So I have now been on Genshin Impact for a few weeks and still very much enjoying the game, initially the game throws you into the fray with the addition of a number of characters you get right off the bat however I have noticed a sudden slow down in the not only character but also item acquisition process. Now I know many youtubers and reviewers alike all mentioned this feature but it was never as apparent as it is now after playing Genshin Impact for a few weeks. The game nearly feels like its grinding to a halt and im still not sure whether that's a good or a bad thing, to be fair the developers need to keep the game interesting and slowing down the acquisition of characters and weapons is always going to be a good idea but would it have been a better move to pace the process from the earlier part of Genshin Impacts prologue?
So first things first one must understand there is no such thing as a saved game on Genshin Impact, you literally have an account and that account ties itself to whichever email or device you are using, in my case a PS4 Pro. So the idea of starting over becomes obsolete and to be honest I actually like this idea. Yes it's possible on PC to create a new account but the idea of being tied into the game and decisions you make are great, you are committed to the team and characters you scale and when you want to change this you need to invest time into other characters. In all fairness this does add to the need to spend money in the game and I did yesterday spend my first bit of real money to acquire a small amount of gems to be able to make a couple of wishes, however just like in the old FIFA days when buying packs often lead to nothing I didn't get anything of use from these items and not sure if its worth spending more money. If Genshin Impact however slows down even further then players will certainly find themselves spending more funds to get the required items for new players and weapons.
So apart from the grueling slow down and farming needed to keep growing you team and arsenal of weapons Genshin impact does require you to decide on which characters you are going to invest in and many of which just aren't that good. Its not just about play style but many characters are designed to compliment each other especially when going up against bosses and other tough opponents. With many other players on twitch and youtube I noticed a huge support for VentI who till now I don't appear to have any hope in getting as I can't even currently wish for the character. The few wishes I carried out lead me to acquire Noelle and Ningguang who in all fairness aren't the best save for their passive abilities and Noelle carrying a greatsword which makes farming iron, crystal and other resources much easier that trying to break down the crystals with the travellers or Kaeya’s basic sword. I am in fact very much looking forward to getting more characters but for now have decided to invest in Kaeya given his freez ability and relatively high attack power make him the best damage dealer in the party.
So going into a bit more detail of the team I am using with Genshin Impact the idea of formation does some into play but its more about who you choose over where you place them as apart from using a different button to call them into the party formation which has very little effect. So my current team is built on Kaeya, Traveller, Barbara and Lisa and the reason I have chosen these characters is the way their abilities compliment each other mainly with the Barbara Kaeya combination and the fact Barabar is the only healer I have. Early in the game having a healer doesn't seem to count for too much but in later areas it does matter especially in Dungeons and the Abyss. Barabaras attacked ar water based and combined with Kaeya freeze attacks provide a great edge on larger single opponent though also work very well in groups of smaller monsters or Hilichurls. The second main damage dealer I have is the travellers and his Tornado attack is quite useful when being attacked by large groups of Hilichurls and needing to clear or even group monsters to then counter with a Barbara then Kaeya switch. Works very well, lastly I have Lisa a good backup as some opponents who are less susceptible to Water and freeze normally take good damage from Lisa and her lightning or electric attacks. Even useful when wanting to increase damage out of Kaeya by electrifying monsters first then countering with Ice or water. Seems to work quite well but I still feel far from optimized in my main attacking team.
So apart from the attacking party I often play the game with exploration party and the reason for this is when not fighting bosses or larger enemies much of the game is spent farming and keeping an eye on passive abilities is a major contributor to farming and exploring in Genshin Impact. So when exploring I use a team of Kaeya for his extra stamina ability and given many areas are swamped with monsters it's important to have one good damage dealer in the exploration party. Second I play with Amber which I for two reasons, firstly Amber has a bow which in some cases is needed to both hit Anemo target for treasure chests but also sometimes needed in clearing low level Hilichurls who sit on tower as the time it takes to climb and knock them off can be daunting, her second and other important ability is the extra glide distance as stamina is often a reason for limited exploration having an extra boost here counts for a lot. Next up I use Ningguang and her only one reason as she allows for Crystals to be seen on the minimap which really speeds up exploration and farming items needed for weapon enhancements though this immediately impacts my last team member decision which is Noelle and the reason I carry her around is the fact she uses a greatsword as with this farming crystals and iron can be a very long winded task.
