Genshin Impact Update 1.6’s Limited Summer Vacation Event Has Features That Should be Permanent

Summer has hit the world of Teyvat in Genshin Impact’s latest update. This time, it introduces a brand new limited-time area, a new boss, a new character named Kazuha, and quality-of-life updates to existing features.

First, let’s talk about one of the additions of the Serenitea Teapot, which is the Companion Invitation feature.

Players can use their teapot to invite characters that have joined your party in your realm. These characters have various lines of dialogue, which change depending on your friendship level with them.  Many of the conversations you have are a great way to see some personality from characters that might not have much screentime in the main scenarios, such as Xiao and Keqing.

You can also gain Companionship EXP while they are in your teapot. As much as the idea is to have characters that you don’t have your friendship maxed out with placed inside so you can deepen their bonds even while offline, I’m sure many might prefer to keep your favorites out regardless. You can also place different furniture sets, which might unlock special interactions with your favorite characters. It’s a really cool addition.

Now, let’s talk about the main aspect of Version 1.6, and that is the Golden Apple Archipelago. After completing the required quests, you’ll be invited to this mysterious set of islands that got bigger over time. But…remember what I said about the “limited-time area”? Yeah…this is what I meant.

To travel between the islands, you’ll use your trusty Waverider, a boat capable of firing cannonballs, and dash across the waters. You can also warp your boat to the points in the map, so if you ever get lost and can’t find it, you’ll be able to just interact with the waypoint and spawn it again. There are also challenges in the sea where you must defeat the enemies and traverse foggy patches of the sea to get to the finish.

On the center of the islands sits Version 1.6’s newest boss: Maguu Kenki. This Inazuma-attired automata was abandoned by the island’s previous inhabitants, but why or how it came to these islands is unknown. Maguu Kenki’s tactic is that ranged attacks will trigger a phantom counterattack that does massive damage against you, so it is advised that players use melee-styled units such as Diluc or Jean. Sorry, Ganyu and Venti mains. This boss just won’t be friendly to you.

This archipelago is a huge area that I’m sure many are very eager to explore. Still, after the next Version Update, you will no longer be able to explore it, as it will only be available to explore during the Version 1.6 patch period. As you’ll notice the intricate design and mysterious lore put behind the map’s design, you’ll scratch your head even further as to why this sort of new area will just vanish after the next Version Update rolls around.

Try as I might, I could not comprehend what miHoYo’s idea here was. Is it to make the Fear Of Missing Out hit hard and make players explore the islands as quickly as they can? Or do they have plans to further enhance these islands and bring them back someday? Who can say?

Lastly, let’s talk about the Dressing Room. Up until now, it only served as a place where you could change the design on the glider in each character. Still, now developer miHoYo has added a further option to it: Character Outfits. These outfits are merely graphical changes to the character’s model and do not affect their offensive capabilities in any way.

During Version 1.6, you can gather Echoing Conches and earn Barbara’s skin for free. As for Jean’s Sea Breeze Dandelion skin…well…that will set you back $30, my friend, as her skin will cost you 1350 Genesis Crystals, with the price increasing to 1680 after Version 1.6’s patch period ends.

Version 1.6’s Golden Apple Archipelago was a great addition because the main charm of Genshin Impact has to be the world you can explore at will. However, my biggest complaint about it is the limited-time deadline attached to it, which defeats the purpose of the entire “open-world aspect” of the game.

Locking out players out of an area full of interesting lore and puzzles just because they didn’t explore enough during that limited time seems like a pretty bad idea to me, unless plans are in the works to add new permanent areas in the future. One can wonder what will happen in the coming months, as Genshin Impact nears its 1st anniversary.