Genshin Impact developers miHoYo recently published a short Q&A confirming a few of the new features slated to debut with Version 1.3, which still doesn’t have a firm release date. The upcoming update has had its fair share of leaks (we know Xiao and Hu Tao are the two likely featured banners tied to Genshin Impact Version 1.3), but this is the first time miHoYo has officially confirmed anything other than the Zhongli and Geo buffs.
Genshin Impact Version 1.3 will introduce preloading and controller support on mobile, a new material conversion system, and more.
Don’t let Genshin Impact’s largely solo open-world format fool you: it is very much a live-service game. miHoYo confirmed back in October they were aiming to drop a major update every six weeks, which means Genshin Impact Version 1.3 is just around the bend. Today’s Q&A was in response to the recent survey miHoYo conducted in-game, and it teased a few of the upcoming features and changes coming in Version 1.3.
Mobile players will be able to pre-install Version 1.3 shortly before it drops, and the system will be carried over into the future. All mobile fans have to do is go to the login menu of Genshin Impact to download the resource package once it’s available, or they can go to Settings>Other>Pre-Install. The data will be downloaded to their devices via either the App Store or Google Play Store, and it will take effect immediately once the old installation is overwritten.
Additionally, mobile players on iOS will finally be able to use a controller to play Genshin Impact in Version 1.3. I’ve been personally requesting this since the game launched, but I’m an Android user, so I guess myself and the numerous other Android-based Genshin Impact fans are out of luck this time around.
A new material conversion function is being added in Genshin Impact Version 1.3, but what it entails exactly we don’t know yet. It sounds like the system will allow us to convert Character Ascension gems, but how and at what cost remains a mystery. We’ll at least be able to hold down on enhancement ores to add them en masse to weapons, which is a positive quality-of-life change. A little more middling is the addition of Fragile Resin to both the free and paid battle passes, for a total of ten every 40 days. It’s good to see miHoYo taking steps, however small, to address the Resin economy in Genshin Impact. It’s just mildly annoying since it’s such a limited, tiny step forward. Still, progress is progress.
There were some notes on Fischl’s “Undone Be Thy Sinful Hex” talent, why the Fatui Anemoboxer Vanguard will no longer counter Geo attacks, and why Ganyu’s “Harmony Between Heaven and Earth” talent does not effect the Elemental Burst that activates it, which you can read here in the full Q&A. miHoYo will host a livestream this Friday to discuss Genshin Impact Version 1.3 in more detail, and once it’s translated into English we’ll be sure to share the information here.
