The latest annual release in their open-world action-adventure game, HoYoverse has set the foundations for the coming year with their release of Genshin Impact Version 5.0: Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn. The main feature of this update is the introduction of Natlan, the sixth unlocked region of Teyvat and the Nation of Pyro, with a new Archon Quest to roll out over the coming updates.
Natlan sets out to implement a wealth of new content for players to explore, including local tribes, diverse landscapes, and rich cultural legends. A key feature of this update is the introduction of the Saurians—dragons native to Natlan that players can transform into. Sadly, the ability to deep dive into water remains Fontaine-exclusive, however in return, transforming into a Saurian grants enhanced agility and some extra skills to help traverse the landscape of the nation. For example, the Tepetlisaurus can tunnel underground and scale cliffs, the Yumkasaurus can navigate vertically using a grappling mechanism, and the Koholasaurus is adept at moving across water and liquid Phlogiston.
Furthermore, if new players want to dive into this new content, they don’t have to traverse all five other nations. For those who have completed all Archon Quests in Mondstadt, a Teleport Waypoint in Natlan will unlock, allowing easy access to the new region. Additionally, players at Adventure Rank 28 or higher can use the Quick Start feature to begin Natlan’s Archon Quests after completing all Archon Quests in Liyue. This is in addition to a range of additional quality of life updates.
For those out to obtain new characters for their party – across the two halves of this expansion cycle, three new characters are set to be obtainable – Mualani (Hydro Catalyst) and Kachina (Geo Polearm) in the first half, and Kinich (Dendro Claymore). Additionally, these characters will be run alongside reruns of two popular 5-star characters: Kaedehara Kazuha in the first half, and Raiden Shogun in the second half.
The release of Version 5.0 coincides with Genshin Impact‘s fourth anniversary, bringing numerous rewards and system optimisations. Players will have the opportunity to invite a free five-star character from the Standard Wish lineup, receive up to 10 Intertwined Fates through a daily login event, and claim 1,600 Primogems, along with two exclusive gadgets and additional items via in-game mail.
Genshin Impact is currently available on the PC, iOS, Android, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 platforms as a free-to-play gacha/cash shop supported live service game. It is set for release on the Xbox later in the year.
