Genshin Impact's Greece-Inspired Update Is Surprisingly Devastating

Genshin Impact’s first major update of the year takes place in the Chinese-inspired city-state of Liyue. The update centers two new characters, and Liyue will soon host Genshin’s annual Chinese New Year event. So I understand why the newly added Enkanomiyan islands aren’t depicted as the meat of this update. There’s no festival going on in the abyssal depths of this long-lost civilization, and no beautiful anime wives live there. But it’s a must-play for anyone who cares about the larger narrative of Genshin Impact.


At face value, Enkanomiya is a gorgeous update that allows you to solve new puzzles, collect new lore tidbits, and jam to the most stunning soundtrack additions since the Inazuma region landed. Certainly, I’ve enjoyed hunting for treasure and solving new puzzles. But this place haunts me even when I’m not playing the game. I’ve spent three days playing the new Enkanomiya map, and an entire week analyzing what the hell it all means. Almost every single character in the game is affected by the full implications of Enkanomiya’s secrets.


Here’s a quick recap from the first major quest: Celestia is an island that floats above Teyvat, which is the world of Genshin Impact. According to the wind god Venti, every “Archon” derives a significant amount of their power from their Gnosis, which is tied to Celestia. Vision holders (which includes every playable character) can ascend to the island to become gods themselves. Though Celestia isn’t the only source of magical power in Genshin’s setting, it’s the only way that humans can obtain magic.


Its main enemy faction is the Abyss Order, which is made up of monsters who were once citizens of the lost kingdom of Khaenri’ah, a nation that Celestia destroyed. The story of Enkanomiya is partially told through the perspective of one of their officers. While they are one of the main villain factions in the game, Enkanomiya made me wonder if they were truly fighting against a greater injustice.


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