Is Genshin Impact Pay-to-Win?

Genshin Impact took the gaming world by storm and is still a very popular game even a few years after its release. Its awesome graphics, story and gameplay have bred a lot of fans. But is Genshin Impact pay-to-win? 

Genshin Impact is pay-to-win as you can’t possibly get the most powerful setups via being a free player, and it’s not even that easy as a paid player. There is no player versus player (PvP) mode or daily chances to get good characters or weapons.

Let’s look at why Genshin Impact is such a popular game, the pros and cons of it, and whether the pay-to-win mechanics are so overwhelming that it is no fun for a free-to-play player.

Is Genshin Impact a Pay-to-Win Kind of Game?

Genshin Impact is a free game that has in-game transactions. These transactions mean that players who pay into the game are going to get better characters, referred to as 5-star characters.

These characters are obtained via Primogems, which are rewards from daily quests or tasks, events, and chests. All of these are accessible even by not spending any money.

However, the pay-to-win mechanic comes via Paimon’s Bargains. You can pay to obtain Crystals and those Crystals can be converted into Primogems, giving you more chances at these top characters.

The same is true for weapons, as you can trade Primogems for good weapons, but these are still obtainable from chests (however you can only get up to the 3-star weapons from chests).

From events, you can get the 4-star weapons, with the 5-star weapons, and limited edition 4-star weapons only available with Primogems.

The leveling up of characters is also basically doable even if you are a free-to-play player, but can be sped up significantly via using Primogems to get more Resin, which is the material for leveling up your characters.

Can You Win Genshin Impact Without Paying?

Genshin Impact isn’t an all-out cash grab where it is impossible to make any sort of progress unless you’re pumping money into it.

The key mechanic is a gambling one, so if you’re lucky and use the materials given to you in-game by completing levels and doing events, you could still end up with the characters you want.

But many players spend a lot of time trying to get these characters and failing as well as running out of all these materials, meaning that you’ll need to pay to get any kind of consistency with the things you want or need.

The 5-star characters and weapons require Intertwined Fates which are basically only available via using many Primogems.

They are still available through rare event rewards. If you manage to get these characters and weapons, you’re going to see the difference as they provide insane value to your team composition with a massive increase in damage output.

These items and characters will give you a lot of flexibility and utility, meaning overall the gameplay becomes much easier, particularly at the higher levels.

Is Genshin Impact Successful?

Since its release in September 2020, Genshin Impact has been a massive success. Part of this is that as a free game, many people can download it and play it to see if they like it or not.

Combining an interesting storyline with fun gameplay combined with monetization aspects, this action RPG game features both single-player and multiplayer modes and is available on all main platforms including mobile.

Making $245 million on mobile players alone in its first month of release, it’s definitely not wrong to say it’s been a financial success. 

This type of release means it has beaten other massive players in the mobile market such as Fortnite Mobile, Pokémon GO, and even PUBG Mobile. 

Part of its success comes down to players wanting to unlock more characters and items.

This is achieved via a gambling gacha-style gameplay that rewards grinding enough to earn in-game currency to buy the loot boxes called Wishes. You can also purchase these.

However, as there is a massive element of chance as to what you get from these Wishes, then even if you pump money into the game you’re not immediately guaranteed to get what you want, pushing you to put even more money into it.

Is Genshin Impact Worth Playing?

With the game constantly appearing in the top list of downloaded games and also having a large community online numbering in the millions, Genshin Impact seems like a fun game to play on the surface.

Many gacha games are in effect very boring games with no skill needed, with some games even allowing you to auto battle and speed up actual gameplay to earn currency for the gacha transactions.

Genshin Impact is different as it actually has fun gameplay, it is an exploration-based game in which you actually have to actively play to earn the currencies. The story quests in the game are fully voice-acted and it is quite immersive.

Most players agree that the beginning and middle phases of the game are the best from a story point of view, as well as being an enjoyable experience. This is also due to the fun mechanic of controlling four players and can switch between them at any time.

If you’ve played games that are heavy on microtransactions and gambling, you often find yourself staring at a boring, static screen or going through menus all day. Genshin Impact instead has you immersed in an actual game, a fun world and a story.

Some players criticize this as making the game feel way too grindy, but some players on the other hand love this aspect of it.

Currency rewards and quest rewards don’t really feel as rewarding, especially for special events. Generally, even as a free player, you can expect to get some serious loot and chances for good characters and weapons, but not in Genshin Impact.

The lack of PvP makes this a nonstarter for players who want a certain type of competitiveness, such as leaderboards. This does mean you can take your time, but often the best part of a game like this is linking up with a clan and doing big events together.