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Following the controversy surrounding the PS5’s voice chat functionality–and Sony having to clarify that it would not be recording your voice through the console–the company has offered an apology and a better explanation of how chat is going to work on the system.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog, SIE VP of Global Consumer Experience Catherine Jensen said that the voice chat recording function will be used for players to report harassment while playing games. The most-recent five minutes of a voice chat will be available to players to record and send to Sony’s consumer experience team to make a decision.

The notification players see that lets them know they may be recorded is likely a matter of legality. In certain regions, including some parts of the US, it is illegal to record someone’s voice without their consent.

“Please note that this feature will not actively monitor or listen in on your conversations–ever–and it’s strictly reserved for reporting online abuse or harassment,” Jensen said. She added that users will not be able to opt out of this feature in order to ensure that everyone is held accountable if they are being abusive online.

So there you have it: Sony isn’t spying on you with the PS5. Microsoft ran into similar controversy at the start of the Xbox One’s lifespan because of its Kinect voice functionality, which listened for a voice command to turn on. Microsoft has since discontinued Kinect and unlike Sony, isn’t even offering a camera for its console at launch. A lot can change in seven years.

The PS5 and PS5 Digital both launch on November 12, just two days after Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 takes Michael Burnham 930 years into the future to the year 3188. After coming through the wormhole, Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) crashes into a ship belonging to Cleveland “Book” Booker (David Ajala), causing them both to crash land on the planet Hima. Book is a courier, on a mission to repatriate his stolen cargo. He has a cat named Grudge, and a mysterious connection to plants and animals.

Book informs Burnham that The Federation collapsed over a hundred years ago, after an event called The Burn. This was the day that most of the dilithium exploded. Lost and alone, Burnham asks Book for help to locate and contact her ship, the USS Discovery. Chastity and Greg recap the story and comb through Episode 1 for Easter eggs and Star Trek references.

Ikenfell is a magical school in its seemingly natural state: peril. Students have gone missing, strange trees are cropping up, and other magical anomalies plague the land. As Mariette, the non-magical yet still worried sister of one of Ikenfell’s students, you embark on a journey through this pixelated 2D RPG adventure to save her, the school, and maybe the whole world. A number of interesting ideas in both story and combat make Ikenfell an appealing prospect, but since some prove stronger than others in execution, ultimately it’s a journey with more than a few bumps in the road.

As the game begins, Mariette almost immediately gains supernatural pyromantic abilities thanks to strange magical occurrences. It actually feels a bit at odds with the message of not needing to be magical to be heroic, which throws the vibe off kilter right from the beginning. The conceit does make sense within the context of the story, though, and sets out one of the first mysteries in the game. New forms of magic are cropping up, and even some who previously had no magical powers suddenly find themselves wielding elemental magic. Mariette can use her new fire power to take on the various magical enemies of Ikenfell in turn-based isometric grid battles, with a bit of a twist.

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Combat is a fairly large part of the game and is mostly turn-based. Turns are split between a movement phase, where you position your team on the battlefield, and then an attack phase where you select from combat options that have their unique ranges and damage, and sometimes added effects. Starting out you’ll have basic attacks which do moderate damage to a single enemy in front of you on the grid. As levels are gained, party members added, and moves are unlocked, more strategies and styles open up.

The strategy really gets quite flexible as no two moves from any party members are the same; they each have their own skill sets which suit their characters. The impulsive electric wielder can teleport in and out of danger quickly, whereas the timid alchemist has limited range and does best at healing or poisons. Even though I eventually found myself settling on the party of three I preferred, I still found myself using the full selection of their moves in different battles. This is thanks to the wide variety of enemies which all can be approached in a variety of ways. I tended to use poison and regeneration spells in long fights against high-HP enemies, for example, rather than bombarding them with direct damage. For heavy hitters I’d make note of their attack patterns and position my crew accordingly, which would change the feasible attacks. The mechanics are simple but present enough strategic considerations and opportunities to keep the formula feeling relatively fresh over time.

The twist to the battles is that, while turn-based, they incorporate timed elements. Each attack and even each defensive maneuver will have its own unique animation and timing. Despite being relatively simple pixel art, some of these are just gorgeous and filled with personality. Hitting the button in time with the animation and sound will determine how successful your attacks are. Some may do more damage, while others may need solid timing to inflict status effects. When defending, timing a button press to the block will reduce your damage.

In the beginning, I really enjoyed this system. While the early battles were easy, simply having something to give me a boost made me feel a sense of mastery over the combat. Timing something right just feels good, almost like you’re flicking your wrist in the final moment of casting a spell or actively bracing for defense at the crucial moment. It also makes spells you’re consistently good at really feel like your own, like your practice has paid off. However, timing something badly is frustrating and with so many different attacks from both sides to learn, it can be tricky to get it right consistently. The timing elements mean you always have to be aware of what’s happening on the battlefield and not being able to pause during battles requires a high level of diligence.

The impact of how successful you are at timing is immense, which makes it a bit double-sided in that failing them can work against you as much as success can work in your favor. The clutch mechanic, which allows you to survive a lethal blow on successful defense, means it’s literally a life and death difference. As I went further through the game I ended up swapping the option in the settings to semi-auto, giving me a bit more leeway, and I much preferred it. This change got rid of some of the more unfair-feeling losses from timing that I swear I had nailed and it encouraged me to experiment without the fear of losing outright. You can also turn it completely off, and while I didn’t prefer that option, it’s an important one to have to make the battles more accessible.

Alongside battling, there are also puzzles to solve. Most are fairly standard in that you might need to flick a series of switches, push rocks around, or gather specific items. They’re usually the right amount of challenging to make you think without leaving you stuck, and they provide a nice break between battles. However, some just feel purposefully obtuse. Once I had to look for books in the library and I just ended up interacting with all the shelves until I found them–there didn’t appear to be a marker or strategy to help. Sometimes there are invisible paths with little to signal them other than, “I guess I’ll just try walking through this wall.” In that way, Ikenfell can sometimes feel as confusing as it is magical.

Battles and puzzles take place all over the school grounds and the surrounding areas of Ikenfell. Each area has its own lovely chiptune themes to match the environment. The battle music doesn’t tend to change, though, and as you’ll enter into so many of these it can get repetitive–except when it transitions into a few voiced songs for specific character moments to show off their personalities and intentions. Unfortunately, these aren’t very good and can be incredibly jarring when it happens mid-game. I often found myself turning the volume down during these sections.

The story has you explore different dungeons in the form of classes, dorms, libraries, and more as you try to find your sister and work out what’s going on. All the different areas offer new backdrops, enemies, and puzzles to solve. I feel like every time I was getting bored with one place, Ikenfell would usher me into another with a fresh set of exploration opportunities. The variety is lovely but it also has a very “Sorry, your princess is in another castle” feel, where I always felt strung along thinking the story was close to ending but it just kept going. Naturally, this started to feel tedious at times. The drip-feed of story progression drifts into slow and unrewarding for your troubles at times.

The story itself is just kind of odd. It’s definitely a direct parody of Harry Potter, though somewhat gender-swapped and queer as all get out. But the same plot holes that plague the halls of Hogwarts are still present here. Students are somehow as powerful, or sometimes more than, teachers and engage what’s described as incredible feats of magic. Teachers let them and don’t seem to have any desire to be particularly helpful, despite the end-of-the-world stakes. They may be intended as humorous nods, but in effect come off as incongruous.

Despite this, Ikenfell has some interesting takes. It explores the kind of toll the actions of a heroic group of do-gooders, not unlike the trio from Harry Potter, is bound to take on a school. What about the people that get hurt for their brazen actions? How much stress does this kind of constant danger put on all of those meant to care for these students? What does a really progressive, queer-positive fantasy world like this even look like? And how does it feel to be excluded from this magical world as an ordinary person? There’s some unexplored ideas to the magical fantasy that deserved looking at, and Ikenfell does its best.

Ikenfell made me feel like it wanted to really care about these important issues, but it does nothing to explore them.

Unfortunately, the execution struggles at times, with things feeling a bit forced. For a game all about caring for each other, all you can really do is fight things and beat the crap out of them. A few times characters will even say things like “I’m so gay” after the story has already plainly shown us they are and most of the other characters are attracted to the same sex. Why is being gay a big deal in this world? Was there queer oppression? It’s ripe with queer internet culture but with no real anchor to the context within the fantasy world. This makes it feel tacked on as an afterthought rather than an authentic representation of real people.

Ikenfell made me feel like it wanted to really care about these important issues, but it does nothing to explore them. Characters sometimes break the fourth wall in odd ways to lampshade these ideals, but without context or relevance it often feels shoehorned in rather than true representation. I can see the beating heart of good intentions and ideas, but they ultimately feel fumbled.

Ikenfell is a game of good intentions. The take on RPG combat is both satisfying and interesting with enough options, both with in-game tweaks to characters and strategy and also directly within the settings, to help tailor it to your preferences. It just drags on a bit without feeling like anything has actually really happened until its final moments. The nice variety and wholesome vibes present a lovely little world to explore and save. There are just enough little pitfalls in the story and execution that can be quite grating when I wanted to feel immersed.

As All Hallows’ Eve closes in, many of us are wading into our collections of horror movies looking for a good, wholesome scare. The scariest option, though, might be to head into a movie theater to see the new supernatural horror film The Empty Man, which hits the big screen next week.

The Empty Man, based on a comic from Boom! Studios, tells the story of ex-cop James Lasombra (James Badge Dale) as he searches for a missing girl and comes across “a secretive group attempting to summon a terrifying supernatural entity.” As the trailer describes, all it takes to summon the Empty Man is finding an empty bottle on a bridge, and then blowing into that bottle while you think about him.

The story sounds pretty straightforward, but perhaps more interesting is the fact that this movie hits theaters on October 23 when so many movies are being pushed into 2021 or shifted to streaming services. The Empty Man is a holdover from before Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox. The studio first optioned the comic book in 2016, and the movie was initially scheduled to hit theaters on August 7, 2020.

The Empty Man is written and directed by David Prior, who makes his feature directorial debut with this movie; Prior has been directing and producing shorts and video documentaries since 2000. It also stars Stephen Root, Joey Courtney, Marin Ireland, Ron Canada, Sasha Frolova, and Robert Aramayo.

With next-gen consoles come new hardware standards. Among the new technical upgrades coming with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S HDMI 2.1 support. But what exactly makes HDMI 2.1 different, and is it worth buying a new TV for? We’re here to provide you with answers to those burning questions.

Below, we break down everything you need to know about HDMI 2.1, such as the improvements to color and HDR it offers. As you’d expect, its most significant benefit to gaming is the ability to output 4K at 120fps, so we also touch on some of the titles confirmed to support it. If you’re interested in buying a TV with HDMI 2.1, check out our roundup of the best 4K TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X. Otherwise, read on for everything you need to know or check out the video version of this feature in the player below for a more visual look at what we’ve detailed.

What Is HDMI 2.1, And What Are Its Benefits?

In short, HDMI 2.1 is the latest version of HDMI that distinguishes itself by being capable of transmitting an impressive bandwidth of 48 Gbps (GigaBits) in the cable. This is a considerable improvement from the previous 2.0 cables, which carry 18 Gbps. In general, bandwidth determines the max amount of data the signal in the cable can send. The higher the resolution and frame rate, the more data is needed.

If you’re playing a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X in 4K, you’ve been using a 2.0 cable that can support up to 4K resolution at 60fps with static HDR. HDMI 2.1 is capable of 4K at 120fps or 8K at 60fps. It also supports dynamic HDR lighting on a frame-by-frame basis and a color gamma of BT.2020 and 16 bit per color. In more straightforward terms, this means HDMI 2.1 is capable of supporting TVs that have a wide color gamut, making your image look more vibrant, crisper, and clearer than ever before.

HDMI 2.1 includes Auto Low Latency Mode or ALLM, which tells your TV that you’re playing a video game and instantly switches over to its low latency game mode setting. HDMI 2.1 also has VRR, a built-in variable refresh rate that keeps your display’s refresh rate in tune with a supported device’s frame rate, so everything you see move on-screen is kept smooth. The new consoles will support VRR between 30 and 120.

How Will HDMI 2.1 Benefit The Next-Gen Consoles?

So what does this all mean for your fancy new console? Well, both the PS5 and Xbox Series X use HDMI 2.1 to enable games to run up to 4K at 120fps. If you’re buying the more budget-minded Xbox Series S, the console also has an HDMI 2.1 port, but it instead targets a resolution of 1440p at 120fps, which HDMI 2.0 can already support. But using 2.1 on the Series S will still give you the benefits of dynamic HDR as well as improved color and subsampling.

The other benefit of HDMI 2.1 is 8K support. Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X are capable of outputting 8K, but very few games will run at 8K for the foreseeable future, meaning there isn’t much of a reason to worry about it for gaming. The big selling point of HDMI 2.1 right now is the improved color and 4K at 120fps, but you can rest easy knowing that such options will be available as 8K support becomes more widely adopted.

Which Next-Gen Games Will Support HDMI 2.1’s Unique Benefits?

All of this talk may make you wonder: “Why is this such a special thing?” In the past, high frame rates like 120fps have typically been the domain of PC gamers, so it’s a big deal that console gamers can enjoy it now too. A few examples of games that support 120fps include Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, Dirt 5, and the multiplayer modes in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Halo Infinite.

A few previous-gen games will also be getting 120fps updates for the new consoles, such as Gears 5, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and Rainbow Six Siege. As many PC gamers can attest, framerates above 60fps lead to a smoother gameplay experience and provide a competitive edge in multiplayer. So if you’re interested in having games run the best they can or want every advantage in Call of Duty you can get, HDMI 2.1 is for you.

How Do You Get HDMI 2.1 Up And Running?

For starters, you’ll need an HDMI 2.1 cable. The Series X will come with one in the box, and presumably, the PS5 will as well. But if you need to buy one, be sure to look for the key phrases Ultra High Speed, HDMI 2.1, and 48 Gbps. Always check the specs on the product page, and look at reviews to make sure the cable isn’t cheaply made.

The primary thing you need to worry about when it comes to your money, though, is having a TV that supports HDMI 2.1 and 4K at 120fps. Being a newer technology, you’re only going to find this in the latest models, and even then, not all of them will support it, so make sure to check the specs on the product page and reviews. If you’re planning on owning both next gen-consoles or want to plug in your PC as well, it’s worth noting that most TVs with 2.1 only have it on one HDMI port, meaning you’ll need to swap around system cables.

The only TV we’re aware of at this moment that has HDMI 2.1 in all of its ports is the new LG OLED CX Series. It also supports G-Sync and FreeSync, which is excellent for variable refresh rates in PC gaming and is, in our personal opinion, the best high-end gaming TV on the market that isn’t ridiculously priced. If this feature does have you interested in buying a TV, we have another article rounding up the best 4K TVs for next-gen, including the LG CX we just mentioned.

In Conclusion

With all of that said, if HDMI 2.1 doesn’t sound like something you need to have, then you can always wait until the technology becomes more widespread and less expensive. The reality is most games that aren’t multiplayer experiences aren’t going to support 120fps for a while. And the ones that do might not even be at 4K resolution, opting instead for 1440p or even 1080p. Heck, we’ll probably still be getting big-budget graphical showcases that shoot for 4K 30fps.

The improvements to color, dynamic HDR, and the variable refresh rate offered with HDMI 2.1 are still major advancements that more next-gen games will take advantage of. But how worthwhile these improvements are is all dependent on how you feel about your current TV. If you just upgraded your TV recently and don’t care about 120fps, then it’s best not to worry about HDMI 2.1 yet. But if you’ve been waiting to get a whole new setup for the next gen, then definitely consider HDMI 2.1 when looking at new TVs, if for nothing else than to give yourself more options in how you can play your games.

When you hear the words “free-to-play,” you probably think of very specific kinds of games: mobile time-killers, first-person shooters with loot boxes, MMORPGs. However, a story-driven, open-world action-RPG in a similar vein to Zelda: Breath of the Wild is probably not what springs to mind. But that’s exactly what Genshin Impact aims to be. It delivers a large, lore-filled, graphically lush world with nuanced combat, character-building, exploration mechanics, and co-op crossplay across multiple platforms at the most appealing price point possible–free! And while it succeeds admirably for the most part, it stumbles in a few key ways that remind you that there’s no such thing as a fully free-to-play game.

Genshin Impact makes a great first impression. The anime-inspired visuals are inviting and colorful, and the fully voiced, nicely choreographed cutscenes give the game the feel of a premium product. It also gets you going with the gameplay very quickly; thanks to solid control design, you’ll be running, swimming, climbing, dodging, gliding, fighting slimes, and slinging spells just a few minutes after the intro cutscenes wrap up. And once your first additional party member officially joins your posse, things start to get very interesting, as you’ll start to learn the ins and outs of the elemental interactions that make Genshin Impact unique.

Each character in Genshin Impact has one of seven elemental properties tied to them, which greatly affects what they can do for combat and exploration. While systems of strong and weak elements are extremely common in games, Genshin Impact takes things a step further, introducing unique and interesting ways for multiple elements to interact with objects and enemies. It starts with simple interactions: an object aligned with Dendro (nature) like a wood shield or structure burns with damaging flames when exposed to Pyro attacks, while pools of water can be frozen with Cryo element skills or used as a conduit for causing Electro damage in an area. Experimenting with other elemental combinations will yield more interesting results; setting an enemy on fire and following up with an Electro attack overloads them with energy and causes area damage, while using a windstorm can blow another source of elemental damage like Pyro or Hydro elsewhere while augmenting its strength.

You can swap between four active characters with a tap of the D-pad, giving you the ability to strategically chain attacks to great effect. The system makes party formation interesting: Do you double up on elements for bonuses or field a team of different elements, just in case you run across unexpected challenges and puzzles where they could be useful? It’s a fun and creative system that adds a lot of enjoyment to exploring Genshin Impact’s world, Teyvat.

And there’s plenty to do here, too. Even though many areas of Teyvat haven’t been made available to explore yet, there’s still plenty to do and see. There are chests to find, teleportation spots to activate, all kinds of raw materials to accumulate, side quests to complete, and big baddies to try and slay. If you want to stop exploring and relax a little, you can try your hand at cooking food, forging weapons, and even conjuring up rare items through alchemy. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can even explore certain dungeons with others online using co-op play–and, thanks to cross-platform compatibility, it’s easy to join up with others no matter what they’re playing on. Setting up elemental combos with a team of players is very satisfying indeed.

You’ll get more party characters, weapons, and loot as you play through the game normally, but there is a way to get some extra goodies: by opening up your wallet. [Editor’s note: Everything written here refers to version 1.0 of the game. As Genshin Impact is an ongoing games-as-a-service title, monetization methods and drop rates can change as the game evolves.] Genshin Impact’s monetization revolves primarily around “gacha,” a Japanese term referring to a loot box-style system. You spend in-game currency on a “wish” that will get you either a weapon or a new character, and buying 10 wishes at once guarantees a character or weapon of four-star or better rarity. While you can obtain said currency in-game for free in various ways, you can also buy it directly with real money. You can also use real money to buy upgrades like item sets or a Battle Pass that yields better rewards for your questing endeavors.

Besides utilizing a confusing currency conversion system (you buy Genesis Crystals, which you can convert to Primogems, which you then convert to Fates to spend on Wishes), the gacha can be very punishing. If you’re going for the top-tier gacha rewards, you’re either going to need to be really lucky or prepared to spend a lot of time and/or money. The drop rate for the coveted five-star characters is a mere 0.6%. Fortunately, every 10-wish roll comes with at least one four-star weapon or character, and these are more than sufficient to take on the game’s tougher challenges. It’s also possible to not spend at all–if you carefully save the Fate and Primogems you acquire in-game, you can still assemble a formidable team. With a 10-wish costing about $20-$30 (depending on how many Genesis Crystals you buy at once), opening your wallet to try for the best stuff can get very pricey very fast.

Despite this, Genshin Impact generally manages to dodge a lot of “pay-to-win” issues. Even if you get good characters and weapons, you still have to learn to use them well and gather materials to improve their abilities, which can only be achieved through gameplay, and the items you can buy aren’t an immediate gateway to becoming overpowered.

However, like many free-to-play titles, Genshin Impact is built around getting you to invest time in the game every day. You’ll need to explore to find hunting and harvesting spots for materials needed not only for crafting and cooking, but also upgrading your characters and weaponry and increasing your Adventurer’s Rank. The Adventurer’s Rank in particular can be rather frustrating, particularly early on. Many features like co-op play, certain regions of the map, special dungeons, and even the ability to start crucial story quests are gated behind certain rank numbers, which restricts your play in an otherwise open-world adventure. While plenty of activities in the game yield experience points for the Adventurer’s Rank, it can be tedious to spend time doing side quests and exploring areas you’re not particularly interested in to open up parts of the game that you do want to see.

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Another major issue is that, while Genshin Impact is certainly a very nice-looking game, its world doesn’t offer much that’s all that interesting to see. The landscapes, dungeons, and enemies are generic and samey, with little in the way of interesting areas or architecture to make the world feel distinct from many other anime-inspired fantasy environments. The character design has a similar problem; while the characters certainly aren’t unappealing, most of their designs don’t really stand out as being particularly striking or memorable.

One more important factor that might turn players off is that, because developer MiHoYo is located in mainland China, Genshin Impact is subject to rules imposed by the Chinese government regarding online chat, which means certain politically sensitive terms (like “Taiwan” and “Hong Kong”) are censored in conversation during co-op play. While this is an issue that affects all games from China, some players will understandably not be comfortable playing a game that’s subjected to such heavy government censorship.

Overall, Genshin Impact is a solid game hampered a bit by the restrictions its free-to-play model imposes. The overall production values are high, and the core gameplay is solid. In particular, the elemental interaction system is a ton of fun and gives the game a distinct personality. But while there’s a lot to do, having several chunks of Genshin Impact gated off until you’ve reached a higher rank is an obnoxious restriction for an open-world game to have–and once you finally do see what lies in those unexplored areas, it’s often a bit underwhelming. Still, it’s a solid start, and I’ll certainly be interested in seeing how Genshin Impact continues to evolve in future updates.

So you’re interested in trying out Genshin Impact, but there’s something you’re a bit worried about. While Genshin Impact is a free download, you’re told it makes money from something called “gacha.” And judging from what you’ve heard about other free-to-play games, you assume gacha is suffering. You’ve witnessed tales of woe on social media, of people spending hundreds of dollars in hopes of obtaining rare characters with nothing to show for it. You’re afraid of getting sucked into a vortex that invites you in for free but will proceed to empty your wallet and your soul.

Well, there’s good news for you–it’s very easy to enjoy Genshin Impact and take part in its gacha system without spending much, or anything at all! In fact, this may be one of the best gacha-driven free-to-play games for gamers on a budget. Even if you don’t get the luckiest results, you can enjoy exploring and questing through the game for free. To help you figure out how best to spend your resources, we’ve made a guide explaining Genshin Impact’s gacha mechanics and what to look out for. If you’ve any further questions about how it all works, be sure to leave them in the comments below. Otherwise, be sure to read our full thoughts about the game in our Genshin Impact review.

What is “Gacha”?

Gacha (named after popular toy-dispensing machines) is a popular monetization scheme that’s akin to loot boxes and often found in free-to-play games developed in East Asia. In games with a gacha system, the base game is offered as a no-cost download and is playable without spending money. However, you can choose to buy special in-game premium currency and spend it to “roll” for randomized elements that have an effect on gameplay–usually weapons, equippable items, and even playable characters. The system is especially popular in mobile games like Fire Emblem Heroes, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, and Fate/Grand Order.

In Genshin Impact, the gacha system is called “Wish.” Each wish costs a certain number of Fate items (either Acquaint Fate or Intertwined Fate). You can trade for these Fate items using an in-game currency called Primogems, and they can also be earned as in-game rewards and gifts. You can use either 1 or 10 Fates at a time for your Wishes. Each Wish rewards you with a weapon or character of 3-star or greater rarity, and the rarer the item or character, the better it is. The odds are definitely not in your favor for getting 4- and 5-star results; however, you have 5.1% odds of a 4-star pull and a mere 0.6% for 5-star stuff. But there are ways to get what you want eventually, which we’ll explain later.

So How Does Real Money Factor Into This?

As you play, you can choose to buy an item called Genesis Crystals, which can only be acquired through real-money purchases. While they can be used for other things besides rolling (such as buying special in-game item bundles), the primary use for most players will be trading Genesis Crystals for Primogems, which can then be traded for more Fates to Wish with.

Can I Wish Without Spending Money?

Yes. You earn a lot of Primogems just by playing the game normally. Exploring, completing quests, defeating enemies, opening chests, and even checking your adventurer’s handbook when prompted are just a handful of things you can do to get Primogems without spending a penny. It takes 160 Primogems to acquire a single Fate item, so you’ll have to earn quite a few for a Wish, but by playing regularly, you’ll earn enough for many rolls on the gacha.

I’m Willing To Spend Money. What Offers Me The Best Value For My Dollars?

If you’re willing to spend larger amounts at once, your money will go a bit further. For example, buying the 1,980-Crystal pack once at $29.99 is a better value than buying the 60-crystal pack for 99 cents. You’d need to buy the 60-pack 33 times to get the same amount of Crystals at the cost of $32.67. (Also, each first-time purchase of a particular Crystal bundle games with extra Crystals, which are not included in subsequent purchases.)

The minimum you can spend for a single Wish roll is $2.97 by buying three 60-Crystal packs at 99 cents each. This will get you 180 Genesis Crystals, which you can convert into enough Primogems to get a Fate with 20 crystals leftover.

One helpful option for those willing to spend money–but not too much–is the Blessing of the Welkin Moon. This item costs $4.99 and gives you 300 Genesis Crystals upfront, along with an “allowance” of 90 Primogems every day for 30 days. Basically, by the time its benefits expire, you will have the equivalent of 3,000 Primogems for a fraction of what buying them all at once would cost. (For reference, a 3,280-crystal pack is $49.99.) Unfortunately, only one Blessing can be purchased every 30 days.

Is There Any Way To Influence The Wishes To Get What I Want?

There are a few things you can do to increase your chances of getting higher-quality items. While you can’t increase the odds with your in-game accomplishments, you can aim for specific items and characters by spending your Fates on “banners.”

When you go to the Wish screen, you can scroll left or right to see different banner images advertising available characters and items. Each of these banners offers a slightly different item and character pool that it will pull your goodies from, with different odds for each. Some banners focus on weapons, while some focus on characters. There is always a “default” banner you can spend Acquaint Fate on that offers a curated selection of characters and weapons. This banner never rotates out, but does have new items and characters added to its pool periodically.

The banners to look out for are time-limited “promo” banners that advertise a specific character or weapon. After a while, these banners are not permanent and will rotate out to be replaced by banners with new characters and weapons. Generally, if you roll a 4-star or 5-star character on a promo banner, the odds are 50% that it will be a featured character. Also, many promo banners have exclusive characters and weapons you can only obtain on that banner. So if you see a banner featuring a character or weapon you want, you should spend your Fate items there–while you are not guaranteed to get them, if you do get a high-quality roll, your odds of getting what you want in particular will be better.

It is likely that, at some point, banners focused on specific elements and weapon types will be added, making it easier to get characters and weapons with particular alignments. Other gacha games often have a period of a few days each month where roll rates for high-rarity items are increased. Genshin Impact is still very early in its life, however, so it may be a while before these sorts of banners are implemented–if they ever are.

Still, the best way to increase the chances of getting a specific weapon or character is to save as many Primogems and Fates as possible, then wait to spend them all on a banner that offers higher drop rates for what you’re looking to get. This also makes it easier to utilize mechanics like collecting Masterless Starglitter/Stardust and “Pity rolls.”

What Are Pity Rolls?

Many gacha games offer a feature where, if you roll a certain amount of times but still don’t get the item you want, you’ll be able to get the item anyway through alternative means. This prevents people from spending absurd amounts of money chasing after a single thing and getting frustrated. It’s not a complete safeguard, but it does mean there’s a finite spending cap.

In the case of Genshin Impact, if you roll nine times on a promo banner and don’t get a 4-star, your next roll will be 4-star or better. If you roll 89 times on a banner but don’t get a single 5-star, the 90th roll will be a 5-star. So if you save up and roll enough, you will get a 5-star eventually. If you’re rolling on a banner featuring a specific character and roll a 5-star that isn’t that character, the next 5-star character roll will be the featured unit. Taking all of this into account, it makes sense to pool your resources and repeatedly roll on a promo banner if there’s a specific character you really, really want–or if you just want a 5-star character/weapon in general.

Also, with every roll, you’re given either Masterless Starglitter or Masterless Stardust. You can trade these under Paimon’s Bargains in the shop for rare items, characters, and more Fates for rolls. There’s a limited number of trades per month, and characters rotate in and out, so it pays to keep track of when the shop’s options renew.

Who Are The Characters I Should Aim For?

It really depends. Each character you can get from wishing offers a unique mix of abilities to aid you on your quest. While there is more to each character that makes them desirable beyond gameplay utility–appearance and personality are big factors–some of the available cast are comparatively very powerful. Also, more characters will be added into the mix as time passes, so the tier-list meta is likely to change, making any assessments we make here outdated in time.

Generally speaking, 5-star characters are superior in terms of stats and abilities, but there are many great 4-star team members. Here are some of the best characters to aim for if you’re just getting started:

• Diluc, 5-star: Generally considered the best character in the game as of this writing. He’s a Pyro-wielding, Claymore-slinging pretty boy whose elemental affiliation makes it easy to tear down enemies’ defenses. He can then go to town with regular and charged strikes before making everything toasty with a big elemental burst.
• Venti, 5-star: This bard of the wind is currently on the promo banner as of this writing. Venti’s offensive draw is an elemental burst that traps enemies and can be powered up through elemental reactions. But perhaps more useful are his exploration boosts: a 20% reduction in stamina usage and an attack skill that also sends him skyward are phenomenal aids in a game so heavy on field exploration.
• Keqing, 5-star: A shocking beauty who excels at slashing up foes. She has a robust, easy-to-learn offensive skillset that is great early on and only gets better over time.
• Fischl, 4-star: Fischl is a long-range Electro fighter who specializes in archery. Her main gimmick is a crow familiar who acts as an independent damage dealer and sticks around if you swap characters, letting you pull off lots of fun element interactions easily. Plus, she’s a 4-star, which makes her much easier to obtain.

But let’s be clear here: All characters in Genshin Impact are useful! Getting a big roster involves a substantial investment of either time or money, so most players have a more limited selection. Even a comparatively “weak” character can put in the work for you if you invest time in building them up. Also, if you have a limited pool of characters to pick from–say, you only have one Hydro user–they’re automatically going to be more useful to you than if you had every Hydro user.

One thing to note is that ongoing games like Genshin Impact tend to buff characters that appear to be lagging in the overall metagame after a while. So even if you get a character that seems to be lackluster now, there’s a good chance that sometime in the future, their abilities will be augmented significantly. It’s worth your time to put some effort into keeping all characters–including your lesser-used teammates–in top shape, particularly if they get improvements down the line.

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