At this point, almost everyone knows about the existence of Genshin Impact. It is also well-known for its gatcha system. But does the game’s focus on gatcha makes Genshin Impact pay to win?
What can you buy in Genshin?
Primogems/Banner wishes
The main way to spend money in Genshin is by buying Primogems. You can buy Blessing of the Welkin Moon (which gives you 90 primogems every day for 30 days) or Genesys Crystals, and then convert them to Primogems. There are a few other ways to spend Crystals but they are not very efficient (apart from character skins, of course).
Primogems are used to participate in Genshin’s gatcha. If you are not familiar with gatcha, every certain amount of openings/rolls will have at least one rare item. In Genshin’s case, every 10 wishes guarantee you a 4-star (Epic) item and every 90 – a 5-star (Legendary).
Banner wishes do have some cool characters and weapons and it could be upsetting if you can’t get them. Especially considering that there are limited time wishes. And when they are gone, they are gone.
Gnostic Hymn (Battle Pass)
Once you reach Adventure Rank 20 you will unlock the Battle Pass – Gnostic Hymn. The Gnostic Hymn includes resources (and one weapon of your choice) as rewards. Battle Pass usually lasts around 40 days and then renews with the same rewards.
Gnostic Hymn is a handy investment that will grant you a lot of resources like Mora, Adventure EXP, Fragile Resin, and Talent Ascension Materials. You can buy it for £10 as in every game with a Battle Pass
Free-to-Play Difference
Primogems/Banner Wishes
You can earn a lot of primogems while playing Genshin Impact. There’s always at least one event running that includes Primogems (and sometimes characters) as a reward. And if you are a brand new player, there will be tons of rewards given for exploring Teyvat, including free wishes.
The game gives you 5 characters for free:
- Amber (throughout the Campaign)
- Lisa (throughout the Campaign)
- Kaeya (throughout the Campaign)
- Noelle (100% chance in Beginner’s Wish. You get 20 wishes for free)
- Xiangling (Complete Spiral Abyss Floor 3 Chamber 3)
All of the characters in the game are viable and could be built into great members of your party. With all the free wishes, exploration rewards, and events, you will grab enough characters and weapons to have a diverse and fun experience. And maybe even get a 5 star.
Gnostic Hymn (Battle Pass)
Gnostic Hymn is a bit trickier. It does grant you a bunch of resources that further in the game will become more and more vital. F2P players will have to farm them on their own, and that could take a while of your time. Mainly because some of them require Resin to acquire and you have a limited amount of it per day.
A good way to avoid becoming short on resources is to manage them carefully. Do not spend them in one go to max out all the characters and weapons that you have (which is exactly what I did) and focus only on one or two.
My Free 2 Play Experience
I was a free-to-play player for a few months. That said, I never had any temptation to spend money on Genshin. I got amazing characters like Razor, Kaeya, and Barbara. Even was lucky enough to get Jean and Skyward Sword (both 5 stars). And there were still hours of campaign and exploration ahead.
When I got close to the endgame (I completed the available campaign and was waiting for updates), I wanted to expand my party and make it more powerful. That’s when I first bought the Gnostic Hymn and Blessing of the Welkin Moon. First to speed up my leveling and second to get more primogems for banners.
The only reason for me to buy primogems and wish on banners is that I like the character’s aesthetic. Never because they could be OP. Like I said before, every character can be great and valuable, as long as you know what you want to use them for.
