Genshin Impact players have had an eventful August so far, as the v2.0 update brought in a whole new region, Inazuma, for them to explore. Mihoyo also dropped a surprise announcement recently, informing us that all players will receive a 5-star character for free starting with the new 2.1 update. And now, Genshin Impact 2.1 is here, expanding the Inazuma region and bringing along some of the most anticipated characters in the game, notably the Electro Archon Raiden Shogun, the thunder-type counterpart to Venti and Zhongli; as well as introducing new bosses and mechanics. The new update to one of the best games on Android arrives on September 1, 2021.

Free Primogems from Genshin Impact 2.1 Livestream

Before we begin, here are the free primogem codes coming from this event live stream:

• DSPVUN2BKH5M
• CB7UU6KT2H59
• NTPVU7JTJYPD
• GENSHINGIFT (This is probably an older leftover code)

Redeem them quickly over here through your browser. You can also redeem them in-game, but browser redemption is quicker. Act quickly as these are time-limited codes and will expire soon.

New Playable Characters in Genshin Impact v2.1

The previous 2.0 update stream had teased several upcoming characters, and now, a bunch of them are here!

Raiden Shogun

The 5-star Electro Archon wields a Polearm usually, but switches to a Sword for her Elemental Skill. Her Skill also recharges energy for the entire team, while also infusing her basic attacks with Electro. There are a bunch of other buffs also coming into play for the character. And from the sound of it, this might be a character powerful enough to be crowned the God for the Inazuma region, filling in the footsteps of Venti for Mondstadt and Zhongli for Liyue.

Kokomi

Sangonomiya Kokomi is a 5-star Hydro Catalyst user, focusing on providing healing to the team, much like Barbara does, but in different ways. Kokomi has a negative Crit Rate, meaning she does not benefit from Crit Rate or Crit Damage; but she does get increased healing. It will be interesting to see how Mihoyo buffs this character to attract revenue as otherwise, there’s not a whole lot different here than what other healers like Barbara (obtained for free) can provide.

Sara

Kujou Sara is a 4-star Bow wielder with an Electro vision. She has an energy recharge mechanic, allowing her to recharge energy for her teammates.

Aloy

Aloy is the free 5-star character that ALL Genshin Impact players above AR 20 will receive as part of the Horizon: Zero Dawn crossover event.

The only catch here is that players on Sony PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 will receive the character and her specialized bow for free with this 2.1 patch, while the rest will receive the character later in the 2.2 patch and without the bow weapon.

New Bosses in Genshin Impact 2.1

With Genshin Impact 2.1, we get some elemental variations of existing bosses, as well as a new weekly boss in the form of La Signora.

La Signora

The La Signora is the newest weekly “Trounce Domain” boss, which means that rewards from the boss will be limited to one fight per week. Ordinarily, this fight will cost 60 resin, but that will be halved if this is within your first 3 weekly boss fight of the week. La Signora uses Cryo in her first phase and then switching to Pyro in the second phase.

Electro Oceanid and Hydro Hypostasis

The Electro Oceanid, as well as the Hydro Hypostasis, appear to be variations of existing bosses. Presumably, they will drop ascension materials for the new 5-star characters in the patch.

Other new game mechanics and changes in Genshin Impact 2.1

New Weapons

In addition to the 5-star character-complimenting weapons, there’s a new 4-star weapon which is a fish (??). No, that is not a placeholder graphic.

Daily Login Event

This patch introduces a temporary Daily Login Event, allowing players to earn up to 10 Intertwined Fate and other rewards over 10 days of login. Some leaks suggested that this would be the 1-year anniversary gift to players, but the English livestream and the press release do not mark it as so.

Fishing

Patch 2.1 introduces a new fishing mechanic in the game. There are various difficulties in catching different fishes in the game, and these fishes can be exchanged for rewards. There are special fishes called Ornamental Fish too, which you can collect and then raise up in your Serenitea Pot through the new Pool of Sapphire Grace furnishing.

Events

Just like previous patches, there will be events lined up through the month to keep players engrossed in the in-game content.

Load reduction for item copies in Serenitea Pot

When copies of the same item are placed in the same area in the Serenitea Pot, these will have a load reduction. This should allow players to place sets better, as furnishing sets usually had repetitive elements.

This sounds like an exciting patch for the game, especially with the arrival of Raiden Shogun and her potential to be one of the better characters in the game. What are your favorite bits from the announcements? Let us know in the comments below!