The Free to Play Experience in 2024. Genshin Impact 

As a f2p since the beginning release, I have become so cracked you wouldn't know I'm not a whale.

New players have an overwhelming amount of already out & incoming new characters of which they have to decide who to prioritize. And amount of primos hasn’t really changed apart from new regions

I consider myself to have progressed into the veteran player bracket, but let me say that as a fully F2P player, when a random 10-pull nets you a limited 5 star character, the exhilaration is REAL. That excitement is reminiscent of how great GI felt as a new player when you just got ANY new character to join your party. It was such a great time learning about who the character was and what they were all about. On the subject of pulling; luck has been pretty wild this 4.0 patch. Got Neuvillette early, Navia in a vanity 10-pull, along with Raiden and Nahida just before or around soft pity, never losing a 50-50 for any of them. Update: Lads, I was feeling the LNY spirit and did a few pulls. Xianyun came out of her abode and said she wished to travel and see the world too. Dipped into the primo-stash, and came out with an early 50-50 win 🏆.

I think you should make this into a series.

As a day 1 player, this was a nice trip down memory lane. More please 🙌🏼

I wish there was a way to obtain event locked weapons for newer players ngl

This was a fun style of video for you! I felt like your personality really shone through in how this was edited

I mained Keqing for a good chunk of early game since i got her in 3 pulls, then her c1 in 2 more pulls.

I started playing around 2.6 during ayaka's banner. I didn't know there was a gacha system and i thought i got characters from progressing through the quests. This happened until i realized there was a gacha system after completing inazuma's archon quest around ar 40-ish (i was looking through achievements, collecting shiny gems (primogems) and began to wonder what these shiny gems are used for. It took that long bcs genshin is my first gacha game. The first standard character i got was mona from wishing on the noelle banner. Ayaka was my first limited 5 stars thanks to her extended banner that people called her banner eternal at that time. I lost 50/50 to mona again at soft pity if i'm not mistaken but i managed to grab ayaka at the last day of her banner before 2.7 started

My starting f2p experience - 1. Didn't got a 5 star charcter until AR 43 2. Lost my 50 50 to Kequing , I went to hard pity 3. First limited 5 star charcter was Zhongli , also went to hard pity 4. I have lost 6 50 50out of 10 5. Btw I went to hard pity all the time except 2 times ,where I lost my 50 50 to kequing at 40 pity 6. Now I have 1 artifact above 50 CV and multiple artifact above 40 CV 7. I'm AR 59 now

As a long time viewer, loved the vid! Super excited to see where this goes and how your teams end up. The only thing I ask is for more live reaction/commentary? (if possible) ESPECIALLY for wishes. Hearing the excitement in someone’s voice gets everyone more invested! Also, whenever you’re exploring and have a thought it could be refreshing to hear on the spot analysis of what you think, breaks up the scripted stuff.

As a f2p player. Steady going for archon quests is the best way to catch up. I did so when inazuma was still freshly opened. and at low levels, building elemental mastery (for elemental reactions such as overload) is a good way to provide damage without thinking too much of the standard build. Since artifact farming isn't really suitable for low level domains in the early game. Slow and steady completing quests and keep on banner pulling as multi-characters are better than none.

i honestly miss the gameplay experience of being a beginner like the gameplay wasnt anything special neither was the story but it was so calm and so much to do 💀back then i remember thinking chests respawn bc i kept finding some i thought i already got really do hope we get some not just timed combat but something fun endgame maybe like a parkour thing maybe maybe

The highlight being pulling a character that helped traverse the world better, showcases (imo) that there's an issue with mobility for most characters. I reached a point in my game where I was running Yelan & Sayu to get around the world faster because running around consumed so much time. I genuinely believe that the game would be better if they implemented some sort of mount or out of combat movement speed bonus.

A bit over a year ago, I did a similar exercise and started a new account to experience the game from a newcomer's F2P perspective. I've been playing since launch and am not F2P on my main. It was really fun and made me appreciate the game a lot more. The only problem is that I stuck with that account and it's AR59 now, but still F2P. It's kind a pain managing two accounts but no regrets. The funny thing is that the first banner I decided to pull on was Nahida and I managed to beat the 50/50 to get her. It felt so exhilarating getting her and she was a game changer for my F2P account.

It was a treat to watch you have that f2p excitement about an early 5-star pull. It just hits different when you know you'll have to stack up the primogems by spending time playing the game. You had some great tips for anyone looking to rank up a new account quickly (Waypoints, mondstadt exploration, adventurer's handbook), but also for new players (stuff like: keep thrilling tales and grab every anemoculus you can for increasing stamina). I would love to see you make more like this (whether continuing an f2p account or just making tips/guides to mid-game [AR 25-45?] player experience)

I have been playing since day one, but about a year ago I started a second account which I have kept f2p and under ar 25. That second account has been so much fun! I still maintain my main account so the second one feels very relaxing to play without any fomo or worry about maxing all my characters. I use the second for exploration and co op when I want to have a chill evening and it really has been a fantastic experience (so different to the main account!). Like you touch on here there is a wealth of experiences for new/low level players and I honestly think that I have more plain fun on my second (low level) account than I do on my main.

I love this type of video, I hope you will continue it! My first 5 star was Keqing, I got her on Tighnari‘s banner in 3.0 :D

i really enjoy this.. would appriciate if you do more cause it bring some memories back when i first time playing during di lockdown

Took me until inazuma back then and i lost the pitty at 83 to jean on kokomis banner for my 1. 5 star. Also have hit pitty on the standard banner a bit after that and got Jade Spear, was mad back then because I really wanted new characters 😅

These kinds of videos are always super insightful for how the game is for people that didn't start playing Day 1 like I did for both Genshin and HSR. Like for Genshin, a lot of us were rerolling with like 30ish free Month 1 pulls hoping for whoever to come extremely early, while in HSR you were guranteed to get your first 5 star by the time you reached the underworld of Belobog - and you probably still can today. It makes me glad I did choose to start playing these games day 1 and not months later as I likely wouldn't have stuck with Genshin had the free stuffs from launch not helped give me what I wanted. It's why I think if you're even 1% interested in one of these kinds of games, you should pick it up immediately when it launches - something I'll be doing for ZZZ when it comes out despite me being completely turned off by the tv aspect. FOMO launch rewards have me in their clutches for Hoyo games.

Excellent video! really remembered me the good old time as a first week player (missed day1)!

That was awesome, I very much enjoyed seeing you going through the early game.

This is refreshing! More of this content please. And more power to you!

this vid was fun ! its a refreshing take to see you play as a n f2p definitely continue as new players will also get some help

bruh I also have an F (or spacebar) fast click macro to try to fastforward the text as much as possible! Mihoyo really needs to put skip buttons in their games. Not sure if its they not wanting players to ignore their hard work or what, but its incredibly frustrating.

Oh man this takes me back, I remember when I first started back around 1.4 was it? And getting Eula. She was my first ever 5 star and to this day I main her. She carried me through the game and will always hold a special place in my heart. I'm mostly f2p and I only have like, maybe 5 limited 5 stars at most simply because I'm saving everything for Arlecchino.

I played a bit a while back but only played more after version 3.1. I was AR30-35 when I got my first 5* character, Albedo, on my main account. I was also over AR30 when I got 5* Xianyun on my alt account, but didn't use her because my alt account was to see how far I'd get with 3* weapons and starter characters (to simulate a player coping while waiting for their favourite). Starter characters and 3* weapons only works fine even in the newest Fontaine: most of my starters only combat consisted of Lisa and Barbara normal attacking through walls and ceilings.

this was a fun video to watch! it took me 2 months to finally get my first 5 star. i started playing on dec 6th 2020 and won the 50/50 for xiao on feb 2nd

making new accounts is the most fun ive had on genshin. other than being able to spend fragile resin and get new artifacts for a few hours. i also love building new characters but obviously waiting on resin is rough.

As a return player i started a new account like 2 weeks ago and speedran archon quest till sumeru because i wanted to play fontaine archon quest. I would like to add that you will reach ar45 just through archon quests and daily commisions lmao.

My first 5 star came at 22 pity on Kazuha’s first banner, and it was Diluc, who’s still going strong on my account today, especially with Xianyun. Definitely sparked a love for the game I was not prepared for

Watching this made me remember the excitement back when i was just a newbie. Well i still enjoy playing, but not to a level where i don't sleep cuz i need to complete the quests😂.

This is great content. I hope you continue playing your f2play account.

My first five star was actually Xiao at the tail end of the first lantern rite, I had just started the game and got him in 13 pulls. My friend was really jealous of me at the time

The amount of content for new player is just insane. I stoped playing my Asia account because of this reason. We veterans went through so much and whenever i randomly play my Asia account, i feel very nostalgic. As for 5*, i got my first 5* in that Asia account around 40 pulls but i lost to diluc in Nuve's banner.

Anyone else think we need more of this? This needs to be a series!

I would love to watch this as a series

Would definitely watch more of this 👍

Started playing on the second day and pulled diluc super early from the free wishes u got when the game came out. Got super lucky with my 50/50's mostly when i played. Stopped just b4 inuzuma ended. Just started playing 3 weeks ago again and got some free wishes for coming back and got alrecchino in 6 pulls 😂

i started playing during Albedo's banner and i remember that my first 5-star was getting Jean on Ganyu's first banner so it would have been a few weeks after i started playing, i did lose the 50/50, though... also, nice to see some different content from this channel, i like guides but i also enjoy these sorts of videos.

I started playing in 1.3, and being an AR60 end game player, it’s really just turned into a daily grind to farm for artifacts and collect daily commission primogems. Of course there is still joy in exploring new regions and trying out new characters whenever they are released, but I personally find that Genshin Impact becomes more monotonous the more you play and I really don’t fault other end-game players from quitting the game either. (Most of my friends on my friend list are inactive eternally “over 31 days” players)

This was an interesting video though I already got past the first couple of regions. I've been looking for a new player guide to how to plan your account: i.e are there any key characters to look out for, what reruns can you expect, which characters are bait/skippable, etc. Like 'mid-tolong-term plans building up a fresh account' advice would help me a lot.

i asked many of my friends who started late.. and this is actually new thing.. i suspect for new players and even for old players now getting 5* weapon or 4* weapon on pity is is more frequent than it used to be.. even for me now im getting too many painslashers and sacs (sacs are absolutely welcome tho.. fun weapons which cause back to back burst rotations)... but getting a character even if its standard is better deal since it offers completely new experience with new animations and playstyle.. absolutely agree with xianyun right there.. i literally came back after a year for xianyun... and not cuz of looks or damage.. just for her exploration ability and her burst which unlocks a whole new playstyle for lotta old characters.. game needs to add more of these characters.. she became like core member in my all team setups.. cant even imagine playing in open world without her.. along with yelan i guess

As a new player my first 5 star was Yelan. I had to do multiple hours of quests in the Chasm to unlock the boss that dropped her ascension materials.

I returned to the game in 2.0, but before I left in 1.2 due to storage I did no pulls, so my first and second five stars were Keqing and Yoimiya both in 16 and 17 pity respectively (33 pulls for 2 five stars) and Yoimiya is till date one of my favourite characters so definitely a good start for me

I really want this series to continue PLEASE!! PRETTY PLEASE!!

I started the game in early December 2020 iirc. I pulled for Zhongli, but I was a bit late for his banner, so I didn't manage to get enough pulls. The next patch was Albedo, whom I eventually got as my first 5* (that was around 75-77 pulls). I actually was very surprised when I got him, I thought it was early, though it was not, and I didn't really understand how the banner system works at that time. It's true that we get attached to our first high rarity character. To this day I enjoy using Albedo in different teams, my most recent and most favorite is Albedo/Neuvillette/Diona/Kazuha.

I’ve been playing GI since the release date and my first 5 star was Kazuha from 1.6 the Golden Apple Archipelago. I got him at early-ish pity and the reason why It took me long to have a five star from 1.0 to 1.6 is that I was saving for a character that I like, Zhongli and Childe tempted me to pull but I still saved my primogems, definitely one of the best choice that I did in my account because Kazuha really helped me in a lot of scenarios and abyss was a lot easier with him. Now I almost have all the 5 star characters and I am a slight whale in the game but I am missing the experience that I have when I was still in the early phase of Genshin Impact. ❤️

Make it a series please this is looking absolutely phenomenon

As a f2p I’m playing genshin for quite a long time now! started in feb 2021 and till now i only have 2 5star characters kazuha and neuvilettee (I have left the game for 1 years and 7months)because it was feeling boring at that time that aside i have all the major 4stars that are needed in the game!!

I've actually been free to play since I started GI, I have to admit that I find it much more refreshing to watch someone play in the same manner, so I would like to see you continue your normal content and keep up with your f2p playthrough but only if you can without burning out or feeling overwhelmed with the extra work. I appreciate that you make great content.

It took me only 10 pulls for first 5star but... took me around 10 accounts :D Back then when you could make quick account without adding email to it

When game story is done, I probably start all over again. To feel it put back to back.

would love more of these casual vids indeed

My first 5* was Keqing from 8 pull multi at the launch of the game, absolutely love her till this day

As a newbie of AR 10 with the account I made literally this week ,I love this video as a guide 😁

It is worth noting that while the chest to time ratio is lower in the first two nations, they are less ideal for farming early game primogems as roughly half the common chests in both nations do not give primos. Fontaine and the new Chenyun Vale have a much higher average of primos to chests ratio with both areas having a surprising amount of low effort luxurious chests. If you are up for a slightly higher early game difficulty, Dragonspine is the most profitable part of Mondstadt. I've made several f2p (with additional restrictions) accounts over the years and if you make a beeline for the more profitable areas of the map you can get your first 5* fairly quickly. I've found an average of two off the limited banner and one off standard by AR45 but that is just my experience. It wouldn't likely be the same for someone playing without prior experience with the game. I'm not sure exactly how many primos are in the game (aside from dailies and events) but I'd estimate enough to hit soft pity at least 3-4 times. Granted that would probably take hundreds of hours to obtain everything. This turned into rambling.

Make this into a series please!!!

I remember pulling Keqing at the first Kazuha banner when I started and she carried me a bunch until she came home WAY too often. Took me a while to bench Kazuha as my first limited 5* because he's just so damn good and my attachment to him. Almost 3 years in the future and now I'm maining Yoimiya who was also my second limited 5*, though Kazuha is still helping here and there

I managed to get raiden c2 r1 and other meta characters with their signature weapons without spending any bucks, all you have to do is plan ahead on what character synergize the most and having both artifacts in the same domain

It took me a few months before I pulled a 5 star. Which was itto... So as someone who hates quests, getting access to Inazuma level up material took months probably 6 to 8 months before I had a usable 5 star character. I too cherish my 1st 5 star. For that one reason alone, I rock mono geo ( pun intended) whenever I can.

I'm thinking about making a casual side account for a while now. Just for the purpose to play all the quests chronologically as they where released and explore the regions in chronological order one by one. I'd like to finish 1.0 content before going to 1.1 content and so on. My account is kind of all over the place in regards of this matter and it bothers me. 😅 The thing is: I played for a long time without Zhongli, got him relatively late in my playthrough but since I have him I literally forgot how to dodge and stay alive on my own - that could make things difficult on a new account. And of course there are other QoL characters I wouldn't have. And when I'm thinking about alle the event exclusive weapons I wouldn't have or the events I just couldn't take part in because I'm still at an early region - the FOMO gets real. That's why I'm still thinking about the idea instead of just doing it.

Running a low ar 2. Account is rough...im glad i had a friend who took care of it for a few months, now i gotta do it alone again tho😅😵‍💫

It took me over a month to get my first 5-star; I got Diluc while wishing on the Klee banner in 1.0 and honestly, soooo glad I dodged Klee. I often wish I could have the "first time" experience with Genshin again; that first few months were a wonderful experience. I still enjoy the game, but it'll never be like it was back when I first started.

Aw this made me nostalgic, id love to see more f2p adventures! My first 5 star came home after 3 weeks, grinding in dragonspine to get childe - and it was qiqi 🙂 safe to say im not too attached to my first 5 star lol

i would love to see more of your f2p adventures!

Yes, more content of F2P IW2L please. also, 1st 5s was Hutao back at 1.3 and It took around 80 wishes to get her.

I've been playing since the release. Didn't get any 5 stars on my first account but rerolled and got very lucky with Diluc in the first 10 pull on the beginner banner and Venti twice in 20 pull on the character banner. Haven't looked back since then.

I really agree, as a f2p playing since 1.3, pulling a 5 star without spending makes u really feel more connected or attached. For me getting hutao made me really happy and ive been using her ever since as my best dps. And now Ar 60 and stil enjoying the game with zero burnout. Always time manage for the new players, dont rush into the game and take your time and just enjoy the flow, the game is always updating anyways, just enjoy at your own pace.

Funnily enough, I started playing the game for the first time a few days before this video came out. I'm... technically not f2p, since I took the subscription for a bit of primogems each day, but since I have hoarded every limited wish so far and not made any roll beyond the permanent banner, I might as well be. It is pretty frustrating that you're not guaranteed a character on a 10-pull. At this point, I only have a handful of C0 4*, and among them, there's a couple I can't even raise due to needing mats from Sumeru. Still, I'm having fun. Recently broke through AR35, currently taking my first steps in Inazuma. Went through a rough patch, resource-wise, until I realized that alchemy was pretty convenient for ascension mats. Story-wise, I'm not amazed or anything so far, but I know the best is yet to come, there were a couple of good moments in Liyue to keep me interested even if the pacing was kind of awful, and I like Inazuma's vibes so far (not its puzzles though, kind of hate them) - even if I know I should probably manage my expectations (something about a rushed ending?). And yeah, it was weird playing through the Lantern Rite event and having all these characters that clearly know me when I haven't the slightest clue about them. Anyway, it was pretty funny to see some of my experiences pretty much reflected exactly in this video.

I got my first 5 star, Mona, from the Beginner banner (10 for 8 pulls). Cant remember if it was the first or second 10 pull anymore, as its been years, but that moment has stuck to my mind.

more F2P adventures please! my friend just started a few months ago, hasn't played alot but she likes collecting things. so i advised her to grab Nahida to make that easier. xDD luckily she won her 1st 5050 and got her. i wish Hoyo added a 30 pull-50 pull guarantee on the beginner banner to receive a 5* for new players. standard banner players could be a help in the beginning.

I started playing from version 2.3 and my first 5-star was Mona. It really changed the way I explored the map up until then

one of the first things i did when creating a new account was to go to sumeru and immediately grab dendro mc. it genuinely makes so much of the early game a breeze, especially with lisa and other electro characters, and it makes it worth it to use traveler too

I started at v1.0 - and stopped, since there was nothing to do. I came back for a few days to pull Ganyu and a few days to pull Eula in the past year, but I honestly just started playing again this month because RL sucks extra hard recently, and I wanted to see what had changed in the past almost four years. Gotta say it’s a fun game, and I love everything about Liyue. And yes Xianyun makes traversing the world ridiculous painless. What I hated the most was always climbing cliffs and running out of stamina.

When I started Genshin I got Keqing from the beginner banner and im certain that she made me hooked on this game. Her playstyle was insane compared to the starting characters and I had a blast exploring everything up to Sumeru with her.

I got Jean from Noelle's banner! So it was very early, too.

ohHi! Best of luck on your journey! Early game is amazing and I hope you have a breath of fresh air to rediscover it once more. We all fallen in love with this game for a reason, and most of the players know how rewarding the progress feels when we are challenged with so much content. My biggest advice would be to not mid-max everything right away, only level if you really feel you need it. This will save you resources and you will feel less broke when the time comes and you get a new character you really wish to invest into. I can't wait to see more. Take care and have a great time.

pretty entertaining to see some cc do challenge runs from scratch...looking at u MistahFeet lol

Love your videos

Another tip would be to not skip side quests. aside from the rewards they give, many side quests, especially the larger ones, can serve as a helpful exploration guide. Especially in places like the chasm where there are many levels, the world quests generally guide you to most of the way points and major areas you need to get to, or allow you to access the map or puzzles with gadgets or other things related to the quests. And you'll want to access all the puzzles and chests because as an f2p every primo available on the map is good to get if you plan on wishing

Make this a series please😁

Klee and venti were my first 5* and I still like to use from time to time

been playing f2p since inazuma's release and it's been chill as long as you dont want for too much. i don't remember what it's like to actually struggle to clear the abyss without at least a full minute left on each floor

it took me like 5 - 3 months but id learn closer to 3 months because when i started i was really busy with irl stuff

Considering I just pulled an Arlecchino in 13 wishes on a new account...im pretty happy with my experience so far xD I only started playing last week, got to AR 30, decided to reroll and it paid off pretty well i'd say.

It would be a treat if you could stream your F2P adventures!

Cloud retainer is so much fun for exploration, I'm not a new player, I have a lot of characters but none feel so good to use in the open world.

definitely wish you continue this one!

I remember starting f2p, my first built character was xq, my first 5 star was childe. I didnt get fischl (somehow) till ar 50, so I tried to level childe who needs the oceanid mats ... with only childe and xq built. I literally had to beg friends to carry me through the oceanid boss XD Then I got albedo, I though "finally I can beat that water boss with geo!" and then I found out his stupid e doesnt work at all in that boss area ... Almost quit the game right then and there. To this day they didnt fix albedos e getting destroyed by literally everything. Atleast my cheld is pretty strong now with b, xiangling and furina.

Please make this a series

On my main account I buy Welkin and BP and on rare occasions, like birthday or Xmas, I may buy some crystals. Not quite a year ago I started my third account to see what it was like to be totally f2p. Of course knowing what I was doing made it easier, so it doesn't quite compare to a new player's experience. I went with 'I'll build any character I get if I like them'. Got blessed with an off-banner Heizou quite fast as well as Layla and Yaoyao and they pretty much carried me through the early parts. My first 5-star on that account was Qiqi at 75 pity on Nahida's banner. I did not build Qiqi, since I already had a healer and then I was able to invite Dr. Baizhu as he was guaranteed to be my first limited 5-star. I also got Mona from Standard banner about the same time. I did need to ask for help in the early stages with the bosses, but once I had characters leveled up there was no content I wanted to do and could not. The game is totally playable without spending a cent, it just takes a bit more dedication. I wish everyone better luck than I've had on my account though as to this day I have only won 50/50 once.

As regular viewer i'm on for some f2p adventure, it's a nice change of pace!

Also save chest-only 3-star weapons like White Tassel, Recurve Bow, and Dark Iron Sword

I got Mona after my first 16 pulls on the Standard banner. I was so new I i didn't really understand how to use her though, so I didn't even build her until much later.

Make this a series pls

I made an alt account for neuvillette, played almost all day for a week. Lost my 50/50 at 80 pity to another hydro catalyst user. Pain T_T

Im new to genshin and also a f2p player my first five star was keqing at 30 pulls on the featured banner which meant my second pull was guaranteed to be the promotional character at the time arlechinno which I managed to pull in my next 70 pulls all of that took me 2 weeks and my ar was 35

I remember my first 5* ever was Venti and the second was Diluc (from Klees banner). These two carried me a lot in the early days