PSA: I am No Longer a F2P Genshin Impact Player

WARNING: Using other players' accounts is against the COGNOSPHERE Terms of Service. However, lots of big and small YouTubers get away with using others' accounts, including their viewers', for account reviews and summoning. Regardless, use others' accounts at your own risk.

I've done it. I got my first Blessing of the Welkin Moon. I'm no longer free-to-play (F2P).

Since I assume some of you may know me as a formerly staunch F2P player, let me give...a rather long explanation.

I...Kinda Can't Control My Spending

I still hold onto my own promise to save for my future house.

I just admit that I've spent money not only on things I need like computer hardware but also some cool stuff on sale, those being Grand Theft Auto V and The Sims 4, two huge games that my younger brother and I absolutely love and probably won't go on sale again for a while.

As painfully difficult as the Spiral Abyss is for me to 36-star (i.e. perfectly clear), I was perfectly satisfied with my F2P experience and the characters I had.

An Unexpected Gift

Instead, I got my Blessing of the Welkin Moon...as a gift from a friend, Ria, because I'm helping her with her account while she's busy with schoolwork. Here's the story.

I was feeling good about myself so I bragged about how I recently raised all of my Sucrose's Talents to Lv. 9 (not counting constellations and Tartaglia's Passive Talent) after doing the same to Xingqiu, double-crowning Tartaglia, and having enough materials to raise all of my (hopefully) future Sangonomiya Kokomi's Talents to Lv. 9.

Ria replied with this: "Can you farm [Kamisato] Ayato's talents for me? lol"

I replied, "Assuming you're not joking, yeah, sure."

She got skeptical at first but decided to let me have the account details when I explained my reasons, including "I simply like to beat things up" and "I want to see your Arataki Itto in action."

Initially, I really didn't expect much in return other than us staying friends and me destroying everything, especially with a character that neither I nor my younger brother has: Arataki Itto.

However, the next day, I was messaged out of nowhere.
I started with a report on what I did with her account, including beating up some of the harder Weekly Bosses and 9-starring Spiral Abyss Floor 10.
I then played a battle royale in Call of Duty Mobile since I was done with all 3 of the accounts I was grinding.

In the middle of that match, I was messaged by Ria, "I wanna give you something as thanks for handling my account. Is it okay if I give you Welkins?"

Why'd you accept the Blessing of the Welkin Moon?

Not gonna lie, I was surprised when I saw that question. I only played that account for just 1 day and haven't made a massive impact on her overall account strength. There was a part of me that wanted to say no because, #1, I'm used to friends not sending me gifts, and #2, getting a Blessing of the Welkin Moon, even from someone else, would ruin my F2P status, which is why I deliberately did not participate in YouTubers' giveaways.

I admit that I got hypnotized by whale YouTubers like Tectone who say that you can get through this game just fine without spending a penny and that spending money would make things too easy and ruin your overall enjoyment. After all, Enviosity is famous for being able to beat higher floors of the Spiral Abyss with just the 7 starter characters (like the Traveler, Amber, and Noelle) and only craftable and event 4-star weapons (like the Prototype Crescent and Festering Desire).

But, in the end, I accepted the Welkin within 1 minute of receiving the message. I admit my decision was rushed but I did so because, #1 and most importantly, it's a voluntary gift and I see accepting the gift as a sign of respect; #2, I've been playing Genshin Impact since October 2020, making me more difficult to distinguish from other F2Ps especially given my C1 Tartaglia and C3 Mona; #3, I'm not a Genshin Impact content creator so I don't think the general public would give a firetruck about how F2P-friendly my teams are; I'm first and foremost a Minecraft and Hytale YouTuber; #4, Sangonomiya Kokomi's banner had about 2 weeks remaining on her banner and I wanted to pull my 2nd waifu for her unique ability to heal Co-Op teammates with an Elemental Skill outside of combat as well as her long-lasting Hydro application which is ideal for my Kamisato Ayaka freeze team. (As of writing, I still don't have Kokomi and I'm at 41 pity. Screw C2 Keqing for ruining yet another 50/50!)

What have you pulled so far using your Welkin?

All the pulls I made after getting the Welkin.
Note that this includes Intertwined Fates and Primogems gained from Masterless Starglitter, the Spiral Abyss, etc.

This section is a rant...but probably not one you'd expect.

I've pulled 2 Kujou Saras and 1 Sacrificial Bow. The 2nd Kujou Sara was in 2 pulls.

I actually have C5 Bennett (with C6 at the ready once HoYoverse makes constellation effects togglable) and C6 Xinyan so one would think "Hey, getting Kujou Sara to C4 is pretty awesome! You're getting closer to C6!"

But let me explain.

Kujou Sara is my least favorite character for a variety of reasons.

First, her combat feels clunky for me even with C2. While I like the premise behind her unique Aimed Shot which launches a Crowfeather that explodes after a delay, dealing AoE Electro DMG to enemies and giving an ATK boost to allies caught in the blast (which I equate to a frag grenade similar to how C1 Fischl is a machine gun, Ganyu is a rocket launcher, and Yoimiya launches heat-seeking missiles), it's very difficult to use in practice.

First, when pressing the Elemental Skill button, Kujou Sara dashes backward...but her dash distance is inconsistent and uncontrollable; sometimes, she dashes a few feet away while at other times, she dashes a few inches away. Either way, it's not enough distance for a ranged character like Ganyu or Yoimiya to keep a safe distance from foes but it's decent for melee characters like...well, the Raiden Shogun.

Second, the ATK buff lasts for a pathetically short 6 seconds. Although this can be extended to up to 12 seconds with her Elemental Burst, her Elemental Skill cooldown is 10 seconds while her Elemental Burst is 20 seconds, on top of the Elemental Burst's Energy Cost of 80. There are a ton more reasons but, basically, I find Bennett to be a superior near-universal ATK buffer since he adds more DMG on top of a staggering variety of effects like healing, elemental status cleansing, and even his own big PP DMG--I've scored 40k with a Melt.

Third, she's an Electro character and Electro Resonance mainly benefits Electro characters with high Energy costs like...again, the Raiden Shogun. Bennett, being a Pyro character, provides Pyro Resonance which gives a universal and unconditional ATK boost.

Second and more importantly, I HATE Kujou Sara's personality.

First, she starts off as literally one of the Traveler's enemies given how the Traveler joins the resistance at Watatsumi Island led by my 2nd waifu, Kokomi.

Second, Kujou Sara gives absolutely no firetrucks about almost anyone, even Thoma and Yae Miko who are highly respected and high-ranking members of their respective organizations, the Yashiro Commission and the Grand Narukami Shrine. Thoma, a persuasive dude, remarks that Kujou Sara is "not very open to persuasion" while she literally raged at Yae Miko in the Archon Quests.

Third, Kujou Sara is, in my opinion, the least chill playable character so far. Literally, all she cares about are the Tenryou Commission, protecting Inazuma, and the Raiden Shogun. I bet she only gets the bare minimum amount of rest needed to stay healthy--after all, according to Sara, "the battlefield never waits until you are ready." The idea of personal aspirations like getting rich and raising a good family is alien to her. At least Jean relaxes by reading romance novels while Keqing relaxes by strolling around Liyue Harbor. We have yet to have a Hangout Event or limited-time event featuring Kujou Sara--and no, her appearance in Labyrinth Warriors was minimal--Tartaglia and Xinyan were the stars of the stage.

I know Kujou Sara is an honorable person, even according to Gorou. She spared the Traveler when they broke a fake Vision maker out of prison since he was sick and she let the Traveler and her soldiers engage in one-on-one duels in samurai movie-style before a full-on clash between the armies. However, this quality is not redeeming enough for me compared to what I said above given how I'm of a chaotic neutral alignment while she's an extremely lawful person.

Also, remember that I got C2 Keqing while attempting Kokomi.

Kayli Mills mostly comes to mind when it comes to my high school crush. She voices Mareeta from Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 whose face looks like my crush's, Kuroko Kamenaga from Yandere Simulator who has a stoic, serious, and lawful personality, and of course, Keqing who has a staunch get-things-done attitude to the point her assistants can't keep up with how fast she works. The part of my crush that doesn't bring up Kayli Mills is the fact she wanted to study my Asperger's syndrome which brings Sucrose (voiced by Valeria Rodriguez), my #1 waifu, to mind. Therefore, I imagine a girl with Keqing's hair and personality, Mareeta's face, and Sucrose's clothes. (I wonder what weird result I'd get if I commission an artist to draw someone like this...) We "broke up" because I told my former Minecraft teammates that she was my girlfriend and she thought I had a crush on her mom. I'm maintaining the "break-up" because although I sincerely apologized and she promised to be friends again, she's not responding to or checking up on me at all. I will have order!

TL;DR of this section: My least favorite characters seem to be trying their best to prevent me from getting one of my most beloved characters.

On the bright side, way before getting those two jerks, I already had C6 Sucrose from the Raiden Shogun's first banner!

What are your plans for being pay-to-win (P2W) moving forward?

I won't actively try to get more top-ups, whether through my own money or others'. Again, I'm better off saving for my future house, I had fun while F2P, and I'm still having fun with this one Welkin.

I also don't want others, friends or not, to feel like they have to top up my account, even if I suggest it in a friendly or subtle way. It's better not to mention it at all. After all, your money, your rules. It's a free country.

But at the same time, if someone is voluntarily willing to top up my account even more, I don't mind. It's my way of thanking them for the time and effort they make, as well as a personal sign of honor that I've been a blessing to others.

Hypothetically, if someone wants to top up my account with something more than just a Welkin, I'd ask for a paid Battle Pass. Raising it to Lv. 50 gives MASSIVE rewards of a wide variety, including 4-star weapons that are not available anywhere else.

Moral lesson: Appreciate what you have and be thankful for those who do good for you.