Genshin Impact lets players enhance their characters in several different ways, one of which is by simply equipping weapons. Weapons are available via the "Wish" mechanic, just like playable characters, but the game also allows players to forge powerful weapons by gathering in-game resources.
Powerful five-star weapons in Genshin Impact are currently only available from Wishes, which require the game's premium currency. That being said, several incredible forgeable four-star weapons exist, and can be crafted by any Traveler with a blueprint and the required materials.
Northlander Weapon Prototypes are required by all the forgeable four-star weapons currently in the game. They come in five different types, one for each of the weapons available in Genshin Impact, and players hoping to find any of them will have to buckle up for a rather long battle. Unfortunately for those aiming for a Northlander Bow Prototype, the battle is even longer, as it's available from even fewer locations than the other Prototypes.
The Northlander Bow Prototype is required to craft a Prototype Crescent or a Compound Bow, both of which boast formidable damage-boosting abilities. Like other Northlander Weapon Prototypes, it's predominantly received as a reward from certain strong Genshin Impact Boss encounters, however, there is a single other option:
- Liyue Souvenir Shop (one available for purchase)
Travelers will need to spend just over 200 Geo Sigils to purchase the Liyue Souvenir Shop's only Northlander Bow Prototype. Otherwise, they'll need to head out to challenge one of the game's current three Weekly Bosses: Dvalin, Andrius, and Tartaglia/Childe.
These Weekly Bosses can be challenged indefinitely once unlocked, however, their rewards can only be claimed once weekly, hence their titles. Not to mention, all three of the Weekly Bosses can potentially drop any of the five different Northlander Weapon Prototypes, all of which have an incredibly low drop rate. So in other words, players will need to hope they not only receive a Northlander Weapon Prototype at all, but also receive the right one.
While the Northlander Bow Prototype isn't required for any of the new Dragonspine weapons, that very fact is evidence in support of the theory that a new powerful four-star bow may still be on the way. Dragonspine introduced the game's third forgeable claymore, catalyst, and polearm, and players are already expecting an update in March possibly including Inazuma, so it's entirely possible that the update could bring forth a new forgeable bow. Players will want to start collecting Northlander Bow Prototypes now if they every hope to Refine the bow, seeing as they're particularly rare. And even if it doesn't quite arrive in March, players will always have the Compound Bow and Prototype Grudge to forge.
Genshin Impact is available now on the App Store, Google Play, PC, and PS4, and is currently in development for PS5 and Switch.