Genshin Impact version 4.0 launches August 16 – first details

Greetings, Travelers. This is the Genshin Impact dev team, and we’re proud to announce that Genshin Impact Version 4.0, As Light Rain Falls Without Reason, will arrive on Aug 16. In today’s blog, we’d like to take you to Fontaine, the upcoming fifth nation of Teyvat, where culture, art, and technology flourish under an intricate system of justice and trial.

For Travelers who have completed the Archon Quest Prologue Act III: Song of the Dragon and Freedom, a Teleport Waypoint at the northeast of the Sumeru desert will be unlocked, revealing the nation of Fontaine on the far shore atop a majestic waterfall. Ascend the waterfall, and you will see an aquabus that is ready to take you to the major locations of Fontaine as you cruise along the canals. Once aboard, you can enjoy a scenic tour guided by the special Melusine crew member. You can freely explore this area and tons of World Quests when you arrive at Fontaine, but Fontaine’s Archon Quest will only unlock if you have completed the last Archon Quest, Caribert.

A judgment, but also a performance

Presided over by Focalors, the current Hydron Archon, and the God of Justice, Fontaine has an intricate judicial system that provides a unique power named Indemnitium for people’s daily life. For example, it is used as energy to run the aquabuses and lights in households. The Indemnitium is generated through the process of trials via the Oratrice Mecanique d’Analyse Cardinale, a machine that harvests people’s belief in justice. Therefore, trials have become important public events at the magnificent Opera Epiclese, where magic, farce, tragedy, and various performances also occur. It will also be the stage for Fontaine’s Archon Quest, where the magician duo Lyney and Lynette will put on their first show, or trial at the Opera Epiclese.

From the Opera Epiclese, one can see the Court of Fontaine, the main city, reflecting the true beauty of Fontaine’s artistic attainments in the fields of architecture, entertainment, technology, and lifestyle. In this hub of culture and art, restaurants, opera houses, couture stores, workshops, and all manner of businesses thrive along lively streets packed with well-dressed individuals, creatures, and patrolling clockwork meka. However, apart from the glamorous upper town and bustling midtown, the city seems to have a seedy side in its sewers.

Dance with clockwork meka

Fontaine is also famous for leading technologies, and Travelers may have already benefited from some of their inventions, such as the Kamera. Aside from the Indemnitium generated from the belief in justice, the Fontaine Research Institute learned to control another power source, the Pneumousia, to provide energy for the clockwork meka, including those performing duties in the city and those hostile in the wild.

The dancing meka duo Coppelius and Coppelia is one of the most intimidating yet elegant inventions. In the new dual boss challenge Icewind Suite, you can choose to challenge either Dirge of Coppelia and Nemesis of Coppelius, each performing a distinct combat sequence inspired by dance moves and figure skating. Once activated, Coppelius or Coppelia will unleash ferocious but graceful attacks that deal Cryo damage as it spins or dances.

Dive into underwater legends

As the nation is surrounded by water, Fontaine offers unique underwater adventures. It is said that today’s city was rebuilt near its drowned sites and that some creatures still live there. Certain areas of Fontaine can even allow Travelers to dive underwater for the first time.

Thanks to a special blessing, you don’t have to worry about running out of oxygen underwater. But you will be given an Aquatic Stamina bar which will be consumed by sprinting underwater. You can collect Recovery Orbs to restore your stamina, or even pass through the Turbulent Bubbles to accelerate your movements.

Combat is also different in the water. To attack underwater, you need to harness the ocean’s wisdom by absorbing unique abilities from special creatures in order to defend yourselves, break traps, and unlock treasures ensnared by seaweed.

Another new boss awaits in an underwater cave, but thankfully, you can also use your combat skills on land. The Armored Crablord, Emperor of Fire and Iron not only has the defense ability like an iron crab, but also unleashes vicious Pyro attacks through its body organs. More stories, mysteries, and history of the past are also buried deep beneath the waters.

Recruit the fontaine siblings

The first three playable Fontaine characters are siblings: the magician duo Lyney and Lynette, and Freminet the diver. Travelers who reach Adventure Rank 25 and above can even claim Lynette for free through the latest seasonal event.

Lyney is the reliable elder brother of the three, and he is known as one of the most dazzling magicians in Fontaine. As a five-star character, he is skilled with his bow and brings Pyro-element tricks during combat. When Lyney fires charged Prop Arrows, it can summon a magical Grin-Malkin Hat that can taunt nearby enemies. At the climax of his combat performance, Lyney turns into a Grin-Malkin Cat, burning the enemies nearby and igniting fireworks to end the fight.

Different from her elder brother’s extroverted persona, Lynette stays low-profile as a magician’s assistant with keen observation, always assisting her brother Lyney from behind the scenes. By entering a high-speed Pilfering Shadow state, this 4-star Anemo sword user can approach the enemies in a flash and follow up with a piercing Enigma Thrust. At the height of her Elemental Burst, Lynette uses skillful sleight of hand to summon a large Bogglecat Box that deals Anemo damage at intervals, and it is also able to fire Vivid Shots that deal DMG from the corresponding element.

Armed with maritime knowledge, the youngest brother Freminet is an exceptional diver, but prefers to stay out of the limelight. This 4-star Cryo character wields a claymore and prefers calm, icy strikes when entering the Pers Timer state upon casting his Elemental Skill. This professional diver will borrow the power generated from fully-pressurized Pers to inflict powerful Cryo and Physical damage. By unleashing his Elemental Burst, Pers Timer is boosted with higher efficiency and increased combat capabilities.

Lyney, Lynette, and Yelan’s rerun will be available during the first half of Event Wishes in Version 4.0, followed by Zhongli and Tartaglia’s reruns. Meanwhile, Freminet will make his debut in the second half of wishes. Satisfy prerequisite conditions, and you can even invite Lynette for free in a limited-time event.

More game quality-of-life features

With abundant new adventures to explore, we will also introduce several significant functions and features in the upcoming Version 4.0 to boost the visual, control, and game performance on PlayStation.

To further enhance lighting effects and to boost its degree of realism, we are introducing a brand-new feature, Global Illumination (GI), in certain areas of Teyvat. A key aspect of GI is indirect lighting, namely how light bounces and scatters off surfaces onto others. Unlike direct lighting as the only light source, GI allows objects, especially their colors, to be affected by multiple indirect lights from surrounding objects. For example, with GI enabled, walls, windows, or any other building parts may get affected by indirect lighting from nearby red tiles, creating a softer and more natural-looking shadow with a subtle reddish hue.

Thanks to the powerful GPU, we will also add two features to enhance immersion underwater: the swarm simulation and soft-body simulation. The former mimics how a swarm of creatures move and is able to present amazing phenomena such as fish tornadoes where each individual fish has its own moving pattern, but together, they form a big herd that is moving simultaneously. The latter is used to depict the water plants swaying with the gentle ebb and currents, adding an enchanting allure to the underwater exploration.

Meanwhile, we’re also experimenting with motion-controlled aiming using the DualSense wireless controller on PS5 and Dualshock 4 on PS4. By tilting or rotating the DualSense or Dualshock 4 controller, players can now fine-tune the aimed shots more precisely using the controller’s built-in accelerometer and gyroscope. For instance, if you want to aim up with your bow at birds flying overhead, you only need to tilt your DualSense controller upwards, akin to the way one would aim in the real world. Additionally, gameplay on PlayStation will also gain a loading speed boost, with special mention to that on PlayStation 4.

Last but not least, at the imminent release of Version 4.0, we’d like to express our heartfelt gratitude for every player’s support on the journey. The curtain on Fontaine’s story is about to rise, and we will see you in the next chapter.