In Genshin Impact update 3.2, one of the cutscenes features a confrontation between Dottore and Nahida. The two have a tense exchange, with Dottore bargaining for the Gnoses in the Dendro Archon’s possession. Though Nahida stands her ground, she eventually hands one of the Gnoses over. In exchange, Dottore kills off all his other segments. This is a missed opportunity and questionable writing on HoYoverse’s part.
Il Dottore in Genshin Impact, otherwise known as “The Doctor,” first appeared in HoYoverse’s webcomic. He later appeared in the Harbinger trailer, where it was first hinted that he had “segments.” This explained the drastic change in his appearance from the webcomic to the game. However, HoYoverse’s recent decision to get rid of Dottore’s other segments has raised a few eyebrows.
Genshin Impact Dottore’s Segments Explained
The Genshin Impact Harbinger trailer was released right before Sumeru dropped, and it showcased nine of the Fatui Harbingers discussing matters following the death of Signora. At the very end of the video, a female voice noted that the Doctor looked younger than usual, which he reacted to with disdain. He then drops the hint that “the segment at the prime of his life” was in Sumeru, undertaking an experiment in “blasphemy.”
Some of Childe’s newer voicelines shed a bit more light on Dottore’s segments. The younger Harbinger notes that the Doctor took portions of himself at different stages of his life and made prostheses out of them. So, essentially, Dottore has clones of himself at various stages of his life. The voiceline also says that each clone was assigned a different task, but Childe doesn’t elaborate on what those tasks are. However, this hints that there is a chain of command, with the “original” Dottore in Genshin Impact at the top.
This changes the community’s perspective on the Doctor from the webcomic, as it means the Dottore who experimented on Collei was not the same Dottore that the Traveler saw in the game. They were two different “segments.” Despite this, players have yet to see Dottore’s younger segment in the game.
Dottore in the Genshin Impact 3.2 Archon Quest
In the final act of Genshin Impact’s Sumeru Archon questline, Dottore’s “Omega Build” – presumably one of the older segments – confronts Nahida and bargains for the Gnoses in her possession. One is Ei’s Electro Gnosis and the other is her own Dendro Gnosis. Nahida agrees to give him the Electro Gnosis but only if Dottore erases all his other segments. Somehow, Dottore manages this, and Nahida even confirms that he’s successful.
This came as a surprise to many players, as they were expecting the Doctor’s segments to play a larger part in Genshin Impact’s overarching story. Now, however, it just looks like a cop-out to justify Dottore’s change in appearance and scrap the version of him from the webcomic. If this is the case, it’s a questionable decision on the writers’ part, especially given how much the segments were teased beforehand.
However, it’s possible that Dottore simply plans to create more segments. In his exchange with Nahida, he states, “It’s only a matter of time until I find better 'perspectives',” perhaps hinting that he intends to make new clones that are far better than the last batch. Even then, the discarded clones are still a waste of storytelling, especially since plenty of players were hoping to see the younger Dottore from the webcomic in the game at some point. So, while HoYoverse might have something planned for Dottore and his segments in the future, there’s no changing the fact that a significant number of players aren’t happy with his recent portrayal in the game.
Genshin Impact is now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.
