Genshin Impact’s Golden Apple Archipelago perfectly indicates how Hilichurls grow over time

One of the most interesting aspects of Genshin Impact 2.8 is seeing how much Hilichurls have changed on the Golden Apple Archipelago. Travelers were able to visit this series of islands previously on Version 1.6, which predictably had some noticeable differences compared to the one found in Version 2.8.

Among them were enemy lineups, which further showcases this theory of how Hilichurls grow into stronger forms.

Not every Traveler has played Genshin Impact 1.6, so they wouldn't realize how much this species has changed over time. Due to this, they're highly recommended to check out the following video, which perfectly points out how Hilichurls grow into Mitachurls and other similar "evolutions."

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Genshin Impact fans point out how Hilichurls have changed on the GAA throughout the updates

This video perfectly demonstrates the growth of various Hilichurls found in Genshin Impact 2.8's Golden Apple Archipelago. The new enemy lineups don't seem to be coincidences. For example, the first enemy lineup here shows one spot on Minacious Isle having the following enemies:

• One Mitachurl and two Hilichurls in Version 1.6
• One Lawachurl and two Mitachurls in Version 2.8

It then even showcases a sad example of how not all enemies grow up to a stronger form. The next part of the video shows how in one location, there was an Anemo Slime and a Hilichurl in Version 1.6, while in Version 2.8, it's just the Anemo Slime and a Dandelion Seed.

There are more examples shown in this video, making it well worth the watch.

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Genshin Impact fans speculate

Unsurprisingly, some people have decided to discuss how this species of enemy grows over time. There are some disagreements here and there regarding everything that the original poster shared about this fan theory, so it's worth looking at what Genshin Impact players do know.

There are various official sources to look at, with one of the more overlooked yet useful ones being the Adventurer Handbook. There is a section known as "Enemies," which contains several entries related to Genshin Impact's various foes, including some important lore tidbits.

The Adventurer Handbook has more details on this theory (Image via HoYoverse)

If Travelers check out the Mitachurl's entry under the Adventurer Handbook, they will see how most Hilichurl eats meat to "become a big and strong Mitachurl." A similar thing happens with the Lawachurl entry in the Adventurer Handbook, which states:

"A Mitachurl that has mutated due to an accumulation of a large amount of elements in its body..."

So there is some type of growth happening for this species. It's easy to miss since most parts of this game's overworld don't change from update to update. That's what makes the Golden Apple Archipelago so interesting since it clearly showcases these changes happening before the player.

Not everybody reads the little details in the Adventurer Handbook or Archives, so this type of information might be unknown to some Travelers. Some enemies growing up bigger and stronger are more obvious by comparison, such as the various elemental Slimes having small and big variations.