What’s New in Genshin Impact 3.4?

The Lantern Rite Festival, new characters, and more!

It’s time for another version update of Genshin Impact. With 3.4 now released, here’s what Genshin Impact account holders can expect.

Genshin Impact Character and Weapon Banners

First Phase: Alhaitham and Xiao (feat. Yaoyao), Light of Foliar Incision and Primordial Jade Winged-Spear

Second Phase: Hu Tao and Yelan, Staff of Homa and Aqua Simulacra

3.4’s crowning glory is Alhaitham, a ‘feeble’ scholar and now Acting Grand Sage of the Akademiya. As the first Dendro melee-focused DPS, not to mention his good looks, players clamored to save up Primos for him.

On the other side, some players are glad that Yaoyao is finally released after being teased and mentioned years back. She’s the first (sorry, Baizhu) Dendro healer, which should fill in a spot in specific compositions. However, things remain to be seen if she works well in that niche.

The other three featured characters are reruns brought back by the Lantern Rite Festival. In particular, Hu Tao is a rarity because she’d been ‘banned’ from being featured during the Chinese New Year. That holiday is supposed to be the time for the Lantern Rite. It was a bad omen to have a Funeral Director during the celebrations. That should make Hu tao account holders slightly happier to see their main enjoying the festival with other Liyue characters.

This time, the festival starts on a date earlier than the real-life Chinese New Year, which lets Hu Tao join in the fun.

New Area to Explore

With the release of 3.4, the last desert area, the Desert of Hadramaveth, is opened. That means new chests and oculi to find and quests to complete. It has follow-ups to the Golden Slumber questline, something lore enthusiasts would love. Those quests will include the search for the ‘Eternal Oasis,’ which we get a glimpse of in the trailer.

The new boss, Setekh Wenut, is located here. It’s important to note because Alhaitham needs its ascension materials. Those who want him must farm this boss to level him up. The update also brings new Eremite enemies to encounter in this area.

Events to Earn Primogems in

First is the Lantern Rite Festival, of course. This version is called The Exquisite Night Chimes, and it’s based around a music festival. That also means our favorite Mondstadt bard is coming to Liyue! That’s not all. The festival has several activities you can do to make everything run smoothly.

Radiant Sparks

Collect coins along an obstacle course in the fastest time you can. The boost now has a fireworks effect, making this usual challenge more dynamic.

A Few Words in the Foreground

Help the festival assistants in performing a shadow puppet show. Guide the protagonist to where they should be by manipulating his environment. Tell his story of romance and yearning with adepti and demons.

Vigilance at Sea

This is a sailing activity where you must collect coins along a course. There are several new mechanics here, so it won’t be the same as the others.

Behind the Scenes

Someone is working hard behind the scenes to make the festival go as smoothly as possible. Help them out in this activity and defeat waves of enemies.

Other Events

Warrior’s Spirit

Remember one Inazuma event where you only had your sword and no skills? You had to parry and counter the enemies’ blows to defeat them. This is that event, returned in a new form. The mechanics have been updated and changed, but anyone who enjoyed the last iteration will enjoy this one too.

Almighty Arataki Extraordinary and Exhilarating Extreme Beetle Brawl

Itto’s back with another wacky event. This time, it’s about beetle fighting, his favorite pastime. We can finally fight and beat him at his own game! Or maybe not, but this event will be enjoyable either way.

Second Blooming

Lisa visits Sumeru and the Akademiya, where you encounter her there. Help her out, and you can receive her new skin for free.

TCG Additions and Changes

The TCG isn’t left out in the update! 3.4 adds two new character cards for Klee and Beidou. They’re strong in main gameplay, and now we can see how they fare in the TCG.

Yoimiya and the Maguu Kenki get hit with nerfs. The fireworks maker gets hit with an increased requirement to her Burst, now needing an extra dice and additional energy (3P/2E -> 4P/3E) to activate. The boss card becomes a pure summoner, losing its ability to deal damage while using skills to summon Shadowblades.

Collei gets hit with a minor one, as her talent card receives an additional Dendro dice to its activation requirements. In contrast, Minty Meat Rolls receive a buff, boosting 3 Normal Attacks instead of the former 2. Conversely, the Catalyzing Field reaction in 3.4 will only buff 2 attacks instead of 3.

More than that, the TCG is getting a limited-time mode: Heated Battle! Under the new rules, dice rolling is skipped to get 8 Omni-Element dice for every roll. This is sure to make battles faster and more exciting. Be warned that your opponent is also under the same rules, so you must take the initiative and go first before they do.

Celebrate the Lantern Festival and More!

There’s much to do in Genshin’s version 3.4 update. From the Lantern Rite to various other events, it will keep you occupied until the next version comes around. Even if they have time limits, take your time and don’t rush. Rushing things doesn’t leave too much room to have fun, and it’s easier to burn out that way.