Genshin Impact has been a wild ride, from exploring the luscious lands of Sumeru to experiencing an emotionally touching story with the featured Archon quest. But given how Genshin Impact is still one of the best gacha games, always constantly pushing boundaries on high-end Android phones, we shouldn't expect anything less. But, of course, the fun isn't over, either. Genshin Impact ended 2022 on a high note by delivering the biggest game mode since launch: Genshin Impact's Genius Invocation trading card game (TCG). Below we've outlined how to get started on Genshin Impact's TCG and upcoming expansions. However, if you're new to the game, we also have all the details to reach Sumeru; this way, no one gets left behind.
Genshin Impact trading card game mode
Genius Invocation is Genshin Impact's newest trading card game mode. The rules are simple, and there's absolutely no monetization since you only build your deck through in-game means. Over 100 NPCs will battle you, but once you're ready to tackle a challenge, you can play against live players.
Pre-requisites for Genius Invocation
- Reach Adventure Rank 32.
- Complete Archon quest: Prologue: Act III - Song of Dragon and Freedom Archon Quest.
Overview
Genius Invocation combines Genshin Impact's gameplay foundation with basic card game rules. It uses a cost point system where rolling dice every round determines your points that turn.
Objectives and rules on constructing decks
Every deck comprises 33 cards and 3 character cards, while the rest contain supporting action cards (equipment, events, and talent modifiers). You can hold an extra copy of your supporting cards in each deck. But the goal is to power up your character cards with your supporting cards to take down your opponent's character cards. So every deck will play out very differently depending on the character cards you've obtained. Think of how you'd play out various Yu-Gi-Oh! decks, like control or aggro archetypes.
How to get started on Genius Invocation
- Travel to Mondstadt and head towards the crafting station.
- Speak to Sucrose and Timaeus.
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Head towards the Cat's Tail (now a teleport location).
- Enter the Cat's Tail and listen to the cutscene.
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Speak to Diona and start the tutorial.
The Cat's Tail is where you'll duel with friends and challenge weekly random NPC visitors; here, you can earn character and talent cards. Participating in duels will increase your overall level and acquire points to spend in the card shop, so you'll spend time playing in the tavern but play against opponents dispersed around Teyvat.
Building out decks
Generally want to pair cards that work with the deck's playstyle or archetype, determined by your character cards. We've listed some common character pairings you may encounter in your TCG games (against other players).
- Yoimiya, Ayaka, Fatui Pyro Agent (melt) for one turn kill.
- Fischl, Collei, Keqing (quicken) for mid-range.
- Jean, Sucrose, Bennett (swirl) for control.
- Klee, Mona, Fatui Pyro Agent (vaporize) for aggro.
Thankfully you don't need to play PvP to enjoy Genius Invocation, and you can farm achievements by challenging NPCs (via invitation) at the Cat's Tail. But if you are interested in the metagame, every major patch will drop new character cards to potentially add more variety to the deck types.
New rules and variations for matches
Genius Invocation may bring a new flavor to the official rule set for a limited time (think of it like events) in every version. For example, version 3.4 introduced the Heated Battle mode, where you skipped rolling Elemental Dice and received 8 Omni Dice directly. The Heated Battle mode returned in 3.5, but instead of the dice change, it reduces the point costs for action cards and skills/talents. So keep an eye out for the Heated Battle mode changes, as it may offer a new way to enjoy Genius Invocation.
Pre-requisites for reaching Sumeru
Unfortunately, you can't just waltz your way into Sumeru as you could with Liyue and Mondstadt. But it isn't as restrictive when trying to reach the Inazuma islands. You can naturally enter if you're up-to-date on the latest Archon quest; otherwise, you can explore the Chasm to find your way into Sumeru.
How to get to the Chasm
- Reach Adventure Rank 28
- Complete Archon quest: Chapter I: Act III - A New Star Approaches Archon Quest
- Start World quest: Surreptitious Seven-Star Seal Sundering
You'll approach two Millelith soldiers guarding the entrance to the Chasm to start the World quest: Surreptitious Seven-Star Seal Sundering, which gives you entry to the surface of the Chasm. It isn't necessary to complete the World quest you picked up to get to Sumeru, but it's highly recommended to finish if you want to progress further into the storyline. Completing Surreptitious Seven-Star Seal Sundering will open up the Chasm depths, which is what you'll access when you're starting the Archon quest: Requiem of the Echoing Depths.
Note: You must complete this Archon quest to proceed to the Sumeru Archon quest line!
How to raise your Adventure Rank
Raising your Adventure Rank is a tall order, especially in the early game. However, it is necessary to keep up with the storyline, access new World quests, and be eligible for limited-time events. We have a few tips and tricks for raising your Adventure Rank; refer to our how-to travel to Inazuma guide to learn more. The biggest takeaway is always spending your Resin and ensuring you're completing your Adventurer's handbook entries.
How to get to Sumeru
Sumeru is located on the left side of the main continent of Teyvat, found directly left the Chasm. The tricky part is ensuring access to the Chasm and learning how to maneuver around the terrain. Below we outline the steps on the easiest route to get to Sumeru and how to unlock the map, along with showing where the location of the city.
- Locate where the Chasm is on your map and use the nearest Waypoint to reach The Chasm, Liyue Waypoint.
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If you haven't unlocked any Waypoints, you'll have to travel the Chasm's surface to reach the entrance.
- Enter the tunnel and follow it until you've reached the other side.
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Congrats! You're in the land of Sumeru, but now you need to visit the nearest Statue of the Seven to uncover a portion of your map.
- After visiting the Statue of the Seven, your darkened map reveals a portion of Sumeru. We highly recommend changing your Traveler to Dendro at the Statue of the Seven.
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The next stop is the central city; below, we outlined where the city is on the map. Be aware that Sumeru's terrain is vertical sometimes, so use the grapple spots to traverse from one place to another while exploring!
How to get to the desert area in Sumeru
Now that we know how to access the mainland and have located the city of Sumeru, we still have the desert area that went live as of Genshin Impact version 3.1. You'll need to know how to navigate towards the desert if you want to be up to date on the main story or if you managed to snag Cyno off his limited banner run. Thankfully, if you have already entered the main section of Sumeru, you don't need to worry about any restrictions in exploring this new area!
- Enter the Sumeru region, and head far southwest.
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Locate the Ashavan Realm, Sumeru Waypoint, and teleport to that location. If you don't have that teleporter unlocked, you'll have to travel on foot to get there. We advise you to take advantage of the Four-Leaf Sigils scattered around Sumeru (interacting with them lets you slingshot your character to high ground); you may need to activate Clusterleaves of Cultivation (plants) with a Dendro attack to get more sigils to spawn! Note: If you haven't grabbed your free Collei yet, she's super helpful for exploring/traversing around Sumeru.
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The teleporter sets you in Caravan Ribat, a small settlement located at the entrance to the Land of Lower Setekh. Now to get the first map section of the desert (Land of Lower Setekh) lit up, we head towards the Statue of the Seven in that area by walking along the main road.
- Tap on the Statue of the Seven to interact with it, and your map should light up. Repeat the approach when finding the other two Statue of the Seven to light up the rest of the desert.
Exploring Sumeru's desert expansions
Sumeru's desert expansions have roadblocks that stop your progression on exploring parts of the map or render you incapable of finishing puzzles. Therefore, we strongly recommend completing the Golden Slumber World quest and the Dirge of Bilqis World quest to get the necessary gadgets and clearance.
Become a master dueler in Genshin Impact
It's impressive how much support Genshin Impact's minigame mode, Genius Invocation, currently has; HoYoverse clearly brushed up on how much Gwent took off in the Witcher series. And if you're a new player starting, you'll definitely want to catch up to the current events in the story as you'll have to prepare for a voyage trip to access Inazuma and then a long trek through Sumeru's scorching hot desert. But if you haven't loaded into Teyvat yet, now is a great time to check out Genshin Impact, one of Android's best games, by grabbing the title through the widget below.