When it comes to events in Genshin Impact, there’s sometimes an underlying motivation for them. A brief quest might occur to kick it off, like what happened with the Floral Zither. Kazuha handed it over. The same goes for the entirety of the Genshin Impact Labyrinth Warriors run, and its story offers an opportunity to see Xinyan and Childe in a new light.
As the Labyrinth Warriors questline kicks off, it almost seems like it could begin like many other Genshin Impact brief event quests. Familiar characters alert you to what’s going on. The initial mission sends you in the right direction. After that, perhaps you’re left to your own devices. Which is how it could have proceeded. After all, going into the Mystic Onmyou Chamber to aid the Shiki Taishou shikigami and halt the escaping monsters for its Abyss-like floors would be excuse enough. But the event keeps adding additional quests. They provide a sense of purpose. It becomes about more than just accruing enough Aged Tokens to get a Crown of Insight, Primogems, and other rewards from the Event Shop. Both Xinyan and Childe continually feature prominently in this Genshin Impact event.
Xinyan, well, is someone who’s been overlooked! She’s a great character with an amazing design. Other characters’ voiced lines that discuss her make her sound great! But she didn’t feature at all in the Liyue Archon Quests. Honestly, Xinyan didn’t show up until the Moonlight Merriment event after the Genshin Impact 2.1 update. Even then, she only offered additional insight for Xiangling. Here, she gets all of the attention. With her introduction, we see how Inazuma is reacting to outsiders finally visiting with the region opening up again. We also get to see her as a person. She always seemed passionate and dedicated to her music. Now, we understand why.
Xinyan comes across as someone who not only wants to do the right thing, but to be a good friend. She’s heading to the Tenryou Commission to deal with a travel permit issue after an event ended up canceled. When an opportunity to help arises, she offers in exchange for a permit. But, and it’s important to note, she doesn’t ask for additional payment or help. Just the permit. When she meets Shiki Taishou, she plays her music to determine her intention. Based on his response, her judgment leads her to trust him. Which also means occasionally defending him and standing by him when he seems uncertain. When she meets Childe, she quickly takes to him too. She even expresses concern over him when he remains trapped in the domain after her and the traveler get out. She constantly is friendly with the player for obvious reasons. But her interactions with Sara, Childe, and Shiki Taishou further define her and make her more memorable. She expresses an incredible amount of insight and understanding when talking with people. She genuinely connects to them.
Meanwhile, the new interactions with Childe give us a chance to see a different side of him than we have in Genshin Impact. When he appeared during the Liyue Archon Quests and his story quests, well, things weren’t always straightforward! Granted, there’s always an element of mystery surrounding him. Now we see him at a point where we’ve had some time to let things settle. We know where his alliances lie. But once someone starts the Genshin Impact Labyrinth Warriors quest, we’re on equal footing and apparently have goals that align. Which means a more jovial and, dare I say, friendly experience.
What’s especially interesting here is the awareness Childe displays. Both he and Shiki Taishou are in a similar situation. The latter is a shikigami tool. We aren’t sure of his motivations. He could very well be a weapon. Childe lives for battle and proving his strength. He event explains that morally grey nature of the world. He points out how event good people might do questionable things. Or people who are “bad” might show hesitance. There are certainly plenty of times when he seems genuine. But even though there are questions, he’s there in the same way Xinyan is. He’s working alongside the group. The characterizations present in the first two parts aren’t as enlightening for him as they are for Xinyan. (And often consist of “I love battles!”) But they’re there.
The Labyrinth Warriors Genshin Impact event works for a number of reasons. A big part of it is what it does for the characters. Xinyan didn’t get a chance to stand out until now. We see what an insightful and helpful person she is. (And a great friend.) And with Childe, well, it’s another opportunity to see one of the facets of his personality in Genshin Impact.
Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, PC, and mobile devices. The Genshin Impact Labyrinth Warriors event will run until November 8, 2021. Its first two parts are available now, with part three beginning on October 27, 2021 and parts four and five on October 30, 2021. To get a free Xinyan, you must complete the quest Path of the Taishou, have earned 4,000 Aged Tokens, and have 1,000 Aged Tokens left to redeem for her.
Published: Oct 26, 2021 03:00 pm