Following a year of exploring the lush rainforests and expansive deserts of the Sumeru region, it is time forGenshin Impactplayers to dive into a brand-new region with the major Version 4.0 Update. The long-awaited update brings many major changes and additions to theever-growing open-world RPG. Each major Version Update brings new mechanics, characters, and areas to explore, and Version 4.0 is certainly no exception.
In this majorGenshin Impactupdate, players are invited to explore the brand-new region of Fontaine and discover all the new mechanics and features that come with it. Fontaine, the region of Hydro, has plenty of secrets and puzzles to uncover both above and below the water that covers much of the region.
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Fontaine: The Region of Hydro
The expansive region of Fontaine lies to the North of Sumeru, North-Northwest of Liyue, and players will be able to teleport straight to the edge of the region immediately after completing the Prologue. As with most regions added so far, Fontaine will grow over the course of the 4.X update cycle, but for now, there are four main bodies of land for players to explore, as well as a vast amount of underwater areas to explore. The main hub of Fontaine is the Court of Fontaine, which features the usual amenities players expect in a hub city (Adventurer’s Guild, Blacksmith, and Alchemy Table), and it is the home of the Hydro Archon, Focalors. Players will be able to dive right into the region of Hydro thanks to a new waypoint on the northern edge of Sumeru, and players can expectnewGenshin ImpactWorld Questsand a new Archon Quest as well.
In addition to the new quests to tackle, Fontaine also features plentiful underwater areas for players to explore thanks to the new diving mechanic added in Version 4.0. Players gain the ability to dive in Fontaine waters shortly after arriving and interacting with a Statue of the Seven. Being underwater operates differently in Fontaine compared to other regions. Being in Fontaine water gives players a unique stamina bar, different attack methods, and unique exploration mechanics. A large portion ofFontaine in Version 4.0 consists of underwater sections, so players should take their time and get acquainted with the many new mechanics introduced with this new system.
New Characters and New Abilities
Version 4.0 introduces 3 brand-new characters, as well as a new elemental kit for the Traveler. First and foremost, the brand-new 5-star character on thelimited banner is Lyney, a Pyro Bow user. Lyney’s kit revolves around his Charged Attacks, similar to Ganyu or Tighnari, but with a little more flair for the dramatic. He works best in teams with at least two other Pyro users, making him the first Pyro DPS character to excel in a mono-Pyro team, and his signature weapon further adds to this strategy.
Lyney’s twin sister, Lynette, is also currently available on the limited banners, and players can also obtain Lynette for free as well after reaching Adventure Rank 25. Lynette is a 4-star Anemo Sword user who applies a good amount of Anemo with her skill and burst, making for somevery fun Swirl builds.
Freminet joins theGenshin Impactroster in the second half of 4.0. He is the younger brother of Lyney and Lynette, He is a Cryo Claymore user whospecializes in Physical Damage and reactionsthat help boost his personal damage. For those looking to collect all three of the siblings, they will need to wait a bit longer for the youngest sibling to be available, as he will be featured alongside Childe and Zhongli on their banners.
Last but not least, the Traveler gets a brand-new element to wield. The Traveler’s hitexcels at Hydro application both on and off the fieldthrough their skill and burst. Players unlock these new abilities upon interacting with a Fontaine Statue of the Seven with the Traveler, and as always players can swap between the elements by revisiting other Statues.
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More Artifacts to Grind
The Golden Troupe and Marechaussee Hunter artifact sets are up for the taking in Version 4.0.These two artifact sets inGenshin Impacthave unique and powerful effects that could greatly change how players build certain characters. The Golden Troupe set excels at boosting a character’s Elemental Skill damage, with the 4-piece bonus giving big bonuses if the character is off-field. This set is easily one of Fischl’s best-in-slot artifacts, as Fischl’s skill is a major portion of her damage, and she is largely off-field. This set also works well for Yae Miko if she is only being used for her skill. If factoring in Miko’s Burst damage as well, it is still a great set if you don’t already have a good Gilded Dreams set.
As for Marechaussee Hunter, this set is the first set to intrinsically give Crit Rate, which is massive. However, to fully benefit from this set, players need to be able to reliably change their character’s HP, and only a few characters can easily do this on their own. This set is unquestionably Lyney’s best-in-slot as he can damage and heal himself with his charge attacks and skill. Xiao can also benefit well from the 4-piece bonus of this set, however, the 2-piece damage bonus does not apply to plunging attacks.
Pneuma and Ousia
Arkhe is a new mechanic in Version 4.0which can greatly change how players interact with new enemies (and some overworld exploration objects). While exploring Fontaine, players may see blue or yellow glows on enemies or objects. These correspond to the new sub-elemental system introduced in 4.0, where the yellow glow is Pneuma and the blue glow is Ousia. Players need to hit Pneuma with Ousia attacks, and vice versa, to solve puzzles or trigger special fight mechanics.
All the new characters introduced in 4.0 (including Hydro Traveler) are either Pneuma or Ousia aligned, and can use certain abilities to apply their aligned element. Additionally, there are also methods to temporarily use Pneuma or Ousia to solve mechanics if using pre-4.0 characters, typically in the form of balls of Pneuma or Ousia energy players can collect to infuse their next attack with the provided element.
New Weapons and Battle Pass Rewards
The last major change comes in the form of the many new weapons added in 4.0. Much like in previous regions, Fontaine comes with a new suite of forgeable weapons at the Blacksmith. These blueprints can be acquired by the Blacksmith in Fontaine in exchange for some regional resources. As with many mechanics so far in Fontaine, the weapons all have some gimmick tied to changes in HP values to provide boons of many kinds. Players will inevitably stumble upon many of the required resources as they venture out into Fontaine for the first time and complete the introductory event “Relic Records: Creations of the Hydro Nation” which will have players track down new enemies and resources to learn more about them. Players will also be able to obtain the Fleuve Cendre Ferryman sword by obtaining therequired fish for the Fontaine fishing vendor.
In addition to new forge weapons, theBattle Pass has a new suite of weaponsfor players to choose from at Level 25. As with the first set, all have Crit Rate as their sub-stat. While not all of them are the most powerful, some could be very useful on certain characters, such as Scion of the Blazing Sun bow, which is a great option for Charge Attack bow users like Lyney, Ganyu, and Tighnari. The Wolf-Fang sword is a great boon for characters who rely heavily on their skill and burst for major damage. Characters like Keqing and Ayaka can quickly utilize this weapon to its fullest potential thanks to their rapid hits from their bursts.
Those are the major changes that came alongsideGenshin Impact’s big Version 4.0 update. Players are finally able to continue their journey across Teyvat with the next stop being the Hydro Archon’s domain of Fontaine. Version 4.0 adds plenty of new areas to explore, new mechanics to master, and new characters to build, meaning that new and returning players have a lot to look forward to until 4.1 arrives and inevitably expands Fontaine even more.
Genshin Impactis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Mobile. A Switch version is in development.
