Genshin Impact 5.0 arrives today, and there’s a good chance you already know if you’re going to head to new region Natlan or add any of its newcomers to your roster. If, however, you’re like me and have fallen off the anime gacha game in the wake of HoYoverse’s newer offerings Honkai Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero, the new Genshin update might actually be a good reason to come back to Teyvat. I sat down at Gamescom 2024 to explore Natlan for two hours, and its adorable new Saurians have me seriously considering a return to action.
The Genshin Impact 5.0 release date is upon us, and it takes us over to Natlan, the Nation of War. You’ll find it far across to the west side of the Genshin Impact map and the best news – especially if you’re a returning player – is that you can fast travel there pretty early on. The only requirements are to Adventure Rank 19 and complete all the Archon quests for the game’s first region, Mondstat. That makes it easy to jump in and explore even if you haven’t been keeping up with the gacha game.
Of course, you can expect to meet a whole range of new Genshin Impact characters, many of whom are part of Natlan’s six distinct tribes such as the Children of Echoes and the People of the Springs. You’ll probably run into the former first, where you’ll pick up your Kamera for sightseeing and a Natlan Guidebook to help point you in the right directions for action – but not before you’ve met your first Saurian.
The Saurians are dragon-like creatures native to Natlan, and there are three variants, each of which unlock new ways to explore the map and solve puzzles. Shortly after your arrival, you’ll unlock the ability to ‘indwell’ Saurians, which is essentially a transformation activated when near the plentiful Saurian markers you’ll find scattered across Natlan.
The Tepetlisaurus are Geo-aligned Saurians, and they can burrow underground and use this ability to rapidly swim through rocks or climb up cliffs. The Hydro-aligned Koholasaurus can be used to quickly zoom across ponds, lakes, and rivers alike – whether they be filled with water or the superheated liquid Phlogiston. Finally, the Dendro-aligned Yumkasaurus have a long tongue that allows them to quickly grapple across long distances, creating mid-air platforms to help them rapidly scale to great heights.
Using the Saurians adds a fun new way to get about, and they make exploration feel more dynamic. They’re also used for puzzles, however; the main quest I take on involves driving a series of giant Shadow Pins back into place, which are suspected to be sealing the Abyss below them. To do so, I take on a series of assault courses where I must use the Saurian abilities to crunch my way through a series of crystal shards in a short timeframe, scooting through the rocks in Tepetlisaurus form.
The Saurians are a lovely addition, and the transformation points are scattered frequently enough that you’re rarely far from the one you want. My only real disappointment, then, is that as Natlan natives you won’t be able to make use of these newfound abilities in older regions across Teyvat, and I suspect it’ll be hard to adjust to their absence whenever I have to return to past zones.
Also joining me on my tour is a young Tepetlisaur that I encounter in my first few minutes in Natlan. You can name the critter whatever takes your fancy (I call him Benji), with a single chance to change it if you decide you’ve made a mistake. Poor Benji bears the Flamelord’s blessing, a power that’s too strong for current-day Saurians to contain. As such, we need to take the young’un on a pilgrimage to heal him from the affliction. By the time my demo comes to a close, I’ve had Benji for just two hours, but if anything bad happens to him I will be very upset.
The arrival of new Genshin Impact banners is of course a big pull for players too, and I get to experiment with 5-stars Mualani and Kinich, and 4-star Kachina. Mualani is great for traversal, using her Sharky Surfboard to quickly zoom around the world or zip between enemies in battle. Kachina, meanwhile, can slide and bounce around on her Turbo Twirly, a giant spinning top that deals out some excellent bursts of Geo damage.
Of the three, Kinich stands out as the most fun to use. He can attach a grappling hook to opponents and slide around them while dealing heavy Dendro damage. It took me a little while to adapt to the feel of it, but it’s relatively natural to pick up and feels rather satisfying to run rings around your foes. He also calls in Almighty Dragonlord K’uhul Ajaw to deal some true devastation.
There’s a lot to look forward to in Natlan then – and I certainly felt the pull to come back. With plenty still to do before the next Zenless Zone Zero update, I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to find the time, but I’d really like to go on some travels with Paimon and Benji again. Genshin Impact 5.0 is out now, Wednesday August 28, if you’re eager to do the same. You can play it for free.
If you are jumping in, make sure you’ve claimed all the current Genshin Impact codes for free Primogems and more goodies. You’ll want to check in on our updated Genshin Impact tier list to see who the best characters are right now too.
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