Review: Genshin Impact

Each character banner has three rate-up four-star characters, and each weapon banner also has a pool of rate-up four-star weapons. These characters and weapons are more likely to be pulled than others of the same rarity. Four-star characters pulled on the character banners have a 50% chance of being one of the featured rate-up characters, and four-star weapons pulled have a 75% chance of being one of the featured four-star weap


However, this is where the pity system has another effect. If a player "loses" the 50/50 and obtains a Standard Banner character, they are guaranteed to obtain the featured character next time they pull a five-star. This effect carries over across banners, so if you lose the 50/50 and don't get the character you want, you don't have to worry about losing the 50/50 again before you get the next win, even if the character banner changes o

There's no greater a highlight than a moment around fifteen-ish hours into wandering the world. Having already established the omnipresent "the world is one big environmental puzzle" motif at the heart of Genshin Impact and successfully completing a near two kilometre trek to a new region, to activate another beacon filling in more of the map, only to spot one of thousands of optional collectibles atop an incline of rocks; a few seconds of climbing later and off in the distance, another beacon. A subtle indicator -- of which the game does a great job at allowing players to organically discover parts for themselves -- that hinted not only towards another environmental conundrum, but also of what may lie beyond. Even then: what other little moments will distract me. It's a truly great, out-of-the-blue moment but another point in Genshin Impact's favor. How, indeed like Breath of the Wild before it, the journey becomes as pivotal and as fulfilling as the destination. Ultimately, the marvel of seeing yet another perspective on the vast world before you. Before long, you're ready to plot another course and begin that journey all over again.

My normal taste in games leans towards arcade and action, but this year has been one where the extra focus to hone in on pinpoint-perfect reflexes just hasn't been as available as I'd like. Instead I've been taking it easy, using gaming as a way to relax and escape into a more manageable world. The SLG Game tips that I'm thankful for this year is SnowRunner, which doesn't have an enemy anywhere in the whole world but instead requires the player to use its tools to complete a huge series of jobs across hostile terrain. While sorting out the controls takes some effort, once learned there are a huge amount of tools available to tackle even the roughest wilderness. Mountain tracks carved by streams, muddy bogs, rivers frozen solid and snowdrifts that even the highest-traction tires can't get a grip on all stand in the way of delivering Cargo to Place. You can tackle the challenges with brute force, careful plotting of the optimal route or relying on the winch to basically drag the truck to the goal, but there's always a way if you're patient enough. Few events are timed and just about everything is optional if you decide that a particular job feels like a bit much. There's pressure in navigating the tougher areas, of course, but otherwise SnowRunner is a game of choosing a task and tackling it however you like, driving across the beauty of a wilderness that's just barely been touched by humans. It's challenging, sure, but also relaxing and satisfying, and I'm thankful there are games that let me unwind into a simpler, more-focused world.

While there have been plenty of excellent releases this year, it’s still Persona 5: Royal that I’m most thankful for. The changes and additions it made to an already-awesome game all felt natural, as if they were meant to be there all along. Getting to know Kasumi and Maruki was just as interesting as developing friendships with the other characters. The combat was wonderfully spiced-up and the extra endings let me play out a couple of "what-if" scenarios that’d been bouncing around in my head ever since I finished the original in 2017. It also helped that this came during a big move for me, so it was nice to have a good mix of old and new to help take my mind off it and ease the transition. There may be better games out there, but Persona 5: Royal is hands-down my highlight of 2020 thus far.

The Dendro Traveler’s scaling is decent enough for them to operate as a Sub-DPS in Genshin Impact . For that, giving them Elemental Mastery, Dendro DMG, and Crit items is viable for their build. However, they still lean more into the supportive role, so giving them weapons like Freedom-Sworn and Xiphos' Moonlight is more helpful to the t


The Pyro Traveler is a versatile unit that can operate as both on-field and off-field DPS. Before getting their C6, the Pyro Traveler operates purely as an off-field Sub-DPS who gets on the field to enter the Nightsoul's Blessing state and starts dealing off-field Pyro DMG. If you’re playing them like that, build the Pyro Traveler with 4pc of Scroll of the Hero of Cinder City to maximize their off-field presence by buffing their t