miHoyo created the surprise video-game hit of 2020. It’s a superb free-to-play RPG/Gatcha game that looks and feels like a AAA JRPG. Still, its main frustration is its predatory Resin system. However, Resin is going through some significant changes.
Previously, we covered how users were starting to find translation errors on Genshin’s artifacts. It was a sensitive matter, given that artifacts cost Resin; Resin costs time, money, or both.
We praised the developers for the quick changes they are adding to the core gameplay. Once again, they are listening to their users to lessen the pay-to-enjoy features.
In particular, they are making the Resin system more user friendly and less greedy.
What is Genshin Impact Original Resin?
Have you seen how must mobile games have an energy system, a timer, or a stamina bar? For example, every building on Clash of Clans -a trendy game- takes real-time hours to complete, but you can pay money to make the process instant.
Or, for instance, Gameloft’s Asphalt for mobile devices and Nintendo Switch. Every car has an energy bar, a timer of sorts that runs out every time you use it. It takes take to recharge back, but you can pay money -or in-game currency- to restore the bar and drive the vehicle again.
Genshin Impact has a similar system, which is the Original Resin. It gates how often users get rewards from weekly activities like dungeons and unique bosses.
To access special events and loots, you need to spend some Resin. And Resin takes full 16 hours to regenerate.
Here’s a weekly challenge boss gameplay video:
What is going to change on Genshin Impact’s Resin system?
Genshin Impact creator miHoyo revealed further changes to the Resin System during an interview with PC Gamer:
“We are aware of the player feedback regarding the Resin system, and the team is already working on some solutions. We will share more information with the community as it becomes available.”
On another interview with Inverse magazine, they shared similar thoughts:
“We’ve received many player feedback regarding the Resin system and the team is already working on some solutions. We will share more information with the community when we have more details available.”
They are not sharing their plans yet, but it’s good to know they listen to players.
Recently, miHoyo revealed the 1.1. version update. It will release on November 11. Particularly, it will raise the Resin players can store at any given moment. Moreover, it’s going to lower the Resin player’s need to access weekly quests.
However, the matter doesn’t address the core problem, which is the existence of a pay-to-enjoy feature on a PC game. It’s only there to slow down your progress to a crawl and make your experience boring unless you invest.
That’s a shame, a distracting factor on an otherwise fun-to-play game.
What can you do without the Resin system?
Genshin Impact actually features a story you can follow. It takes you about 30 hours to complete what the game has to offer as a free-to-play RPG.
That includes exploring around a world decidedly similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wilde. There’s even the same glide mechanics, environmental puzzles, random loot boxes, and random dungeons to explore.
The best feature is the ability to unlock additional characters, either through questing or loot box mechanics. Each character has a different set of skills and elemental powers. Moreover, you can switch characters as you combat to activate different elemental combos.
Yet, Genshin Impact is a new game, and so it doesn’t have much end-game. High-end activities all exist behind a Resin wall, and it’s quite limiting.
For example, there is a limited number of characters you can unlock without Resin -unless you got hundreds of hours to play, that is. Still, playing the main quest alone will grant you five or six warriors.
Co-op without Resin?
Genshin Impact feedback has been mostly positive. The game is fun, gorgeous, big, and features an excellent action RPG gameplay with elemental mechanics.
That said, further changes are coming to the co-op gameplay. The developers admit there are not many things to do with your friends without spending Resin. They know there’s a lot of room to grow in that regard.
Yet, miHoyo says they added those limitations to maintain the importance of the single-player experience. More specifically, they wanted to prevent higher-leveled players from taking your loot.
Still, miHoyo is looking to add more co-op activities. For example, a recent in-game event had players work in a team for timed challenges.
Loot boxes are staying, though
The last part of the PC Gamer interview touched on the micro-transactions issue. Outside of gamble loot boxes, there are no other ways to spend money. miHoyo doesn’t plan to change that nonetheless.
However, there’re ways to obtain certain weapons and characters through game events, via the Wish system. Version 1.1 is adding better rewards to game challenges, which may include artifacts and characters.
Genshin Impact’s Update 1.1 is launching in November. It will include changes to the Resin System, a conclusion to the main quest’s first episode, a reputation system with extra rewards, four new characters, and many fixes.
Since its release on PS4, PC, iOS, and Android devices, the free-to-play game has made about $245 million on mobile devices alone.
That said, developers are planning a Nintendo Switch port, as well as a PS5 retro-compatibility feature. However, there’re no plans to take Genshin Impact towards the Xbox One or the Xbox Series console.
Still, with its first major story update reaching on November 11, the game certainly has a bright future ahead.
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In Summary
How some Gensin Impact be so good and yet so greedy? It’s a shame but, also, it’s the best-looking free-to-play game there is.
Its reviews are stellar, every way you look. And if you try it yourself, you’ll find out it’s actually quite fun and beautiful.
That’s why its Resin system bothers so much. The game would be so much better without pay-to-enjoy features like that.
Take the Path of Exile, for example. That game has gone for more than a decade, never losing popularity. Their yearly contents, leagues, and updates are always free, and the end-game is expanding ad-infinitum. The only thing you can pay is apparel and cosmetics, and players do buy a lot of cosmetics out of pure love for its developers.
That was at first, though. During the last four or so years, they’ve added further micro-transactions like stash upgrades that give trading advantages to paying players. And I must note PoE’s economy is quite expensive.
miHoyo did create a great game. But they also added too many micro-transactions on the market already fighting against EA’s gamble-like practices.
Then again, creating Genshin Impact must have been a lot of work. They even had a full orchestra to make the sound FXs and the OST:
I do hope miHoyo eliminates the Resin system and decides to add something else instead. I don’t think they will, though, but we can always be smart about how we choose to spend our money. We adults, I mean, as kids, are not so quick to make a logical decision.
Still, it feels like Genshin’s Impact is changing for the better. The other two choices I see are: releasing yearly paid DLCs like Destiny 2; or add non-loot box micro-transaction that starts to add up power to paying users.
Is Genshin Impact pay-to-enjoy?
Lastly, I do have to say you don’t need to spend anything to enjoy the game’s core content. You can play its full campaing, and it is excellent. Moreover, it seems that it will expand every year.
The end-game, though, is indeed behind a pay-to-enjoy wall. You could do a couple of activities per day once you finish the game, though. It would still be okay for people who don’t have much time to play. We’ll see how it evolves over time.
