Is Genshin Impact completely pay-to-win?

Genshin Impact is a free-to-play mobile gacha game, and this can lead some players to worry about it being pay-to-win. Luckily, the game has proven over time that players can conquer even its toughest content without spending a dime. Thanks to the game's focus on exploration and events, fans can gather tons of the game's premium currency without needing to spend any real money, making it the ideal game for someone looking for an exciting and free experience.

Still, money can get you quite far in the game, and players can find out more about the game's premium shop here.

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Can F2P players enjoy Genshin Impact?

Genshin Impact has proven to be one of the world's most popular free-to-play games, becoming huge on PC, mobile, and even consoles. The game offers players tons of different characters to collect and choose from. These characters are obtainable by several means, with events and story missions providing even F2P (free to play) players with plenty to choose from. However, when it comes to 5-stars, it can be tough to acquire them without spending the game's premium currency.

These 5-star characters and weapons require Intertwined Fates, which are usually only acquired through Primogems, though they can also be acquired through rare event rewards. These characters and weapons are usually a cut above any other option, providing insane value to their teams and tons of damage output. They also typically come with some great utility, meaning summoning them can make gameplay much easier.

Summoning these 5-stars can come at a great cost, however, as they can take thousands of Primogems to acquire. The good news is that players can easily gather thousands of Primogems without spending a single dime.

Through in-game exploration, completing events, and finishing achievements, fans can collect a sizeable sum of these rare crystals without needing to fish for their wallets. These gems can, in turn, be used to strategically acquire powerful characters and items.

Some players even forgo Primogems entirely, and they choose to play through the game with the free base roster of characters. Many of these challenge runs have shown great success, with players being able to clear even the toughest content in the game (like the Spiral Abyss). It will take players a considerable amount of time to play through the game in this manner, but it shows that Genshin Impact isn't truly pay-to-win at all.

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Does spending money in Genshin Impact get you an advantage?

Although Genshin Impact does provide various ways for players to progress without spending any money, there is a significant advantage to spending some extra cash for summons. 5-star characters are usually released alongside weapons that compliment them well, and getting these weapons can cost an insane amount of Primogems.

Alongside these weapons, many gamers attempt to get Constellations, which can be incredible power boosts to characters at the cost of thousands of Primogems. There is a very obvious power difference between an F2P account and a Whale (someone who spends a lot of money on the game) account, as players with high constellation 5-stars and high refinement signature weapons can easily wipe out tough content in seconds. However, these boosts are still unnecessary, and mostly just provide convenience and style to heavy spenders.

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Genshin Impact is a game that is accessible to all types of players, and fans won't need to worry about it being pay-to-win.