My Opinion on Genshin Impact 1.1's Updated Resin Mechanics

I know, I know, I'm late for the party, but screw it. I got this idea very recently while...how do I say this...talking to myself in my brain.

I posted this on a weekday since I put less effort into this post. Additionally, I want to transition back to Hytale as part of my main content since, in my mind, I'm primarily a Hytale blogger.

I am no stranger to video games that have Anti Poop-Socking, usually in the form of an "energy" or "stamina" mechanic. In 2009, I first experienced it with Zynga's Facebook game Mafia Wars. Since late 2018, I regularly play Fire Emblem Heroes.

As such, I think of myself as one of the few people who don't complain about Genshin Impact's Original Resin mechanic, even back when Version 1.0 only let players have 120 max Resin that regenerates at a rate of 1 per 8 minutes. (Some game features cost between 20 and 60 Resin.)

In Version 1.1, the max Resin was increased to 160, allowing players to not play Genshin Impact for a longer amount of time before Resin regeneration freezes at the max value. It now takes ~21.33 hours to restore Resin from 0 to 160.

It also introduced Condensed Resin which is basically 40 Resin turned into an item. Using it on a game feature that normally costs 20 Resin would double the rewards for just one fight. Because only 3 Condensed Resin can be carried at a time, a player can effectively have a whopping 280 Resin.

Aside from more playtime, how has this benefited you?

I currently have an unpredictable schedule, especially when it comes to my sleeping habits and when Mom and Dad want us to leave the house. This sometimes prevents me from playing Genshin Impact as soon as I wake up, increasing the chance that my Resin freezes at 160.

In my first few weeks of playing Genshin Impact, I also fell into the pitfall of spreading my resources to multiple characters. None of my characters are currently able to deal over 1000 damage with their Normal Attacks and it takes me about 2-5 minutes to do a Daily Commission or win fights that involve spending Resin (including most boss fights). Not to mention the time it takes to manually run from a Teleport Waypoint to a point of interest--approximately 1 minute counting the random stuff I pick up along the way. (I don't have the Portable Waypoint yet; I have Reputation Lv. 5 in Mondstadt. I just need one more level.)

Under 1.0 mechanics, it would take me approximately 21-60 minutes to complete all Commissions and use up all my Resin. (Minimum value assumes all 120 Resin is spent on 40-Resin bosses. Maximum value assumes 20-Resin fights.)

With 1.1, I only have to seriously spend 40 Resin. I use the remaining 120 Resin on Condensed Resin, allowing me to go back to work/family business without thinking about Resin freezing. I spend that Condensed Resin later in the day, usually on the Ley Lines which give Mora. (Because in terms of Mora, I have no Mora.)

This cuts down my Genshin Impact playtime to approximately 15-30 minutes, or a ~28%-50% drop.

help i feel greedy (intentional bad grammar)

I'm satisfied with the current Resin system but screw it. Considering how hard it is to grind up a single character, as well as the continuous introduction of new and powerful 4-star characters, I feel like we need just a little more. I still see dissatisfaction with the Resin system among the Genshin Impact community.

How about increasing the Resin cap to 180 and the regeneration rate to 1 per 7 min 30 sec? I think it's not that big of a change--it would take 20 hours to regain 160 Resin and 22.5 hours to regain 180.

Don't buff up the Resin mechanic beyond those two changes or the buffs might defeat the purpose of Anti Poop-Socking.

Side Note: Which Character Should I "EV-Train"?

Currently, I'm focused on shoving "vitamins" into Klee because of the abundance of Cryo enemies in Floors 11-12 of the Spiral Abyss.

Tartaglia, however, is my favorite DPS. His attacks in Melee Stance are very fast and can continuously damage multiple surrounding foes with Riptide. Beating up Pyro enemies with him or supporting him with Xiangling is especially fun because of his ability to spam Vaporize for that sweet 2x super effective damage.

I should consider raising the shield-creating characters I have: Diona and Xingqiu. Their Elemental Skills apply elements to themselves, allowing them to neutralize Ley Line Disorder debuffs with harmless elemental reactions.

Maybe Lv. 40 is just right for Diona and Xingqiu so they can take a few hits in case I don't see an attack coming.

My Lv. 58 Beidou should be just right.

Speaking of shields, Xinyan is on my wish list. She's the safest option for neutralizing the Condensed Ice effect which slows Stamina regeneration. (The others inflict either Superconduct which reduces DEF or Frozen whose effect is obvious...and annoying.)

Also, I just gotta catch 'em all. (Pokémon!) Even if it means only being able to catch the 4-star characters.

Edit, December 17, 2020: Screw it. I don't trust my luck in getting Xinyan anymore. I got one Razor, two Chongyuns, and a weapon in Zhongli's Event Wish. So much for the patience I built up while torturing myself with the While It's Warm event...

Raising my DPS characters is my priority because the faster I can win fights, the sooner I can stop playing Genshin Impact and get back to work.

Genshin Impact Element Mechanics - Hypothetical Hytale Mods

Infographic by sunmilk

Concept art from Hytale

DISCLAIMER: Based on speculation and personal imagination, yadda yadda yadda.

Assume the Genshin Impact stuff will be part of a third-party mod.

Mods are among my favorite things that exist in video games, especially open-world games. The ability to mod a game empowers a community to breathe new life into an already great game. Many popular mods add many hours of gameplay, further extending the lifetime of a game.

Many fantasy video games have some form of elemental magic in their mechanics, but Genshin Impact is unique in that, thanks to the elemental reaction mechanic, elements blend together in more than just Pokémon-esque type matchups. The player can spread elements to other enemies with Anemo, reduce DEF by combining Cryo and Electro, and even blow up foes with Electro and Pyro! All of these mechanics work even on element-less foes!

Little is known about the importance of magical elements in Hytale's combat, though we know, like in Genshin Impact, elements are important to Hytale's lore. Every zone in Orbis represents an element, with zone 3 officially confirmed to represent water. Gaia represents 5 elements as well as nature and light (which aren't officially confirmed yet to be magical elements, though I like to think they are).

While unconfirmed, it's generally agreed upon that zone 1 represents Earth since it's the greenest zone and has the lushest plant life. The Kweebecs are encountered here.

Zone 2 represents Wind because sandstorms occur here.

Zone 4 represents Fire because volcanoes. 'Nuff said.

Zone 5 represents Lightning because of the lightning bolts protruding from the obscuring black clouds.

Zone 6 represents Void (probably darkness) because of the dark purple clouds.

For the purpose of this post, I will split Earth into Dendro and Geo, and Water into Cryo and Hydro in order to fill all of Genshin Impact's seven elements. Zone 3 officially represents "water in all its forms". On the other hand, you can't really have plants (Dendro) without soil (Geo) to grow them, can you?

Zone 1: Dendro and Geo

While zone 1 has been confirmed to be among the easiest zones, modding it to add Genshin Impact mechanics makes it rather underwhelming.

As of Genshin Impact Version 1.1, Dendro only reacts with Pyro, inflicting Pyro damage over time. The Kweebecs are Hytale's equivalent of Pikachu popularity-wise, so giving them Dendro right out of the box would be an injustice...especially since there's a YouTube channel called Kweebec Corner which is openly and proudly racist against Trorks.

Geo, on the other hand, is a defensive element. While it's friendly for new players who want to Attack! Attack! Attack! since shields produced by Geo can potentially allow them to No-Sell incoming attacks, that's boring and slow. Why block attacks when you can simply kill the enemy in a few seconds?

So let's spice up these underwhelming elements, shall we?

In my D&D campaign, YoSquid chose Dendro to be one of the elements I use. I knew Dendro was trash so I made a Kweebec-themed spear to make up for it. It entangles foes with vines upon hitting 'cause I wanted to stay consistent with the Kweebecs' friendly personality by capturing foes rather than killing them. In a co-op playthrough or while dual-wielding, players can use this spear to set up for a Burning elemental reaction.

There are speculations for Dendro elemental reactions such as this Reddit thread by Laferidge in the official Genshin Impact subreddit. The first one I thought of before reading the thread was Metaspark's Dendro + Hydro reaction, Overgrowth: in the case of my Kweebec spear, it would grow and strengthen the vines, dealing additional Dendro damage and keeping the foe restrained for longer.

As for Geo, I want to give it to the Trorks...for no lore-friendly reason other than balancing them with the Kweebecs. Trorks are physically imposing, after all, compared to the diminutive Kweebecs. (Trork settlements are mainly made of wood.)

Low-level Trorks would lack any sort of Geo-related equipment or skill, though high-level ones will. They specialize in destroying armored foes, forcing the player to be more reliant on speed.

Problem for the Trorks is, not only do I specialize in speed, but I'm also good at shattering armor with my fists.

Zone 2: Anemo

How utterly coincidental. Wind represents freedom for both the native Ferans of Orbis zone 2 and the people of Mondstadt in Teyvat. Maybe I should do a zone 2 playthrough with a Venti cosplay avatar.

On the surface, there's not much to do with Anemo without another element, especially because we don't know how magically inclined the Ferans' rivals, the Scaraks, are.

I suppose we can simply ignite a small flame or throw a water bucket during combat.

Sandstorms can be extra dangerous with Genshin Impact mechanics. If some fool walks around incinerating or zapping things all over the place, it can spread Pyro or Electro, respectively. This may require the player to protect their zone 2 house with non-flammable insulating blocks like...cobblestone. As for player equipment, better ditch the metal armor.

The Ferans become an extra dangerous enemy in co-op because I speculate they can use Anemo magic. This forces players to separate from one another while fighting, allowing melee-oriented Ferans to surround them one-by-one.

Maybe Scaraks are weak to Anemo because Anemo represents freedom from slavery. Also, Scaraks are insectoid and the Bug type is weak to the Flying type (which covers bird- and wind-related attacks like Drill Peck and Hurricane).

Zone 3: Cryo and Hydro

Oh boy. Along with zones 1 and 2, zone 3 is supposed to be beginner-friendly (though maybe not as much as zone 1), but add in Genshin Impact mechanics and this zone's difficulty suddenly goes through the roof. It just so happens that Cryo + Hydro = Frozen. Worse, these two elements are a single element in Orbis, so a mage who is stated to specialize in Hydro can also use Cryo effectively.

However, I argue that enemies native to this zone become helpless when Electro is involved. Electro + Hydro can inflict Electro-Charged which can stun foes that are otherwise immune to being frozen. Cryo + Electro can inflict Superconduct, making tanky foes easier for physical attackers to kill. Both reactions can damage multiple foes simultaneously, making it easier to stop gang wars involving large numbers of mooks (assuming your forces don't get frozen in the first place).

The native Outlanders, I imagine, are resistant to Cryo but not immune to it since they're still human. (The Colossus Outlander's humanity, to me, is questionable due to his mutated hand and...well, his abnormally large size. Also, it wouldn't make sense anyway to be able to freeze what I assume to be a boss.) I couldn't think of a properly creative fantasy way to represent how to freeze them, but imagine hitting them with a bucket of liquid nitrogen and water from a firetruck's cannon. (In comparison, merely touching water with your feet in Genshin Impact is enough for any Cryo attack to freeze your whole body.)

Zone 4: Pyro

This has a ton of room for speculation. We don't know if Hytale will require protective equipment to explore the more volcanic areas of zone 4 (like Breath of the Wild's Death Mountain), for example.

Assuming maximum Minecraft-esque restrictions, most elements are less useful or even completely useless in zone 4's volcanic areas.

Anemo can inflict Swirl and spread Pyro, but only Anemo damage will be dealt because most enemies are immune to Pyro.

Cryo and Hydro are useless since they instantly evaporate.

Dendro is near-useless since the Burning reaction inflicts...well, Pyro damage.

Electro has some use. Overloaded can knock enemies back and heavily damage Geo armor, but the reaction itself deals Pyro damage, not Electro damage. On a budget, an Electro-oriented archer or mage can send Pyro foes falling off a cliff...assuming they're not fliers.

Geo is, interestingly, the most useful element in zone 4's volcanic areas. Pyro immunity and Nether-like evaporation don't reduce its usefulness, on top of generating shields that protect excellently against Pyro damage. (Noelle or Zhongli cosplay, anyone?)

I'll be generous and say the Scorched Ruins in the March 26, 2020 progress update and the Ghost Forest in the July 30, 2020 progress update don't have the same restrictions. (I assume they're in zone 4 because they're related to fire.) There will still be Pyro foes, though.

I imagine an adventurer who mainly builds with flammable materials would secure a perimeter within these zone 4 "border biomes" using Hydro to inflict Vaporize. When hitting a Pyro foe with Hydro, the Vaporize reaction causes the attack to deal 2x damage.

Notice how, in the 2nd paragraph, I only talked about the volcanic areas. I didn't talk about...the underground forests. They're filled to the brim with Dendro.

I'm not entirely sure what enemies we would face in the underground forests, though I assume the dinosaurs there are, in Pokémon terms, Normal-type.

Ah, screw it. Nothing a little fire can't handle, right? *lights match*

I know there's speculation going on about a sentient faction called the "Slothians" living in zone 4's underground forests, but I'm too lazy to think about the Slothians. I just feel Ax-Crazy right now.

Zone 5: Electro

Electro is generally a poor defensive element. Although it's immune to the Electro damage dealt by the Electro-Charged reaction, it suffers greatly from Overloaded and Superconduct.

Speaking of those two elemental reactions, they may play a bigger part in mining in zone 5 compared to the other zones.

I imagine much of zone 5's terrain will have more electricity flowing through it, so for destroying lots of blocks, just throw some Pyro bombs just like Klee. For quickly mining a few blocks like with an Efficiency V pickaxe in Minecraft, use a Cryo attack first to make the blocks easier to break.

Water may be extra hazardous in this zone since it's always electrified. If you don't have insulating equipment and you fall into the water, you're as good as dead.

Using a boat is required since wood is a poor conductor of electricity.

I just noticed: Many of my ideas seem to be designed to punish players who wear heavy armor since heavy armor in games is usually made of metal. There should be a config option to disable these "punishments".

Zone 6: Void

There's no "darkness" element in Genshin Impact...so, let's theorycraft my own elemental reactions!

Void Elemental Reactions

Cryo: Zombify. If a living unit dies while under this effect, it turns into a zombie under the caster's control. This is based on the ideas that cold temperatures can preserve food (hence why refrigerators exist) and undead in many fantasy settings are related to the cold, such as in Warcraft. (Players are immune to this reaction's zombie conversion effect but still take damage from this reaction itself.)

Dendro: Haunt. Dendro creations get corrupted, attacking any creature that isn't a fiend (i.e. demons) or undead on sight. This is based on haunted trees.

Electro: Glitch. Steals HP from the target, similar to how computer malware steals data from other computers.

Hydro: Infect. Poisons the target, dealing damage over time. Water is considered the "universal solvent", so if you pour poison into pure water, the water gets poisoned. Poison is commonly used by evil and roguish characters.

Pyro: Hellfire. Reduces the target's attack damage. I had trouble thinking of this one since I wanted to replicate the tormenting feeling of hell as described in the Bible while differentiating it from Superconduct which reduces DEF. I suppose the idea is, once someone goes to hell, there's no coming out of it, so resisting (i.e. fighting back) is hopeless.

Anemo and Geo inflict Swirl and Crystallize, respectively, as usual.

Void Creatures

Void creatures are immune to Void elemental reactions but are affected by other elemental reactions.

Unlike Orbis native creatures which typically only appear in a single zone, void creatures can be anywhere in Orbis (albeit most prevalent in zone 6). Although humans don't inherently have any element, spellcasters should watch out, especially if the void creatures can also control Anemo. Some Elemental Skills in Genshin Impact apply elements to the user, making them vulnerable to elemental reactions.

Void creatures can be exploited by Anemo-wielding players who can't use Void magic. Is there an annoyingly powerful non-Void Pyro enemy near the Void creature? Spread the Void to reduce that Pyro enemy's damage.

Void Terrain

Like in zone 5, water is deadly; this time, it's thanks to water absorbing evil energy.

If Hytale has a thirst mechanic, better bring water from another zone before going here.

This time, using Dendro equipment like wooden swords is dangerous since they may turn against their wielders. (Metal equipment is safe! Yay!)

Not like it matters since you'll probably have metal equipment at this point...unless you're a Leeroy Jenkins.