Genshin Impact update 1.3: Everything we know

When is Genshin Impact update 1.3 coming out? The previous update introduced the new region of Dragonspire, but while there are still new regions to be added to the game, the 1.3 update is heading in a different direction. Instead of a new area, the update focuses on Liyue, one of three regions already available on the Genshin Impact map. 

Throughout the update, different events will be added, more will be added to Liyue’s picturesque port, and we'll be getting a new character. So, here's everything we know about the Genshin Impact 1.3 update.

When is the Genshin Impact 1.3 update release date?

The Genshin Impact 1.3 release date February 3, 2021.

There will be a mix of story events and gameplay events, including stuff to push the general narrative along and activities that'll challenge your skills and dish out rewards. It won’t all be immediately available February 3, though, as some of it will need to be unlocked through progression.

Is there a new character in the Genshin Impact 1.3 update?

Kind of. This event introduces Xiao as a new five-star playable character. He’s not entirely a new character, though; He’s been featured in Genshin Impact’s overall story since you first arrived in Liyue, and has been long rumored as an upcoming fighter. This update will finally confirm those rumors, with Xiao set to be a core part of 1.3’s story.

Xiao is a reclusive, serious character, but having such a spotlight thrust on him could help bring him out of his shell a little bit more. He’s a polearm Anemo fighter, able to attack with whirlwinds and take the form of a yaksha, a masked demon slayer. He also has an ability where he can gain extra strength at the cost of a HP drain, so that will need to be carefully managed.

How useful he’ll be remains to be seen, but he’ll definitely be a cinematic fighter.

Which other characters feature prominently in Genshin Impact 1.3?

Quite a few. This probably makes up for the fact that we’re only getting Xiao as a 'new' character. During the events that make up 1.3 you have the choice to get any one of the following already introduced four-star characters for free: Xiangling, Xinyan, Beidou, Ningguang, Xingqu, and Chongyun.

It looks like there will be more development of the storyline between the Traveler twins. Depending on the choice you made at the very beginning of the game, you will either be playing as the male twin or the female twin, and only have got glimpses of what's going on with the other. The other twin appears again in the trailer, with the two reaching out to touch hands, suggesting this will be another focal point of the 1.3 update.

Keqing will also get her first character event wish on February 17. Nothing else around this has been revealed yet.

All the Genshin Impact update 1.3 events

There are four main events in the 1.3 update, as well as some mini ones. The main events are All That Glitters, Lantern Rite Tales, Theater Mechanicus, and Xiao Market, and each will have their own unique features:

All That Glitters
This is the narrative part of the 1.3 update, the part which centers around Xiao and quite possibly your twin. The lantern festival, which coincides with Lunar New Year, will likely form the backdrop to this event, while the story itself will focus on Xiao’s role as a demon hunter. Progress through this will unlock access to the other events.

Lantern Rite Tales
Lantern Rite Tales seems to be a treasure hunting event similar to Lost Riches in the 1.2 update. That quest had you exploring the new region, solving puzzles, and opening chests to earn rewards. While 1.3 takes place in the already explored Liyue region, Genshin Impact is using the photo mode to freshen things up. Though somewhat limited compared to other, more advanced, photo modes in games, Genshin Impact still allows you to take an array of snaps throughout the game. For this event, you’ll need to use those photography skills to progress. Throughout the region, you’ll need to take an array of photos to earn different colors, and color rewards are interchangeable with friends, so you can always swap them around.

Be warned that despite the game having a photo mode, you first need to collect the Kurios Kamera from Ji Tong in Liyue Harbor to officially begin the event. Ji Tong will also tell you what you need to take photos of each day too.

Theater Mechanicus
Theater Mechanicus is perhaps the most innovative event on offer, as it introduces a tower defense mini-game. But as you place towers down on a grid against waves of enemies, don’t expect to just sit back: You can get in there and defend your towers hand-to-hand. It can be played in single player or double. As you go on, you will unlock more advanced towers and rewards.

Xiao Market
The Xiao Market is an event shop, meaning it only takes special currency obtained during the event. It also has three stages, getting more stock the further you progress in your other events. Progression will be marked by the Traveller being able to release paper lanterns into the sky with the rest of Liyue Market. You earn this currency through winning rounds in Theater Mechanicus.

As for the minor events, there’s May Fortune Find You, which gives up to ten Intertwined Fates as a login bonus, and a variety of events around the market which can reward over 1600 Primogems if all the rewards are collected. But until we know more about how to get these rewards, we won’t know the chances of getting every reward on offer.

Are there any new enemies in the Genshin Impact 1.3 update?

The 1.2 update brought us icy versions of enemies we knew and loved (well, loved hitting with swords, anyway), but 1.3 is introducing an entirely new creature: the Geovishap.

Geovishaps look like big rock dinosaurs, around the same size as Ruin Guards. The 1.3 trailer shows them taking a lot of hits, and even two of them attacking at once, so expect them to be challenging. As if that wasn’t enough, they also come in the extra strong Primo Geovishap form, where they go from walking on all fours to standing upright, breathing out elemental beams, slamming their first down, and swinging their clubbed tails. 

I suppose it couldn’t all be taking selfies and lighting paper lanterns, could it?

What else you need to know about 1.3

As well as all of the new additions to the game, the biggest takeaway from the reveal was the new Genshin Impact album. Don’t expect Mona, Jean, Fischl, and Xinyan to be setting up a K/DA rip-off, though. Instead, The Stellar Moments is an upcoming album which features 17 different instrumental tracks based on different characters in Genshin’s world. Only Venti’s has been revealed so far.