Summary
- The future of Genshin Impact rests on post-story content beyond the known nations, teasing new adventures and villains.
- HoYoverse must introduce a larger, overarching plot line post-Snezhnaya to maintain player interest and longevity.
- Speculation about Celestia as a future setting hints at potential storylines beyond the current Teyvat map.
The story of Genshin Impact has a clear trajectory: the Traveler will explore the seven nations of Teyvat until they find the truth about their missing sibling and the fate of the lost kingdom of Khaenri'ah. Two nations have yet to be released, Natlan and Snezhnaya. If HoYoverse continues to maintain the major patch release schedule that they have had thus far, then Natlan should be released in late 2024, with Snezhnaya to follow in 2025. Fans have been left to speculate as to what will happen to Genshin Impact after the whole of Teyvat is made available to players.
Genshin Impact lives off of continual updates. Surely, HoYoverse wants to continue updating the game after the Traveler takes on the Tsaritsa, leader of the Fatui, Sneznaya's Archon, and the presumed main villain of the game. If HoYoverse wants Genshin Impact to keep updating after the story of the Traveler is told, then they need to start thinking about what comes after Snezhnaya. It would be better sooner rather than later if HoYoverse began to hint at a story beyond the one players are expecting to come to a close in the next few years.
Genshin Impact Lore: Is Teyvat Upside Down? (What Are The Light, Void, and Human Realms?)
Genshin Impact's quest lore and fan theories suggest the world of Teyvat might be upside-down, and the various in-game realms seem to support this.
Genshin Impact Holds the Future in Its Hands with 'The Dream Yet To Be Dreamed'
One of Genshin Impact's strengths is the clear path that the story will take. The game often introduces information, lore, and characters from the next nation that the Traveler will visit long before its release. This is why it is key that a plotline that will take the player beyond the end of "Act??: The Dream Yet To Be Dreamed" needs to be teased.
HoYoverse laid out the whole plot of Genshin Impact in a 2020 video titled "Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview: Travail." This video introduced players to each of the six nations that the Traveler would visit and ended with an allusion to Khaenri'ah, the apparent final destination of the game:
- ACT: PROLOGUE - Mondstadt - The Outlander Who Caught the Wind
- ACT 1 - Liyue - Farewell, Archaic Lord
- ACT 2 - Inazuma - Omnipresence Over Mortals
- ACT 3 - Sumeru - Truth Amongst the Pages of Purana
- ACT 4 - Fontaine - Masquerade of the Guilty
- ACT 5 - Natlan - Incandescent Ode of Resurrection
- ACT 6 - Snezhnaya - Everwinter Without Mercy
- ACT?? - Khaenri'ah - The Dream Yet to Be Dreamed
The obvious next country after Snezhnaya is the fallen kingdom of Khaenri'ah, a once-prosperous nation that fell during the Cataclysm 500 years before the game's current timeline. While this nation was destroyed, it did not cease to exist. Genshin Impact's Khaenri'ah is somewhere deep underground, and many players have discovered what appears to be the gates to this ancient kingdom in a cave beneath Sumeru. Given how entangled the story of the Traveler and their twin is with the fate of Khaenri'ah, fans have assumed that Khaenri'ah will be the final puzzle for players to unravel.
However, this assumption does not account for what happens after the story of the twins is resolved. HoYoverse leans heavily on alluding to the mysteries surrounding the Abyss Order and Khaenri'ah, but HoYoverse will no longer be able to do so after players explore this lost kingdom. To give Genshin Impact longevity, a new kind of conflict will need to be introduced.
New Chapters, New Places, and New Villains Await Genshin Impact
"The Dream Yet To Be Dreamed" might help to keep Genshin Impact going after the defeat of the Fatui, but it cannot keep the Traveler traveling for years to come. A larger, overarching plot line—perhaps a villain more intimidating than Genshin Impact's unknown god who first confronted the twins or a land beyond the seven nations of Teyvat—needs to be introduced.
This might mean that HoYoverse needs to start leaning into the idea of Celestia as a place, rather than just the mysterious seat of the Archons and home of the Heavenly Principles. Celestia hangs over the map as an omnipresent island, presenting an obvious opportunity for it to be a part of the world in the far future.
HoYoverse has obviously been playing the long game, mapping out years of content, but those years have come and passed. Players are approaching the latter acts of the story detailed in "Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview: Travail" and wonder what will come next. Genshin Impact can give them an answer in the form of introducing storylines that don't rely on Khaenri'ahn mysteries and go beyond the borders of the main Genshin nations.
HoYoverse will hopefully dream up new adventures for the Traveler before the end of the game's projected timeline. While all stories must come to an end, the world of Teyvat is so vast but detailed that it demands more stories. Plus, those stories need to be hinted at soon so that they don't appear rushed when they come into play later.
Genshin Impact
- Released
- September 28, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Step into Teyvat, a vast world teeming with life and flowing with elemental energy.
You and your sibling arrived here from another world. Separated by an unknown god, stripped of your powers, and cast into a deep slumber, you now awake to a world very different from when you first arrived.
Thus begins your journey across Teyvat to seek answers from The Seven — the gods of each element. Along the way, prepare to explore every inch of this wondrous world, join forces with a diverse range of characters, and unravel the countless mysteries that Teyvat holds...
MASSIVE OPEN WORLD
Climb any mountain, swim across any river, and glide over the world below, taking in the jaw-dropping scenery each step of the way. And if you stop to investigate a wandering Seelie or strange mechanism, who knows what you might discover?
ELEMENTAL COMBAT SYSTEM
Harness the seven elements to unleash elemental reactions. Anemo, Electro, Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, Dendro, and Geo interact in all sorts of ways, and Vision wielders have the power to turn this to their advantage.
Will you vaporize Hydro with Pyro, electro-charge it with Electro, or freeze it with Cryo? Your mastery of the elements will give you the upper hand in battle and exploration.
BEAUTIFUL VISUALS
Feast your eyes on the world around you, with a stunning art style, real-time rendering, and finely tuned character animations delivering you a truly immersive visual experience. Lighting and weather all change naturally over time, bringing every detail of this world to life.
SOOTHING SOUNDTRACK
Let the beautiful sounds of Teyvat draw you in as you explore the expansive world around you. Performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the soundtrack changes seamlessly with the time and gameplay to match the mood.
BUILD YOUR DREAM TEAM
Team up with a diverse cast of characters in Teyvat, each with their own unique personalities, stories, and abilities. Discover your favorite party combinations and level up your characters to help you conquer even the most daunting of enemies and domains.
JOURNEY WITH FRIENDS
Team up with friends across various platforms to trigger more elemental action, tackle tricky boss fights, and conquer challenging domains together to reap rich rewards.
As you stand atop the peaks of Jueyun Karst and take in the rolling clouds and vast terrain stretching out before you, you may wish to stay in Teyvat a little longer... But until you are reunited with your lost sibling, how can you rest? Go forth, Traveler, and begin your adventure!
- ESRB
- Teen / Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Engine
- Unity
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, iOS, Android
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action, Adventure, Gacha, Open-World
- Metascore
- 86
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- Mobile, PC, PS4 & PS5
