Genshin Impact 2.0 Impressions: 5 biggest takeaways

Genshin Impact’s much awaited version 2.0 is on the horizon, and miHoYo did not hold back this time. There’s tons of new items, places to explore and characters in Inazuma, along with some great quality of life and gameplay improvements. Here are the five biggest takeaways from the Genshin Impact 2.0 reveal and what they could mean for the future of the game.

Genshin Impact 2.0 Impressions: 5 biggest takeaways

1. Exploration

One of my favorite things about starting a new open world RPG is exploring the world. Genshin Impact had a massive open world right at the outset, and trekking to Liyue Harbor for the first time was one of the most memorable experiences I had. MiHoYo took extra care and attention when designing Inazuma, making a much more complex region for players to explore with more verticality that’s different than the mountain spires of Liyue. Inazuma will go underground, with a tunnels leading to subterranean lairs.

2. New characters

New characters are the show stealers of every update, and 2.0 brings whole cast of Inazuman characters. Three characters are set to appear in the event Wish banners for 2.0, with the rest expected to arrive soon. The five-star Ayaka, a sword user with a Cryo Vision and Yoimiya, an archer with a Pyro Vision will headline the two banners. The third character is the four-star Sayu, a Claymore-wielding ninja with an Anemo Vision. Notably, Sayu is the first claymore user with the child body type.

There were a few other characters introduced in this update, but not much is known about them or their abilities yet. We’ll have to see them for ourselves when we meet them in game.

3. New weapons

With the new region, a new set of craftable weapons will be introduced. It seems that, going forward, each region will have their own set of weapons. The Infusion series is meant to be for Mondstadt, the Protype series is for Liyue, and new set of weapons with a distinct Inazuma flavor will be coming in 2.0. This expands options for free-to-play players especially.

4. New artifacts

Two new artifact sets will be arriving in 2.0: Emblem of Severed Fate and Shimenawa’s Reminiscence.

Emblem of Severed Fate’s two-piece bonus grants 20% Energy Recharge, and a four-piece set increases Elemental Burst DMG by 25% of your Energy Recharge, with a limit of 75% DMG bonus in total. This set looks great for characters who act as Burst supports, like Xiangling or Kazuha.

On the opposite end, Shimenawa’s Reminiscence gives an 18% bonus to ATK with two-pieces, just like the Gladiator’s set. The four-piece bonus turns Energy into power, removing 15 Energy when you use an Elemental Skill and giving a 50% Damage Bonus for Normal, Charged and Plunging attacks.

5. Cross-save

Cross-saves are finally here! Starting in 2.0, players on Playstation can link a miHoYo account and play on PC or mobile. Genshin Impact is, unfortunately, extremely poorly optimized for the PS4, leading many players stuck with the sub-par PS4 version unless they want to start over on a PC for a better gaming experience. With PS5s in short supply, players who started on Sony’s hardware now have the freedom to move over to PC as they please.

This bodes well for the alleged Switch version, though multi platform cross-saves outside of miHoYo and Sony have yet to be confirmed. Hopefully, everyone will be able to play freely across any system they have in the future.