Ever since it left Beta, Genshin Impact has become hugely popular in the West and East. Already the successor to a hugely popular game in China, it has seen over 17 million mobile downloads, not counting other systems.

However, anyone who plays Genshin Impact will quickly learn something important: it's a Gacha game. This refers to a game where players must either grind for resources extensively or pay real-life money for random, possibly good rewards. In the case of Genshin Impact, players basically roll a die whenever they try to unlock a new character, and hope they draw the desired one from a pack. Because of the random nature of character unlocks, the good characters players manage to draw are very precious. This is why new information leaked about the game is troubling.

RELATED: Genshin Impact: Nameless Treasure Walkthrough

Not long ago, a rumor began that Patch 1.1 is coming to Genshin Impact. Many players were hopeful that this would add new characters and world content, like the next region to explore. Now the patch is a sure thing, and a beta tester for the new content leaked some details about new stuff players can expect. Sadly a new region is apparently not forthcoming, although that is not the worst news. Three heroes (Diluc, Venti, and Fischl) are getting nerfed by the patch. All three are characters that players can unlock, and it doesn't look like they are getting bonuses to balance the nerfs.

As of this article, there are not many details on the nerfs in terms of specific numbers. According to the leak, the biggest nerfs are on the characters' attack speeds. Venti has suffered an additional nerf given special mention: his Burst ability costs 20 more energy to use. These devalue the characters without decreasing their price or making them easier to get. This is particularly disturbing in a game where one streamer has already spent $2,000 to get a character.

In a PVP game, nerfs are regular and are done to maintain balance in the PVP scene. However, all of Genshin Impact is PVE content so far, so this seems like unnecessary balancing to many. The conclusion many have made as to why the nerfs are happening is to slow down gameplay. After all, the nerfs are lowering attack speed, ensuring monsters take longer to beat. This means progression will also be comparatively slower with these characters. As a result, player progress will be slowed. In a roundabout way, it's similar to how Avengers nerfed its loot drops, except it makes the grind worse instead of the reward.

There is no doubt that Genshin Impact is doing something right to be so popular. But it should also be remembered that, at heart, it is a gacha game invested in causing players to spend real money to avoid grind.

Genshin Impact is available for PC, PS4, and mobile devices.

MORE: Genshin Impact: How to Look for Vermeer's Paintbrushes and Paints

Source: Republic World