Though players in the east are more familiar with gacha gameplay formats, players in the west have been awestruck by the free-to-play Chinese game Genshin Impact. Though it's a massive open-world action-adventure RPG, it features dozens of hours of completely free content. The main draw of Genshin Impact is winning rare characters through its version of the gacha system, but influencers such as Twitch and YouTube streamers have proven F2P players can get through to late-game content as well.
One large drawback, however, is its co-op system, which doesn't quite hit the mark. Many Genshin players have criticized that, though its single-play is phenomenal, the co-op system needs a lot of improvement. Multiplayer can be limiting in many ways and lacking in others, but veterans to the gacha genre, like streamer Demone Kim, are confident that MiHoYo will improve the system as time goes on based on their past experiences. "The game is still very young," he said it one livestream, asking his fans to keep this in mind. Here are a few elements that could benefit from improvement for better player experience.
Original Resin Caps and How it Affects Co-Op
Not relating strictly to co-op activities, the Resin system in Genshin Impact has received a lot of criticism from fans. Though MiHoYo has intentions to improve the Resin system in the 1.1 update by increasing its cap from 120 to 160 Original Resin, many players are concerned that this won't change the problem at its core. Resin replenishes slowly at 1 Original Resin every 8 minutes and even options to replenish it using Fragile Resin or Primogems are limited to a certain amount per day. So players can only play for an hour or two before they run out of resin-related activities, which are essential to leveling and Ascension in Genshin Impact.
Additionally, spending Resin is just about the only activity that can be done in co-op that is productive for all parties. Sure, players can ask friends for help fighting Elite Bosses or running Abyssal Domains, but if one person doesn't have enough Resin, while they can still help, they won't be able to reap the benefits. Spending Resin is even required to receive EXP rewards that go towards Adventure Rank, so with Resin regenerating at a slow rate, it essentially limits how much co-op gameplay can be experienced in one sitting.
Aside from increasing the regeneration rate of Original Resin to be faster, perhaps MiHoYo should consider adding more co-op content that is productive to player leveling but doesn't require Resin to reap the benefits. While it's seemingly MiHoYo's intention to ensure players aren't infinitely farming essential items, the Resin system as it currently stands makes it difficult to enjoy Genshin Impact with friends for longer than an hour per day. Elite Bosses are a world of fun to go up against, but not even being able to earn EXP as a reward makes it virtually pointless to participate alongside other travelers.
Matchmaking for Elite Bosses
Bosses in Genshin Impact can be quite difficult, especially for those who haven't mastered the art of Artifacts or do not have access to rare five-star characters. Elite Bosses such as the Oceanid and Lupus Boreas, a giant ice wolf, are exceptionally hard battles in single-player mode, but with the addition of other players' help, they can be taken on much more easily. The main problem is matchmaking specifically for these bosses doesn't exist the way that it does for Domains.
While in single-player mode in Genshin Impact, all the player needs to do is approach an Abyssal Domain such as Cecilia Garden or Hidden Palace of Zhou Formula and, after entering, an option to immediately begin matchmaking will pop up. It usually takes under a minute for other players to join or to be sent into another player's session. But with Elite Bosses, there's no such option.
To join another person's general session, the player must navigate to the co-op menu and sift through a number of available sessions. Seemingly, these are other travelers just going about their normal questing and there's no way to know if they intend on battling bosses, doing Domain runs, or need help with finishing off more difficult quests. Because there are so many ways to spend Resin to farm Ascension materials and Mora in co-op mode, it would be far more efficient for players who wish to battle Elite Bosses to be given the option to enter matchmaking.
Other Limitations to Genshin Impact's Multiplayer
Overall, players are concerned that Genshin Impact's co-op mode is limiting to its players. Aside from not being able to do small tasks like looting chests while in co-op mode (this includes "investigating" items and grabbing them, but the host of the co-op session can do this), players are frustrated that Adventure Rank 16 must be reached before co-op mode becomes available to them at all. Luckily, content before Rank 16 isn't very difficult, but that means players can't play with their friends until after hours of grinding through story, quests, and Domains.
Additionally, these newer players at lower World Levels cannot join their friends' worlds who are at higher World Levels. Though, the opposite works, where higher-level players can join the sessions of their lower-level friends. Genshin Impact players who have taken to forums for their concerns are hoping to see multi-player specific changes in the future. For example, main story quests cannot be done in co-op mode, so fans would like to see quests and Domains that must be completed in co-op mode in the future.
While Genshin isn't an MMORPG, they're hopeful MiHoYo will address these mass fan concerns down the line. Some fans argue that MiHoYo might be focusing on improving its single-player mode before perfecting its co-op experience, so it's possible that as more co-op events become available, Genshin Impact will implement updates that have quality-of-life enhancements. After all, MiHoYo does often release fan surveys for feedback, so it's certain that the developers are interested in player criticism on its widely successful adventure title.
Genshin Impact is available on mobile devices, PC, and PS4 with a PS5 and Switch versions in development.
