Genshin Impact: How to get new characters in the game

Last Updated on: 10th August 2022, 02:26 am

One of the most popular action role-playing games right now is HoYoverse’s Genshin Impact. With its unique character designs and vibrant open world, it’s easy to lose track of time exploring Teyvat. With its regular updates, there’s almost always something new to look forward to, such as the upcoming Sumeru region.

The game is free-to-play and currently available on several platforms, including Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android, with a Nintendo Switch version currently in development. Therefore, the game is one download away for curious people.

However, while the game can technically be played for free, it is monetized through the gacha system called “wish,” where players can pull for new characters and weapons. This means that getting the characters that you want is a game of chance. You can try using some of the best Wish Simulators here to get a feel for how this works.

That might sound a little discouraging if you’re new or just planning to play the game. But you should know that there are still ways to get the characters you want, even without spending a single penny. Here’s how you can get new characters in Genshin Impact.

READ MORE: GENSHIN IMPACT: ALL PYRO CHARACTERS

You can get new characters for free

Yup, you read that right! Genshin Impact has some free characters waiting for you. You can get most of them by progressing through the game’s story. These characters include Amber, Kaeya, Lisa, Barbara, Xiangling, Noelle, and Aloy.

If you’re wondering how exactly you can acquire these free characters, be sure to check out our list of free Genshin Impact characters here.

Moreover, HoYoverse sometimes gives away free characters for players participating in time-limited events. An example of this is when you can get a free Fischl in the Summertime Odyssey.

READ MORE: GENSHIN IMPACT: ALL HYDRO CHARACTERS

You can get new characters by using Fates

Fates are Genshin Impact‘s gacha currency. With these, you can wish and try to pull for new characters and weapons from different banners.

There are two (2) types of Fates. These are the following:

Intertwined Fate, the pink wish currency, is used for the limited-time Promotional Banner, while Acquaint Fate, the blue wish currency, is used for the Standard Banner.

Now, the question is: How do you get these Fates? There are a couple of things that you can do. They are the following:

Level up your Adventure Rank

• You can do this by completing quests and commissions. When your Adventure Rank increases, you need to speak with Katheryne from the Adventurer’s Guild. However, you can only get Acquaint Fates in this manner.

Complete tasks in the Adventurer Handbook

• This handbook can be obtained after joining the Adventurer’s Guild and is accessed through the Paimon Menu. You can check the handbook for tasks and rewards. However, you can only get Acquaint Fates in this manner.

READ MORE: GENSHIN IMPACT: ALL GEO CHARACTERS

Level up your Battle Pass every season

• You can level up your Battle Pass by completing Battle Pass tasks. The level is up to 50, and you can get Fates every 10 levels. Free-to-play players can get Acquaint Fates this way. If you purchase the Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass (with real money), you can also get some Intertwined Fates.

Ascend your characters

• Fates are rewarded when you level up and ascend your characters to certain points. However, you can only get Acquaint Fates in this manner.

Make offerings to the Frostbearing Tree

• You can unlock the Frostbearing Tree in Dragonspine. By offering a certain number of Crimson Agate, you can get rewards including Acquaint Fates and Intertwined Fates.

Make offerings to the Sacred Sakura Tree

• You can unlock the Sacred Sakura Tree in Inazuma. By offering a certain number of Electro Sigils, you can get rewards including Acquaint Fates and Intertwined Fates.

Buy some from the in-game shop

• You can buy Fates from the in-game shop by using Masterless Stardust, Masterless Starglitter, and Primogems. Don’t worry, free-to-play players can obtain all of these. For paying players, You can also buy Genesis Crystals which we will discuss later.

READ MORE: GENSHIN IMPACT: ALL ELECTRO CHARACTERS

As you have noticed, Acquaint Fates are more common than Intertwined Fates. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you prioritize transforming your Primogems into Intertwined Fates instead of the Acquaint ones. Another reason is that Intertwined Fates are used to get new characters and/or weapons through the limited-time banners, while Acquaint Fates are used on the permanent banner.

How to transform Primogems into Fates

While there are several ways to get Fates, Primogems are more easily acquired. In fact, you can get Primogems in almost every quest, by discovering teleport waypoints and statues, and opening some treasure chests.

These star-shaped items’ main purpose is to be transformed into Fates, ultimately allowing you to wish for new characters and/or weapons. Therefore, free-to-play players will always have a chance to get Fates and the new characters that they want.

As for how many you need to get one (1) Fate, that is 160 Primogems for each. So, how do you do this?

Transforming your Primogems into Fates is easy. When you access the in-game shop, you simply need to go to Paimon’s Bargains.

On the other hand, if you wish for a character or weapon in any banner and are already out of Fates, the game will show a prompt asking you whether or not you’d like to get some Fates using your Primogems.

READ MORE: GENSHIN IMPACT: ALL ANEMO CHARACTERS

How to get new characters using Genesis Crystals

Genesis Crystals are a currency that can only be bought using real money. But how do you get new characters using these?

While Genesis Crystals cannot be used directly as a gacha currency, you can transform one (1) Genesis Crystal into one (1) Primogem. As discussed earlier, you can buy one (1) Fate using 160 Primogems. You can then try to pull for new characters with the Acquaint Fate and Intertwined Fate.

How to wish for new characters

Now that you already know how to obtain Fates that can be used to try pulling for new characters, let’s discuss how you can actually wish for them. Below are the steps:

Step 1: Open the Paimon Menu and choose the Primogem icon. You can also access the Primogem icon, as shown in the image below.

Step 2: Select the banner that you want. Again, the time-limited banners (both for the character and the featured weapons) require Intertwined Fates. The Standard Banner, on the other hand, requires Acquaint Fates.

In the Standard Banner, the 5-star prize pool always consists of Keqing, Jean, Qiqi, Mona, Diluc, and a 5-star weapon. In the Promotional Banner, you’ll get a chance to obtain the featured character or weapon for that season.

Step 3: Click “Wish x1” or “Wish x10.”

If you’re wondering whether you have a chance to get a 5-star character after a few wishes, the answer is, unfortunately, no. In the Promotional Banner, there is a mechanic called the Pity System.

READ MORE: GENSHIN IMPACT: ALL CRYO CHARACTERS

With this mechanic, once you reach around the 90th wish for the first time, there is a 50% chance that you’ll “win” and get the featured 5-star character for that limited-time banner. There is also a 50% chance that you’ll “lose” and get any prize from the Standard Banner prize pool mentioned earlier. The Pity system works so that your 90th wish (approximately) after “losing” in the Promotional Banner will be a guaranteed featured character from that banner.

Although there isn’t a featured character in the Standard Banner, the 5-star character or weapon in the prize pool mentioned earlier can also only be acquired when you reach around the 90th wish.

The good news is that your wish progress is carried over to the next banner. For instance, if you lost in a Promotional Banner and it has already ended, it is guaranteed that you will obtain the featured character in the next limited-time banner, provided that you have enough Fates. Check out our Pity Guide here if you want to track your Pity.

However, not reaching the 90th wish doesn’t mean that you won’t be getting any new characters at all. Along the way, you would be getting a lot of 4-star characters and weapons that can also contribute to your team.

That’s all you need to know about getting new characters. Genshin Impact‘s roster is pretty huge, and you can experiment with combining characters and triggering Elemental Reactions. While following the meta you see in Youtube videos or online guides is good, you don’t always have to stick to it and just enjoy. Just go ahead and create teams that work for you and play on your own terms!