Genshin Impact Version 4.3, Roses And Muskets, has the unenviable challenge of following up what is now widely considered to be one of the best updates to the open-world game since launch, Masquerade Of The Guilty, which capped off the Fontaine Archon Quest with an epic, emotionally devastating final act that solidified the Archon Quest in many peoples’ minds as better-written and more engaging than most, if not all, of those that came before (for myself, the meandering nature of the middle-act set almost entirely in the dreary underground Fortress of Meropide prevents it from climbing all the way to the top of my ranking, but then, my extreme dissatisfaction with how the Sumeru Archon Quest ended makes it more of a close match-up). Version 4.2 also featured the release of the former Hydro Archon Furina as a playable character, and she has single-handedly changed the game for those who have her (not me, however, I’ve been saving my Primogems all throughout this patch, resisting the temptation to try for Furina by reminding myself that Navia is up next).
We have official confirmation now that Navia is, indeed, up next in Version 4.3. The five-star claymore user will be Genshin Impact‘s first Geo character in a long time – but despite all she brings to the underrepresented Element and her stunning character design, it’s highly unlikely that her banner sales will break any records in the way Furina’s have. She’s not exactly niche, but with a playstyle built around Crystallize, the underwhelming Elemental Reaction between Geo and Pyro, Electro, Cryo or Hydro that produces a pitiful shield, she’s not a guaranteed game-changer either, and I have a feeling that positive word-of-mouth will be a big factor in her success as a unit. Navia is intended to function as an on-field Geo DPS in teams that employ her as a hypercarry, meaning she’ll be dealing the majority of your team’s damage. And in contrast to past Geo DPS’ like Arataki Itto, who have been held back by their inability to synergize with anyone but other Geo characters or make much use of Geo’s one Elemental Reaction, Navia’s unique kit not only gives her greater freedom, it practically necessitates that you run her with characters who can trigger Crystallize frequently.
Will this suddenly make Crystallize any good? Well, yes and no, because while Navia needs all the Crystallize Shards she can get from her teammates, and she deals massive damage via her Elemental Skill in exchange, she’s very much alone in that. Until we get more Geo characters who benefit from Crystallize, including a more easily obtainable four-star and/or a dedicated support for the Elemental Reaction, Navia isn’t really going to do anything for the Element as a whole – even with her best teams needing one other Geo support for the energy, that role is going to go to Zhongli in most cases, and Zhongli is a character who has enjoyed success largely despite his Element. That being said, this is a first step in the right direction for Geo, and the release of a new Artifact Set, Nighttime Whispers In The Echoing Woods, that boosts Geo DMG by 20% after using an Elemental Skill and by an extra whopping 150% while under the protection of a Crystallize shield, makes it very likely that it won’t be the last (this Set and Song Of Days Past, which translates Healing into DMG, will be obtainable through a new Domain).
While Navia will be joining Genshin Impact‘s roster in the first half of Version 4.3, a new four-star character named Chevreuse, will be making her debut in the second half, featured on Raiden Shogun and Yoimiya’s rerunning banners. Chevreuse, a Pyro polearm-user and Captain of Fontaine’s Special Security and Surveillance Patrol, makes use of the underrated Overloaded Elemental Reaction between Pyro and Electro, which knocks affected opponents back a short distance – when a character in her team triggers Overloaded, Chevreuse gains an Overcharged Ball that she can use during her Elemental Skill, entering Aiming Mode to fire and deal widespread Pyro DMG. During her Burst, she launches a grenade that explodes on contact with an opponent, creating smaller grenades that explode again after a short duration, dealing even more DMG. As someone who actually likes the Overloaded reaction, I’m very excited to test out Chevreuse’s kit.
Both Chevreuse and Navia will feature heavily in the version’s main Event, Roses And Muskets, which I gather is a festival to celebrate the fact that Fontaine did not sink beneath the waves of the Primordial Sea. Furina, no longer the Hydro Archon, is directing a film for the festival starring Navia, Chevreuse, journalist Charlotte, and special guests all the way from Inazuma, Kamisato Ayaka, Kamisato Ayato, and Yoimiya, whose inclusion on the cast-list might have something to do with the fact that Xavier of the Inazuma-based Tatarasuna Tales questline is listed as the film’s director. An as-yet unplayable character, Chiori of Chiori’s Boutique, is onboard as the art director, and of course, Furina assigns us, the player, to be her cameraperson. Scene-blocking, lighting and cinematography will be incorporated into several of the Event’s minigames, while other activities include…sniping opponents and sheepherding? I’m not sure if I totally understand those last two, but hey, I’ll do anything for more Primogems.
Following that, Arataki Itto and Kuki Shinobu arrive in Liyue Harbor for Shinobu’s class reunion, and Itto wastes no time setting up the Arataki Blazing Armor Beetle Boot Camp to bring the Inazuman art of beetle-fighting to Liyue. Much like the last iteration of this Event, players will commandeer a stag-beetle through progressively more challenging duels against the best players that Liyue has to offer, including some new characters. In Fontaine, the Lost Riches Event gives players another opportunity to claim a floating Seelie companion in a range of beautiful colors. And back in Mondstadt, the traveling salesman Liben returns at long last with a series of daily errands for players to complete in exchange for gifts, while surely tantalizing us with gossip about our next destination after Fontaine, the volcanic region of Natlan (about which we know next to nothing except what Neuvillette told us in Version 4.2, that the land is populated by both dragons and humans, and that the Fatui Harbinger Capitano seeks to exploit the permanent state of conflict between their peoples).
And apart from a few adjustments to the game’s interface and quality-of-life improvements (for instance, teleporting players automatically back to the “Start Challenge” button when they choose to re-enter a combat Domain, and providing players with better Artifact filters – nothing particularly revolutionary, just smart small stuff like that), there’s not a whole lot happening in Version 4.3, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Version 4.2 was already pretty overwhelming, Version 4.4 will be Lantern Rite to mark the Chinese New Year, then Dainsleif is scheduled to pop up again in a revelatory Interlude Quest before disappearing again for another year, new regions of Fontaine and Liyue are likely to become available, Furina’s second Story Quest will probably be a big deal, and the Fatui Harbinger Arlecchino is speculated to become playable before Version 5.0, so it’s okay to have a breather, you know?
Who will you be pulling for in Version 4.3, if anyone, and why or why not? Share your own thoughts, theories, and opinions, in the comments below!