There is no dearth of great games on Android, and one of the titles that has been consistently featuring as one of the best open-world RPGs on mobile is Genshin Impact. I've been personally playing the game for a few months, and it's my top choice when I want to blow off some steam (we even have tips and tricks for beginners and advanced players, to help you play the game better!). Genshin Impact is getting its anticipated v1.5 update, bringing along two new characters, a new housing system with pets, and many more changes including a native PlayStation 5 release on April 28. Mihoyo has also begun teasing the new region of Inazuma that is under development and is expected to release in near-future updates.
Genshin Impact 1.5 Update
New Characters: Yanfei and Eula
While Genshin Impact's 1.4 update only brought along one new 4-star character (Rosaria), the 1.5 update compensates with two new characters: Eula and Yanfei.
Eula, is the Spindrift Knight and Captain of the Knights of Favonius Reconnaissance Company. Wielding a claymore and the power of Cryo, she can deal AoE damage and increase her resistance to interruption with her Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst. Her Elemental Skill, Icetide Vortex, increases her resistance to interruption and her DEF while dealing Cryo DMG. Her Elemental Burst deals AoE Cryo DMG to nearby enemies and creates a Lightfall Sword that follows her around for a certain duration, increasing her resistance to interruption. By dealing damage, Eula charges the Lightfall Sword until it explodes at the end of its duration, dealing AoE Physical DMG.
Yanfei is a four-star Pyro-using catalyst wielder. Her story arc denotes that she was born in Liyue during peacetime, Yanfei is a young half-human, half-illuminated-beast who dedicates her life to studying, interpreting, and advising her clients on Liyue's laws. The four-star Pyro-using catalyst-wielder generates Scarlet Seals with her Normal Attack, Elemental Skill, and Elemental Burst. Scarlet Seals provide a stackable buff that decreases Yanfei’s Stamina consumption and can be consumed to increase the power and range of her Charged Attacks.
Story Quest: Zhongli
This new update will bring along story progression for Zhongli's quests, who will be on a re-run banner for the update as a rate-up unit. Yanfei is sharing the banner with Zhongli, so Eula will be taking her place in the banner after Zhongli's re-run ends as a rate-up unit.
New Artifact Sets: Tenacity of the Millelith; Pale Flame
In addition to the new characters, we are also getting two new artifact sets: Tenacity of the Millelith and Pale Flame. The first set appears to be geared towards Zhongli, who will also feature in a re-run banner for the next month.
New Hangout Event: Diona, Noelle
Hangout was a new gameplay element introduced in update 1.4, with characters like Barbara, Noelle, Chongyun, and Bennett. With this new update, players can now also hangout with Diona, and continue further hangouts with Noelle. Note that each Hangout Event requires 2 Story Keys to unlock.
Serenitea Pot
Genshin Impact is introducing a new gameplay element in the form of the Serenitea Pot. This is essentially a realm where you can build and decorate your own house, with vast freedom over the buildings and furniture. You can also place pets in the realm. Mihoyo states that different realm styles will be available, with plenty of outdoor and indoor space.
While not present in this update, future updates will allow players to visit each other's Serenitea Pot in Co-Op mode.
New Bosses: Azhdaha, Cryo Hypostasis, Abyss Lector
Three new formidable enemies will also be found in version 1.5. An all-new Trounce Domain opponent, Azhdaha, the "Lord of Vishaps," offers rare rewards once a week for travelers who manage to conquer his fierce attacks, use of multiple elements, and ability to alter the battlefield terrain.
In a new chilling addition to Dragonspine, the Cryo Hypostasis will make an appearance as a new Boss Enemy. Just like other enemies in the Hypostasis series, the Cryo Hypostasis has a unique pattern of attack and provides precious resources when defeated, including Character Level-Up Materials.
The third new enemy is the Abyss Lector: Violet Lightning, a new enemy from the Abyss. Unlike the Abyss Herald introduced in Version 1.4, the Abyss Lector prefers to use ranged attacks and wields the power of both Electro and Hydro. If that isn’t enough to deal with, some of its attacks also deduct Elemental Energy from the player.
PlayStation 5 Support with Genshin Impact 1.5
With Genshin Impact v1.5, the game is coming to the Sony PlayStation 5 as a native release on April 28. This means players can now look forward to 4K resolution, enhanced textures, and faster loading times.
Miscellaneous Changes in Genshin Impact 1.5
A number of gameplay improvements will also be introduced, including halving the cost of claiming the first three Trounce Domain rewards per week and doubling the amount of Companionship EXP earned in Co-Op Mode.
Free Character in Genshin Impact 1.5: Diona
This update will come with an event that will allow all players to receive the 4-star character Diona for free, upon completion of the event.
Codes from the Livestream
During the stream, the following codes were shared:
- FS6SU367M279 (100 Primos, 10 Mystic Enhancement Ores)
- 4BNSD3675J8D (100 Primos, 5 Hero's Wits)
- ATPTUJPP53QH (100 Primos, 50000 Mora)
Players can input these codes within the game under Account > Redeem Code, or through a web browser at the link here. Note that these codes are limited in nature and usually last about 12 hours from the live stream, so they may expire depending on when you are reading this.
Genshin Impact 1.6 Teasers
For the next update beyond 1.5, Mihoyo is teasing two key developments: the highly anticipated new region of Inazuma and another character.
Inazuma
The trailer for the v1.5 update gives us a sneak peek at a few concept arts for Inazuma, the third major city and region within Genshin Impact. While Mondstadt focuses on Anemo (Air) as the overarching theme, and Lyue focuses on Geo (Ground), Inazuma is expected to focus on Electro (Electric).
New Character: Electro Archon's Friend
The trailer for 1.5 also teased a new character, pictured as the stylized character above besides Zhongli. Referred to as the "Electro Archon's Friend", we can expect this character to be a 5-star Electro character, presuming Mihoyo follows its theme with Venti-Mondstadt and Zhongli-Liyue. Both Venti and Zhongli are considered very strong support characters in the game, so I have high hopes for this new character.
We'll be adding the full update changelog as soon as it is available. The update rolls out on April 28, 2021.
What are your thoughts on Genshin Impact's latest update? Let us know in the comments below!