Genshin Impact is one of the more gigantic and, to some extent, gruesome games that currently exist, but the players remain kind about content. On February 3, they are briefly enchanted by a major new event: The Lantern Rite Festival, which will feature a new playable character, stories and challenges, and a tower defense-like mode.
During a stream today, developer Mihoyo announced that the Lantern Rite Festival will be the centerpiece of Genshin Impacts 1.3 update and set out what it will contain. The event takes place in Liyue harbor and covers the place in – what else – lanterns. Because Mihoyo knows what keeps players coming back (hint: these are hot anime characters), your first order will complete a story test with a new playable character: Xiao, the conqueror of demons.
Xiao is an anemo-element (read: wind) with a polar arm, and one of its abilities enables it to launch a dive attack from any height without incurring false damage. The damage of the attack is determined by how high he is when he starts, so I’m excited about the inevitable flood of YouTube videos in which players shoot tough bosses once by sliding them off the world top. Xiao also has an elemental bursting ability called “Bane of All Evil”, which sees him putting on a cool mask and increasing his damage and AOE, but at the expense of his HP.
During the Lantern Rite event, players who are Adventure Rank 23 and above can do Xiao’s quest, no story key needed. After the event, however, you must be 32 or higher, and if you do not have a story key, you must earn one by completing eight commissions, which are basically daily tasks. When in doubt, Mihoyo wants players to come back and play again (and buy Primogems) earlier rather than later.
If you drive this point home, the Lantern Rite Festival will also include a Ley Line overflow event, during which the special challenges (required) Genshina resin that is frequently maligned currency) will provide double rewards. This event will be presented for a limited time with the Lantern Rite Festival. At the moment, none of them have a set end date, although players speculate that it will probably be mid-February. At that point, the Lantern Rite Festival will not be over forever, but it will only repeat itself next year.
After completing Xiao’s quest, the Lantern Rite Festival will begin in earnest. It will consist of several parts, including a special occasion store called Xiao Market, which according to the voice actors presenting the stream is confusingly unrelated to the character Xiao. The store will unlock new goods in phases, while filling in requests and stories to fill up a “Festive Fever” meter.
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You will be able to earn opportunity currency by completing various activities, including a new mode called Theater Mechanicus, which turns out to be a hybrid of Genshin Impact preparation for battle and tower defense. In it, you arrange Mechanics – little males that look like a robot chess piece – to defend an area, and then you fight waves of monsters next to them.
There’s also a new photography-based activity that looks like a fun (though slightly compelling) pace change. Every day of the event there is a new photo topic. You have ten chances a day to use a new item called the ‘Curious Camera’ (lmao) to take a photo of the matching object, which in turn will reward a random photo. No, this is not a typo. Yes, you get a photo for a photo. Each photo has a color. If you collect a complete set of five colors, you can exchange it for a fortune, containing Primogems and materials. Because photo rewards are random, chances are you will get different colors. The system is therefore designed to encourage you to make and trade friends in the game.
In addition to the key features, the update will also improve quality of life, such as an archive category ‘living creatures’ with which you can see detailed information about everything you encountered in the game world, as well as additions to your character screen. Character enhancement – that is, improving characters after reaching the maximum level – will also be made easier with new unlockable items that allow players to create one elemental material into another and transform material.
Finally, new rock-dragon monsters named Geovishaps will be threatened to hunt, first by sending characters of your choice (including one belonging to a friend) on expeditions, and then by going to their place and finishing the job themselves to trade. The ensuing boss fights will apparently be quite difficult. Hopefully there will be very high cliffs above.