Later this month, Genshin Impact is celebrating its third anniversary. As is the case with every anniversary celebration thus far, HoYoverse is handing out plenty of goodies to reward players for their dedication. During the newest Genshin Impact 4.1 announcement trailer, the publisher confirmed precisely what that would be. While many thought HoYoverse would evolve its rewards, it was revealed that the celebratory rewards will stay the same as last year. This has led to an outcry from the fanbase, especially those who expected something more after three years of support.
For the newest Genshin Impact 4.1 anniversary event, players will receive a few different rewards. This includes 10 Intertwined Fate, 1,600 Primogems, 4 Fragile Resin, a pet, and a toy. Overall, this amounts to 20 Wishes, which is what many fans focus on. For a lot of Genshin players, this number is disappointingly low, especially as a special reward. Additionally, this is the same amount of Wishes that HoYoverse gave players on the game’s last anniversary as well. Although the pet and toys are new, they aren’t enough to make Genshin Impact’s 3rd anniversary feel special.
A Free 5-Star Would Be A Perfect Genshin Impact 3rd Anniversary Rewards
One thing that I had hoped for as a Genshin Impact 3rd anniversary reward is a free standard banner 5-star character. With this system, players could choose from characters like Diluc, Qiqi, Jean, and more to add to their roster. Despite this sounding like a big ask, it isn’t outside of the ordinary for a HoYoverse game. For example, Honkai Star Rail gives players an early random 5-star character by wishing on the tutorial banner. Additionally, players can also choose a free 5-star character after a certain amount of Warps on the standard banner.Â
While this isn’t technically a free reward, nothing like this has ever been given out to Genshin Impact players. With three years of Wishing under many players’ belts, plenty of regular players would have gotten a free character using Honkai Star Rail’s method.
More Wishes May Ease The Pain Of Lacking Gifts
Though a free 5-star character may be asking for a bit much from Genshin Impact’s 3rd anniversary, there are other solutions to the problem as well. One simple answer involves giving the playerbase more Wishes. This sounds a bit boring at first, but HoYoverse could theme this to fit the 3rd anniversary and make it more interesting.
For example, after giving 20 Wishes on the 2nd anniversary, 30 Wishes seems like a clear progression. Potentially, these 10 extra Wishes could have made all the difference. In terms of gameplay and Genshin’s economy, 30 Wishes shouldn’t break the game as well. For three years of dedication, 30 Wishes feels more like a fitting reward.
A Unique Character Skin Could Have Made The Anniversary More Memorable
Besides more Wishes and characters, HoYoverse could have also focused more on cosmetic rewards for Genshin’s 3rd anniversary. While getting a toy and a pet is nice, these items have no use in gameplay. These items can feel like a waste, which is doubly true when they are lost among all the other Genshin trinkets. For cosmetic items, a unique glider or character skin would have been a much better choice. With so many Genshin characters in need of skins, seeing one as an anniversary reward would make for a fitting prize. For instance, a Genshin Impact 3rd-anniversary Venti outfit would make for one of the best rewards HoYoverse could give us. An exclusive glider would be slightly less cool than a skin, but still a better reward than a pet.
In the end, it’s disappointing seeing what Genshin has decided to release as 3rd-anniversary rewards due to how bland they are. Receiving 20 Wishes for free isn’t the worst gift in the world; however, it leaves a lot to be desired. There is no easy fix to this sort of problem since it’s impossible to find exactly what makes an anniversary reward special. A unique and personalized reward like a character or new skin may have been a step in the right direction. At the very least, these sorts of rewards could have made Genshin Impact’s 3rd anniversary a bit more memorable. Instead, players are left with the same Primogems and Intertwined Fates they can receive all year round and some smaller trinkets.
