The free-to-play, gacha game Genshin Impact has seen immense success since its release in 2020, thanks in no small part to the incredible story it’s beginning to weave. Gods, abilities called visions, and a plethora of different regions have all meant the lore in Genshin Impact is rich and bountiful.
The lore is so rich that a lot of it isn’t even explicitly mentioned in dialogue or quests within the world. A heavy chunk of some of the most fascinating lore lies in the descriptions of things called artifacts, equipable objects that make the player character stronger, and each set of artifacts tells its own, intricate story.
10 Signora’s Identity As The Crimson Witch Of Flames Was Hidden In Plain Sight
The Crimson Witch Of Flames was a young woman who studied the arcane arts at Sumeru Academia. When she returned from her studies, she discovered her lover, who had given her a hydro timepiece, had died in the fall of Khaenri’ah. Consumed by grief, she used the power of the timepiece and liquid fire to transform into the Crimson Witch.
However, the Crimson Witch wasn’t an unnamed NPC; she was Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter, better known to the player as the villainous La Signora. When Signora reveals her true identity, any player who has read the artifact set description would almost feel guilty ending her life despite the atrocities she’s committed. Signora was a young girl in love once upon a time, her future another victim of the cataclysm.
9 The Viridescent Venerer Was The Queen Of Hunters
The Viridiscent Venerer was a hunter who respected both man and beast, her hunting skill completely unmatched by anybody else. She treated every creature she killed preciously and believed she would see an endless hunting ground when she died. She walked the land before the cataclysm, so silently no one could find her except one boy.
Tragedy struck, however, and the boy who found her was killed by an abyss beast that appeared during the cataclysm. The Viridescent Venerer gave herself over to vengeance and suffering, hunting down the creature that killed the boy and becoming a murderer of these abyss creatures. Because she began hunting for vengeance and not survival, she gave up her chance of seeing the endless hunting ground, and the image of her hat became feared by the abyss monsters.
8 Retracing Bolide Tells The Story Of A Kitsune’s Everlasting Love
An emotional story of fleeting moments, Retracing Bolide recounts the tale of a man who meets the same kitsune throughout his life, but only underneath the summer festival fireworks. All five parts of the set are pieces the kitsune has left behind that the man has collected.
From the descriptions, it’s clear the kitsune has cared for the man since he was a child, watching from afar and making sure he was safe. Eventually, likely because she is immortal and the man is not, the kitsune chooses to stop appearing to him, leaving a note behind on her mask to apologize.
7 Ocean-Hued Clam Tells More Of The Story Of Watatsumi And Its People
The sea-themed set goes into more detail about the residents of Watatsumi Island, who are descendants of an ancient civilization called Enkanomiya. It mentions how Omikami, their god, chose shrine maidens from their people, how the Divine Priestess influenced and cared for them, and how each piece of the set is a treasured part of Watatsumi history.
One of the more recent Genshin Impact updates introduced players to Enkanomiya, but there’s still a plethora of information that only the Ocean-Hued set touches upon.
6 Emblem Of Severed Fate Tells The Story Of Chiyo’s Left Behind Son
Chiyo was one of the Raiden Shogun’s dearest friends, who was swallowed whole by a “beast of sin” during the cataclysm and emerged corrupted. After turning on the Shogun, she was killed by her beloved friend but left behind her eldest son, Mikoshi Doukei, later known as Iwakura Doukei and Douin.
For a long time, Mikoshi mourned his beloved mother, living a life of seclusion in Konda village until he met a tengu named Teruyo. Teruyo not only gave Mikoshi a new name, Iwakura, but she also taught him sword skills and more. Eventually, the two parted ways, and Iwakura found himself as the Kujou Clan’s sword instructor under the name of Douin. The maguu kenki boss was also modeled after him.
5 The Pale Flame Set Gives Background Information On Five Harbingers
Through context clues, players can discern that each of the Pale Flame’s artifact pieces describes one of the eleven Fatui Harbingers. The overarching theme of the set is that Pierro, who is number 1 of the Fatui Harbingers, approached every one of the members in turn and convinced them through various means to join the harbingers.
The members alluded to are Dottore, Signora, Scaramouche, and the as yet unseen Pantalone. Although it’s common knowledge that the harbingers are named after the Commedia dell’arte, this is the first time Pierro’s name has been confirmed.
4 Maiden Beloved And Bloodstained Chivalry Were A Tragic Love Story
Some sets don’t just tell their own stories; some are connected. In the case of the maiden from the Maiden Beloved set and the Bloodstained Knight from the Bloodstained Chivalry set, it’s a sad connection indeed.
The maiden and the knight met one fateful day when he saved her life, the two exchanging flowers as a token of their blessings. The maiden immediately fell for the knight, and for her, time stood still that day, but the knight had a duty to slay beasts from the abyss for justice. He eventually saw himself as a monster due to all the creatures he’d killed, while the maiden never stopped waiting for him with love in her heart.
3 Defender’s Will Tells The Story Of Rostam
Best friends and rivals with a man named Arundyolyn and often teased by him for his stoic attitude, players can infer, even if he isn’t mentioned by name, that Rostam is the man described in Defender’s Will. Rostam was a knight in the Knights of Favonius, but players find out Rostam met a tragic end from other artifacts sets.
Rostam is the same man who was in love with the Crimson Witch Of Flames, and the same man who taught the Bloodstained Knight everything he knew. Rostam’s entire story is told mainly through artifacts.
2 Noblesse Oblige Discusses The Fall Of The Nobles In Mondstadt
While Eula and her story mission give a lengthy insight into why the citizens of Mondstadt no longer trust or like nobility, the Noblesse Oblige set goes into further detail, discussing how the nobles flaunted their wealth set them on a dark path.
The nobles began dismissing the people of Mondstadt, caring less and less about fulfilling their needs and more about lining their own pockets. The people began to look at them with resentment and disgust as the nobles increasingly used their money for selfish purposes.
1 Tenacity Of The Millelith Tells Players About The Horrors Of The Chasm
The Tenacity Of The Millelith set tells the story of how the millelith, the military force of Liyue, bravely chose to head to The Chasm alongside the nameless yaksha to fight the creatures from the abyss that had emerged there.
At-risk to their own lives, they evacuated all of the citizens and workers and bravely fought against a force they knew they had little chance against. The set not only pushes the bravery of the millelith and how brilliant they are, but it also gives more background to the nameless yaksha.
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