Genshin Impact is a Free to Play game that makes most of its money from slot machine “gacha” type microtransactions. The biggest attraction to these gacha games are that they are the best way to obtain new characters. This guide will tell you all you need to know about unlocking new characters in Genshin Impact.
There will be no story spoilers in this guide.
Differences Between Four and Five Star Characters
I feel that it is important to preface this guide with a clarification on character star ratings. There are two different star ratings for characters: Four Star and Five Star. These ratings only depict the rarity of the character, NOT the power. There is only one version of any character, so if you have a character, you have the best version of that character.
While some characters may feel stronger than others, each character has unique abilities and passives. You may find that a team of Four Star characters are better for you than a team of Five Stars, depending on your playstyle. For a list of every character and their rarity, check out the wiki article on characters.
Free Story Characters
By simply progressing the main story quests, you will unlock a total of four characters. Your main character, the Traveler, is unlocked from the start. As you complete some of the introductory quests, you will progressively unlock three more characters. Once you have a full team of four from story quests, you will no longer obtain characters through quests.
Wish System
Shortly into the story, before unlocking all free story characters, you will unlock the Wish system. This gacha system is the best way to unlock new characters. Select the Wish icon in the Main Menu in game (Paimon’s Menu).
Types of Wishes
There are two main types of wishes: Standard Wishes and Event Wishes. Standard Wishes are the normal type of Wish that you can purchase at any time. Event Wishes only last for a set duration before being replaced. You can see the “Time Remaining” of Event Wishes in the Wish menu.
Both types of Wish have their own currency for purchasing. One Standard Wish is purchased with one Acquaint Fate. One Event Wish is purchased with one Intertwined Fate. These currencies have no other use other than purchasing their corresponding Wish.
There are also Beginners’ Wishes which can only be purchased 20 times. These Wishes are at a 20% Fate discount and guarantee a specific character (Noelle at the time of writing this) within the first 10 set. After you have bought all 20 Beginners’ Wishes, you will not be able to buy them again.
Purchasing Fates
Acquaint Fates and Intertwined Fates are primarily obtained through the Shop, though a few Fates can be earned in certain quests. Access the Shop through the Main Menu. Select “Paimon’s Bargains” to see the exchange of Primogems to Fates. Both types of Fate cost the same – 160 Primogems. Fates can also be purchased with Masterless Starglitter earned from duplicates.
Primogems are earned through normal gameplay and exploration. Primogems can also be earned indefinitely through daily rewards. Finally, Primogems can be purchased using the Premium Currency, Genesis Crystals.
Genesis Crystals are purchased in the Shop, under the tab “Crystal Top-Up.” Genesis Crystals have a one-to-one exchange rate for Primogems, which can then be spent on Fates.
Odds of Wishes
You can view the possible contents of a Wish by selecting “Details” on the Wish screen with the Wish selected. Each Wish has a different chance of containing different characters and items.
There is also a Wish Guarantee that will ensure you get at least one rare character or item after enough Wishes. You will get at least one Four Star or higher character or items for every 10 Wishes you buy. You will get at least one Five Star character or items for every 90 Wishes you buy. These Guarantees are reset each time you obtain the corresponding pull.
Which Wish Should You Buy
First, if you have not purchased all of your Beginners’ Wishes, buy them first. They are cheaper than the others and give you a great character to start with that fills a roll that the free story characters do not.
Once you’ve purchased all of your Beginners’ Wishes, you’re left with two choices. Event and Standard Wishes cost the same number of Primogems, so you should decide which one is more valuable to you.
Generally, certain rare (Five Star) characters and items can only be obtained by their corresponding Event Wish. The Event Wish can also contain the characters and items that Standard Wishes do. Since Event Wishes are a limited time, unless you do not want the current Event characters or items, the Event Wish is usually the better option.
That said, if you want a specific character or item that the Standard Wish drops and have no need for the current Event Wishes, purchasing a Standard Wish will give you the highest chance of getting that pull.
Duplicate Characters
A Wish can contain a character you already have. If it does, you will not obtain a second copy of that character. Instead, the pull will be converted to a Stella Fortuna specifically for that character. You will also receive Masterless Starglitter depending on the rarity of the character: 10 for Five Star characters, 2 for Four Star characters.
Stella Fortunas are used to unlock Constellations for a character, further increasing that character’s effectiveness. If you have earned the maximum number of Stella Fortunas for a character, you will instead receive additional Masterless Starglitter: a total of 25 for Five Star and a total of 5 for Four Star.
Other Ways of Earning Characters
Masterless Starglitter
The Masterless Starglitter you earn from duplicates obtained through the Wish system can be used to deterministically purchase characters and items. In the Shop, select “Paimon’s Bargains” and then “Starglitter Exchange” to see which characters can currently be purchased.
The selections of characters and items will cycle every month. The current duration of these purchases can be seen in the top left of the screen. You will only be able to purchase a set amount of each character or item until they are reset. The number of remaining purchases is shown under the character or item.
Events
You can earn characters through Events. You can see the current Events by selecting its icon in the Main Menu. Completing the Event challenge will earn you the character shown.