An Overview of the Genshin Impact Version 4.6 Update
Last week, HoYoverse released the Version 4.6 update to Genshin Impact. This update, titled ‘Two Worlds Aflame, the Crimson Night Fades’, features many new additions to the game. From the entry of a long-awaited character, to new regions to explore and new major storyline and events, this update will certainly be remembered by the fanbase for a long time as a killer not a filler!
New Character: Arlecchino
The flagship addition to Genshin of Version 4.6 is the new character "Dire Balemoon" Arlecchino, a 5-star Pyro Polearm user. Arlecchino has been long anticipated by Genshin fans, her name first being teased to players all the way back in Version 2.4, and her design being revealed just under two years ago in the famous ‘A Winter Night’s Lazzo’ trailer before finally making her first in-game appearance in Version 4.1 with her role in the Fontaine Archon Quests. Also known as “The Knave”, she is the Fourth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers and the “Father” of the House of the Hearth.
Arlecchino is an on-field Pyro main DPS who uses a Bond of Life (BoL) mechanism, making her the first playable character to use such mechanism. Her Elemental Skill, ‘All Is Ash’, deals AoE Pyro Damage and applies the Blood-Debt Directive to any enemy that it hits. The Blood-Debt Directive effect lasts up to 30 seconds and deals one instance of Pyro damage to the enemy every five seconds. When Arlecchino uses her Charged Attack or Elemental Burst, she will absorb all the Directives and gain a BoL for each, worth 65% of her Max HP (increased to 130% after unlocking her first ascension passive talent). Her Elemental Burst, ‘Balemoon Rising’, deals AoE Pyro Damage and causes her to absorb Blood-Debt Directives, as well as resetting the cooldown for her Elemental Skill and healing her based on her current BoL and ATK.
Event Wishes
In Phase I, which started on April 24th and will end on May 14th, the debut of ‘The Hearth's Ashen Shadow’ adds Arlecchino to the character roster, meanwhile the return of ‘Conjuring Chiaroscuro’ sees Lyney’s first rerun since his release back in 4.0. Both of these banners also feature the 4-star characters Xiangling, Lynette, and Freminet with an increased drop rate. The ‘Epitome Invocation’ event wish, better known as the weapons banner, for this phase features Arlecchino’s signature weapon, the new ‘Crimson Moon's Semblance’ polearm, as well as Lyney’s signature ‘The First Great Magic’ bow. The featured 4-star weapons for this banner are ‘The Dockhand's Assistant’ (Sword), ‘Portable Power Saw’ (Claymore), ‘Dragon's Bane’ (Polearm), ‘Eye of Perception’ (Catalyst), and ‘Favonius Warbow’ (Bow).
In Phase II, which will last from May 14th to June 4th, the character event wishes ‘From Ashes Reborn’ and ‘Immaculate Pulse’ will return, bringing back Wanderer and Baizhu respectively for their second reruns. The featured 4-star characters for these banners will be revealed closer to the time. Meanwhile the weapons banner for this phase will likely feature the 5-star catalysts ‘Tulaytullah's Remembrance’ and ‘Jadefall's Splendor’ as the signature weapons to accompany their associated characters Wanderer and Baizhu respectively.
However, the new Chronicled Wish, introduced last update, will not be returning for either phase of Version 4.6.
New Weapon and Artifacts
Alongside Arlecchino’s release comes her signature weapon: the ‘Crimson Moon's Semblance’, a 5-star polearm tailored specifically for her gameplay. Though its base stats of 674 ATK and 22.1% CRIT Rate are identical to the Primordial Jade Winged Spear, its passive grants a BoL worth 25% of Max HP when the character’s Charged Attack hits an opponent, as well as giving a damage bonus when the character has a BoL. This makes it the best in slot (BiS) weapon for Arlecchino by far, and though it may be used on other polearm-wielding characters, it would not be their BiS as Arlecchino is currently the only character who can make use of the passive as no other character so far uses the BoL mechanism.
Two new artifact sets have been released, these being ‘Unfinished Reverie’ and ‘Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy’, both of which can be obtained from the new ‘Faded Theater’ domain in Petrichor. Both new sets feature the two-piece bonus of ATK +18%, however their four-piece bonuses differ.
The Unfinished Reverie set’s bonus grants a 10% DMG bonus every second whenever there is a Burning opponent present, until it reaches 50%. At present, this set is not the BiS artifact set for any characters, though it could be used on Wriothesley or Ganyu. It is likely that this set will become more relevant in the meta in the future as we approach Version 5.0 and the nation of Natlan, and may be the BiS slot for future Dendro and/or Pyro characters.
Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy, on the other hand, has a bonus that gives an 18% DMG bonus for 6 seconds whenever a BoL increases or decreases, with a maximum of three stacks. Given the BoL effect, that makes this set by far the BiS set for Arlecchino, and potentially also any future characters that use a BoL mechanic.
Exploration - New Regions: the Nostoi Region and the Sea of Bygone Eras
Version 4.6 has added two new regions to the game’s map, both of which are part of the nation of Fontaine.
The new Nostoi Region includes the village of Petrichor on a small island in the sea between Liyue, Sumeru, and Fontaine’s mainland. Petrichor has been long anticipated by many fans as its name was first teased all the way back in 2.0 when it was mentioned by Xavier in the Tatara Tales world quest in Inazuma. Later on, it was revealed Petrichor is home to the Daydream Club, a group of Fontaine’s most renowned inventors. Also part of the Nostoi Region is the underground Faded Castle, an area connected to the ruins of the ancient civilisation of Remuria, and which serves as the entrance to the other new region released in 4.6.
The Sea of Bygone Eras is a new region which, although part of Fontaine, is on a separate layer of the game’s map, just like Inazuma’s Enkanomiya and Liyue’s The Chasm: Underground Mines. This region is almost entirely underwater with only a few small pockets of overground surface. To unlock it, players must complete the ‘Underwater Nocturne’ world quest, which is part of the new Canticles of Harmony quest series.
These new Fontaine regions have also added all the remaining Hydroculi to the map, finally allowing players to raise the Hydro Statues of the Seven to Level 10. The max level of the Fountain of Lucine was also raised to 50, and players who reach that level can now finally use their remaining Hydro Sigils at Fontaine’s Souvenir Shop, Bertin's House of Curiosities.
The huge hole in the map now having been filled, the Sumeru regions of Lokapala Jungle and Realm of Farakhert have also received minor expansions to meet the sea, the former also includes Bayda Harbor, Sumeru’s northern port which has been mentioned several times previously.
New Story and World Quests
Although Version 4.6 has not added any new Archon Quests to continue the main storyline, there are two new Story Quests that follow two characters - the newly-released Ignis Purgatorius Chapter for Arlecchino as well as returning favourite Lupus Aureus Chapter for Cyno.
Arlecchino’s story quest, ‘When the Hearth-Flame Goes Out’, requires completion of the Archon Quest Chapter IV: Act V - ‘Masquerade of the Guilty’ to unlock. The quest revolves around the Traveler visiting Lyney, Lynette, Freminet and other members of the House of the Hearth, the orphanage that Arlecchino runs, and concludes with a duel between them, resulting in the new weekly boss fight. Part of the story was intertwined with that of an animated short that was released a few days before the update titled "The Song Burning in the Embers" which shows some of Arlecchino’s backstory.
Meanwhile Cyno will receive the second act to his story quest, titled ‘Oathkeeper’, making him only the second non-archon character to receive a follow up story quest since Yoimiya in 3.7. The quest will be available from May 14th, and will also feature the debut appearance of the new Electro character Sethos, due to be released in Version 4.7. Unlocking this quest will require completion of the first act of his story quest as well as the Archon Quest Chapter III: Act V - ‘Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises’.
As for World Quests, a new chain of quests titled ‘Canticles of Harmony’ explores the newly released Nostoi Region and Sea of Bygone Eras and details some of the history of the ancient civilisation of Remuria. The Traveler starts this journey in the village of Petrichor and later meets a talking cat who guides them to the ruins of the ancient civilisation. Other new world quests include ‘Daydreams Beyond Space and Time’ in which the Traveler bears witness to the tale of the Daydream Club in Petrichor.
New Monsters - including Bosses
Version 4.6 has added three new enemies to the game - one new Weekly Boss, one new Normal Boss, and one new Elite Enemy.
The new Weekly Boss is The Knave, the enemy version of the new character Arlecchino, who can be unlocked after completing Arlecchino’s new story quest ‘When the Hearth-Flame Goes Out’ and can be challenged in the new ‘Scattered Ruins’ Trouce Domain found in Mont Esus East. The Knave inflicts a BoL upon characters when her attacks hit, and this absorbs their healing. Players must clear this BoL to prevent further HP loss, and doing so will imbue their next Charged Attack with Scarlet Nighttide, allowing them to stun The Knave for a short period of time and leaving her vulnerable. In her second phase, she transforms into the ‘Cinder of Two Worlds' Flames’ where she continues her devastating Pyro attacks, including one that can one-shot the player if not dodged correctly. Once again, the player must tackle her BoL infliction in order to defeat her efficiently.
The new Normal Boss is called the "Statue of Marble and Brass" and can be found in the Faded Castle area of the new Nostoi Region, which does involve starting the ‘Canticles of Harmony’ quest series in order to unlock it, though completion of the entire thing is not necessary. This boss deals physical and Pyro DMG as well as using a Geo shield, so it is recommended to bring Geo and/or claymore-wielding characters in order to most effectively defeat it.
The new Elite Enemy is known as the Praetorian Golem, and these can be found across the new Nostoi Region and Sea of Bygone Eras. Similar to the "Statue of Marble and Brass", it is a Pyro enemy with a Geo shield, so Blunt Attacks are most effective at destroying its shield to temporarily paralyse it.
Limited-Time Events
Version 4.6 introduces some new limited-time events as well as bringing back some old favourites with a new twist.
The flagship event for this version is the ‘Iridescent Arataki Rockin' For Life Tour de Force of Awesomeness’ which will start on May 6th and be available until May 27th. Arataki Itto is well-known in the fandom for his rather eccentric personality and this shows in the kind of events he is centred in, from his ‘Great and Glorious Drumalong Festival’ in 2.7 to his ‘Blazing Armor Beetle Battle Boot Camp’ in 4.3. This will be Itto’s first time in the spotlight with a flagship event for a version, and appears to be a music event that takes place on Watatsumi Island in Inazuma, and features the return of Dvorak, who was last seen at the Lantern Rite Festival in 3.4. Completing all the event objectives will also earn players the character Gorou for free.
4.6 also sees the long-awaited return of the Windtrace event for the first time since 3.3, however this time with a new twist. This version’s event, titled ‘Windtrace: Seekers and Strategy’ makes the hide-and-seek game more resemble something like Dead by Daylight as the Rebels (hiders) must repair the Signalling Devices while evading capture from the Hunter (seeker). Rebels can now also be freed after their first capture, either by waiting in jail for a timeout or upon being freed by a fellow rebel.
Meanwhile, another new event that 4.6 is introducing is the Specially-Shaped Saurian Search, which will involve players taking on several ‘Negotiation Strategies’ and challenging various bosses from the Pyro Regisvine to the Jadeplume Terrorshroom with adjusted difficulties. The event is unlocked by a short quest involving the NPC Ranjit, who has just returned from Natlan and may have some things to say about his journey there.
In addition, the Vibro-Crystal event is being rerun for the first time since 3.5, this time known as ‘Vibro-Crystal Applications’. This is a combat event where players choose two teams of up to four characters, similar to the Spiral Abyss, and select buffs by combining Transmitter Crystals and Receiver Crystals to take on various combat challenges in a domain in The Chasm.
The Overflowing Mastery event will also return for 4.6, allowing players to earn double Talent Level-Up Materials from Domains of Mastery for a week, likely towards the end of the version.
Concluding Thoughts
The Genshin Impact Version 4.6 update, though not as big as some previous updates, it has added many new features to the game that will certainly earn it a legacy among the fandom. From the addition of Arlecchino as a playable character, who many fans have been waiting for for just under two years, to the new Nostoi Region and Sea of Bygone Eras and their associated lore, as well as the upcoming Watatsumi music event with Itto, this update will certainly be one to remember.
There were also several smaller changes and additions that I didn’t mention, such as the new Genius Invokation TCG cards for Abyss Herald: Wicked Torrents, Emperor of Fire and Iron, Faruzan, and Kuki Shinobu, or new functions such as the new Focused Experience Mode for archon quests and story quests, or Quality of Life (QoL) changes such as a ‘Quick Obtain’ feature when crafting furnishings for the Serenitea Pot.
The update has been out for a week now, and I have thoroughly enjoyed playing it and experiencing all the new content for myself. I am particularly delighted to have finally obtained Arlecchino as a playable character after waiting patiently for her ever since her first reveal. I think her story quest was also very well-written and well-executed in a way that shows off her character and her potential just great. Her weekly boss fight is also very fun and challenging, probably the most difficult boss fight in the game actually. I also loved exploring the new regions, I think they were very well designed and so was the lore and backstory that the associated world quests delved into. I am really looking forward to Itto’s music event as well as the new Windtrace and the Saurian events and hope they do not disappoint!
To everyone reading this, I hope you enjoy Genshin 4.6 too!
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