After over a year, players are still in the dark of where the Genshin Impact main storyline will end. A lot has been revealed, yet the more questions are answered, the more questions are also asked.
The story of Genshin Impact has deep and detailed lore. This extends not only to the main storyline but also to the playable characters. Some of these stories would mention the glorious feat of that person, some that would make jaws drop. Unfortunately, while they may have an epic background, it did not translate to their in-game combat abilities. Here are some examples.
9 Beidou
While many tales of Captain Beidou may be exaggerated, one is told as is: her feat against Haishan. Beidou has come face-to-face with this giant dragonfish several times. But she fails to slay the beast on every encounter.
However, one day, after ten straight hours of struggle, Beidou insists that this will be the day she takes down the Leviathan. So she stood still in the freezing night, for hours with neither food nor drink. Until there's a slight change in the wave… and in one slash, Beidou cuts Haishan's head off.
As if that's not crazy enough, all this happened before Beidou got her Vision. In fact, the Gods bestowed her the Electro Vision right after Haishan fell.
8 Lisa
As one of the free 4-star characters in Genshin Impact, Lisa is far from being the fan-favorite. In battle, this character is not very strong as a main DPS, but also doesn't offer much as a Sub-DPS. However, while the Librarian may seem awful gameplay-wise, she actually has a lot of achievements that could make her one of the strongest characters, lore-wise.
Lisa Minci is said to be the most talented Sorceress of Sumeru Academia in the last two centuries. However, during her time there, the Purple Witch saw how too much knowledge can change a person.
For Lisa, everything comes with a price. So she started to wonder how much one needs to sacrifice for knowledge and power. With this thought in mind, she left the famed University. Ever since then, she stopped taking things seriously and became the lazy Librarian we know now.
7 Traveler
The twins come to Teyvat while they travel around the universes. However, when they were about to leave, an Unknown God blocked their way and separated them. Genshin Impact starts with how the selected twin wakes up on the shore of Mondstadt.
The main character says that their power is now sealed. However, even with the seal, Traveler can still "borrow" the power of the Archon by touching their Statue. In-game, Traveler can only wield one Element at a time. However, in some cutscenes, the protagonist is seen wielding multiple Elements at once.
While multi-Elements characters may seem epic, for now, players have to settle with their single-Element Traveler.
6 Sara
Once upon a time, there was a man who bore the blood of Oni. However, his family name was disdained when Mikoshi Chiyo got corrupted and turned against the Raiden Shogun. And so he moves to Konda Village, ashamed of the burden of his name.
There, he met Teruyo, a woman who bore the blood of Tengu. Hearing his past, Teruyo decided to give the man a new name: Iwakura. For years after, Iwakura and Teruyo would have a duel every year, of which the Tengu would triumph every time… except on the 13th year. That year, Iwakura finally grazed the wing of the Tengu. Something that was ought to be impossible, as the creature has unrivaled speed.
Both Oni and Tengu are non-human races that possess a lot of powers. However, even then, Iwakura had to try for 13 years before he was able to merely "touch" the Tengu. This shows how powerful this race is.
Kujou Sara, like Teruyo, is also a Tengu. This means that the Shogun General is immensely powerful too. Well, lore-wise, at least.
5 Qiqi
"Once upon a time, Qiqi died. Then, Qiqi was saved by the Adepti. Now, Qiqi is a Zombie." As nonchalant as this line may be, it pretty much summarizes the story of Qiqi.
The little girl was trapped between the battle of Adepti and Demons, and lost her life in a huge crash. Then, the Adepti channel their power to the little girl, bringing her back to life. However, Qiqi was unable to bear all this power, which put her in a berserk mode.
Now, the Zombie can control her powers better. She can even unleash the Adepti power in her body, increasing her combat ability. However, while being undead with Adepti power seems amazing, Qiqi is only a healer in the actual gameplay.
4 Childe
As a child, Ajax was hesitant and frightened. He wasn't at all a warrior. But when he was 14, Ajax decided to leave home. In this journey, he fell through a bottomless pit and landed in the Abyss. There, he met a swordswoman, one that taught Ajax how to wield a sword for three months after. However, when he came back to the surface, only three days had passed. Three faithful days that changed Ajax forever. His swordsmanship and lust for chaos eventually lead Ajax to become one of the eleven Harbingers, bearing the title of Tartaglia "Childe".
But, in Genshin Impact, Childe doesn't wield the sword. Instead, he uses a bow. This is because Tartaglia is least skilled in archery, so he wishes to master the weapon by using it often. Basically, as powerful as Childe is, he literally nerfed himself in the game.
3 Venti (Barbatos)
As the Anemo Archon, it's not at all weird that his in-game abilities revolve around crowd control. However, this Archon has done some unimaginable gestures in the past. Before Barbatos' rise to the throne as one of the Seven, Mondstadt was a land of snow and ice. He later uses his power to blow the cold off the region. In the process, Barbatos even shifted a great mountain off its ground.
Now, the remains of this mountain are known as Musk Reef, an island that hosts the entry to the Spiral Abyss.
2 Zhongli (Morax)
After millennia of Archon work, Zhongli earned himself the retirement he long for. Now, he's a mere Adeptus who works as the Consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. However, before diving into the life of mortals, Zhongli had done some crazy things. For example, when he defeated Osial, he used enormous lances of stone. Later on, the remainder of this battle became a literal island, the Guyun Stone Forest.
However, in the game, Morax is far from the fabled Warrior God. Even though he's arguably one of the best supports in the game, his gameplay didn't at all justify his past feats.
1 Raiden Shogun (Beelzebul)
Just like the other two Archons, Beelzebul too has done things that aren't translated in her in-game skills. For example, her famed Musou Isshin can deal great damage when used properly. But in the lore, it has done some unbelievable exploits.
Long ago, Orobashi of Watatsumi Island crossed the border and invaded Raiden Shogun's land. So the Electro Archon slays the serpent with her sword. However, the immense power of this slash was so great that not only Orobashi was slain. The island too, was divided into two. This place is now known as the Musoujin Gorge.
Not only physical evidence, the gorge, up until now, is still imbued with Electro power. Players who walk around the area have to be careful as the Balethunder will slowly chip their HP.
Genshin Impact is now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.