Summary
- Genshin Impact has updated the appearance of some Mondstadt placeholder models, sparking speculation about a potential expansion in the popular region.
- Mondstadt, despite being the first nation in the game, is currently the smallest region, but there are rumors of new parts being added in the future.
- The recent adjustment to the placeholder model suggests that the Mondstadt expansion may not have as much new playable terrain compared to other regions, like Sumeru, which is larger than Mondstadt and Liyue combined.
In one of the most recent updates, Genshin Impact has changed the appearance of some of their Mondstadt placeholder models. Even though Mondstadt is the oldest region in the game, it remains a fan-favorite since it's the place where every Traveler started their journey through the world of Teyvat.
Despite being the first nation to appear in Genshin Impact, Mondstadt is by far the smallest region at the moment as HoYovere has not introduced any expansions since update 1.1. Over the last couple of months, multiple rumors have been hinting that players will soon get the chance to explore new parts of the Anemo region.
A Reddit user by the name Substantial_Fan_9582 has shared a couple of interesting screenshots that show how HoYoverse made some adjustments to the placeholder model of what's supposed to be the northern part of Mondstadt. As shown in the images, HoYoverse removed most of the mountains that were previously featured in this placeholder model which led many players to believe that the Mondstadt expansion could arrive sooner than expected. This model adjustment also gives credibility to previous leaks claiming that the Mondstadt expansion won't feature a lot of new playable terrain, at least compared to some of the previously released regions. To put it into perspective, the recently completed Sumeru region is larger than Mondstadt and Liyue combined.
There is a chance that new parts of the Anemo region could arrive during the Windblume Festival which is an annual event that's featured in the Anemo nation. The event usually arrives after the Lantern Rite Festival which is expected to be placed in version 4.4. At the moment, the game's main focus seems to be on the recently introduced Fontaine region and its characters.
Genshin Impact update 4.1 has introduced a brand new Hydro character named Neuvillette who also works as the Chief Justice in the Fontaine region. The ongoing storyline has confirmed that Neuvillette is much stronger than many might have expected, which was also demonstrated during the short fight between him and Tartaglia.
Mondstadt might not be the only region to see a map expansion in the future as many players suspect that Liyue will also get its explorable terrain updated in the near future. Even though it was revealed that Fontaine and Liyue are connected, at the moment there is a large chunk of uncovered terrain between the two regions.
Genshin Impact is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and mobile devices. A Switch version is in development.