weapons assigned to them can also be enhanced. Make sure to upgrade as often as possible, or else you might find that you aren't strong enough to take on enemies. Just like with characters, weapons can hit a level-up wall, so you'll need to get the proper items in order to continue leveling them up.

7. Mine all rocks and collect all items

Your inventory capacity is huge in Genshin Impact. Since leveling up characters and weapons requires specific items, you're going to want to collect everything you can get your hands on. There are several different kinds of rocks around Teyvat. Some of them are easy to mine simply by hitting them with a weapon, while others are easily removed using some kind of elemental reaction.

8. Complete your Daily Commissions

Increasing your World Level ranking and your Adventure Rank becomes more challenging as time goes by. One of the best ways to continue progressing is to complete the Daily Commissions found in your Battle Pass, which unlocks at Adventure Rank 20.

9. Don't forget to claim your Adventure Rewards

Once you've completed your daily challenges, make sure to head to the Adventurer's Guild to claim your rewards. There are also various tasks and challenges listed out in your menu under the Adventure Rewards tab. The thing is, you don't immediately receive the rewards for completing them. Make sure to check the Adventure Rewards tab regularly and claim all of those goodies you've unlocked.

10. Unlocking teleporters, statues, and chests give you XP

Genshin Impact rewards you for exploring the map. Every time you open a treasure chest, interact with a new teleporter or unlock a statue of The Seven, you'll receive experience points towards your Adventure Rank.

11. Cooking food a certain number of times unlocks auto cooking

After you've cooked a specific dish a specified number of times, you'll unlock automatic cooking. That way, you'll be able to produce dishes in batches instead of one at a time. That is as long as you have the necessary ingredients, of course.

12. Different things unlock at different Adventurer Ranks

In order to gain access to everything Genshin Impact has to offer, you're going to need to get your Adventure Rank up. Here's everything that unlocks at various levels.

  • Rank 8: Ley Line Blossoms (mini-bosses and challenges)
  • Rank 12: Additional Ley Line Blossoms and daily missions
  • Rank 14: Character expeditions (send characters off on timed missions to earn rewards)
  • Rank 16: Multiplayer co-op
  • Rank 20: Battle Pass and Spiral Abyss (A multi-level dungeon that allows you to earn special rewards)
  • Rank 22: Domains (special dungeons)
  • Rank 27: More Domains

14. Get characters without spending money

You don't have to open your wallet at all to unlock characters (but spending real-world money will allow you to do it faster and more frequently). Various rewards are earned as you go about completing quests. You can then use these items for a chance to pull characters.

15. You can buy Wishes from Paimon's shop

Remember all of those Primogems you've been earning? Well, you can sell them to Paimon in exchange for special items, including Wishes. To do that, open your menu, go to Shop, and then select Paimon's Bargains.

15 tips I wish I knew before playing Genshin Impact

Hopefully, these tips and tricks will prove helpful to you as you explore Genshin Impact. There's still plenty for me to discover myself, so I'll update this list if I learn any more helpful tips and tricks.

Genshin Impact


by Rebecca Spear