Genshin Impact update 1.4: Everything we know

When is Genshin Impact 1.4 update release date? The next big update is Invitation of Windblume, and it's coming very soon. Genshin 1.4 focuses on Mondstadt and the city’s many celebrations during the festival, so there are a lot of events for you to attend and enjoy over the course of the update. 

It also introduces a new character, pushes the story forward, adds several ways to earn Ascension materials, and even brings Diluc and Noelle’s KFC outfits to the West. Since there's plenty to get our teeth into (literally and figuratively), here’s everything we know about the Genshin Impact 1.4 update.

When is the Genshin Impact 1.4 update release date?

The Genshin Impact 1.4 update releases March 17, 2021. 

Getting started requires an Adventurer Rank of 20 or higher, however, and you’ll need to complete the 'Song of the Dragon and Freedom' Archon Quest. Like the most recent update, Genshin Impact 1.4 includes multiple events and story progression quests, and only some of them are related to the Windblume Festival. Expect additional content throughout the update.

Genshin Impact 1.4 banner: Will there be a new character?

Yes, though you may heard of her before in more ways than one. Genshin Impact 1.4’s new playable character is 'Thorny Benevolence', Rosaria, a four-star polearm-wielder available in the Farewell of Snezhnaya event Wish. She’s the sharp-tongued nun Kaeya mentions in one of his voiceover lines, and she’s also been expected as a playable character for a while. 

Rosaria is described as a lax nun, a woman of the cloth with less reverence than the least faithful citizen of Mondstadt. She's devoted to battle, at least. 

Cryo is Rosaria’s Vision. She slips behind smaller enemies with her elemental skill to deliver a freezing slash attack. Her Elemental Burst summons a massive ice lance that deals heavy Cryo damage immediately and continues dealing Cryo damage after the attack finished.

Rosaria's isn't the only new Genshin Impact 1.4 Wish, though. 1.4 boasts three separate event Wishes: One is the return of Venti’s event Wish, Ballad in Goblets, which will coincide with the Windblume Festival. The second 1.4 event Wish involves Tartaglia (Childe), a five-star Hydro bow fighter.

Genshin Impact 1.4 story: How will it progress?

miHoYo isn’t giving much away about it. Genshin Impact 1.4 continues Dainsleaf’s story, adds a new Archon Quest, and tells the story behind Stormterror’s Ruin Guards. Dainsleaf and the Traveller head to a new Domain with an upside-down Statue of the Seven and encounter the Abyss Herald. The Abyss Herald is Genshin 1.4’s primary new enemy, a one-time boss developing a weapon of terrible destructive power.

All Genshin Impact 1.4 events

Invitation of Windblume is an ancient festival celebrating romance and freedom, and Mondstadt has plenty of celebrations in store:

Hangout Events

Genshin Impact 1.4 adds a new permanent feature called Hangout Events. These use Story Keys, but differ from Story Quests in structure and rewards. The initial series includes four characters—Barbara, Chongyun, Noelle, and Bennett—though miHoYo will add more characters in future series. 

A Hangout Event starts after receiving an in-game invitation from one of the available characters. Assuming you have the necessary Story Keys, you can start right away. Hangout Events unfold across a series of dialogue options, and each event has multiple endings. Repeatedly choosing negative options could make the story finish either with a bad ending or end abruptly with no closure. Hangout Events offer rewards whatever ending you receive, including Adventure Experience and Primogems. You can replay any Hangout Event after finishing it once, and the idea is exploring every dialogue route to earn all possible rewards.

Windblume event story

The Windblume Festival includes at least one main story event. In the Windblume story event, Travellers choose an offering for the Wind Archon. That’s everything MiHoYo revealed about this story event so far, and it seems this story event is separate from the one featuring Dainsleif and the new monster.

Windblume Festive Anecdotes

These are a series of quests separate from the Windblume story event. They’re divided into four acts, with each act containing three quests. Festive Anecdotes rewards include Primogems, Mora, and enhancement items.

Windblume mini-games

The Festival also includes three mini-games playable solo or in co-op mode. Bullseye Balloons is the first. It’s an archery game where you earn points for shooting the right balloons in succession and lose points for hitting the wrong ones. The second is Floral Freefall, a gliding game whose goal is grabbing as many flowers as possible before you hit the ground. Ballads of Breeze is Genshin Impact’s rhythm mini-game, and it has several difficulty levels and different reward tiers based on how well you perform in each.

Participating in the mini-games earns two new gadgets. The first is a cat balloon from Bullseye Balloons, and the second is the Windsong Lyre. This lyre lets you create your own in-game music and coordinate with friends to make music in co-op. You’ll also earn Festive Tour Tickets to use at the event store.

Peculiar Wonderland

This introduces a new Domain, a powerful boss, and a unique way of preparing for the fight. You’ll complete three mini-games chosen at random and separate from the Festival mini-games. Your performance determines what buffs apply in the boss fight. 

Taking part in Peculiar Wonderland earns you Peculiar Collab Tickets exchangeable at the event store for enhancement items, including Crowns of Insight, and the new four-star bow Windblume Ode. 

Wishful Drops

Wishful Drops is separate from the Windblume Festival. A small Oceanid from a nation of water traveled to Teyvat and accidentally corrupted Mondstadt’s water supply used for the city’s famous winemaking. Your Traveller guides the Oceanid around to gather additional Oceanids and address the water problem. 

Rhodeia, the Oceanid of Qingce, returns with more powerful attacks for the Rhodeia’s Rage quest. You can attack Rhodeia directly this time and attempt the challenge in co-op mode. Rewards include Genshin Impact Primogems and plenty of character Ascension materials, though there’s a catch in claiming them. Claiming the rewards costs Original Resin and a Heart of the Spring. You’ll receive a Heart of the Spring item every time you gather enough Oceanids in an area, and there are only five of them.

Contending Tides

Genshin Impact 1.4’s other big event is Contending Tides. It's a set of arena-style challenges pitting you against a number of increasingly difficult opponents. In addition to vanquishing the monster, you’ll have to satisfy three other requirements to pass each challenge. 

Difficulties and rewards are divided into tiers, and completing a higher tier automatically completes the other less-difficult challenges. Clearing fights in Contending Tides earns Primogems and Talent Ascension materials.

Anything else I should know about Genshin Impact update 1.4?

miHoYo is adding several quality-of-life improvements to Genshin Impact 1.4, including raising the Condensed Resin cap raised to five. You can assign recipes, forging, and alchemy to specific characters and adjust cooking methods. Crafting will work in co-op mode, and you can lower your world level by one every 24 hours to make playing with others easier. Accessing the Spiral Abyss will also be easier, requireing just one button press.

Genshin’s 1.4 update also adds four new weapons. The rarest is Elegy of the End, a five-star bow. The others comprise the Alley series, a set of matching four-star weapons: The Alley Flash (sword), Alley Hunter (bow), and Wine and Song (catalyst).