Gameplay & Control guide for Genshin Impact. See game play & mechanics, how to play, elemental reactions, character roles, controls, elemental resonance, gadget, tips, & more.
Table of Contents
Genshin Impact Controls
Depends On The Platform
Image Source: Genshin Impact Official Site
You can play Genshin Impact in different platforms and the controls may vary. See the controls for each platform below.
Movement Controls
How To Move The Character?
| Platform | Default Controls |
|---|---|
| PC | - Movement: WASD keys - Camera View: mouse - Jump: Spacebar - Sprint: Left shift or right mouse button - Run/Walk: Toggle left CTRL key |
| PS | - Movement: left analog stick - Camera View: right analog stick - Jump: X button - Sprint: R1 button - Run/Walk: Slightly tilt left analog stick |
| Mobile | - Movement: D-pad (left side of the screen) - Camera View: pan the angle with another finger - Jump: jump icon on the right side of the screen - Sprint: sprint icon on the lower right side of the screen - Run/Walk: run/walk toggle button on the lower right side of the screen |
Movement is essential in Genshin Impact. If you are not comfortable with the default movement controls, you can modify the controls in the settings.
How To Fly?
| All Platforms | High altitude → Jump button → hold control for preferred direction |
|---|
You cannot technically fly but you can glide from a high altitude and descend slowly.
All Gliders & Wings Skin ListAttack Controls
Normal Attack
| PC | Left mouse button |
|---|---|
| PS | ◯ button |
| Mobile | Normal Attack button on the lower right side of the screen |
Normal Attack is the most basic attack that you can do and the execution, animation speed, & number of hits differ per character.
Charged Attack
| All Platforms | Hold Normal Attack button |
|---|
Charged Attack is an attack that utilizes the same control as Normal Attack but you hold it instead of press. Doing so may consume stamina for some characters.
Aimed Shot For Bow Users
| PC | R key |
|---|---|
| PS | R button |
| Mobile | Crosshair icon on the right side of the screen |
Bow users have an Aimed Shot stance which changes the view from third person to first person and does not reset the camera angle after performing a Normal/Charged Attack. You can move while in this stance
Plunge Attack
| All Platforms | Gain some altitude → press Normal Attack button |
|---|
Plunge Attack is a descending attack that utilizes the same control as Normal Attack but you need to be in a certain altitude first. Plunge Attack deals damage to enemies within a set AoE around the user upon impact.
Elemental Skill
| PC | E key |
|---|---|
| PS | R2 button |
| Mobile | left side of Normal Attack button |
Elemental Skill is an action that is unique for each character. This can always be used unless it is still in cooldown state.
Holding Elemental Skill
You can hold Elemental Skill when using some characters which can have a different effect. For instance, Yaoyao can accurately throw Yuegui to a preferred spot.
Elemental Burst
| PC | Q key |
|---|---|
| PS | △ button |
| Mobile | left side of Elemental Skill |
Elemental Burst is also an action that is unique for each character. Unlike the Elemental Skill, you need to accumulate Energy first before the Elemental Burst can be used. This also has a cooldown state.
Character Switching
How To Change The Active Character?
| PC | - Party Member 1: 1 key - Party Member 2: 2 key - Party Member 3: 3 key - Party Member 4: 4 key |
|---|---|
| PS | - Party Member 1: ↑ button - Party Member 2: → button - Party Member 3: ← button - Party Member 4: ↓ button |
| Mobile | - Specific Party Member: Tap the character icon on the right side of the screen |
Switching from one character to another is a vital action for combat. However, note that there is a 0.10-second cooldown after switching once which makes it impossible to switch instantaneously after switching.
Genshin Impact Gameplay & Mechanics
Create A Lineup
Team That Consists Of 4 Characters
There are many characters to choose from but you can only include 4 characters when creating a team.
Knowing A Character's Role
| Role | Details |
|---|---|
| DPS | - Has the ability to inflict powerful damage during combat - Divided into categories: └ main DPS: active character most of the time └ sub-DPS: only active for a short time |
| Support | - Responsible for assisting the DPS and improving the performance of the team - Divided into categories: └ buffer: can provide buffs that is beneficial for the main DPS principally └ shielder: can produce a shield that can protect the active character |
| Healer | - In charge of restoring HP to the team and keeping everyone healthy - Can also provide buffs |
Each character has a unique talent kit and you can see the character's role depending on how the talent kit works.
Best Team Comp & Party Build GuideElemental Resonance Provides Bonus Effect
Elemental Resonance provides bonus effect on the team depending on the enabled resonance. To activate an Elemental Resonance, you must have at least 2 characters with the same element in a single lineup.
Elemental Resonance Chart & GuideSee All Characters Per Element
| All Elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | | |
Click the icon of an element to see all available characters with the selected element.
Attack & Apply Elements
Elements are vital in combat. If you can harness the power of the elements of the characters in your team, you can defeat enemies effectively.
Utilize Elemental Reactions
Having 3 elements in your team is ideal as you can work around a countermeasure for defeating enemies that have immunity or resistance.
Elements & Elemental Reactions GuideDodge Incoming Attacks
You can dodge simply by pressing the sprint button at the right time. This is a useful action to increase your chance of survivability, especially if you do not have a shielder or if your healer is incapable of restoring HP during the time being.
Genshin Impact Gameplay Tips
Instant Elemental Burst After Switching
If you see the Elemental Burst indicator glowing beside the character's name, you can switch to the chosen character. However, this function is known to be available only on PC & mobile platforms.
| PC | ALT+Number of the preferred character |
|---|---|
| Mobile | Tap the Elemental Burst indicator of the preferred character |
Do you happen to know the control for this action on the PS platform? Share it with the community by leaving a ▼comment below.
Synergizing Elements
Off-Field DPS Characters Are Usually Flexible
Off-field DPS are considered as a sub-DPS as they can deal powerful damage even when not on the field. They can also apply elements which can be utilized by other team members to improve the team's combat performance.
Switch Between Characters To Perform Combos
The collaborative effort of each character in the team is a factor for dealing powerful damage. While it is true that some who can deal powerful raw elemental damage, there are also some who can also perform better by triggering elemental reactions.
Characters That Need To Be Included
To have an effective team, you should have DPS, support, & healer whose elements complement each other. However, this may be modified depending on your capabilities. One example is when you feel safe with just a shielder, you can opt not to have a healer.
Collect & Utilize Gadgets
Equip Up To 4 Gadgets
You can include 4 gadgets into the quick swap slots. This lets you switch between 4 gadgets without accessing the inventory.
NRE Gadget Can Restore HP
When you need immediate healing without the involvement of a healer, you can utilize the NRE gadget to consume food. However, there is a food limit that you can consume per character before they feel full. When the characters feel full, they can no longer consume any food. However, there are some contents where you cannot use NRE gadget such as Spiral Abyss.
Gadget ListGlide Faster With Red Feather Fan
The gliding speed is undoubtedly slower compared to walking but you can improve this by using the Red Feather Fan gadget before gliding.
How to get Red Feather Fan?Convenience Of Treasure Compass & Resonance Stone
The use of treasure compass & resonance stone can hasten your exploration, especially if you are looking for collectibles such as chests & oculus. However, these items will only take effect if you are in the nation where you obtained it. For instance, you can only use Mondstadt treasure compass & Anemoculus resonance stone if you are in Mondstadt.
Craft Condensed Resin
For Conserving Resin
If you are not able to consume your resin for the day, you can craft condensed resin so your resin does not hit the cap. However, you can only have up to 5 condensed resins at a time.
How to get Condensed Resin?For Faster Consumption
Condensed resin can be used to Ley Lines and domains where you can get artifacts, weapon ascension materials, & character talent materials. When the condensed resin has been used, you can get rewards of 2 runs.
Open-World Exploration
Utilize Anemo Resonance
Anemo resonance is the most useful resonance when it comes to open-world exploration as it provides additional movement speed and reduces the stamina consumption of any action that requires stamina. This lets you sprint faster and longer.
Maximizing Stamina When Traversing
You can take advantage of the passive talents of some characters. Some can reduce the stamina of sprinting/gliding/swimming while some can provide additional movement speed at a certain in-game time range.
Nimble Displacement Without Consuming Stamina
Some characters have the ability to move swiftly for a duration without consuming stamina and by utilizing multiple characters with unique displacement abilities, you can explore quickly with convenience.
