The Chasm is a permanent fixture in Genshin Impact now, offering a chance to reunite with a major character, learn more about new NPCs, and find out new details about the game’s lore. Of course, this is true for practically any new region in-game. For example, Enkanomiya offered new insight for Inazuma, as did Dragonspine for Mondstadt. But it feels especially well executed in this instance, due to the way its new gadget works and the new Archon and World Quests.
Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for The Chasm in Genshin Impact and the Archon and World Quests, characters, and lore that comes up when visiting.
The first part about The Chasm that is so gratifying is how it adds another Enkanomiya and Dragonspine-like area to Genshin Impact. This is a space that gradually expands and fills out, encouraging exploration. As you do, you learn more about the world. There are nooks and crannies to explore. Reaching a new area might not be blatantly obvious initially. Or, progress can be tied to satisfying Archon and World Quests. The Seelies here will guide you along the path for questlines.
Like Dragonspine and the Sacred Sakura, players come across various area-specific collectibles in the Chasm. Here, they allow you to enhance a gadget, the Lumenstone Adjuvant, and get rewards for doing so. Not to mention said Lumenstone Adjuvant ties in to actual exploration, as you’ll need to use it to cleanse the Oozing Concretions in the area and complete often optional objectives. I’d say it is even more fulfilling than Dragonspine, given there isn’t the constant threat of freezing to death. The Lumenstone Adjuvant is incredibly easy to “recharge,” the challenges you need it for are always worth the reward, and the Lumenspar required to upgrade it are plentiful.
We also get a new World Quest that is enlightening in many ways. First, we get introduced to some interesting Genshin Impact minor characters along the way. One is Zhiqiong. She’s part of the Adventurers’ Guild and determined to leave her mark. We see where that gets her, not to mention how dangerous such passion can be. By talking to her at each step, it also provides a hint at what sorts of thoughts ordinary people might have about those with Visions. Yes, at the time she’s negatively influenced by the anomalies, as Khedive notes, but it could also offer a hint of truth to the situation. We also work alongside Clitopho, a conman who started out as an alchemist in Mondstadt. While we’ve met Treasure Hoarders before, Clitopho provides a better opportunity to see how and why someone would join the group. As well as offer more insight into members by showing one who did leave the group and then want to pursue another endeavor. By the end, he actually does find a new place for himself and something he’s actually good at doing.
Most importantly, I’d say that the Requiem of the Echoing Depths Archon Quest is a surprisingly informative intermediary. This requires people to make progress in The Chasm Delvers to unlock. Once you do, there’s insight into Genshin Impact’s lore, characters like the Traveler’s sibling and Dainsleif, enemies like the Hilichurls and Serpent Knights, and Khaenri’ah. With Dainsleif, we learn more about the his personal struggles and the curse he’s suffering from. Which, in turn, helps explain his demeanor and perhaps even the mask he wears. He gain more insight into what the lives are like for the Hilichurls, the former cursed citizens of Khaenri’ah, and the Serpent Knights who used to be fellow human protectors in the city. It humanizes them. With Dainsleif, we see his potential flaws and what years of wandering have done to him. We also see that Dainsleif isn’t alone with his strong will, as another warrior named Halfdan is still someone “present.”
But even more important is the flashback to the Traveler’s sibling at what is essentially a “final” Hilichurl camp. Prior to this particular Archon Quest, Genshin Impact didn’t really show a possible motive for the Traveler’s twin to join the Abyss Order. Here, we see them mourning the Hilichurls. They leave an Inteyvat flower behind. It’s a more emotional moment and offers more of an idea of “why.”
I’d say the region only has one real flaw. That is that The Chasm Delvers questline in Genshin Impact is unvoiced. This is a six step process with multiple important characters. It even offers our first glimpses of Yelan in-game. Yet for all of these actions, there’s no voice acting. It feels like a gross oversight. Especially when it comes to the character Zhiqiong. We get to read about how the descent is affecting her. The text conveys a marked change in her demeanor and constitution. Being able to hear that as it happened would have really helped the experience.
The result is that everything here feels immediately valuable. Exploring The Chasm while going through Genshin Impact feels worthwhile, due to the interactions with characters in its Archon and World quests and newly learned insights into its lore. It helps build up more of the foundation of the game before we head into a new region with 3.0 in a very positive way.
Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, PC, and mobile devices. A Nintendo Switch version is in development.
