The world of Teyvat in Genshin Impact is ever-growing and ever-changing, as players can see the newly-added Girdle of the Sands zone all the way from Mondstadt. Released in September 2020, the initial version of Genshin Impact only featured the standard zones for Mondstadt and Liyue, with the rest of Teyvat's regions such as Inazuma being little more than placeholders. Over the course of its updates, HoYoverse has slowly-yet-steadily filled up the world of Teyvat, with the Dendro region of Sumeru being the latest addition.
Added in Genshin Impact's Version 3.6, the Girdle of the Sands is the final subregion of Sumeru, featuring the edges of the Sumeru desert before it transitions into a mire, as well as a forest blooming around an oasis. Much like the rest of Sumeru's zone design philosophy, the Girdle of the Sands features an extensive cave network for players to explore.
Posted by melthyus on the official Genshin Impact subreddit, players can see the most prominent landmarks of the Girdle of the Sands even from Mondstadt, the game's tutorial region. Due to Genshin Impact's rather generous draw distance, players can similarly hop onto the Jade Chamber in Liyue and gaze out across the sprawling landscape below to spot both Inazuma's islands and Sumeru's pyramids all at once. One thing the Genshin Impact community has always found exciting is how much Teyvat's placeholder lands have changed since launch, with Fontaine slated to irrevocably alter the northern horizon of Liyue.
Based on leaks regarding Fontaine in Genshin Impact, the new region is expected to be heavily mountainous, featuring countless waterfalls, rivers, and lakes – as befits the Hydro region of Teyvat. Not much is known about the realm of Focalors just yet, but the next chapter in Genshin Impact's story is slated to launch in the coming months. Before players can take the plunge into new lands, there are still a few events (and a zone) to come that will help prepare them for the journey.
Though A Parade of Providence has featured the colorful cast of Sumeru in the Interdarshan Championship, Version 3.7 will take players to Inazuma for its flagship event, while Version 3.8 of Genshin Impact will introduce a new limited region. Players who have yet to complete A Parade of Providence should aim to do so by the end of the week, as the Anemo character Faruzan is awarded to those who participate in the Akademiya Extravaganza.
Genshin Impact is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Mobile. A Switch version is in development.
