Welcome to Teyvat: What is Genshin Impact?

So, you’ve heard the buzz, seen the stunning visuals, and maybe even felt the pull to dive into the massive, vibrant world of Teyvat. Welcome, future Traveler! Genshin Impact, by miHoYo (now HoYoverse), isn't just another free-to-play game; it's an expansive open-world action RPG that blends exploration, elemental combat, and deep lore. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the sheer size of the map, the hundreds of characters, and the sea of guides online, don't worry. This Genshin Guide is designed specifically for you—the absolute beginner—to take your first confident steps in this magical land.

Initial Setup: Downloading and Character Choice

Before you can swing your sword or conjure fireballs, you need to get the game running.

Platform Selection and Installation

Genshin Impact is available on PC, iOS, Android, PS4, and PS5. The download size is substantial, so make sure you have stable Wi-Fi and enough storage space.

PC/Mobile: Download through the official website or your respective app stores.

PlayStation: Download directly from the PlayStation Store.

Once installed, you’ll be greeted by the iconic opening sequence and the choice of your first character: Aether (male) or Lumine (female). This choice is purely cosmetic; their stats and abilities are identical. Pick the one whose voice acting or design you prefer, as this Traveler will be your constant companion throughout the main story.

The Traveler’s First Steps: Understanding the Controls

The game mechanics are intuitive, but they take getting used to. Spend a few moments in the initial starting areas just moving around.

Movement: Standard WASD/Analog Stick. Sprinting uses stamina (the yellow bar).

Attack & Elemental Skill/Burst: Left click/R1 usually handles normal attacks, while E and Q (or corresponding buttons) are for your unique Elemental Skill and ultimate Elemental Burst.

Swapping Characters: This is crucial! You can have a team of four, and swapping between them mid-combat is the core of the game’s combat system.

Understanding the Core Mechanics: Exploration and Elements

Teyvat is built around two pillars: exploring its massive world and mastering its elemental combat system.

Exploration: Stamina, Waypoints, and Chests

Exploration in Genshin is incredibly rewarding. You’ll find treasure chests, hidden puzzles, and breathtaking vistas everywhere.

1. Stamina Management: Everything you do that requires effort—sprinting, climbing, swimming, and gliding—uses stamina. Running out mid-climb means a nasty fall! Look out for Statues of the Seven to offer temporary stamina boosts early on.

2. Waypoints and Teleport Slates: Unlock these fast-travel points immediately! You must physically walk up to them to activate them. Waypoints are essential for quick travel once the map gets large.

3. Statues of the Seven: These serve three major functions: restoring the health of your entire party, replenishing stamina, and, most importantly, leveling up your Adventure Rank (AR) by offering them Anemoculus (Mondstadt) or Geoculus (Liyue). Always collect these floating orbs!

The Elemental System: The Heart of Combat

This is where Genshin Impact truly shines. There are seven elements: Anemo (Wind), Geo (Earth), Electro (Lightning), Dendro (Nature), Hydro (Water), Pyro (Fire), and Cryo (Ice).

The core concept is Elemental Reactions. When you apply one element to an enemy already afflicted by another, a reaction occurs, often dealing massive damage or applying powerful status effects.

| Element 1 | Element 2 | Reaction | Effect (Simplified) |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Pyro (Fire) | Cryo (Ice) | Melt | High damage multiplier |

| Pyro (Fire) | Hydro (Water) | Vaporize | High damage multiplier |

| Pyro (Fire) | Electro (Lightning) | Overloaded | Explosive AoE damage |

| Hydro (Water) | Electro (Lightning) | Electro-Charged | Continuous damage over time |

| Cryo (Ice) | Hydro (Water) | Freeze | Immobilizes the enemy |

| Anemo (Wind) | Any Element | Swirl | Spreads the applied element in an AoE |

| Geo (Earth) | Any Element | Crystallize | Creates a shield of that element |

Beginner Tip: Don't worry about complex reactions yet. Focus on combining two elements that seem effective. For instance, using a Hydro character to wet an enemy, then immediately using a Pyro character to trigger Vaporize is a classic, powerful opening.

Your First Journey: Following the Main Story Quest (Archon Quests)

The game funnels you naturally through the story. Your primary goal as a beginner is to follow the glowing Archon Quest markers.

Adventure Rank (AR) Gates

The Archon Quests are gated by your Adventure Rank (AR). This means you must complete Daily Commissions, open chests, and do other activities to level up your AR to unlock the next story chapter. Don't rush past the side content; it’s necessary progress!

Unlocking Key Features

As you progress through the early AR levels (AR 16, AR 20, etc.), you will unlock crucial game systems:

Co-Op Mode: Allows you to play with friends.

Artifact Domains: Where you farm the crucial gear upgrades.

Spiral Abyss: The endgame challenge dungeon.

Make it your mission to unlock Co-Op first, as playing with higher-AR friends can significantly speed up early world progression.

Building Your First Team: Understanding Roles

You start with the Traveler, Amber, Kaeya, and Lisa. While these characters are initially all you have, they form a functional starting team. Understanding their general roles will help you build better teams later on.

1. Main DPS (Damage Per Second)

This character stays on the field the longest, dealing the bulk of the continuous damage. Early on, this might be your Traveler, or the first 5-star DPS you acquire.

2. Sub-DPS/Enabler

These characters are swapped in briefly to apply an element, trigger an elemental reaction, and then swap out. For example, using Kaeya’s elemental skill to apply Cryo, then swapping out.

3. Support/Utility

These characters focus on healing, shielding, or buffing the Main DPS. Amber’s Elemental Skill (the decoy) is a great early-game utility tool for drawing enemy attention.

Your Starter Team Analysis

Traveler (Anemo/Geo): Flexible. Use their elemental skills to Swirl early on or create shields later.

Amber (Pyro): Essential for lighting torches and solving puzzles. Her ultimate is surprisingly decent for single-target damage early on.

Kaeya (Cryo): Excellent utility. His Elemental Skill applies Cryo quickly, and his Burst is great for passive freezing when paired with Hydro.

Lisa (Electro): Her Elemental Skill applies Electro reliably, setting up Overloaded reactions with Amber.

Genshin Guide Tip: Don't neglect your starter characters! They are incredibly useful for solving environmental puzzles (lighting torches, freezing water surfaces) long after you get better 5-star units.

Acquiring New Characters and Weapons: The Wish System (Gacha)

Genshin Impact is free-to-play, but it uses a "gacha" system (like a digital loot box) for acquiring new, powerful characters and weapons through the Wish system.

Primogems: Your Currency

The premium currency is Primogems. You earn them by doing almost everything: opening chests, completing quests, exploring, and daily commissions.

Banners: Where to Spend Your Wishes

There are two main types of banners:

1. Character Event Banners: Features a specific 5-star character you want to acquire. This is usually the best place to spend your currency when a character you like is featured.

2. Standard Banner: Always available, features a rotating pool of standard 5-star characters and weapons. Generally, beginners should avoid spending heavily here unless you have exhausted all other options.

Understanding Pity (The Safety Net)

The Wish system has a concept called "Pity." If you make enough wishes without getting a 5-star item, the game guarantees you one on the next pull within a certain range.

Soft Pity: Usually starts around Wish 75.

Hard Pity: Guaranteed 5-star by Wish 90.

Beginner Advice: Save your Primogems! Only spend them when you are sure you want the featured character on the Character Event Banner. Do not spend them on the Standard Banner. Use the free Acquaint Fates you earn from leveling up your Battle Pass (free track) on the Standard Banner instead.

Leveling Up: Prioritizing Your Resources

In Genshin, you have limited resources, so smart prioritization is key to avoiding the "I can't beat this enemy!" feeling later on.

1. Adventure Rank (AR) Progression

As mentioned, this unlocks game systems. Focus on daily commissions as soon as they are available—they are your most reliable source of Primogems and AR experience.

2. Character Level

Characters level up using Hero's Wit and other EXP books. Leveling up increases their base stats. Leveling your main DPS first should be your priority.

3. Talent Levels

Talents (Normal Attack, Elemental Skill, Elemental Burst) are skills that require special books and boss materials to level up. Focus Talent leveling only on your Main DPS first. Getting a Talent from Level 1 to 4 is cheap; going past Level 6 becomes significantly more expensive.

4. Weapons

Weapons are crucial. Leveling them up using weapon EXP materials provides significant damage boosts. Always ensure your main damage dealer has a max-level weapon appropriate for their level tier.

5. Artifacts: The Gear Grind

Artifacts are the equipment system. They are complex, but early on, keep it simple:

Prioritize Level: Equip 4-star artifacts (the purple ones) and level them up to +4, +8, or +12 as you get them. A high-level, slightly mismatched artifact is often better than a low-level perfect set.

Main Stats Matter Most: In the early game, focus on getting the right Main Stat on the goblet, sands, and circlet slots. For a DPS, this usually means ATK% on Sands, ATK% or Elemental DMG% on Goblet, and CRIT/ATK% on Circlet. Don't worry about farming the perfect "set bonus" until you reach AR 45.

Beginner Checklist for Your First Week in Teyvat

To keep you focused, here is a short, prioritized checklist for your initial hours in the game:

1. Complete the Initial Archon Quests: Follow the main storyline until you unlock all of Mondstadt.

2. Activate All Teleport Waypoints & Statues of the Seven: This makes traveling infinitely easier.

3. Collect Anemoculus: Offer them to the Statues of the Seven in Mondstadt to permanently increase your stamina cap.

4. Unlock Daily Commissions: As soon as the game allows (usually around AR 12), do your Dailies every single day.

5. Experiment with Elemental Reactions: Try swapping between Kaeya (Cryo) and Lisa (Electro) to see how Electro-Charged feels.

6. Use Resin Wisely: Resin is the game's energy system, used to claim rewards from Ley Lines (EXP/Mora), Bosses, and Domains. In the early game, spend Resin on Ley Line Outcrops (Blue for Mora, Gold for EXP books) and World Bosses that drop materials for your main characters. Do not worry about Artifact Domains yet.

7. Talk to Everyone:NPCs often give out side quests or valuable chests hidden nearby.

Mastering the Open World: Unique Challenges

As you venture beyond Mondstadt into Liyue and beyond, you’ll encounter new challenges that require preparation.

Environmental Hazards

Teyvat isn't just filled with monsters. You’ll face extreme cold (Dragonspine), scorching heat (Inazuma/Sumeru deserts), and dangerous electrocution zones.

Cold Damage: Look for glowing red braziers or use Pyro characters to warm up.

Pyro/Electro Resistance: Often, the solution lies in character choice, not equipment. Bring a Hydro character to manage a Pyro environment, for example.

Finding and Utilizing Puzzles

Many treasure chests and Primogems are locked behind simple environmental puzzles. Look for:

Elemental Monuments: Use the correct element on the corresponding statues to activate them.

Seelies: Small, blue guiding spirits. Follow them to their destination to unlock a chest.

* Pressure Plates: Often require you to leave a character or place an object on the plate to keep it active.

A Final Word of Encouragement

Genshin Impact is a marathon, not a sprint. The initial grind to AR 25/30 can feel slow, but once you hit the mid-game (AR 35+), the systems truly open up, and you can focus on building the characters you love. Don't stress about getting the perfect 5-star weapon immediately. Enjoy the music, soak in the stunning scenery, and master the fundamental elemental synergies. This Genshin Guide is just the starting point; your unique adventure in Teyvat awaits!

Home page: https://genshin.guide/