A Fond Farewell to Genshin Impact And Why I'm Leaving It For Now

It’s not you, it’s me…and a little bit of you.

The time has come when I take a step back from Genshin Impact indefinitely. It’s funny how leaving a game behind can feel like a really bad breakup. I spent almost every day for the past two years playing Genshin. I would do my dailies, my commissions, explore, find chests, and grind domain after domain in search of the perfect artifact, only for it to roll into flat ATK and have to begin the grind all over again. I would play with friends and collect ascension materials and I would look forward to every new patch where I could learn more about the slowly evolving story and its beautiful cast of characters.

Then, somewhere along the way, the excitement and happiness that Genshin brought me just stopped. Maybe you’re not supposed to play a game every day for two years, maybe this was my fault, but the way Genshin is designed, with resin capped if you didn't play every day along with limited-time events, perhaps it was Genshin’s model as well.

Genshin was my very first ‘gacha’ game. Something I was never worried about considering I have no interest in gambling. However, there was something oddly addicting about Genshin’s wishing system. Waiting for that shooting star that streaked across the screen to either change to purple or the rare gold for an incoming 5-Star weapon or character. It kept me wishing and in the beginning, I even spent money. I wonder what this would mean for others who did have a gambling addiction, with no real way to monitor spending and no cap on how much could be spent. Genshin could be a dark hole that consumed you if you weren't careful.

Another issue Genshin is currently facing comes from a recent interview. In this interview, it came to light how the team was not preparing any more endgame content similar to the Spiral Abyss. The Spiral Abyss is the only real way for players to put their characters to the test. To try out new artifacts and team comps, all the while racing the clock and trying to see how much damage characters can dish out. For many, the abyss is a vital part of Genshin, and others had hoped that eventually there would be more.

Of course, no one would want a copy-paste model, but at least something to test combat and challenge players who sunk hours upon hours of time trying to build the perfect character. Sadly, with no more Abyss similar game content currently planned, the Genshin player base went to Twitter to complain.

Still, this is not the reason why I have decided to walk away from Genshin, rather, it's so much more than that. To put it simply, Genshin isn't fun anymore and games are supposed to be fun, right? Genshin’s story was no longer interesting, or perhaps it just took too long for it to get interesting. The game’s version of storytelling was a major issue for me. I don’t want to blame HoYoverse as a whole, because I know they are capable of creating a really beautiful and compelling story. Heck, Honkai Impact's story is still one I think about to this day. Then, the company's dating sim, Tears of Themis, also created a narrative that has kept many players invested, myself included.

However, there is something about Genshin’s story that is lacking. The fact that after traveling through three major cities–Mondstat, Liyue, and Inazuma–and so little has been revealed about the Traveler's sibling is honestly shocking. Then, the way they structure their current content creates huge FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). So much content is locked by other content and sometimes said content is uninteresting and/or boring, but you have to get through it to continue. For casual players or those trying to return to the game, it makes it almost impossible. Players complained about no content, so as a response Genshin created terribly long quests that had no reason to be that long other than to keep the player busy. It feels like Genshin isn't too sure where the story is going, but they have a basic idea, and for them, that's enough. For me, it isn't though.

So, I have decided to walk away from Genshin Impact. I still think the concept is interesting, I still love so many of the characters and the combat that was so rewarding and fun, however, it’s not enough. The game at this point is too overwhelming for a casual player who wants to play other games and who wants to experience other stories.

Sadly this also means an end to our Genshin Impact Guides. While I loved writing guides and researching how to best build characters, the time has come to find a new path.

I thank you all for being here and supporting the guides week after week and look forward to seeing you next week with a brand new experience.

Goodbye Genshin, and thanks for everything.